Star Rank Hunter

Original and most up to date translations are posted at volaretranslations.

Translator's Note: Aaaaaand I forgot something really important again. Thank you to A.S. and R.V. for sponsoring this chapter! It's going to sound cliche as hell, but I really appreciate all of your support!

Translator: Craxuan

Editor: darklord5555

Chapter 57: Disappointing Match

Although Lung didn’t have time to participate in the Sector Championship, he had always been paying attention to every happening on the Sector Championship platform. Previously, he wasn’t quite sure if Shadow X was Cillin, but when the duo team Knight and Shadow X had appeared on the double combat tournament participation list, Lung knew that Shadow X must be that bastard Cillin. Therefore he had immediately called Cillin and Knight’s communicator numbers at the same time, and just in case, called the other five public communicators in the accommodation as well. Just think of it an alarm.

The moment Lung walked through the accommodation entrance, he was met with Cillin and Knight sitting gloom-faced and cross-legged at the living room waiting for him. Judging from their faces, if he could not give a satisfying explanation he might have to sleep on the streets today.

Lung had planned everything before he came over. First, he must express his apologies and lower the other parties’ anger.

“These are shortcakes bought from a newly opened biscuit shop of meat fillings or fruit fillings. They’re stored inside a crisper and are still crisp, you know. Oh, right, here are also two cups of hot milk tea; isn’t it nice to eat shortcakes and drink milk tea together, hehe.” Lung handed over to Cillin and Knight a cup of milk tea each before taking out a cup of his own.

According to Cillin’s understanding of Lung, he would never have thought of buying a drink like milk tea, and even if he did, he would’ve bought alcohol instead. Adding this up with other factors and coming to a conclusion, there was a ninety percent chance that the first two milk tea were gifted by the shopkeeper when Lung was buying the shortcakes, and the third milk tea was probably Lung unleashing his unique trait called utter shamelessness and forced it into his hands.

Seeing that Cillin and Knight had picked up the shortcakes and milk tea and began to eat, Lung relaxed a little. Now, he must seize the initiative for himself! While Knight was chewing on the biscuit and getting ready to open his mouth for another bite, Lung swiftly put down his cup and criticised the duo righteously, “How dare you two not discuss something so important with me! Do you know that what you’re fighting isn’t a match, but money! Money!”

Cillin and Knight: “...”

Knight’s mouth maintained at an open state. He paid it no heed even when crumbs fell out of his mouth.

Lung opened his own microcomputer and surfed to a particular web page. He enlarged the screen and pointed at it, explaining, “Gambling is available on the Sector Championship; undertaken by the officials themselves!”

While speaking, the trio’s communicators and the five public use communicators inside the accommodation rang at the same time.

After glancing at the name displayed on the communicator, Cillin pressed a hand to his forehead. Why do they all like to play this trick.

After the call was connected, Ci Jincheng’s image appeared on the display. He was still in his overalls, and his background was his workshop.

“You guys are plotting an evil scheme!” Ci Jincheng said with an ‘I knew it’ look.

“Didn’t your base have a rule about communication with the outside world? Also, doesn’t Seven Lights have a rule about interplanetary communication as well?”

Ci Jincheng said with disdain, “That’s for the average people; it’s useless against me. What were you saying just now, repeat everything from the beginning.”

“Alright, since everyone is here now, I will explain my grand plan once more!” Lung cleared his throat and began explaining about the gambling scene.

After finished listening, Knight said hesitantly, “But sometimes, it’s not something that we can control. Suppose if we run into those people from the military academies. When they fight, they fight with everything they have, because their combat results will affect their mentors or instructors’ welfare. If the welfare of their higher-ups were affected, then the little ones would not be better off as well. They will definitely fight with everything on the line. In this case, it will not be easy for us to control the time.”

“They haven’t joined GAL’s regular army, have they? Also, what’s the welfare of their instructors and mentors? According to my knowledge, the ranks of those military academy instructors or mentors were pretty high up. They definitely earn a lot of money.” Lung did not understand.

Knight shook his head, and while cracking his fingers said to the trio, “Sector C’s military academies are slightly different from the other Sector’s military academies in that they’re attached under the GAL army. Every student who comes out of Sector C are definitely elites, not to mention that those top students were all booked by garrisons everywhere a long time ago. People like the First Military Academy’s Feng Haicao and the Second Military Academy’s Bonn had begun performing missions under external orders since way back, so they did not need to worry about their futures at all after graduation.

However, the military academies’ instructors and mentors are different. There is such a word called ‘relegation’. They are all officers of the GAL army, but some of them were at Sector A, B and C; some of them were transferred to the ten trading Sectors, and some were even relegated to the thirteen backwater Sectors. As a serviceman, do you want to lead your men to hunt down galactic robbers and suppress local Sector rebellions, or develop an untamed land?”

Cillin and Lung let out looks of sudden realization. So it appeared that there were so many unspoken words behind the term ‘welfare’ the military academies were talking about.

“But I believe Cillin and Knight’s team can take them all down.” Ci Jincheng said affirmatively.

“Blah, of course I believe it as well. Otherwise I wouldn’t dump my business on the other side and run back the same night.” Lung looked expectantly at both Knight and Cillin.

Knight rubbed his chin. Although he was frowning, the upturn lift on his lips could not hide the true thoughts inside his heart, “This will be pretty challenging.” said he, but it was exactly this kind of extreme challenge that he loved.

The trio turned to look at Cillin. Cillin slowly put down the cup in his hand, “There certainly is a level of difficulty here.”

Although he said this, he had taken out his card at the same time and passed it to Lung. Lung understood his meaning and took it, “How much?”

“Everything. As long as I didn’t give you a sign, go all in every time.”

Lung swiped Cillin’s card across the card reader he carried wherever he went, glanced at the numbers on the display and lifted an eyebrow, “Hmm, it looks like you’re pretty confident.”

Knight also threw his card over, “Bet everything on it as well.”

“Lung, I’ll send the money to your card in a moment.” Ci Jincheng also said on the other side.

On this night, while the other students were either so excited they couldn’t sleep or training overnight, these four men were stuck inside their accommodation conspiring to make boats of cash. What human trashes.

On the next day, the first match of the Sector Championship on the battle list was announced. The battles were randomly assigned by the system, and Cillin and Knight’s first match was against the IDs Dominate The World and Break Thousand Forces, who were also Sector B students from Prometheus College.

Their pre-match training records weren’t bad. They had over ninety percent victories and they were both A rank genotypes. But of course; who among the participants of this Championship did not have some capabilities to show? Moreover, Dominate The World and Break Thousand Forces were both among the top 50 in last year’s single combat tournament. After a year of hard work, their capabilities were definitely not weak. They wouldn’t be considered weak on Sector B at least.

Naturally, there were plenty of people who went to watch Shadow X’s first match. Even those who had a match at the same time were ready to end them as soon as possible so they could watch him fight.

It was only the first round, but the number of viewers watching the duo Shadow X and Knight had already reached the equivalent of the peak level of viewers during a quarter final. When Shadow X’s symbolic generic robot appearance had appeared on the stage, all of the viewers had boiled up. This was the first time Shadow X had showed himself since he disappeared for four days.

However, the audiences were destined to be disappointed. During the first match, Shadow X had simply folded his arms and stood motionlessly at the sides from the moment he entered the stage. Then, he watched the battle from the beginning to the end as Knight won it all by himself. Moreover, Knight had fought with ease even though he did not use the Thunderstorm Fists, and in five minutes, he sent the Prometheus pair flying away with a kick. Of course, if he restrained himself slightly, then the other party would have been able to hang on for five minutes at least, or if Knight was slightly more serious, then he would be able to take out his opponent in less than two minutes. But what could he do; Lung had placed his bet under five minutes after all.

Shadow X did not act during the first round, and Knight had won one versus two. The second round was the same, and the third, and the fourth…

Gradually, some people were beginning to lose their patience. Could this fraudulent system arrange them a stronger opponent already? It’s been five matches and Shadow X hadn’t acted even once!

The teams who were defeated by Knight couldn’t help but want to bawl their eyes out. We’re actually pretty strong in our institutes, you know…

Finally, under everyone’s expectations, the duo Shadow X and Knight was met with a special opponent. They were not from a military academy. The reason they were called special was because one of them wielded guns, and the other swords.

The contest rules did not forbid anyone from bringing weapons. As long as the party who brought them applied for it and received the consent from both sides of the match, then it wasn’t a problem. Obviously, Knight and Cillin did not turn down the request. In fact, they were rather looking forward to it.

Guns and swords? That sounds interesting.

After five disappointing matches, the audience grew excited once more. This was because Shadow X would definitely act during this match.

The crowd had only heard of Shadow X’s abilities, but had not seen it with their own eyes. After all, Shadow X had only fought three times, and no one recorded the battle footages, so no one could imagine exactly how powerful he was in their minds.

The daylight for Shadow X and Knight’s match was different for people of different Sectors, different planets or different places within the same planet, but if they could witness Shadow X’s fight with their own eyes, then it would be worth staying up for the night!