"Here's your badge." The examiner said, stretching the badge towards Kaizen. Kaizen looked down at the badge, then back up at the man.
What's going on? Why hasn't he regained consciousness?
Without thinking too much of it, he reached to collect the badge. And once he did, he turned to Isabella. "We leave now."
They both headed straight for the door, and the soon as they stepped out, the examiner barked "Next." Like nothing had just happened. He was back to normal as soon as Kaizen left the office.
Kaizen's mind reeled with thoughts. He wasn't used to using shadow manipulation yet and didn't know exactly how it worked, but he'd expected his control on the man to also snap when the shadow thread snapped. But from what he just experienced, it meant his control on the man's mind lingered even though the thread was no longer connected. It lingered until he was no longer there with him.
"Hey, Kaizen...look." Isabella's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as she nudged him repeatedly as if she was calling his attention to something.
He looked to where she was pointing, and his eyes immediately caught sight of a guy with white and black hair. "Is that him? The one who shattered the mana meter stone." Kaizen asked, and she nodded in approval.
Kaizen suddenly had this urge to try something out. His lips curled slightly in a hidden grin as he began approached him. He was leaning against the wall and a lady with red hair was beside him, they seemed to be discussing something.
"What are you planning? You're no match for him." Isabella warned when she noticed Kaizen was up to something.
Kaizen didn't reply and kept heading towards them. But just before he could reach them, he heard someone call out his name.
"Kaizen? Is that you?"
Kaizen stopped misstep, then turned around to find Hawk standing there.
"Wow it's really you. Youve grown taller huh." Hawk asked with a smile.
"Yeah I guess." Kaizen replied with an awkward laugh that didn't really reach his eyes.
"You didn't come to the guild for a while, you've been taking a lot of days off recently, hope there's no problem?" Hawk asked as he walked closer towards him. Kaizen forced a smile, "No problem, I just needed a break."
"Wait, what's that in your hand?" Hawk asked, looking down at the badge in Kaizen's hand. From what he remembered, Kaizen was E-rank so it was that odd to find him holding a B-rank badge.
"Ohh this? It's my badge. I just got re-evaluated and given a new rank."
"You got re-evaluated? Why?" He asked, surprised.
"My magic finally manifested, I wasn't born magicless after all."
Hawk's eyes widened, flicking between Kaizen's face and the badge like he was trying to decide if this was a joke.
"From E-rank to B-rank… in one test?" he asked slowly.
Kaizen shrugged. "Guess I'm a late bloomer."
The black-and-white-haired guy Kaizen had been approaching had glanced their way now, and Kaizen caught him staring with an expression that was almost… amused. The red-haired woman beside him whispered something, but he didn't answer, he just kept watching Kaizen like he was reading him.
Hawks eyes also darted towards their direction. "You weren't around when he came in right?" Hawk asked, gesturing to the guy. "He's our latest S-rank hunter. He's still too young otherwise he'll have been assigned as a captain." Hawk explained.
"What realm is he from?" Kaizen asked, turning to face Hawk.
"Of course? What else could there be?"
Kaizen's eyes darted back to where the guy was standing, but to his surprise, he was already gone. He'd just disappeared.
Kaizen couldn't shake off the gnawing feeling that there was something with him, it wasn't instincts, it was the aura he could sense from him. It gave off a kind of ominous feeling he only sensed from beasts. And the white hair too, that couldn't just be a coincidence.
"So you're now B-rank huh, things are gonna get a lot busy from now on kid, hope you're ready?" Hawk asked
Kaizen slipped the badge into his pocket. "I can handle busy."
Hawk chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. "That's the spirit. But don't get cocky. B-rank work isn't just stronger beasts, it's politics, teams, and people trying to use you for their gain. Keep your head low."
Before Hawk could say more, a loud crash echoed from somewhere down the corridor. Several hunters rushed past them, muttering about some "idiot causing trouble" in the training hall.
Hawk frowned. "Not again… You two better clear out before this place turns into a mess." He gave Kaizen a nod before jogging off in the same direction as the others.
As soon as he was gone, Isabella stepped closer. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Kaizen smirked faintly. "Depends. Are you thinking we should go take a look?"
"I'm thinking you're about to stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
Kaizen didn't answer, he was already moving. Isabella sighed and followed.
They reached the hall to find two hunters in a heated argument, one of them clutching a shattered sword hilt while the other stood unfazed. The air around them was tense, mana practically buzzing in the room.
Kaizen's eyes narrowed. This wasn't just some petty fight.
The one holding the broken hilt was breathing hard, his eyes blazing with anger. The other guy, taller and broader, just stood there calm as if none of this was worth his effort.
Mana leaked off him in slow waves, cold enough that Kaizen could see faint frost spreading across the floor near his boots. The broken sword pieces on the ground still had ice clinging to them.
Kaizen studied his face, expressionless, but those eyes… cold and calculating.
"That's enough!" a guild officer barked, stepping between them. "Both of you, stand down before this turns into a—"
Before he could finish, the frost user moved. One second he was still, the next his hand was wrapped around the officer's throat. The guard's mana shield flared up as if to protect himself, but a sharp crack followed, and the shield shattered like glass.
The crowd murmured, a mix of shock and fear.