CHAPTER 268: FACING A SIMP?

Hearing the voice from behind them, both Daniel and Lana turned to see who had spoken.

However, there was one difference—Lana recognized that voice and knew exactly who it belonged to, which immediately gave her a headache.

It was a young man. A tall guy with straight, blond hair and a handsome face, wearing a simple, plain shirt.

However, Daniel frowned slightly as soon as he felt the aura radiating from this man’s body. He was definitely a B-Rank, but for some reason, he gave Daniel a sense of danger.

And that confused him. Was there actually someone else from his generation who could make him feel even a hint of threat?

"Been a while, Simon," Lana said with a blank expression.

"Heh, looks like Lady Lana is a bit cranky today. I’m happy to see you too," the young man—Simon—chuckled lightly as he walked closer.

"Didn’t think I’d get this lucky to run into you here today."

"And I didn’t think I’d get this unlucky," Lana replied indifferently, having completely forgotten that this annoying nuisance could be here.

"Anyway, who’s this? A new friend?" Simon turned his gaze toward Daniel, asking with obvious curiosity.

"He’s a new guild member, personally recruited by my grandfather."

"Oh? Interesting." A flicker of both playfulness and coldness flashed in Simon’s eyes.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Simon," he said, extending his hand.

"Likewise. I’m Daniel," Daniel extended his hand as well, shaking it.

However, Simon suddenly began squeezing his hand tightly, as if trying to test his strength.

Daniel raised his eyebrows in confusion. Is this guy an idiot?

He simply applied a little pressure in return—and it was enough to make Simon’s hand audibly crack for a moment.

Simon immediately pulled his hand back, pretending nothing had happened, though he was clearly doing his best to hide the pain. At the same time, he shot Daniel a cold glare.

Lana, seeing the situation, could barely keep herself from laughing. Who would have thought this bastard would one day get a taste of karma for all the bullying he’d done to new recruits?

"Ahem, anyway, remember how I told you there was someone who holds the top spot for most victories in the simulators? That’s him," Lana said.

"Oh? I see. Well, I was a little concerned about the simulations, but now I don’t think taking the top spot will be too difficult," Daniel replied with a slight smile.

He had no personal grudge with this guy, but Simon had been the one to start squeezing his hand first. Clearly, he was the one harboring hostility.

Why? Daniel didn’t know for sure, but honestly, it wasn’t hard to guess. Just looking at the way Simon glanced at Lana, it was obvious—he liked her.

And naturally, seeing another man standing next to Lana probably made him furious.

Not that Daniel cared. He had no interest in Lana. He just didn’t like Simon’s behavior.

"Haha, funny guy. Hey, everyone, we’ve got a rookie here who thinks he can challenge the rankings," Simon said with a cold smile, raising his voice.

"Hah? Did you hear that? A rookie wants to challenge the rankings?"

"Is he insane? Forget the top hundred—most rookies can’t even break into the top 250."

It didn’t take long for a crowd to gather around them after hearing Simon.

"That’s the rookie?"

"Yeah! And apparently, he’s going after Simon’s rank."

"Hiss... Is he stupid? Even Lady Lana couldn’t break Simon’s record."

The moment the crowd noticed Lana, they all started greeting her one by one. She, however, only gave them a brief nod, her expression filled with annoyance.

She could already tell this exact scenario was going to happen.

Daniel, on the other hand, just lazily glanced at everyone, waiting to see what Simon would say next.

"So, our friend here wants to challenge my rank and thinks it’s an easy task. How about this? If you can take the top spot, I’ll grant you one request—whatever it is. But if you fail, you have to bark like a dog."

"Sure," Daniel agreed. Even though he still couldn’t figure out why this guy was so hostile toward him, it didn’t bother him.

"You all heard that, right? Don’t back out later," Simon said with a smile.

"Got it. Mind if I get started then?" Daniel replied with a nod before walking toward one of the empty training sections.

Lana followed him to help set up the simulation device.

"What’s this guy’s problem anyway? Does he have some kind of mental issue?" Daniel asked.

"Sorry about him. That bastard’s in love with me, but I can’t stand him. Still, he never gives up. And as for his hostility toward you... well, I’m usually alone. The only women around me are my secretary and my sister. The only men are my grandfather and father."

"Any time he sees me with another guy, he assumes something’s going on and does whatever he can to drive them away. Most of them are new recruits we’ve taken in," Lana sighed as she explained.

"I see. So yeah, the guy’s got issues. But why are the new recruits always assigned to you? Don’t you have other staff to handle introductions?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Some recruits are special—like you. All those special rookies will become the pillars of this guild in the future, and to build a strong relationship with them, I need to be the one to handle it."

"Why don’t you just throw him out?"

"His background is a bit unusual—he’s not even from this country."

Daniel nodded in understanding before stepping into the empty training arena.

"You’re sure you still want Hell difficulty? That’ll make breaking his record harder for you."

"Don’t worry. My goal is to calm my mind, not to break his record. That’s just a side thing."

Lana chuckled at his words and activated the simulator. Suddenly, glass walls surrounded the entire arena where Daniel stood.

A glowing metallic orb appeared above his head. Above it, a display screen projected his information, win/loss percentage, and his current ranking.

Without delay, fragments of holographic panels formed in front of him, assembling into a figure.

His first opponent in the simulation.

And when he saw it, his eyes widened in shock. He recognized this monster—oh, he knew it very well.

It was the very first B-Rank Corruption Beast he had ever faced in his life.