After entering the mall, Corvus halted and exhaled heavily as if he finished a marathon. This, in turn, caught the attention of people passing by because of his haggard look. However, unlike the people in the street, they didn't stare at him like he was a ghost or a retard on the loose. That is why he did not pay them that much attention in return.
"Birds of the same feather flock together!" Corvus cursed, remembering how Ladal's trick was similar to his father's schemes. One of which was during his childhood, where his father said that in order to cure his headache, he must butt his head to the wall.
That said, Corvus wore a smile on his face afterward. He felt faint, but unexplainable, happiness in his heart as he somehow got a piece of 'long-awaited' news about his father and he is somewhat alive.
'If I ever find you, I'll make you kneel and ask for forgiveness until Ma is satisfied!' He thought as he combed his hair upwards with his hand so that his eyes would not be covered by his hair before he started walking around the mall.
"Still..." He frowned and murmured, asking himself, "Why ain't he sending money to us from the very start?"
After a few minutes of pondering, he shook his head and said, "He better have a good reason! He won't be able to run from me if we ever meet in Paradiso! For now... I need to submit my application and get that 'registration' bonus to pay our debts on my aunt."
He paused for a second with a sigh and continued, "I could only hope that Ma would forgive me for choosing this path. We have no choice anyway."
Firmly resolved, he left the mall and headed towards the Paradiso Hunter Organization office in the Capitol. It was a huge oval structure that was similar to a football field but was thrice in both length and width.
The whole structure was ventilated and was seven floors high, resembling a Mecha Boxing Arena. However, despite its huge appearance, there were only a few thousand people that could be spotted outside the establishment. Most of them were oblivious young men who seemed to be lured by either the 'registration' bonus or the advertisements made anywhere on that planet.
Corvus tapped his chest twice, motivating himself as if saying 'I can do this!', and entered the said establishment. The moment he entered the building a woman, wearing the PHO's uniform, welcomed him with an ominous smile.
"Welcome to the Paradiso Hunter Organization office. How may I help you, sir?"
Corvus forced out a smiled in response and asked, "Uhm... Where can I send my application to become a Hunter?"
For some reason, the lady retained her 'smile' whilst giving instructions towards Corvus. "Just walk along this hallway and you'd eventually reach the registration area."
"Thanks!" Corvus bowed in response and quickly walked away from the lady. He didn't know how to describe it but... He knew that he need to distance himself from the lady as soon as possible. So, for safety purposes and in consideration of Ladal's advice, he headed towards the registration area on his own.
As he was walking in the hallway, his body started to sweat despite the establishment being well ventilated. This was probably caused by the pressure brought by the gazes of Hunters and PHO staff to new aspiring hunter applicants like him.
Truth be told, It should only be a norm for new members of an organization, a company, or a corporation to be gazed upon by older members of staff because they were unfamiliar faces towards them.
What really exerts pressure on the new hunter applicants was the common knowledge regarding the low survival rate of new hunters in Paradiso that was paired with the smirks of the Senior Hunters and PHO staff, seemingly mocking their individual strengths and indicating that they won't be able to last long in the brutal Magical Universe.
"What are you so nervous about young man?" A bald old man asked behind him.
Corvus glanced to his left in response and spotted the bald old man, walking beside him and was matching his pace. Every PHO staff that they would encounter bowed slightly towards them, intriguing Corvus about the identity of the old man.
"Young man. Your mind sure is clouded." The old man said that made Corvus return back to his senses.
"Ah! Forgive me, sir! I am just an aspiring hunter applicant." He responded as his attention was fixated on the old man.
The old man laughed in response. Then, his eyes glanced towards Corvus and said, "Ho... Is that so? Then... Best of luck young man."
Before Corvus could respond, the old man suddenly disappeared out of thin air. This made Corvus halt on his tracks as he scanned around him, looking for the old man. From his sides to his back, above him or below him, he wasn't able to spot even a trace of the old man's hair.
It took him a few seconds before his attention was slowly deviated from finding the old man. It was at this point that he noticed that he already arrived in front of the registration area.
It was a huge room similar to a bank and was separated from the hallway by a glass wall and glass doors. The huge room only had a few hundred people in it, not because there were only a few applicants but because the processing of the applications only took several minutes.
That said, Corvus frowned whilst clenching his fist, and thought, 'It's the second time! It's the second time that someone had indirectly told me that I am not strong enough to be a Hunter! If only I had a choice not to be one!'
He bit his lips as he took a step forward. And as he was about to enter the registration area, he murmured, "Not strong enough? F@ck it! F@ck it! I have no choice! This is the only way I have left to earn money and be able to pay our debts to my aunt."
"But... All of you! Just you wait!" He gritted his teeth and said, "I won't die easily! I would become the STRONGEST HUNTER in Paradiso!"