Uno stood over him, a shadow cast sharp across Lev. His eyes narrowed, not with fury, but with the kind of irritation reserved for someone holding something that belonged to him. Lev, seated below, tilted his head up and met the glare with quiet indifference. If anything, the corners of his lips hinted at the ghost of a smirk, as though the whole situation faintly entertained him.

As Uno spoke, a glimmer of recognition lit up in Lev’s eyes. The familiar sound of the voice hit his ears, jolting the memory of a past encounter. It was the same voice he had heard through the phone he had retrieved from the plaza.

“In my room,” Lev answered simply. His tone was flat, almost dismissive.

Uno’s eyes narrowed, scanning the young man with quiet intensity.

Lev’s face caught Uno off guard. The sharp lines on his face were softened by a natural flush, while his lips were effortlessly elegant. His eyes held a restless spark that commanded attention. The hall light heightened his appearance, illuminating his fair skin and tousled light-brown hair. 

Up close, Lev was far better looking than Uno expected. The realization irritated him so he quickly dismissed it.

“You really didn’t steal it?” Uno asked, a brow lifting with cool suspicion.

Lev’s brow furrowed. How shameless could this man be to accuse him so bluntly?

“No,” he answered, clipped and certain.

“Bring it to me tomorrow.”

The two of them didn’t notice the quiet stir growing around them.

Uno was infamous for his cold, unreachable aura, for the way he dismissed small talk and kept conversations clipped to only his guild or a rare few hunters. For him to stand here, speaking to someone not even a hunter yet, was enough to draw curious stares from every corner of the auditorium.

After what felt like an eternity of their silent standoff, Annicia stepped back onto the stage to make the next announcement.

The screen displayed the assigned leaders for each group, and to Lev’s surprise, Uno’s name was not among them. Whether this was a good or bad thing was still uncertain.

Each team gathered together with their respective groups. On Team Emerald, Lev found himself among a diverse group of thirty individuals with varying ages and genders. Some were young adults, while others were middle-aged, and men and women were both well represented within the team.

A man with silver hair adorned with fiery red highlights stood before the group, a wide grin spreading across his face from ear to ear.

“Hi! I know most of you already know me, but for formalities, I’ll still introduce myself.” He pressed two fingers to his forehead in a playful salute, like greeting an old friend. “My name is Matthew.”

Everyone but Lev responded with a lively greeting.

Matthew’s sharp eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on him. The grin somehow grew wider, as though he’d found the one person he’d been looking for.

“Well, well, well. Hello there. Lev, right?” he smirked.

Lev frowned, hesitant, but gave a small nod.

“You’ll be my vice captain,” Matthew declared, tone light but brimming with certainty.

Lev blinked. …Vice captain? Just like that? What kind of twisted luck was this? All he wanted was to pass quietly, without drawing a single ounce of attention. Instead, the spotlight was now pinned directly on him.

Arguing would only drag him deeper into the spotlight, though. And if there was anything he hated more than humans staring at him, it was humans asking questions.

The team was soon ushered into their assigned room.

“Woah,” the young man beside Lev whispered in awe. “Are you a re-examiner? How come hunters from the HA already know you? Even Uno talked to you.”

“I’m not,” Lev replied flatly.

“Connections, then?” another voice cut in, tone dripping mockery.

And then came the middle-aged man, smirking like he’d just uncovered a scandal. “Now that I look at you… you kinda resemble the mayor. First time seeing you though. What are you, his illegitimate son?” His tone made it obvious he was furious that someone younger, and seemingly clueless, had been handed the vice captain spot.

The taunts and insults directed at his human appearance didn’t faze him. They were merely mocking his human vessel, not truly comprehending his true form. He didn’t care about their words. The only thing that slightly irritated him was the choice of this face as his human disguise.

Lev grumbled inwardly. Wouldn’t a dog’s face have been more fitting?

Choosing peace, he slipped into the seat at the back. To his right sat a woman with short, dark-blue hair, a chain glinting from her ear. She chewed something lazily, her expression detached, as if she was barely tethered to the world. A leather jacket, loose gray shirt with some faded statement, dark jeans, and combat boots completed her aloof presence.

On his left was the earlier curious young man, cheerful behind his reading glasses and hoodie, his brightness a sharp contrast to the cool indifference of the girl on Lev’s right.

Matthew, the last to enter the room, leaned casually against the table with his legs crossed, positioning himself in front of them.

“Good to see both familiar and new faces here. Heh,” Matthew started. “Whether you’re re-examining or not, everyone takes the same tests. The exams change every year, so it’s a level playing field for all. Challenges go from easy to hard. The first three days focus on introductions and an overview of each guild and the classifications of dungeon monsters. All that fun stuff.”

He clicked the remote, and the screen lit up behind him.

“There are five phases to this examination,” Matthew informed them. “The first phase is relatively simple. You’ll find out about it the day before the exam so you can prepare. The fourth and fifth phases, however, are the toughest. So we’ll give you advance notice a week in advance for those.”

A hand shot up. “If you fail the first phase, are you already eliminated?”

Matthew clapped once, sharp and quick. “Good question! And yes….you’re out. This isn’t school. No extra credit, no group projects to pull you through. Fail once and you can always try again… next year.” His grin widened.

Gasps rippled across the room. Some people looked like they’d just swallowed poison. Others steeled themselves, eyes burning with determination.

Matthew continued outlining the expected challenges in the hunter exam, using videos from past exams as examples. Some participants looked intimidated while others appeared more motivated after watching.

Lev, however, wasn’t fazed in the slightest, mentally shrugging off the entire presentation. One thing he was certain of, after watching those clips and listening to the discussions?

It’s gonna take a hell of a lot more effort than this to get a damn hunter license and actually join those morons.