I stood outside the re-evaluation center, the weight of my new rank still settling in my chest. A-Rank. The words repeated in my head, but I pushed the excitement down. It wasn't time to celebrate yet. Instead, I waited, leaning against the wall with my hand in my pocket, watching the door as hunters trickled out one by one.
When the results were officially announced, I would receive my updated license. That little card meant everything. It would be proof of who I was now and open doors I never thought possible.
The door creaked open, and I glanced up to see familiar faces. Angela stepped out first, her strides confident and her presence sharper than ever. Behind her was the rest of the squad, their expressions a mix of excitement and disbelief.
Angela spotted me immediately, her lips curving into a small smile. "Leo!" she called out, waving me over.
I pushed off the wall and approached them, keeping my usual calm demeanor. "Angela. Everyone." I nodded at the group, who greeted me with varying degrees of awe and camaraderie.
"Can you believe this?" one of the squad members, Marco, said, his voice barely containing his excitement. "From E to C-Rank in one day!"
"And Angela is B-Rank now!" another chimed in, clearly still processing the changes.
Angela placed a hand on her hip, a faint smile playing on her lips. "It's surreal, but it's true."
They all looked at me, their eyes practically glowing with curiosity. Marco leaned closer. "You were the first to go in. What's your rank, Leo?"
"A." I said simply, watching their jaws drop in unison.
"No way!" Marco exclaimed. "An A-Rank?! You're stronger than Angela now!"
Angela gave him a sharp look, silencing him, but her gaze softened when it landed on me. "Congratulations." she said sincerely. "You've earned it."
"Thanks." I nodded.
The inevitable question came next, as expected. "Do you think Luca had something to do with this?" Angela asked, her tone cautious but curious.
I met her gaze evenly, shaking my head. "I don't know any more than you do."
It wasn't a lie. I didn't know what Luca had done exactly, but I wasn't about to say anything more than that. Let them draw their own conclusions.
We didn't linger on the topic for long. Instead, we talked about the events in the dungeon, piecing together our experiences and marveling at how everything had changed so drastically. Eventually, a staff member called us in to collect our updated licenses.
The office was quiet, almost sterile, as we sat in the waiting area. One by one, our names were called, and we received the sleek cards bearing our new ranks. When mine was handed to me, the bold "A-Rank" stared back at me, almost mocking my disbelief.
After we all had our licenses, we were directed to the main hall where guild recruiters were waiting.
....
The moment we stepped into the hall, the atmosphere shifted. Conversations hushed, heads turned, and eyes locked onto us. It was like stepping into a den of predators, each one sizing us up as prey, or perhaps trophies.
Guild representatives filled the room, their suits and cloaks immaculate, their insignias polished and gleaming. For years, no one had paid attention to our little squad. We were just a group of E-Ranks led by a D-Rank captain, invisible in the grand scheme of things. But now?
"Angela! Over here!" one guild recruiter called, his voice loud and clear.
Another immediately cut him off. "Wait, wait! Don't listen to him. Our guild offers better benefits. Look at our contract!"
The chaos only grew as more recruiters flocked to us. Each of us became the center of attention, our names shouted like auction items.
Angela remained composed, carefully listening to offers and occasionally nodding. Marco and the others were less reserved, their eyes wide with amazement as they were bombarded with opportunities.
As for me?
"Leo! Join us! You'll have access to top-tier resources!"
"Our guild has the best dungeon-clearing team in the region! You'll rise to fame in no time!"
I refused them all.
"Sorry, I'm not interested." I said over and over, my tone calm but firm.
Some recruiters tried to press harder, offering increasingly extravagant promises, but I brushed them off. I wasn't about to join some random guild just because they were desperate. Luca's influence had shown me the value of independence, and I wasn't giving that up so easily.
The others began to accept offers one by one. Marco joined a mid-tier guild specializing in resource mining, while Angela chose a guild with a strong reputation for nurturing leaders. The group gradually dispersed, leaving me as the last one standing in the hall.
Just as I thought things were settling down, the air in the room changed.
A wave of mana rolled over the hall, dense and oppressive. Conversations died instantly as everyone froze, their heads turning toward the source.
The sound of boots echoed against the polished floor, and a figure emerged from one of the rooms.
Tall, with a commanding presence, the man exuded raw power. His mana pulsed like a storm barely contained, red energy flickering faintly around him.
My breath hitched as a single thought passed through my mind, the same thought shared by everyone else in the hall.
S-Rank.
The room remained deathly silent as the man walked forward, his gaze sweeping over us like a predator surveying its prey. This wasn't just power. This was domination.
I clenched my fist, feeling the weight of his presence but refusing to let it crush me. Whatever this man wanted, it wasn't going to involve me bending the knee.
The S-Rank hunter's boots echoed as he strode through the hall, the room falling into an uneasy silence. His presence was suffocating, and yet every step carried the kind of poise only someone of his caliber could manage. Mattia Falcone, the guild leader of the Steel Fang, the second-strongest guild in all of Italy, and one of Europe's few S-Rank hunters.
When his eyes locked on mine, a chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself to stand tall, meeting his gaze without flinching. His crimson aura seemed to ripple faintly, like a predator sizing up prey. The crowd seemed to hold its collective breath as he stopped directly in front of me, his towering frame casting a shadow.
"You must be Leonardo." His voice was deep, calm, and commanding. "Join Steel Fang."
It wasn't a question. It was a statement, delivered with an air of inevitability, as though it were the most natural course of action in the world. A murmur swept through the room, the recruiters and hunters exchanging wide-eyed glances.
I didn't move, my right hand clenching at my side as I stared into his eyes. The weight of his mana pressed down on me, but I refused to yield. "I appreciate the offer, Mattia." I said evenly, keeping my voice steady, "but I don't plan to join anyone for now."
The tension in the room spiked. Whispers turned into barely audible gasps, and I could feel the stares of everyone present burning into me.
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