The Hunter Guild's hall buzzed with activity. Hunters came and went, some proudly flaunting their high ranks, others casting nervous glances around. The neon lights flickered, and the hum of conversations filled the air, but all of it seemed to slide off Kael Draven like water off glass.
Sitting on a bench near the main counter, he lazily chewed on a lollipop of an indescribable flavor—a mix of tangy fruit and sweet caramel. His black hair spilled out from under his blue beanie, messy yet somehow well-kept. A jacket of the same color was tied around his waist, contrasting with his plain black sweater and matching joggers.
He narrowed his bright gray eyes, observing the hunters with a gaze that was both curious and disinterested.
— "Seriously, all this fuss just for that?" he muttered, the lollipop held between his teeth.
A Guild employee, a nervous man in a pristine uniform, approached with a folder in hand.
— "Kael Draven?"
Kael lazily raised a hand.
— "Yeah, yeah, that's me. I'm here."
The employee hesitated, looking at him as if expecting something more impressive. But Kael didn't move, simply flashing him a crooked smile.
— "You planning to keep me waiting, or is this the standard service here?" he asked, fiddling with the stick of his lollipop.
— "Uh… no, of course not. Please, this way," the employee stammered, visibly unsettled by Kael's nonchalant demeanor.
He led him to an evaluation room, a cold, sterile space with gleaming white walls and runes etched into the floor. At the center stood an awakening crystal, glowing with a bluish light, almost hypnotic.
Kael squinted at the crystal.
— "So, this thing's gonna tell me if I'm a loser or a big deal, huh?"
— "Please place your hand on the crystal," the employee said, struggling to maintain professionalism despite Kael's casual attitude.
Kael sighed, shrugged, and stepped forward.
— "Alright, let's get this over with," he said, extending his hand.
The moment his palm touched the crystal, a burst of light filled the room. The runes on the floor lit up, and the air seemed to vibrate. Kael felt a heat rise within him, followed by a surge of raw energy. His heart raced, his senses sharpened, and fragments of information he couldn't yet comprehend flooded his mind.
The employee stumbled backward, knocking over a chair in his panic.
— "What the…?"
The light grew brighter, then suddenly vanished. Silence fell, and Kael remained still, staring at the crystal, which still glowed faintly under his hand. He stepped back slowly, letting out a long breath.
— "Wow. That was intense. Like, really. Do I get a candy on the way out, or is this just the base experience?"
The employee didn't answer, his eyes glued to the screen displaying the results. His face turned pale, and he began to tremble.
— "T-This is impossible… You're… a…"
Kael raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms nonchalantly.
— "Come on, spit it out. What am I? A monster? A god? Or just another guy with a cool power?"
The employee swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on Kael.
— "You're… an S-rank."
Kael blinked, the information bouncing around in his mind. Then, he burst out laughing, clapping his hands together.
— "Seriously? S-rank?! Me?! This has to be a joke, right?"
But the employee's ashen face made it clear he wasn't joking. Kael stretched, his crooked smile still firmly in place.
— "Well, I guess my life just got a little more interesting."
As he walked out of the evaluation room, hunters and Guild employees alike looked at him with a mix of curiosity and fear. Kael chewed on his lollipop, shrugging.
— "Not bad for a guy who just wanted a nap today," he murmured to himself before disappearing into the crowd.
Kael moved through the dense crowd, hands stuffed into the pockets of his black joggers, a lollipop stuck between his teeth. The glow of advertisement panels and snippets of conversation echoed around him, but he seemed to glide through it all like a shadow. His black hair, tousled beneath his blue beanie, shifted slightly in the breeze.
He cast a distracted glance at the shops lining the street. Hunters in gleaming armor displayed their trophies and bragged about their recent exploits. A holographic poster showcased a "revolutionary" new potion, claiming to enhance users' speed. Kael raised an eyebrow before turning his gaze toward the horizon.
At the edge of the city, the sleek modern buildings gave way to a dense, dark forest, where a portal shimmered faintly, like a star in the void. Kael paused for a moment, watching the flickering light.
— "That looks like a good place to think… and test out this crazy new power," he muttered, setting off in that direction.
As he left the city, the hustle and bustle of the streets quickly faded. The noise of cars and chatter gave way to the quiet of the forest, interrupted only by the rustling of leaves and the occasional distant crack of branches. The ground beneath his white sneakers transitioned from smooth asphalt to a mix of dirt and stones, uneven but pleasant underfoot.
He ventured deeper into the woods, eventually stopping in a clearing where moonlight filtered through the branches. Shadows danced gently around him, and the air seemed charged with a calm but palpable energy.
— "Not bad. Quiet, no one to bother me. Now, let's see what these so-called vectors can do," he said, his voice breaking the peaceful silence.
Kael stepped back to the center of the clearing and raised his hands, eyes half-closed. He took a deep breath, letting the strange sensation he'd felt during his awakening rise to the surface. A familiar warmth spread through his body, like a vibrating wave extending beyond his skin.
He glanced around, his gray eyes gleaming as they picked up every detail: the leaves swaying gently in the wind, a moss-covered stone, a branch hanging precariously. Everything seemed charged with invisible information, as if lines and arrows danced around him, unseen to the naked eye.
— "Okay, let's think. Vectors… what are they again? Direction and magnitude. So every movement, every force, every impact has an associated vector. If I can control that… I can change everything."
He turned his attention to a half-buried rock, squinting at it like a scientist analyzing a complex equation. He raised one hand, and in his mind, a series of calculations appeared spontaneously:
Gravity: 9.8 m/s². Estimated mass: 50 kilograms. Desired direction: northwest, initial speed… let's say 30 meters per second.
A smirk spread across his face as he adjusted the parameters mentally. In an instant, the rock abruptly lifted off the ground, hovering in the air as if pulled by an invisible string, before hurtling through the trees at incredible speed.
Kael burst out laughing.
— "Now that was cool. But if all I'm doing is throwing rocks, this is gonna get boring fast. Let's try something a bit more complicated."
His gaze shifted to a massive tree, its roots deeply embedded in the earth. He raised a finger, tracing an imaginary circle in the air. This time, he focused on the force needed to uproot it, combined with a trajectory that wouldn't destroy everything around it.
The tree began to tremble, ominous cracking sounds echoing through the clearing. Then, with a deafening crash, it was ripped from the ground and hurled horizontally, as though struck by a giant invisible hand.
Kael rubbed his chin, still grinning.
— "Alright, it works on fixed objects. But moving targets… that's gonna be trickier."
He picked up a small stone and tossed it into the air. Before it hit the ground, he focused on its velocity vector. In a split second, the stone changed direction, zigzagging wildly through the air like a crazed insect before falling limply onto the grass.
— "Ah, now that's interesting. I can literally redraw the trajectory of anything. But it requires constant calculations… Gravity, mass, velocity… Every variable needs to be perfect. One mistake, and I could end up hurting myself."
He paused for a moment, staring intently at his hands.
— "What if I could apply this to myself?"
Kael focused on his own body, feeling the weight of each limb, the pressure of the air, the pull of gravity. He imagined a vector canceling out that force, allowing him to float. Slowly, his body lifted a few centimeters off the ground, hovering in the air like a balloon.
A burst of laughter escaped his lips as he floated for a moment before gently landing back down.
— "Not bad at all. But if I mess up calculating my own trajectory, I might launch myself into the stratosphere."
Kael took the lollipop out of his mouth, twirling it between his fingers as he thought.
— "This power… it's a weapon. A mathematical weapon. And that's both terrifying and fascinating."
He stood up, the shadows of the forest closing in around him. A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes as he tossed the lollipop into the air, adjusting its vector so it landed perfectly back in his mouth.
— "Alright, looks like I need a lot more practice. But for now, I think I've done enough damage for one day."
And with a crooked smile, he left the clearing, his thoughts swirling with the endless possibilities of his strange new power.
The sun gently brushed against the half-open curtains, casting moving shadows on the walls of the apartment. Kael opened one eye, then the other, and lay there for a moment with his arms behind his head. The morning warmth slowly pulled him from his sleep. He took a deep breath, savoring this brief moment of tranquility.
His messy black hair fell over his forehead, a strand slightly sticking out from the gray beanie left at the foot of the bed. He grabbed a lollipop from his nightstand and, with a mechanical gesture, slipped it into his mouth.
"Another day to explore what I can do with these damn vectors," he muttered as he sat up.
He got up, the sheet slipping off his bare chest, and walked toward the bathroom. The mirror, slightly fogged, reflected his still-sleepy face. His bright gray eyes seemed to capture the morning light, and a lazy smile played on his lips as he grabbed his toothbrush.
Kael began brushing his teeth, thinking about the day before. He was still visualizing the trajectory of the rock and the tree he had ripped from the ground, wondering how much further he could refine his control.
Once done, he hopped into the shower, relishing the hot water flowing over his skin. Each drop seemed to resonate within him, as though his powers were detecting the tiny forces involved in their fall. It amused him briefly. Once clean, he headed back to his room to get dressed.
Today, he chose an outfit similar to the previous day's but in different colors: a dark gray beanie that let his black hair peek out, a light gray jacket tied around his waist, a simple navy blue sweater, matching joggers, and white sneakers. He grabbed a new lollipop, expertly unwrapped it, and stepped outside.
The noise of the city greeted him immediately. Holographic advertisements projected vibrant images onto the buildings: famous hunters, recently discovered portals, and cutting-edge gadgets. Kael slipped into the crowd, hands in his pockets, calmly observing his surroundings.
As he walked, he subtly played with his powers, testing his limits without drawing attention. An empty can rolled across the sidewalk; he slightly adjusted its vector so it landed perfectly in a trash can. Further ahead, a dead leaf twirled in the air. With a simple tweak, he made it trace an elegant spiral before it fell.
Each little exercise seemed to strengthen his control, and he couldn't help but smile, imagining the endless possibilities his power offered.
Continuing down the street, Kael approached the hunter district. There, the streets were even more lively, filled with men and women in combat gear. Some wore their insignias proudly, displaying their ranks: mostly B and C ranks, a few rare A ranks, but hardly any S ranks in sight.
Kael could feel the eyes on him. Though he wasn't yet officially known, rumors about his exceptional test scores had already spread. Some hunters whispered when they spotted him.
"Is that him? The guy who blew the scores off the test?"
Kael ignored the murmurs, continuing to walk with his usual laid-back demeanor. He stopped for a moment to observe a group of hunters chatting by a food stand. They were joking and laughing, but their movements betrayed a certain tension, typical of fighters always ready to act.
A stocky man with a square face noticed him and stepped forward.
"Hey, you! New around here? What's your rank?"
Kael raised an eyebrow, the lollipop turning between his teeth.
"High enough that I don't have to answer that."
The group burst out laughing, but the man frowned, clearly annoyed. A woman with a piercing gaze intervened to calm the situation.
"Leave him, Grent. If he's really an S rank, you don't want trouble."
Kael shrugged, a mischievous smile on his lips.
"Don't worry, I'm just here to observe... for now."
He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the hunters puzzled.
As he reached the main hall of the guild, Kael observed the bustle: screens hung from the ceiling, broadcasting information about recent portals and bounties for rare monsters. Hunters of all kinds were coming and going, their voices blending in a constant hum.
As he exited the imposing building, he felt a sharp gaze on him. Instinctively, he turned his head and locked eyes with a woman standing nearby.
She held herself with perfect poise, an innate elegance. Her black hair framed her serious face, and her eyes shone with distant curiosity. Cha Hae In, the famous S-rank hunter, was watching Kael intently.
Kael averted his gaze from Cha Hae In with a smirk and continued walking down the bustling street. His hands buried in his pockets, he gently played with the lollipop in his mouth, deep in thought.
"If I can manipulate vectors... does that include instantaneous movement?"
He slowed his pace, lost in his thoughts. "Teleportation, in theory, is just redirecting a position vector... but there are obstacles. I need to calculate the distance, angle, initial force precisely, and especially avoid collisions with existing matter."
He took his phone out of his jogging pocket and quickly typed in keywords: displacement vectors, Newton's laws, molecular interactions. He skimmed through pages of results, absorbing the information. He found a graph showing how forces apply to a body in motion in three-dimensional space and furrowed his brows slightly.
"Okay, if I account for this... I might be able to ignore air resistance and inertia by directly redirecting my own vector. But I need a reference point. A precise location. Otherwise, I could end up inside a wall or underground..."
As he continued walking, Kael mentally juggled with equations: relative positions, vector magnitudes, and energy conservation. He stopped near a fountain and looked up at a lamppost.
"There. If I can modify my spatial coordinates to end up at that exact point... then it works."
He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a slow breath. He felt the flow of vectors around him: gravitational forces, air pressure, even the subtle vibrations of his own heartbeat. With intense focus, he visualized the exact coordinates of the spot he wanted to appear at.
A fraction of a second later, he felt a strange sensation, as though his body was being pulled in several directions at once. Then, he opened his eyes.
He was perched on the lamppost, crouched down, his silhouette projected against the blue sky. He let out a satisfied laugh.
"Bingo."
Kael straightened up slightly, looking down at the street below. The passersby didn't seem to have noticed him, but he was certain he had just crossed a crucial milestone in mastering his powers.
He jumped off the lamppost, landing with a lightness that seemed almost supernatural, and resumed his walk. However, an odd feeling washed over him. It was as though something unexpected was about to happen.
A few streets later, as he walked calmly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed behind him. He turned slightly to see the group of hunters he had crossed paths with earlier, led by the stocky man with the square face.
"Hey, funny guy! You think you can mock us like that and get away with it?" Grent shouted loudly.
Kael rolled his eyes, continuing to walk without hurrying.
"Seriously? Are you really that offended?"
The hunters closed in, their intentions obvious. One of them, a tall, thin man, made a swift motion, sending a fireball toward him.
Kael didn't need to turn around. He sensed the vector force of the attack and, with a simple wave of his hand, redirected it into a nearby alley. The fireball exploded against a wall, leaving only a charred mark.
"Okay, now you're starting to annoy me..."
He stopped and concentrated his powers. Just before one of the hunters reached him, he teleported again, reappearing this time on a lamppost nearby.
The hunters stopped dead in their tracks, looking around, confused.
"Where is he?" one of them asked, spinning around.
Kael, crouched on the lamppost, crossed his arms and watched them from above with a mischievous smile.
"Looking for someone?" he called out, his voice tinged with amusement.
The hunters looked up, their faces shifting from anger to confusion.
"How do you...?"
Kael jumped off the lamppost, landing between them with disarming ease. Before they could react, he redirected their own movement vectors. The stocky man was sent flying backward, crashing into a metal bin, while the others were immobilized, their bodies frozen in absurd positions.
"You know, I don't really like fighting. Too tiring. But if you insist..."
One hunter attempted to launch an ice attack, but Kael instantly altered the trajectory vector, sending the ice spikes back at their user. They exploded into a shower of sparkling crystals.
Kael took a step forward, leaning slightly toward the last conscious hunter.
"You really should learn to pick your fights. Seriously."
The hunter nodded frantically, too scared to speak.
Kael sighed, releasing the vectors that had kept the bodies frozen. The hunters fell to the ground, groaning in pain.
"Alright, let's say that was a warning. Next time, think before you act."
He straightened up, dusted off the imaginary dirt on his sweater, and teleported one last time, disappearing in a subtle flash of light.
He reappeared a few streets away, still smiling. "Not bad for a first teleportation in combat..." he murmured, amused by his own feats.
Kael walked back home on foot, his mind still buzzing after his encounter with the hunters and the demonstration of his powers. He hadn't just measured himself against them; no, he wanted more. He wanted to test his abilities in a more extreme context. Portals were the perfect place for that. The creatures inside posed a challenge, and even though the Hunter's Guild regulated access, Kael had no intention of following the rules. He didn't need their permission to do what he had in mind.
"Tomorrow, I'll head there. I'll see what I'm made of." He smiled slightly at the thought. He knew it would be far more exciting than sitting back, watching other hunters prepare as if they were the only ones capable of fighting monsters.
He arrived home, entered, and quickly discarded his things. He left his shoes by the door, then headed to the living room where he flopped onto the couch, his mind still racing. His phone lay on the coffee table; he grabbed it and searched for information on the portals. He didn't need the Guild's permission; he'd decided that himself.
He found several portals available for rent. After some quick browsing, he picked one from the moderate-difficulty category: Zone 12 – The Shadow Forest. It wasn't a high-level portal, but it seemed perfect for a first test. There were C to B rank creatures inside, monsters strong enough to provide a challenge but not so overwhelming as to put his life at risk.
"It's settled. Tomorrow, I'm going."
Kael had no intention of waiting, nor asking the Guild for anything. He got up from the couch and headed to his room. Once inside, he stripped off his clothes. He didn't need to wear anything flashy for this kind of mission. He simply put on black shorts and a plain t-shirt. The idea of staying light and free in his movements seemed obvious. He glanced at his phone one last time, locked the screen, then lay down in his bed. He would get up early tomorrow for his mission.
"This will be a good test. I'll see what my vectors can really do."