CHAPTER 83: A PAINTED TARGET!

Chapter 82

"Alright, that was crazily hilarious." Jake chuckled loudly until it turned into a full-blown laughter, so uncontrollable that he began hitting the table in front of him while trying to catch his breath.

Zach had just been escorted out of the canteen, his shame practically dragging behind him like a torn cloak, while Lana was fuming in anger as she stomped out, possibly to go punch a wall or maybe someone’s face.

The bullied E ranked hunter from earlier couldn’t hold back his laughter either. He clutched his stomach and rolled on the floor in pure ecstasy, his laughter echoing around the canteen like a victory song.

’That was good, too good. The dude wanted to bully me, and instead he got bullied by life itself. Hahahaha!’ the hunter burst out laughing inwardly, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Then, he suddenly noticed that he wasn’t the only one who found the whole scene funny.

He caught sight of Jake, who was also laughing hysterically, and at that moment something clicked in his mind. Slowly rising from the ground, the E ranker recalled a crucial detail.

’That’s right! He was with the hunter that just embarrassed that bastard. Does that mean he knows him? I need to find a way to appreciate that hunter for saving me from those bullies.’ The thought lit a spark of determination in his heart, and he immediately took a step forward.

However, before he could reach Jake, a wave of hunters exiting the canteen blocked his path. More and more hunters flooded the space, their chatter and movement making it impossible for him to get through. By the time he managed to break out of the crowd, Jake was gone.

"Ah, damn it!" he cursed angrily, slapping his thigh in frustration.

---

Now that he was out of the canteen, Jake could be seen standing in front of his dorm room. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to find Max cheerfully whistling as he finished laying his bed.

"Someone seems happy after humiliating a cocky brat." Jake commented as he closed the door, earning a curious raised eyebrow from Max.

"What do you mean? Who got humiliated?" Max asked with a straight face.

"Oh, come on! I know you had something to do with Zach totally humiliating himself back at the canteen."

"Zach got humiliated? Really? How?" Max asked again as he slumped onto his bed, staring at Jake with mild amusement.

"Are you seriously trying to play dumb with me? If it wasn’t you, then explain how he suddenly started acting like he lost his mind. Especially when he froze up instead of attacking you, even though you were standing right in front of him." Jake retorted, his brows furrowed.

"I don’t know." Max shrugged casually before yawning slightly. "I’m just a frail, weak human who, for some miraculous reason, can handle C rankers and somehow became a B ranked hunter. Just my luck, I guess. So, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

’That’s bullshit! I know he’s a hybrid, but I don’t get why he keeps hiding it and pretending to be weak. This wack act is starting to annoy me. Argh! My head aches.’ Jake roared internally, gripping his hair tightly in frustration.

"Just so you know, whether you had a hand in this or not, you’re in deep shit." Jake muttered as he strolled casually toward the corner of the room and grabbed a chair.

"Meaning?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I made some research," Jake said, dragging the chair over and placing it directly in front of Max before sitting down with a serious look.

"About what?" Max asked again.

"Not what, but who." Jake replied with a heavy frown. "You don’t know who Zach is, do you? Actually, let’s put it more accurately. You don’t know who Zach’s father is, right?"

"Huh? What’s my business with that?" Max asked with a raised brow when he heard Jake sigh loudly.

"In this whole country, towns and cities are divided by tiers," Jake began as he leaned back in his chair, his tone calm yet heavy with meaning. "We have five tiers, with a tier five town being the lowest.

Any town labeled tier five by the government means it’s so poverty-stricken that it’s deemed unsafe to live there. Not because of beasts, but because of its living conditions. People there fight more against hunger and disease than against actual monsters."

"The tier four towns are only slightly better than the tier fives, but still bad places to live. The air is heavy, the streets are dangerous, and life there is just... survival. Though, it’s manageable enough for those who can’t afford to live in the higher tiers."

’Huh? Why is he telling me all this? Kelly already gave me a briefing,’ Max thought with furrowed brows.

"Next are the tier three towns or cities, depending on how vast the area is," Jake continued. "These tiers are where most middle-class people live. They have some slums too, but they’re more balanced. Tier four and five? Those are literal slums, while tier three is... tolerable.

Above that, you have tier two cities. Not towns, not villages, not some ramshackle streets, but full cities. Here, only those rich enough can afford to stay.

And in almost every tier two city, massive gangs rule. These gangs aren’t your typical punks either. They have enough manpower, weapons, and hybrids under their command to wipe out entire towns without much effort.

If two tier two gangs clash, the area where the fight takes place is doomed. The destruction is insane. And above them is the tier one city. That place is the heart of power, and it’s literally a gang stronghold.

Not the low-level trash gangs you might be used to, but massive organizations with half their members being hybrids. To live in a tier one city, you don’t just need to be rich.

You need to be wealthy. I mean top of the chain, swimming-in-money wealthy." Jake explained thoroughly, his voice dropping slightly as he spoke the last words.

"Okay, I understand all that. But why the history lesson?" Max asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That’s because of the target you’ve just painted on your back." Jake replied with a serious frown, his gaze locking onto Max.

"Meaning?" Max asked again, his eyebrow twitching slightly.

"In the tier two cities, there’s a gang actively pushing to become a tier one gang. This gang is already one of the strongest in its region, and its leader... Well, let’s just say he’s someone no sane person crosses. That gang leader has a son here. And do you know what his name is?" Jake paused for effect, his voice almost like a nail driving into the silence. "Zach."

Max’s shoulders dropped instantly, his mouth falling wide open at the revelation. For once, he had no witty comeback.

"That gang has more hybrids under their command than most associations can ever dream of. They’ve got weapons, money, influence, and they can easily wipe out towns. Maybe even some cities too, depending on their mood."

Jake leaned closer, his tone tightening. "And you just went ahead and pissed off the son of the gang leader. Now you see the kind of deep shit you’ve landed yourself in.

Without backing, you can’t stand against them. And the closest thing you have to a backing, which is the Hunter Association, I doubt they’ll want to get involved in a gang war over one rookie like you."

He leaned back again, folding his arms. "So, I’ll ask you one more time, Max. What will you do now, when the gang inevitably comes after you?"

The silence stretched, the air in the room thick enough to cut.

"Alright, you’re cooked," Pix muttered dryly after listening to everything Jake had said.