"We watched the footage from the CCTV in the canteen. What happened that you suddenly decided to ridicule yourself in front of everyone?" An A ranked hunter sat across from a now fully dressed Zach, who kept his head down in shame.
He had been rescued by this hunter, and when he came to his senses and realized he was naked, he quickly grabbed his clothes. The hunter then led him to his personal office for questioning.
Zach could barely believe what he was being told. To him, it was impossible. But the hunter had shown him the proof. The CCTV recording played back everything, every humiliating second, and there it was—him, acting like a fool in front of the entire canteen. His face turned pale as cold sweat trailed down his back.
"I... I don’t know." Zach croaked, his voice trembling. The scene he had just watched kept replaying over and over in his mind, tormenting him. His hands trembled as his eyes turned moist, his whole body looking like it was at its breaking point.
"You don’t know?" The A ranked hunter repeated sharply. His tone was cold, unforgiving. "You went ahead to bully someone weaker than you, then attacked a B ranked hunter, and the next thing you know, you went berserk.
You stripped yourself, flashed your pencil in front of the whole canteen, and molested a female colleague. And you dare sit here and tell me you don’t know?!"
The hunter’s roar boomed through the office, startling Zach, who flinched at the sudden burst of fury.
"I... I’m sure of it. It’s that cursed Max. He did this to me. I would never in the air fryer do something on my own.
He hypnotized me!" Zach cried out, desperation clear in his voice as he slammed a trembling fist against the armrest. His eyes darted wildly, as if pleading for someone, anyone, to believe him.
"Max?" The hunter raised an eyebrow, then turned to his computer. He typed quickly, pulling up a file. After scanning the details, he shook his head in disappointment.
"According to the records here, this same Max is a human, not a hybrid. So unless you want me to believe he’s a witch or wizard, your story doesn’t make sense."
"But I’m sure it was his doing!" Zach roared again, his frustration mounting as his hands slammed down against the desk with a loud thud.
"Lower your tone," the hunter warned with a low growl, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "otherwise, you will regret it by the time I’m done with you." Original content can be found at novel·fire.net
Zach’s face twisted with rage. "Or else what? Do you know who I am?!" he shouted, finally standing up, his chair screeching loudly against the floor.
"And do you know who Lana’s parents are?!" the A ranked hunter snapped back as he too shot to his feet. His voice dripped with warning.
"Not only are they wealthy, but they also have powerful backings. They are affiliated with tier 2 gangs, they command hybrids under their control, and their daughter herself is one. And yet, you went ahead to molest her in public?"
Zach froze at the mention of Lana’s parents, his anger warring with fear. His lips trembled, but he still managed to scream, "Don’t you get it?! I have no recollection of doing any of that, and I’m telling you who was behind it. Why won’t you believe me?!"
The tears broke through then, streaming down his cheeks. The proud, arrogant C ranked hybrid was reduced to nothing more than a broken, humiliated boy.
"I would have believed you if you made your story more believable." The hunter’s voice softened for a moment, though his eyes remained cold. "But how on earth do you expect me to believe that a human, someone who isn’t even a hybrid, did such a thing to you?"
"But he isn’t a human! I’m one hundred percent sure of it. He’s a hybrid. He has to be!" Zach insisted, his voice cracking with both conviction and despair.
The hunter only sighed deeply, disappointment etched on his face. He shook his head slowly as if the boy before him was beyond saving.
"Now I’m sure of it. You’ve gone crazy." He sat back down heavily and rubbed his temples. "I can’t chase you out of the association, but I can at least suspend you.
No missions for a week and a half. Take that time off, reflect on your actions, and pull yourself together. Because if you don’t..." He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "The next time you step out of line, even your father won’t save you. Now leave."
The hunter’s roar echoed like a gavel striking down, final and absolute.
"Bu...but...you can’t do that." Zach cried, tears cascading down his face.
"I just did. Do your worst." The hunter replied, pointing toward the door. Zach wiped his face, jaw clenched so tight his knuckles went white.
"You will all regret this. I promise you." He spat, then swept from the office.
"Rubbish." The hunter scoffed, sinking back into his seat and rubbing his temples.
Zach’s words rattled in the hunter’s mind. ’But he isn’t a human. I’m a hundred percent sure he is a hybrid,’ the refrain repeated. He thought about the footage again.
’But come to think of it, how did a supposed human immediately earn a B rank and then easily flatten a C ranked hybrid with raw strength? The man did not carry dragon weapons, and yet his performance had been exceptional.
"Something is off," the hunter muttered. He turned to his terminal and began digging into reports, security logs, and background records. He opened databases, cross-checked mission logs and CCTV timestamps. If there was a lead, he would find it.
Meanwhile, Zach stomped back to the dorm, every step a beat of fury. The CCTV footage kept replaying behind his eyes, each humiliating second stoking a hotter anger. Passersby jeered. "Hahaha! Yo, pencil man! Nice little tool!" a female called, laughter trailing after him.
Zach ignored them all. He dug his nails into his palm until pain flared. A tiny spike of quill-like bone slid out from between his fingers, drawing a thin line of blood. He smiled without humor, the wound feeding the rage.
"I know exactly what to do," he muttered.
A few minutes later he burst into his room. His roommate was out. Zach shut the door, bolted it, and pulled out his phone. His thumb trembled as he hit dial.
It rang twice before a deep voice answered. "Oh hey, kiddo. How are you? Did you get into the association?"
"Da...d...dad." Zach could not keep the sob from his voice.
"What happened? You never cry. Tell me." The man’s tone tightened with immediate concern.
"His name is Max," Zach choked out. "He humiliated me in front of everyone. I got suspended from missions because of him."
"What?" The father’s reply was a raw, furious rumble. "You want me to handle this? Tell me what you want done."
"Find him. Find everything. His family, his friends, his town. Erase him from this country. Kill him if you must. Remove whatever he loves." Zach’s voice was cold and steady now, the plan tasting like iron in his mouth.
"You want blood?" the father asked, hardly masking the smile in his voice.
"Yes." Zach answered with terrible calm.
"Consider it done," the man said. He hung up before Zach could change his mind.