Two people approached Nathan after he had successfully obtained the Monster Soul Stone, which he was determined to protect because of the tremendous amount of energy and effort he had put into acquiring it.

They requested Nathan to adhere to the regulations set by the Alliance and relinquish the Monster Soul Stone.

Nathan responded cautiously, tightly grasping the Monster Soul Stone. His eyes darted between the two people standing before him. Asserting his confidence, "I'm sure the alliance would have no problem with me claiming this reward first." he said.

Linda quickly raised her great sword, causing the man to retreat, and then followed up with a firm push of her hand. "Don't mess around with us, did you understand what he said?" she cautioned.

"Linda-chan," Muramoto softly whispered, "Please don't act in such a violent manner. It goes against the rules of the alliance."

"I don't care about these ridiculous rules!" But Linda stubbornly replied.

"Hey, kids," Mason addressed them. He was from the Elite Hunter Party, responsible for taking care of all matters related to rewards after a battle.

"I understand that your thirst for power has prevented you from fairly distributing the rewards of our success. However, this tremendous accomplishment was not just achieved by one individual, but by all 300 of us, collaborating together to reach a unified objective. I trust that you are prudent enough to comprehend this concept." he added.

Gydarra strode confidently forward, brandishing his sword. "I'm ready to take on all of you. I don't care about the alliance." he declared.

Mason stepped back cautiously and addressed Nathan with a faint grin. "Excuse me, but could you please exercise some restraint when it comes to dealing with the alliance? If you continue to act without any boundaries, you will soon find yourself in a difficult position with everyone."

"Don't waste your breath, you're full of hot air." Gydarra spoke in a stern voice, "Who would have the audacity to challenge Master Nathan's authority if the Monster Soul Stone were to rightfully become his possession? Bring all those who dare to defy him here!"

"Ch!" Mason stumbled backward as a dozen more people advanced toward Nathan and the others.

The small argument quickly escalated as more people gathered around Nathan and his companions. Despite this, Nathan stayed quiet, eager to gauge just how far they intended to escalate the tension with him.

"Ah, so it's this group of people causing trouble again," the other man said disdainfully.

"What a show-off. This kid actually thought he could take on those monsters all by himself!" another one added with a shake of his head.

"Let them do their job; hand over the Monster Soul Stone so they can continue to do what they are tasked with." Others added more.

"Don't be overly confident, kid," the other person interjected. "Humility is key if you want to be liked by many people."

Nathan glanced around, taking in their faces casually. He wasn't someone who was fond of expressing himself through words; he usually preferred to keep his thoughts to himself. Even though this had changed recently, as he had started to make a lot of new friends.

"Oppa," Linda said, her expression troubled. "I don't think there's any benefit in us remaining in this stupid alliance any longer."

"Nathan-san," Muramoto whispered, his voice barely audible. "Those are the Elite Hunters. Do you think they could still be angry about the argument we had last night?"

Nathan inhaled deeply, and, with that, the Monster Soul Stone in his grasp suddenly vanished and shifted to his Crescent Moon Dimension. He slowly advanced past Linda and Gydarra and came face-to-face with the dozens of people that had slowly started to encircle them.

"I'd like to claim my portion first. According to the agreement that was made, I have the right to this item." he said in a calm tone. "I'm confident that there are still numerous monster cores left from the battle, which can be equitably shared among all those who participated in the fight."

Nathan may appear to be disregarding the rules, but he was adamant in his request that he should be granted the right to take the spoils of battle if he felt it was justified and only if he and his group had made the most effort to make it happen.

He had anticipated this, and he knew there was no way he could skirt around it if some individuals had a problem with his actions.

"You always do what you want regardless of what others think," one of them remarked. "Why don't you just step away from this alliance? We don't need people who can't adhere to the regulations set up by the alliance," he added.

Someone from a distance abruptly spoke up, "May I ask what is happening here?" As all the people present searched for the source of the voice, they saw Nina, the leader of Elite Hunters, striding toward them. She stepped past the others and stopped in front of Nathan.

"He is attempting to take all of the spoils from the battle for himself!" one of them shouted in outrage.

Nathan immediately restrained Gydarra and Linda, both of whom appeared to be angered by the statement.

"Hmph!" Gydarra snorted, "I don't care if I have to abandon this alliance." He then turned to the person who had spoken before, raising his sword. "And you will soon face the consequences of your words!"

Nina then lifted her head to face Nathan, whose expression was composed and rigid. "Hmmm...." she murmured before she swiveled back to the rest of the group. "Guys, Nathan has already attested to this; if he contributes the most to the reward, then he is entitled to select the reward he prefers," she added.

"Nina!" Mason barked, a member of the Elite Hunters. "The Monster Soul Stone is an extraordinary item and I think its worth is too significant to be entirely surrendered to him. After all, he wouldn't have been able to overpower that monster if the other participants hadn't dealt with the other monsters. This victory was purely voluntary. No one has any authority to assert that they made the largest contribution here."

The debate between Nina and the others eventually resumed, and Nathan remained in his relaxed state. Taking a deep breath to try to regain his composure, he thought to himself, "I really don't like being around a lot of people."

His Greed Aura seemed to have spread to those around him, and he was confident that, under such circumstances, they would not easily let him claim the Monster Soul Stone for himself.

Mason stepped up to Nina, halting in front of her. He spoke in a serious tone, "Nina, I need to know - did you really fall for him, despite the way he treated you last night?"

She shook her head emphatically. "I would be more than happy to confirm our agreement with Robert if it would help to put your mind at ease."

Nina, being a prominent member of the alliance, tried to assert Nathan's rights to the Stone. She, therefore, had to confront those, mostly from her own group, who was contesting his claim.

Linda firmly grabbed Nathan's wrist and said, "No matter what, I refuse to let you give the Monster Soul Stone to the Alliance, Oppa."

Nathan smiled and nodded at her words.

"All right, all right..." muttered Robert, the leader of the alliance, as he strode towards the group. His face was pale, a reminder of the intense battle he had just been through. However, a warm smile spread across his lips, and his soft clapping of hands eased the tension in the air. Everyone's eyes were upon him, and it was clear his presence was a comfort to all.

Robert strolled over to the group of people and lightly touched the arms of a few of them. "I understand that dealing with the aftermath of war is a tough job," he went on as he stood up and joined the others. "Let me take charge of this dilemma."

He then stepped towards Nathan and stood beside him. "Let me explain further about the rules that have been mutually agreed upon. For now..."

Robert glanced briefly at Nathan, then looked back at the others. "I'm aware that Nathan is not the only one involved in this war," he said with a warm smile, "but I'm confident that without his efforts, this battle would not have gone as smoothly as it did."historical

Robert proceeded cautiously, suggesting, "Why don't we give him the Monster Soul Stone, and then we can evaluate and figure out a fair distribution of the rewards among all of us?"

He then turned to the group and said, "I'm sure we all are exhausted and injured, so let's focus our attention on helping our comrades recover first."

Robert raised his hands with a warm smile on his face and asked, "Shall we come to an agreement on this deal?"

"This issue cannot be resolved simply," Mason replied. He then faced Nina and said, "We need to discuss it further." He then turned away and began to walk away.

At this, everyone who had been gathered around them turned away with disgruntled expressions still visible on their countenances.

When everyone had left, Robert turned to face Nathan and beamed at him. He was slightly shorter than Nathan, so he had to take a step back to converse comfortably. "Thank you for all your hard work, Nathan," he said warmly.

Nathan nodded slowly and replied, "Thank you for all the help you provided in cleaning this up, Robert."

Robert smiled tiredly, though his face was showing signs of exhaustion. "I think it's time for you to take a break, Nathan. My team has confirmed that seven of the ten portals have been successfully destroyed. There may be a few more battles ahead, but I believe we will have ample time to get some rest."

"And," Robert continued, "I hope the healers in your group can offer some sort of help to those who have been hurt?"

Nathan glanced at Meriel and Muramoto, who both gave an eager nod, understanding the task that lay ahead of them.

Without hesitation, Nathan started walking away, with Linda following behind him.

"Oppa..." She called out softly. "Would you like to enjoy the hot springs alone?"

Nathan gave her a gentle smile. "No, not really, I just need some time away from the others," he replied quietly.

"Can I come with you?" Linda asked, hopeful.

"Of course, Linda," Nathan answered with a warm smile.

"I'll teach those guys a lesson," she said as they walked away from the crowds, passing by the carcasses of defeated monsters that lay scattered among the tall trees and the frosty ground.

Nathan gave Linda a quiet warning, "You should be conserving your energy for taking down monsters, alright?"

Linda couldn't help but giggle in response to the question, "Do I look like a maniacal murderer?" She jokingly added, "I guess I should rethink my image!"