In response to Alexandre's insolent demand for identification, the white-haired newcomer stood up slowly from the unconscious candidate on the ground and pointed to the nameplate pinned onto the front of his jacket.
"I'm Hunter Omega, Rank C Hunter… and an instructor at this academy. And just who are you?" He had a no-nonsense voice, but didn't sound very offended by Alexandre's question.
Alexandre groaned as he took in all of Omega's details. Yes, he definitely was a teacher. Alexandre hadn't wanted to be noticed by any of the academy staff… not yet, at least.
He nodded at Omega, as though acknowledging his authority, and then turned to walk deeper into the forest, as though he'd just been stretching his legs in the forest before these two students attacked him. He needed to give the impression that he wasn't a troublemaker—
SLAM!
Alexandre stumbled as a wave of air pressure hit him in the back! He spun on his heel, instinctively raising his own hands in a tight, defensive stance.
Omega was also standing in a fighting stance, though a much more fluid and aggressive one. The tip of his left combat boot was pointed toward Alexandre, as was his clenched left fist. Omega was leaning most of his weight on his right leg and was also pointing his right fist toward the sky.
This might have looked comical to an outsider, but Alexandre knew that this must be a well-practiced fighting stance, one designed to maximize the effectiveness of Omega's Hunter abilities.
The fact that ribbons of yellow energy streamed around each of Omega's limbs was proof of this.
Omega had just used his Hunter power to attack him!
The instructor said calmly, "I'll ask again: give me your name. Otherwise, your chance to become a Hunter ends here!"
But then a peculiar expression crossed Omega's face. An intense, unbearable pressure had just clamped onto his shoulder…
…At the same moment that the eyes of this unknown candidate lit up with fluorescent blue light!
Omega was disturbed. Who was this candidate who seemed already to possess a Hunter ability? Omega had seen the three young men leave the clearing. He knew that the only one who remained standing hadn't lured the other two out here.
Indeed, Omega's instincts told him that the black student who seemed to have fallen unconscious due to shock and pain and likely assaulted the rich-looking student on the ground, and had also likely tried to assault the third boy.
And then, it seemed, this blond student with the simple clothes had likely used his hidden power to defend himself.
The same power which he was now using against Omega.
This was not a good situation. Yet, Omega couldn't just retreat. It was always better to face an unknown beast head-on rather than be devoured from behind…
But before he could take another action, the training ground's intercom speakers blasted throughout the forest. "General address begins in five minutes. All students who are not present will be disqualified."
The pressure on Omega's shoulder spread for a moment across his torso, clamping down harder… and then released. Alexander didn't say a word, but only turned around and headed back toward the training grounds.
Omega fell to the ground, coughing in response to the sudden change in air pressure. He muttered to himself, "So much raw power for a Hunter candidate! Unbelievable! I wasn't at all prepared…"
Then he pulled himself together, rolling his shoulders and flexing his fingers to ensure he had full control of his body again. Once he was sure everything was in order, he resumed his original purpose: to ensure the students who had wandered off hadn't gotten themselves into too much trouble. He crouched down and slapped the black candidate's face to wake him up. "Hey! Are you okay? Get on up. Assembly starts in a few minutes."
The candidate's eyes opened and he let out a startled breath. Instinctively, he swung a huge fist out to fend off the person he assumed was attacking him.
Omega simply took a step back, and the fist swung harmlessly in front of his face.
The black student immediately began coughing. He rolled over onto his hands and knees, then staggered to his feet. "Sorry, Boss." It seemed that he'd seen Omega's uniform and understood the situation in a split second, despite having just woken up. "I've got about three broken ribs, but… I'm ready to go. Damn, where'd that little white boy go?"
"Back to the assembly," said Omega, then turned to the rich-looking candidate who was still sitting on the ground with his back to a tree, seeming dazed and confused about everything he'd just witnessed. "And are you alright as well?"
The rich young man answered in a shaky voice, "Uh, y-yes. My head hurts, but I'm fine!" He glanced at the candidate and opened his mouth as though to complain about something, but then stopped. "Yes. I'm fine."
Omega nodded briefly. "Good. Your names?"
The black student said, "I'm Marlon."
The rich young man said, "My name is William!"
Omega reminded himself to remember these names in case he overheard conversations about them causing trouble in the future. "Do either of you know the name of the third candidate who was here with you?"
They both remained silent.
Oh well. It had been worth a shot.
Omega pointed back in the direction of the training grounds. "Alright. Hurry on back if you haven't had all the ambition kicked out of you. The General's presentation will begin soon."
They both nodded, then began walking back… with a wide gap between them.
The instructor stared after them for a few long moments, pondering the unknown student who had thought nothing of attacking an academy instructor using latent Hunter power. Was he a spoiled brat who thought he could get away with anything because he was above everyone else?
No. Omega got the sense that the rich young man had that sort of perspective… but he hadn't sensed it from the unknown candidate. Omega recognized the smoldering silence which the unknown young man had shown him. It wasn't the silence of an arrogant person looking down upon someone they believed to be worthless.
It was like the malevolent glare of a child who was staring down an authority figure who was about to punish them for no reason. It was hatred born of helplessness.
But this candidate had been the furthest thing from helpless.
No. There was something dark in this stranger's past, the kind of darkness that warps the soul and might never be erased.
Yet, Omega knew that this was sometimes the exact kind of darkness the Hunters needed.
He would be within his rights to disqualify the unknown candidate for daring to strike an instructor, even in self-defense.
Instead, Omega decided to wait and watch and see what would happen.