(So Minutes Ago)
Inside a dimly lit room on the second floor of the Hunter Association building, three individuals stood in silence.
Their eyes were locked on the translucent projection hovering in the air before them. It displayed the training room from multiple angles- the front, side, and overhead.
None of them spoke.
Not even a whisper.
The only sound in the room ca from the soft, rhythmic hum of the projection stone embedded in the ceiling.
A tall man with streaks of grey in his hair and a deep scar running from his left eyebrow to his cheek crossed his arms.
He was a Tier 4, an early stage Tier 4 to be exact, and his na was Bran.
Amongst the upper ranks of the Hunter Association, Bran was known for his talent in swordsmanship, and because of how many monsters and beasts he had killed, a lot of people called him Bran The Edge.
With the edge of his sword, he had slain fifteen Mystic beasts and monsters in total, a feat that was remarkable amongst the Mystic Tier hunters of the Haven Continent.
Also, he was a Gold ranked Hunter.
Bran exhaled softly, "... That wasn’t a spar," he said.
His voice was calm.
Flat.
But the aning behind it carried weight.
"It was a lecture."
Beside him, a woman with braided black hair and golden pupils leaned slightly forward, her eyes narrowing as she replayed a particular mont- Corey flicking Amy’s forehead.
Not just once, but twice.
"... And she couldn’t do a damn thing about it," she said under her breath.
Her na was Lyra, and she was an early stage Tier 4 and an Assassin. Just like Bran, she was also a Gold ranked Hunter.
The third observer was silent.
He remained seated, legs crossed, hands clasped together.
His white robes gave him the appearance of a scholar rather than a hunter, but his sharp and predatory eyes told a different story.
He was a mid-stage Tier 4, and his na was Rhael. Although other high ranking hunters referred to him as Rhael the Observer.
His class was ironically- The Hunter, and his ranking was higher than that of Bran and Lyra.
Platinum ranked Hunter. That was his rank.
He tilted his head slightly as he watched Corey casually disarm Amy with a wrist flick.
"... He didn’t use any skills," Rhea said, finally breaking his silence.
"Although it looks like his speed and strength are way higher than Amy’s, that’s wrong. Every movent he made was perfectly calculated, executed, and perford in the most minimal and optimal way."
"His dodging of her attacks, blocking her attacks with his bare hands, redirecting her attacks, and parrying her attacks with ease is him noticing the flaws in all her techniques and attacking those flaws."
"He used just pure... base-level martial combat."
Bran nodded slightly.
"I’ve seen Tier 3s fight. But this... I’ve never seen a Tier 3 humiliate another Tier 3 with nothing but simple martial techniques."
"This... I don’t believe he’s a Tier 3."
Rhael’s brows furrowed.
"But it is."
He gestured toward the crystal.
"His Miracle Sigil Card confird it. His mana flow confird it. Even his aura as we can all perfectly sense... is Tier 3."
"But his control..."
Rhael paused.
"His control is what I’d expect from soone two tiers above... A Tier 5."
The room beca silent once again. Although they believed that Corey was nowhere close to the power level of a Tier 5, his control was sothing they could not even achieve as Tier 4s.
A scary thought appeared in their minds, and they could not help but wonder if Corey had the ability to battle a Tier 4.
Was Corey comparable to the most talented individuals of the Kingdom of Miracles?
Was he like the elites of the Kingdom that could battle a Tier above them?
Bran, Lyra, and Rhael had no idea, however, they did not dwell on these thoughts because it was one thing for sobody to overpower another person in the sa Tier or in the sa realm, it was another thing to overpower sobody in a higher realm.
For example, an Astral Being or Mortal being able to defeat a Mystic Being.
Such a thing happening was a myth, and if Corey could accomplish such a thing... they dared not think about it.
Lyra frowned.
She stared at the paused mont on the screen- Corey holding his sword by the blade and handing the hilt to Amy like a teacher returning returning a training stick.
That one mont struck deeper than any spell or weapon could.
"He humiliated her," Lyra muttered.
"Not with power. Not with ego. But with... understanding."
Although she had watched everything that happened from the very beginning, she was still enamored by the ’spar’ between Corey and Amy, and she could not help but speak up on it once again.
Bran nodded.
"It was like watching a man dissect a theory he’s morized a thousand tis."
No one said anything for a while.
The projection continued showing the fight from a different angle.
Corey dodging without effort.
Parrying without resistance.
Teaching with every step.
Correcting her form.
Exposing her habits.
Highlighting every flaw in her style.
And he did it without ever once drawing blood.
A deeper silence spread between the three observers. Then Rhael’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He rewound the footage to the beginning. The mont Corey stepped into the training room.
He watched the way Corey scanned the walls, and how his eyes paused at a spot near the ceiling with a light smile.
Rhael followed the gaze, and then his eyes widened slightly.
"... He saw the projection rune," Rhael whispered.
Bran raised a brow.
"What?"
Rhael zood in on Corey’s eyes. There was a very faint glow, barely noticeable, when Corey looked at the upper wall.
"He knew we were watching."
Silence again.
Longer this ti.
Lyra leaned back against her chair and crossed her arms.
"So he knew we were watching... and he still chose to treat Amy like that?... Like a student?"
"No," Bran corrected. "Like a beginner."
Lyra furrowed her brows slightly, "Don’t tell that he has no idea that she’s the daughter of a Mythic rank Hunter?"
Bran shrugged, "Who knows. Besides, since he didn’t touch a single hair on her body, I doubt her father is going to do anything to him... That’ll be too petty... even for sobody like him."
Bran looked at the projection of Corey leaving the room with the sa indifferent expression on his face, and he felt a strange sensation crawl up his spine.
Not fear.
Not intimidation.
Just... curiousity.
"Does anybody know where’s he from?"
Rhael shook his head.
"Nothing special in his file. No guild. No faction. No major background. He’s recently registered too. He might be from another city or from outside the Kingdom of Miracles."
Lyra looked at Rhael, "So a complete stranger?"
Rhael nodded slightly, "Most likely."
He rubbed his chin.
"What do you guys think about letting him down there?"
The eyes of Bran and Lyra widened.
"You want him to go down there? Only those who have proven themselves loyal or achieved a sort of rit to the association are allowed down there."
Rhael nodded, "I know that. He’ll only be allowed in the outskirts of the city, and he’ll be in a team I’ve ford."
"I want to see how he does in a real life and death battle... Besides, if he survives and performs well, he’ll be automatically promoted to a higher rank than what he’s initially ant to have."
"Also, if anything goes wrong, all the bla will be on . Not you guys."
The room went quiet again.
All eyes slowly turned to the paused image of Corey’s calm expression on the projection.
He wasn’t smiling.
He wasn’t frowning.
He was just calm.
Unbothered.
Like none of this ant nothing to him.
"Alright." Bran and Lyra agreed.
"Good," Rhael nodded, "Let go and et him. I’m sure he has been waiting for a while now."
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