[14th Everdusk, 2103]
"Okay, students, divide into three groups: combat, support, and auxiliary," Miriam instructed, as all the students who had awakened a class began moving to their respective sides.
Eighteen students joined the combat group, twenty-six went to support, and thirty-five ford the auxiliary team. It was a good turnout for a school like his. Miriam was pleased—this year’s numbers were higher than usual. In previous batches, the combat-type students had never exceeded fifteen. Now, there were three more.
"So, students," Miriam continued, "we’re heading to the CGA branch. There, you’ll receive the gifts we’ve prepared and also undergo your final test. You know what it is—your first dungeon raid."
His voice brimd with excitent, though the students seed far less thrilled about facing their first life-or-death experience.
Typically, hunters leveled up using one of three thods: dungeon raiding, hunting outside city limits, or entering the Nexus Rift—a mysterious alternate realm. For safety and structure, the school had decided to initiate them with a dungeon raid. This would help generate ti-lapse records and give the instructors a chance to evaluate them in real combat.
The teachers began escorting the students toward the waiting buses. Three vehicles had been arranged, one for each group. Miriam had learned the hard way that letting all the students board freely only led to chaos. Years ago, a mage-class student had attacked a healer over a seat dispute, and the resulting damage had cost Miriam dearly. Since then, he ensured students were split by class and monitored by their respective teachers during transit.
With everyone loaded up, the buses rolled out from the school lane toward the CGA branch.
The building was massive, unlike anything most students had seen before. Although technically just a small branch of the main headquarters, it was still enormous. Five territories had pooled resources to construct it, making it the most advanced facility in the area. The structure itself wasn’t large, but what made the place vast—spanning fifty square kiloters—were the dungeons surrounding it.
An hour later, they spotted the silhouette of the building rising ahead. Passing through the main vehicle gate, they signed in and received visitor passes before stepping out of the buses and heading toward the central hall.
To the left of the building, a bustling hunter market sprawled across several blocks. Vendors and hunters traded dungeon loot and rare items. The marketplace followed a simple principle: if you needed money, you sold; if you needed a specific item, you waited. There was no forced exchange. This freedom made the CGA more reliable than guilds, which were usually owned by wealthy families with their own agendas.
"Okay, students! This is your first ti here, so stay alert and don’t get lost," Principal Miriam warned. All the students responded with a resounding "Yes!"
Their arrival drew attention. Hunters and CGA staff looked over with mixed reactions—so nostalgic, others irritated by the noise.
Evan scanned his surroundings with focused eyes. He needed to familiarize himself with this place. When the ti ca to register for a hunter ID, he wanted to blend in easily.
The CGA’s trials were a necessity. Without a hunter ID, nothing could be done legally. But joining a guild wasn’t an option for Evan. Guilds demanded full disclosure of a hunter’s status, and their structured raids and assignnts weren’t to his liking. He planned to work independently, registering with the CGA, and raiding dungeons with his summons—or whatever companions he obtained.
He also planned to wear a mask during registration to conceal his identity.
You might ask—why not just wear a mask and join a guild for better rewards? But Evan preferred solitude. He believed he could manage dungeons alone with the right preparation and power.
As he considered this, they finally entered the main building—a hive of activity where staff moved at a rapid pace, coordinating missions, managing dungeon gates, and handling hunter logistics.
Miriam stepped away briefly, telling everyone to wait. He had gone to fetch soone important.
"Alright everyone!" Helen clapped her hands. "Before your raid, you’ll be receiving your Hunter IDs. And afterward, a special gift!"
The students buzzed with excitent—except for a few like Lucas, Lyre, and Evan. They didn’t care much for “gifts” or fanfare.
Evan contemplated skipping the ID today, but if he didn’t wear his mask during the appraisal, his true status might be exposed. That would attract attention—and trouble.
He raised his hand. "Sir, may I go to the was—"
He froze. A familiar figure was approaching alongside Miriam.
It was Darian—now holding a formation scroll.
Evan’s thoughts sharpened. Looks like Lucas and Darian’s feud isn’t over yet.
Darian’s eyes locked onto Lucas, who stood beside Tess. She moved instinctively, trying to shield him, fearing Darian might lash out.
But Lucas didn’t back down. He stood tall, his expression resolute.
Evan knew how this would go. Lucas would provoke Darian again, curse him out, then walk away with more resentnt. That anger might later evolve into sothing worse—a craving for revenge.
It was the age-old story: a talented but reckless protagonist, a powerful enemy, and a humiliating clash that pushed the story forward. The protagonist would likely rise later with aid, defeat the enemy, and be hailed as a hero.
But Evan had no intention of letting Lucas gain too much montum.
He wouldn’t let this problem grow beyond control.
Better to eliminate it early.
And so, he made his decision.
He would act soon.
To be continued…
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