"You know," Jake said as he placed his hands on Max, stopping his movement.
No matter how hard Max tried to move, he was simply rooted, unable to shift even an inch. It was like being trapped in invisible chains that weighed him down, and the sheer casualness with which Jake held him only made it worse.
"It’s rude walking out on people."
Turning around, Max could see Jake grinning at him, his sharp teeth showing faintly as his palms casually rested on Max’s shoulders, holding him in place with frightening ease.
Zach, who was just a metre away, had a wide smile plastered across his face as he watched the exchange.
’At least someone overwhelmingly strong will be able to put him in his place for me. That’s good. I’ve been waiting to see this arrogant fool humbled,’ Zach thought with satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
"Alright!" Ben clapped loudly, the sharp sound pulling everybody’s attention back to him, and only then did Jake finally release Max.
’This guy is really crazy. Dude is so irrational,’ Max thought as he shot Jake a furious glance from the corner of his eye.
"Just stay calm, dumbass. Otherwise, you’ll be wiped out before you even know it," Pix’s voice echoed inwardly with sharp annoyance.
’Even you? You’re underestimating me? Tch!’ Max scoffed inside his mind, his jaw tightening.
"Alright. Let the assessment continue as usual." Ben clapped again, his voice firm, as the broken punching bag and treadmill were replaced with brand new equipment after Jake had wrecked them.
The hunter continued the process, calling names one after another. Strangely enough, he never once held a clipboard or any form of list, yet he called each applicant with uncanny accuracy, as though he already knew who they were without even checking.
Within twenty minutes, the entire assessment was concluded.
Out of about thirty-something applicants, only twenty-five remained. Now, all of them stood in front of the hunter, waiting for further instructions as the rest of the equipment was cleared out of the room.
"I never expected this number of applicants to remain after the previous two assessments. This is great. It proves the human race ain’t as hopeless as people believe, and that is a very good thing," Ben said with a wide grin, his voice brimming with pride.
"Just get on with the next assessment already." Zach scoffed, his voice laced with arrogance as he glared openly at the hunter.
But the words had barely left his lips before regret sank in like ice water.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. The whole room grew oppressively heavy, as though gravity itself had turned against them. The air thickened, pressing down on their bodies.
Ben had turned his head toward Zach, his blindfold still wrapped over his eyes, yet faint glowing streaks seemed to seep from beneath it, giving off a chilling aura.
"Should I remind you that you are not in your father’s house? This is the Hunter’s Association, and whatever we say here is law. Your words do not count. So I advise you to keep your tone low whenever you address any instructor, or else..." Ben growled, his voice like thunder vibrating through the room.
Zach trembled under the crushing pressure, his arrogance evaporating instantly.
And it wasn’t just him. The entire room was suffering. The weaker applicants were drenched in sweat, their knees buckling, and some looked ready to collapse entirely.
The only ones who stood upright, unfazed by the pressure, were Max, Jake, Jasmine, another female whose aura was calm and steady, and two males who appeared to be twins. These six alone remained composed, watching silently while the others struggled.
Jake, in fact, went so far as to yawn loudly, his eyes scanning the weaklings with boredom before he shook his head.
"Anyway," Ben clapped again, and just like that, the pressure receded in a split second. His wide smile returned as though nothing had happened, but the pounding hearts of the applicants told a different story. Many of them were silently thanking the heavens they had survived the crushing presence.
"The last test for the day is the combat test," Ben announced, causing several eyebrows to rise in confusion. His tone carried both weight and excitement.
"It isn’t enough for you to simply be strong or fast, or even a hybrid. You need combat experience. You must learn how to put all of these factors together—strength, speed, reflex, and wit so that you can become a truly formidable hunter."
’Huh? So he’s just going to make us fight each other?’ Max thought as he clenched his fists tightly, his expression darkening.
’If he is making us fight against each other, then he better give me this gray-haired one as an opponent,’ Jake chuckled inwardly, his lips curling into a grin as he shot Max a quick side glance before turning his focus back to Ben.
"Mind you, whatever score you get on this combat test, along with the previous tests, will be combined together to form your result. That final score will determine the official hunter ID and rank you will be assigned," Ben explained clearly, and now Max found himself even more confused.
"Rank?" he asked aloud, his brow furrowing.
"Yes, rank. What? Did you think the association doesn’t have a hierarchy it follows?" Ben chuckled loudly, shaking his head at the naivety displayed on some of their faces.
"Quick one," Max interrupted, cutting Ben’s chuckle short. "What are the hunter ranks? It would be better if we know what we’re aiming for and whether to be satisfied with what we get or not."
"That’s simple." Ben clapped his hands, his voice echoing around the training hall. "I’ll say this once, so you better listen attentively. There are ten hunter ranks in this association, with each rank more distinct, respected, and powerful than the one below it."
Max leaned in unconsciously, clinging to every word Ben was about to say.
"The lowest rank a hunter can get is the F rank, which the majority of you might be receiving." Ben’s tone turned sharp as his blindfolded gaze narrowed toward Joe and a few others who flinched immediately.
"Next on the ladder is the E rank, then D rank, and C rank, which is still common after the F. Then come the B rank, A rank, AA rank, AAA rank, S rank, and finally the X rank. The X rank is the highest, the strongest, and the most feared rank in existence."
The air seemed to grow heavier after his words, and several applicants looked stunned.
"So how strong are you? What’s your hunter rank?" Zach asked with a raised eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of mockery despite the earlier humiliation he had suffered.
"Simple. I’m just a B-ranked hunter." Ben shrugged casually, a small smile tugging at his lips as though it was no big deal.
’B rank, huh? I wonder how strong he really is.’ Max thought as he caught sight of the others, their mouths wide open in awe. For many of them, the idea of even touching C rank felt like a lifetime’s achievement, yet here stood a man who casually claimed to be a B rank.
"Anyway! You will learn more about these rankings in detail once you join the association.
For now, let’s focus back on the last assessment of the day so that everybody can finally breathe easy." Ben clapped his hands again, and the sound was enough to pull everyone back to attention. Instantly, the crowd leaned forward, their faces filled with anxious anticipation, waiting to hear what the final assessment would truly be about.
"Like I said earlier, the last assessment today will be a combat one. But contrary to what most of you are imagining, no—you won’t be fighting one another."
"So? Who are we fighting then?" Jasmine asked, arching an eyebrow with obvious suspicion.
"Me. You will all be duelling against me," Ben said, his wide devilish grin spreading across his face, carrying both amusement and danger.
The hall fell into complete silence. If Max had been drinking water at that moment, he would have spat it out all over the ground. His throat tightened instantly, and he almost choked on his own saliva.
’Duel with a B-ranked hunter?! Are they insane?’ His heart skipped a beat as he tried to process what he had just heard.
The expressions of the other applicants mirrored his panic—wide eyes, slack jaws, and a dawning realization that this final test was not going to be the walk in the park some of them had secretly hoped for.