CHAPTER 38: MEETING WITH THE CAPTAINS

Chapter 37

Kaizen didn’t question and quietly followed them. He knew exactly why he was being summoned. He was led to the large meeting room at the end of the hallway.

He stopped for a moment, heart pounding in his chest. He took in a shaky breath before finally stepping inside.

Over thirty captains sat around a long rectangular table. The air shifted the second he walked in. Every pair of eyes locked on him like hawks circling prey. Kaizen tensed. He could feel their judgment, their suspicion, their confusion. He swallowed hard, fighting the urge to look away.

Wraith gestured to the guards who’d escorted him. They bowed silently and left, closing the heavy door behind them with a deep thud. The room was dead quiet.

"Your squadmates told us what happened," Wraith began, voice calm but firm. "But we also want to hear it from you. Mind telling us what went on inside that portal?"

Kaizen remained silent for a few seconds, eyes fixed on the ground. Everyone waited.

Eventually, he spoke. "I was spared. Just like the rest of them. There’s not much to say. All I remember is getting beaten to a pulp while desperately begging for my life." He paused, jaw tightening slightly. "She enjoys watching people suffer."

That part isn’t even a lie. She did enjoy it a lot. Damn Elf.

"So you’re saying she just beat you half to death and then let you go?" one of the captains asked, clearly unconvinced. They had all heard about how she effortlessly killed an entire squad from Black Veil, so seeing an E-rank hunter return alive was something hard to believe.

Kaizen nodded. "Yeah. And if anything happened after that, I don’t remember. I just woke up to find myself at the healing station."

Some captains exchanged looks. A few leaned in, whispering to each other. Others simply stared at Kaizen like they were trying to read through his skin.

Wraith leaned back slightly in his seat, his fingers tapping once against the wooden surface. "And you’re sure that’s all that happened? You didn’t make a deal? You didn’t... agree to anything?"

Kaizen’s heart skipped just for a moment. But he kept his face straight.

"No. I remember nothing of such."

"Alright. That’s all for now. You’re free to go. Be sure to reach out if you remember anything else."

Kaizen didn’t spend another second in there. He immediately rushed outside before they decided to ask another question again.

Inside the meeting room, everyone had a tense frown on their faces.

"So, what do you all think?" Wraith asked the captains after Kaizen had left.

"I think he’s hiding something. There’s something he knows that he refused to say." Hawk was the first to answer.

"Why do you guys give a crap about how an E-rank hunter managed to get lucky? Our main problem should be the fact that she can control the ranking of portals at will. Which means we can’t even trust our mana meter anymore, or the colors either," one of the captains grunted.

Wraith actually saw a point in that. "That’s what worries me. If she can manipulate portal ranks... then every reading we get could be fake. We’re walking into traps without even knowing."

"Whichever squad ends up walking into her trap next... well, sucks to be them," one of the captains scoffed. "Let’s stop acting like we’ve got options here. We don’t. No strategy and we got no one strong enough to defeat her. Honestly, maybe once enough squads get wiped out, the capital would finally bother to step in."

Everyone remained silent for a moment. What he said did make sense.

"You mean we should just let things flow and wait for some heavenly intervention? Because I’m sure we all know the capital doesn’t give a shit about us."

"And I don’t give a damn either. Let’s stop stressing over something we have no control over."

Wraith remained quiet, letting the captains speak their minds.

"You all sound so selfish right now. We should just let hunters die off one by one until it’s our turn? Is that really the plan now?"

A few captains rolled their eyes, others sighed in frustration. No one had a solution. They were just circling the same pit of hopelessness.

"I’m not saying I like it," one muttered. "But what’s the alternative? Charge in and get our heads sliced off like the last guys?"

"She’s untouchable. The moment you step into that portal, you’re already in her world."

Another scoffed. "We don’t even know what she is. I’ve seen monsters, beasts, and even cursed entities... but that thing? We don’t even know her origin. I’ve heard of Elves but I never knew they were a thing."

"Don’t talk like you were born yesterday. The Beast Realm is the biggest and most unexplored realm so far. We don’t even know what kind of monsters lurk in there, so I’m not surprised a being that strong exists in it."

"She’s not part of the Beast Realm. The report says she owns her own realm. One which she is in absolute control of. And she lures in prey. How are we supposed to defeat something like that?"

Right then, a voice cut through the noise—sharp, loud, and mocking.

"Are you all dumb?"

Silence fell instantly, and everyone turned to the captain who’d just spoken.

He leaned forward, expression somewhere between disbelief and disgust.

"Instead of crying about how we can’t beat her, or talking like helpless victims, why don’t we do the one thing none of you sad excuses for captains have thought of?"

He looked around at their blank faces and scoffed.

"Seal her away."

His name was Cedric Ashlow. Code name was Ghost. He was given that title because he moved like a ghost during combat.

He leaned back, folding his arms.

"She’s not a god. She’s a problem. So treat her like one. You don’t fix a rabid dog by reasoning with it. You lock it up."