The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

With only 500 points needed to become an E-rank Hunter and 1000 to become a D-rank Hunter, the 1500 Hunter points Klaus had accumulated from his first mission pushed him through to the D rank.

Klaus retrieved his now-green badge, which shows he is a D-rank warrior, and smiled.

”Lucky me, I guess.”

Completing an Epic grade mission as an F rank warrior sure gave him some confidence and morale to handle whatever mission comes next.

”With me also on the ’Rising Star’ list, I can pick an Epic rank mission, and even with the mission pass, I can pick and reserve an Epic mission for the time being while I handle the Whispering Beast.”

Now, he needs 2000 points to become a C rank and double that to become a B rank warrior. Obviously, that is a long way to go, but Klaus had already picked his second mission.

This new mission will take him to Planet Virel, a homeworld of humans who look almost like Elves, just that they have horns and blue skin.

The strongest in their world is an Empyrean.

The mission is to hunt and eliminate the Whispering Beast. It had created a vale that seemed to block all surveillance, so as to how the beast looked or whether the humans it had taken were dead or alive.

In the mission descriptions gathered by hunters who failed to complete the mission, they said the beast is colossal and has countless eyes.

They describe it as a terror of beasts, the kind that nobody should dare go against. In fact, some even suggested immortals should be sent there.

However, because the planet is rather small and not that wealthy, the mission was posted on the Rare mission board.

Hunter Zolomon wrote: [The beast is either an Empyrean stage beast or an Early Immortal. Either way, do not get near the vale. I only saw a colossal beast with countless eyes that seemed to look deep into one’s soul and threaten to take control of one’s body.

I don’t know much, but I can say for a fact that its abilities are either soul- or mind-type. I escaped thanks to my guardian beast. So even if you take this mission, be confident you can protect your mind or soul before going near the vale.]

Hunter Mat wrote: [I witnessed three other hunters get taken into the vale. From what I saw, they merely walked into the vale of their own accord. The only thing I heard after that was whispers of someone calling my name.

I was tempted to walk into the veil, but thankfully, I managed to snap out of it.]

Klaus went ahead to review other messages left by the hunters that had failed the mission he was on his way to.

”Icon, how long would it take to reach Planet Virel?”

[Four days, Master.]

Klaus nodded. He would have more than enough time to research more on the Whispering Beast. Something tells Klaus it is more than it appears.

’The vale could very much be its domain that had manifested into a realm where one loses control over their mind. However, there is no telling just where it is hidden within.’

Maybe he is overthinking it. After all, there are many beasts that could come to mind from Klaus’s past experiences with strange and bizarre beasts. He had handled many in his past life, so perhaps this one is not so strange either.

”Icon, do you know how I can rise through the ranks on the Rising Star chart?”

[The master can rise much faster if he completes missions that many had failed. Completing a mission is 1000 points. However, if ten people fail it before you complete it, you get 10,000 points, which boosts your ranking.

This point, of course, has no effect on your hunter ranking; however, the higher you rise through the Rising Star chart, the more rewards you will get.]

”Oh, is that so...”

[Yes, master. I have already reviewed all the Hunter ranking charts, and the Rising Star chart is among the top five weekly hot Hunter charts.

If the master can rise to the top 1000, perhaps gaining the reputation to travel between galaxies wouldn’t be a problem.]

”I see. In that case, completing this mission is a must since 64 hunters had failed.” Klaus seemed happy to see a clean path open for him.

”I just need to do more missions and become a B-rank Hunter so I can take on the high-profile missions. Making a name for myself is just around the corner.”

He opened the mission board and quickly accessed the Epic Mission Board to see what missions were there.

”Oh, only 74,900 missions are available in this star system, huh?”

[Epic missions pay more, so the hunters don’t joke around compared to the Common and Rare missions.]

”Looks like it.” Klaus quickly went through the missions and seemed to have found one that suited his style within a few minutes.

It is a bandit extermination mission that 325 Hunters had failed. This means if he manages to complete it, not only would he rise swiftly through the ’Rising Star’ chart, but he would also get close to meeting the requirements of a B-rank Hunter.

Klaus applied the mission pass and started reading the description. The mission would take him closer to the direction he wanted to go since his destination was the Beast Universe.

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[Mission Name]: Crimson Star Raiders Extermination

[Mission Rank]: Epic

[Location]: Planet Korvel-3 (Outer Mining Belt)

[Target]: The Crimson Star Raiders — A notorious bandit syndicate led by Raukesh Vorn, a Real Immortal barbarian-type cultivator with enhanced physical strength and shadow infiltration abilities.

[Reward]: 4.1 billion Universe Coins + 1,200 Hunter Points

[Mission Requirements]: B-rank Hunters Only*

Mission Description:

Planet Korvel-3 is a remote industrial planet, home to mining colonies and orbital extraction stations. For the past four months, the outer belt has been terrorized by a brutal bandit syndicate known as the Crimson Star Raiders—a fleet of over 300 raiders specialized in hit-and-run assaults, refinery hijackings, and abductions.

Their leader, Raukesh Vorn, was recently identified as a Real Immortal fugitive from the Dervan Star System.

With his talent in body cultivation, his raw strength allows him to tear through starship hulls with his bare hands, while his shadow infiltration technique allows him to phase into cracks or vents undetected.

He is extremely dangerous and very evil.

They have seized three mining rings, taken over 12,000 workers hostage, and now threaten to activate a stolen Dark Matter Driller, capable of punching a hole through the planet’s crust if the Planet Lord does not pay the 400 billion Universe Coins they demanded.

If activated, the entire planet could destabilize, ultimately leading to planet collapse and the death of billions.

The objective is simple but extremely dangerous:

1. Neutralize Raukesh Vorn and his 10 immediate enforcers with any means necessary.

2. Crush the Crimson Star Raiders (Every kill aside from their leader and the ten enforcers will add an additional 10 Hunter Points).

3. Secure the Dark Matter Driller.

[Additional Notes]:

Raukesh Vorn is believed to possess a semi-sentient Immortal-grade hammer known as Voidbreaker Maul.

His ten enforcers each carry stolen Mythic-grade weapons.

The Raiders’ flagship, The Blood Horizon, is fitted with stolen military-grade cloaking tech.

Planet Korvel-3’s atmosphere in the lower mining zones is unstable; oxygen tanks are required.

Hostage survival increases mission rewards by 10%.