Leaving Elomont and his retinue behind, the city of Mosan unfolded before Atticus’ eyes.

Compared to the dry, cracked wasteland outside, the city brimmed with life. Paved roads stretched across the landscape, skyscrapers towered toward the heavens, and hover cars sped through spotless streets.

Even the people looked refined and well dressed. Robes, suits, casual wear. It felt like a functioning civilization. An actual civilization.

Though amidst the crowd, Atticus also caught sight of numerous hunters... gods.

Almost instinctively, his arm shifted closer to his blade. Yet each one either completely ignored their large group or merely cast intense glances their way before continuing onward.

The answer soon came when Gladious began speaking about the city.

"Supreme lord... Mosan City is one of the three great strongholds, ruled by the Mosan family. Around here, they’re basically royalty. There are foundational laws in place. No fighting within the city grounds, no theft, and a whole list of other things you absolutely do not want to violate..."

Gladious continued explaining the city, placing particular emphasis on the Mosan family. According to him, the best course of action was to avoid them entirely.

Eventually, they boarded a teleportation port toward the eastern side of the city, where a large and imposing building stood.

Atticus took in its sheer grandeur. It couldn’t help but remind him of the Will Guard headquarters they had destroyed back on the Span.

Written above it were the words;

’Hunter Association.’

According to Gladious, joining the hunter association was the fastest way to gain influence within the world, and where practically every hunter ended up upon reaching the First Crown.

Still, Atticus couldn’t help but feel slightly hesitant. He had never been particularly good at being part of organizations like this. Usually, things always found a way to turn for the worse.

Eventually, after exchanging glances with the others, Atticus stepped into the building.

Even from the outside, it had buzzed with activity, but the moment he entered, he realized just how crowded it truly was.

A vast hall unfolded before him, stretching at least a kilometer in every direction, yet still packed to the brim with hunters of all shapes and sizes wandering about.

The sheer crowd made it difficult to see anything clearly.

"Supreme lord, we have to reach the counters."

Following Gladious’ line of sight, Atticus quickly spotted the counters at the far end of the hall, nearly swallowed by crowds of hunters barking orders at the attendants.

Atticus frowned slightly. At this pace, it would take ages before they were attended to.

A scoff suddenly echoed from Ozeroth as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, his gaze locking onto the clustered hunters ahead.

"Leave them to me. I’ll crush them."

"Wait."

Atticus stopped him immediately. The last thing he wanted was Ozeroth breaking one of the city’s laws and drawing the ire of the stronghold.

There were still far too many unknowns. The strongest beings within the First Crown, powerful will users, the Mosan family... it was far too early to do anything drastic, especially when so many people now depended on him.

"I’ll handle this."

Seeing the seriousness in Atticus’ expression, Ozeroth frowned faintly, but eventually gave a nod.

Anorah, Magnus, and the others also turned toward Atticus with curious expressions, wondering exactly how he intended to "handle it."

Under their gazes, Atticus simply exhaled before slowly shutting his eyes.

Within his mind, countless memories flashed by in an instant. His death. His reincarnation. Endless battles. Slaughter. Genocide. Entire civilizations erased beneath his will.

Then Atticus opened his eyes.

A faint flicker passed through his ocean-blue irises.

The next moment, a monstrous wave of bloodlust erupted from him, drowning the entire hall.

The loud rumbling noise echoing throughout the building abruptly vanished. Every hunter in the hall stiffened, and all eyes snapped toward Atticus with widened expressions.

Under the countless stares, Atticus’ expression remained indifferent.

Then he began walking forward.

The moment he approached the nearest hunter, the man instinctively stepped aside as though avoiding a plague. Others quickly followed after. Soon, a clear path opened straight toward the counters.

There was not a single soul present who hadn’t taken lives before. Many here could be considered mass murderers. Yet every single hunter could feel it.

The sheer bloodlust radiating from Atticus was different.

This wasn’t the aura of someone who had merely killed millions... or even billions.

It was the bloodlust of someone who had erased entire civilizations.

A true killer.

Across the deathly silence, only the footsteps of Atticus and those trailing behind him echoed through the hall. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Eventually, Atticus stopped before the counter, his gaze settling on the attendant stationed there.

He glanced toward Gladious, who immediately stepped forward and cleared his throat, attempting to ease the suffocating atmosphere hanging in the air.

"...Hunter registration, please."

The attendant was a tall woman with a regal aura surrounding her. Yet from the moment they approached, her eyes had remained fixed solely on Atticus, disregarding Gladious entirely.

As the seconds passed, a faint flicker suddenly crossed her eyes.

Atticus suppressed a frown.

That felt like... recognition.

The woman finally shifted her gaze toward Gladious before giving a small nod.

"Newly registered? Or from another city?"

"Newly registered."

The woman nodded once more.

"Alright, then follow me."

Moments later, they were led through a door on the opposite side of the hall into a smaller room.

It was clean and neatly arranged, with rows of chairs lining the sides and a massive screen fixed against the far wall.

The woman approached the screen before gesturing for them to take their seats.

"Please listen carefully to everything I’m about to say. By becoming hunters, you acknowledge your role as exterminators of reverents. Following registration, you will be required to enter the Wilds and eliminate them. In return, you will be compensated with Mosan Credits, which may be freely used within the city. Additionally, you will gain the right to be entered into the Hunter Rankings."

The attendant motioned toward the massive screen behind her.

It flickered.

The next moment, countless names appeared across it, each ranked numerically from the very top downward.

As the list continued scrolling endlessly, Atticus realized there were millions of names present.

The attendant turned back toward them.

"The Hunter Rankings consist of every hunter within the First Crown. Your ranking is determined by your accumulated points. Points are earned through the elimination of reverents, with the amount awarded depending on both the quantity and quality of your kills."

’I see.’

Staring at the rankings, Atticus finally understood why the Hunter Association had become every god’s destination.

With this system, a hunter’s name could spread far and wide, allowing influence to grow rapidly. It truly was an efficient method for completing the main quest.

And beyond that, it benefited both sides. Hunters gained influence to ascend through the Crown, while the inhabitants received an army dedicated to suppressing the reverents.

"If you accept these terms, you may now state your names. Afterwards, the Association will assign you a mission to verify your capabilities before your registration is finalized."

The attendant spoke while staring directly at Atticus with an oddly expectant gaze.

Atticus inwardly frowned.

It felt as though she had been waiting this entire time just to hear his name.

’Who is she?’

He had never met her before, yet something about her felt strangely familiar.

Atticus glanced toward the others, only to pause when he noticed the faint frown on Ozeroth’s face. Even Ozerra wore a similar expression, her eyes fixed on the woman.

Instantly, Atticus reached out mentally.

’You know her?’

Ozeroth briefly glanced toward him before shifting his gaze back to the attendant.

’I’ve never met her before... but I can sense a will similar to ours coming from her.’

’Pride Will.’

Atticus paused slightly.

That was the source of the familiarity.

And if she possessed Pride Will, then there was only one possible explanation...

An agent of the Pride Queen.