Hunt Race

The next morning...

Kael arrived at the Hunter Association.

The hall buzzed with activity as hunters moved between the mission board and the reception counters.

Without slowing down...

He walked to an empty counter.

The receptionist looked up.

"Oh? You're back already."

Kael nodded.

"I'd like to apply for the Bronze Assessment."

The woman's smile faded.

Her expression became professional.

"Have you already mastered a technique?"

"Yes."

She studied him for a moment before reaching beneath the counter.

She placed a form on the desk.

"Fill this in."

Kael glanced over it.

Name.

Hunter Identification Number.

Current Rank.

Weapon Specialty.

Technique to be Assessed.

He filled in the required information before handing it back.

The receptionist quickly read through it.

"Kael..."

She gave a small nod.

"Everything seems to be in order."

"Please follow me."

...

She led him away from the bustling mission hall.

The deeper they went...

The quieter the Association became.

Eventually...

They stopped before a pair of large wooden doors.

The receptionist pushed them open.

Beyond them was a spacious waiting hall.

Nearly twenty hunters were already seated.

Some sat with their eyes closed.

Others quietly maintained their weapons.

A few whispered among themselves.

No one paid attention to Kael.

The receptionist pointed toward the empty seats.

"The assessment will begin shortly."

"Wait until your name is called."

Kael nodded before taking a seat near the back.

Silence filled the room.

No one seemed interested in conversation.

Everyone understood why they were there.

Time passed.

The doors opened once more.

An elderly man walked inside.

His grey hair was neatly tied behind him.

A simple sword rested at his waist.

He wasn't large.

Nor did he possess an intimidating appearance.

Yet the moment he entered...

The room fell completely silent.

His calm eyes swept across the applicants.

"I am today's examiner."

"My name is Cedric."

"Before we begin..."

"There are a few things you should understand."

He clasped his hands behind his back.

"The Bronze Assessment is not a competition."

"You are not here to defeat one another."

"You are here to prove that you have crossed the threshold of an Iron Rank hunter."

His gaze slowly moved across the room.

"A hunter who has not mastered a technique..."

"Will fail."

"A hunter who relies solely on brute force..."

"Will fail."

"A hunter who believes memorizing movements is the same as mastering a technique..."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"...Will fail the fastest."

A few applicants unconsciously straightened their backs.

Cedric continued.

"The Association does not promote hunters because they claim to have broken through."

"We verify it."

"If your technique has truly become part of you..."

"It will show."

"If it hasn't..."

"No amount of excuses will change the result."

He turned toward the exit.

"The assessment has two stages."

"The first..."

"You will demonstrate your technique."

"The second..."

"You will apply it in combat."

"Pass both."

"And you will be officially recognized as a Bronze Rank hunter."

"Fail either..."

"You leave as an Iron Rank."

Without another word...

Cedric walked out.

Moments later...

Another Association employee entered carrying a clipboard.

She glanced at the names before speaking.

"The assessment will begin now."

She looked at the first entry.

"Applicant..."

"Daren."

A young man stood up, took a deep breath, and followed her out.

The waiting hall became silent once again.

Minutes later...

The doors opened.

Daren returned.

His shoulders were slumped.

Without saying a word...

He picked up his weapon and walked straight out of the hall.

No one asked what had happened.

The answer was obvious.

He had failed.

One after another...

Applicants were called.

Some returned with smiles they couldn't hide.

Others walked away in silence.

As the hours passed...

The number of people in the waiting hall steadily decreased.

Kael quietly observed everything.

The Bronze Assessment...

Was far stricter than he had expected.

Finally...

The employee looked down at her clipboard once more.

Her eyes stopped on the next name.

"Applicant..."

She paused.

"Kael."

He opened his eyes.

Slowly stood.

And walked toward the door.

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