CHAPTER 68: OFFICIALLY HUNTERS!

Chapter 67

"I got a freaking B rank." Max exclaimed aloud.

"What?!" The whole room exploded in shock.

"Yes." Max said with a grin on his face so wide it looked like his ears were touching his face as he clutched the card tightly in his grasp.

"How is that possible?" Ben asked as he eyed Max from head to toe, his expression unreadable, which earned him a raised eyebrow from the young dragon.

"Why do you look so surprised? Didn’t you have a hand in this?" Max asked casually.

"Of course not. All I did was assess you all and send the results back to the higher ups. They are the ones who determine your rankings based on the scores given. So no, I had no idea what your ranks would be... though I had a suspicion about his." Ben said as he pointed toward Jake, who only scoffed at the remark.

’How is this possible?! He got a flipping B rank? A pauper? A human... no! I don’t think I can consider him an ordinary human again after what that A ranked hunter said here. Something is definitely fishy about this pauper-looking human.

Could he be a gang member or someone backed by one of the higher syndicates? Whatever! Why should I fear when I’m the son of a gang leader in a tier two city?’ Zach huffed inwardly, his glare locked on Max who confidently strode away to stand beside Jake and the others.

"Next up; Zach." Ben called out, and the hybrid marched forward with clenched fists, his face twisted with frustration.

’I better get a B rank too, or else I will burn down this association... even better, I’ll poke some holes into everybody’s body.’ Zach cursed in his mind, his footsteps heavy as he approached the huge metallic ball and slammed his palm onto it.

It lit up as usual, pulsing with light, before slowly dimming back down. The surface rippled like a body of water and then spat out a card into Zach’s hand.

He stared at it in disbelief, his eyes wide, his hands trembling as his grip tightened around the card like he wanted to crush it into dust. His teeth ground together audibly, fury dripping from every pore, but after a moment of restraint he lifted his head and shoved the card toward Ben’s face.

"The hell is this?!" Zach roared in anger, his voice echoing in the silent room.

"What is what?" Ben asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A flipping C rank? Me? Zach? A damn C rank?!" Zach bellowed, his roar laced with humiliation. The room fell into a hush as everyone froze, watching the scene unfold in disbelief.

Kek! Kek! Kek!

"Buhahahaha!" At first, it was just a chuckle, but soon it erupted into full-blown laughter, spilling out of none other than Max.

Within seconds, Max’s laughter filled the training hall, sharp and mocking, echoing against the walls like knives scraping metal. His shoulders shook as tears nearly formed in his eyes, and his grin widened.

The sound only further fueled Zach’s rage. His hands trembled violently, veins bulging across his arms as his bristles slowly pushed out.

"Talk about being useless, huh." Max mocked, his laughter still trailing, and even Jake allowed himself a quiet chuckle, momentarily forgetting his earlier disappointment at his own rank.

"I... I..." Zach stammered for a moment, his pride cracking under the weight of shame. He bit down on his lip hard enough to nearly draw blood, then sucked in a deep breath before glaring at Ben with eyes burning in rage. "I want a re-evaluation. Right now!"

"Nope. You are not qualified for one. Try again when you actually do something tangible in the association." Ben said flatly, waving his hand like he was brushing away an annoying fly.

"Do you even know who my dad is?!" Zach roared, his voice shaking with fury as bristles began poking out of his skin, threatening to erupt.

"Do I look like I give a fuck?!" Ben clapped back sharply, his tone dropping to a dangerous growl. Through his blindfold, his eyes narrowed into slits, glowing faintly yellow as his presence suddenly weighed down on the room like a predator ready to pounce.

The entire hall tensed as the air itself seemed to shudder.

"Oh, this is getting good." Max chuckled as he tucked his card into his pocket and crossed his arms, leaning back slightly as if settling in to watch a theater show unfold. His grin widened, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he stared at Zach.

"Stand aside now and let the others come forward to get their rankings." Ben ordered firmly, but Zach didn’t move an inch.

He stood rooted to the ground, shoulders trembling, his fists clenched so tight that blood nearly dripped from his palms. Bristles continued to poke through his skin, twitching violently as if aching to burst out completely.

"I said stand aside!" The B ranked hunter roared, his voice echoing across the room like thunder. The ground beneath his boots cracked loudly, vibrations rippling through the training hall floor.

Gasps erupted as several of the young hunters staggered back in fright. The sheer pressure caused beads of sweat to drip down their foreheads. Only a handful remained unfazed—Max, Jake, and two others who kept their calm composure despite the suffocating tension.

"Tch! You will all regret this. I promise you." Zach thundered, his voice low but laced with venom. "One day, I will climb up higher than anyone here and force your hands for a re-evaluation. That is my vow and my promise to you all."

As he finished, the spikes and bristles on his arms slowly retracted, vanishing back beneath his skin with a sickening sound. He shot one final glare at Ben before storming to the side.

"Good luck with that. Till then—next!" Ben barked without hesitation, his voice cutting sharply as though dismissing a child throwing tantrums.

The line of young hunters slowly began moving again. Each one approached the metallic ball nervously, their eyes darting toward Zach who was still seething but silent.

Aside from Max and Jake, only one other person received the coveted B rank—a stunning female with sleek raven hair that shimmered under the lights.

She had shocked everyone by scoring an impressive 69 in the strength test and 70 in agility. During the sparring assessment, she even managed to land a solid punch against Ben himself in just thirty-five seconds.

Unlike Zach, however, she didn’t gloat or cause a fuss. With quiet pride, she accepted her ID card, tucked it neatly away, and stepped back into line with calm confidence.

As the assessments wrapped up, the results painted a clear picture. Out of the twenty-five new hunters:

Three earned the prestigious B rank.

Twelve secured the C rank.

Five fell into the D rank.

And the last five were handed the disappointing E rank.

A mixture of emotions filled the room. Some stood tall and proud, already imagining themselves as rising stars of the association. Others wore tight, forced smiles to mask their bitter disappointment.

The lowest-ranked ones remained silent, their eyes dull with frustration, yet none dared to voice their dissatisfaction after seeing how Zach had been shut down.

"That’s all for today, guys." Ben finally declared, clapping his hands loudly to gather their attention once more. His voice echoed with authority, pulling everyone’s gazes toward him.

"I am proud to officially welcome you all into the Hunter Association. As of today, you are all hunters. Your living arrangements have already been made and you will be shown to your rooms shortly."

He paused, his gaze sweeping the crowd with the intensity of a hawk. "Know this—it is two per room. No take backs. Whoever you are paired with, you deal with it. This is part of your growth, part of your test. Adapt or suffer."

As murmurs began rippling among the recruits, two carts rolled into the room. Ben strode toward the first one, flipped it open, and retrieved an object from inside. It resembled a cellphone but sleeker, tougher, and designed with strange glowing lines across its surface.

Holding it high, Ben’s lips curved into a small smirk. "This right here is a communication device we hunters use. It allows us to scan for threats nearby, receive mission alerts, access detailed information on enemy types, and even mark possible allies. Remember this—on this job, survival often depends on teamwork. This device is everything to us, and I will now be distributing it to you all."

The recruits leaned in with curiosity, eyes wide, as the reality of their new lives began to sink in.