Five days had passed since the meeting at Isadora's mansion. Time was moving quickly, and the tension in the air of São Paulo seemed to grow with every new registration for the Rank D Tournament.
Zeki sat at the dining table, eating a plate of rice, beans, steak, and salad that his mother had prepared. His fork moved automatically while he scrolled through his phone screen. Claudia watched her son from the corner of the kitchen, smiling softly.
Suddenly, Zeki stopped chewing. His eyes narrowed when he saw the official notification from Titan Guild.
"Now there are 234 participants…" he murmured.
Claudia walked closer, wiping her hands on her apron.
"That many? In just a few days?"
"Yeah. And there are still five days left before registrations close," Zeki replied, continuing to scroll through the page. "The guilds must be loving this. The more participants, the bigger the spectacle, the higher the audience… more money."
He set the phone on the table for a moment and took another bite, but his mind kept racing. He opened his browser and started searching. "Rank D Tournament profits," "Titan Guild sponsors," "last year's D-Class tournament revenue."
The results appeared quickly. Zeki read carefully, his face calm but his eyes attentive.
"Interesting…" he whispered.
According to specialized reports, the previous year's tournament had generated at least 178 million reais in revenue for the major guilds. Live broadcasts, image rights, sponsorships from major equipment companies, recovery medicine brands, energy companies, banks, and even luxury brands. The event lasted around fifteen days and was broadcast across all of Brazil and parts of Latin America.
Zeki leaned back in his chair, finally understanding.
"So that's why the guild cares so much. It's not just about discovering new talent. It's a business. A huge business. The more strong and charismatic Rank Ds appear, the bigger the profit. And if someone rises to B-Class in an impressive way… the marketing gets even better."
He took another bite of steak, chewing slowly as he processed the information. The system was colder and more calculated than he had imagined. But it didn't bother him. It only reinforced what he already knew: he needed to be flawless.
In another part of the city, at a luxurious meeting spot for hunters, a blonde reporter held a microphone excitedly. Standing in front of her was a tall young man with messy brown hair and an easy smile. He wore the official Titan Guild uniform with the number 1 embroidered on his chest.
"We're here with the current Rank 1 of D-Class, Kael Ventura, age 22! Kael, you've been at the top of the rankings for almost two years. What does it feel like to enter the Rank D Tournament once again?"
Kael laughed, running a hand through his hair with natural charm.
"How does it feel? Honestly, it's like coming back home. Except this time I plan to burn the whole house down and build a new one in Rank B," he replied, winking at the camera.
The reporter laughed along with him.
"You dominated last year's tournament. Even so, you weren't promoted. What's different this time?"
Kael's smile faded slightly, but he didn't lose his charisma.
"Look, I get it. Monsters are getting stronger every year. The requirements for ranking up are getting tougher too. Last year I won, but the directors thought I still wasn't 'ready' for Rank B. Fine. I respect the process. But this year…" He looked directly into the camera, his expression confident. "This year I don't think there's anyone capable of beating me. I know there are new talents in D-Class, but if those talents were ranked below me, then they're not something I need to worry about."
"Strong words!" the reporter said, clearly excited. "Any message for the other participants?"
Kael gave a wide smile and pointed at the camera.
"Train hard, everyone. Because when we meet in the arena… it'll be amazing to watch. But only for a few seconds."
He let out a relaxed laugh, waved to the fans approaching nearby, and said goodbye to the reporter with a light tap on her shoulder.
"Now excuse me, I've got to go. Training never stops."
Kael got into a black sports car parked nearby, started the engine, and drove away calmly, still wearing that confident smile.