“Have you decided who’ll be your vice captain yet? You’re the only one without one,” Annacia asked, arching a brow at Uno.

Uno’s brows drew together. Only now did he realize what a pain it was to attend this year’s hunter examination. He was supposed to be focusing on Project 307 especially since the President had finally approved it. Instead, he was stuck here, babysitting rookies.

But no. The moment he’d spotted that guy’s application among the mountain of papers, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Now here he was, annoyed at himself more than anything.

“Tsk.” He clicked his tongue, irritation bubbling. He had planned to investigate the dungeon floor that mysteriously closed last week, but thanks to all this, that had to be pushed back too.

“Just pick anyone from the A-rankers on my team,” he muttered, not even glancing at her.

Annacia tilted her head, hand settling on her hip, wordless at first. Then she rolled her eyes.

She’d long since grown used to Uno’s gruff attitude during her years in the Hunter Association. It was exactly why people often struggled to work with him.

Today was meant to be a friendly sparring match among all participants, a chance to gauge each examinee’s strengths and abilities. All teams gathered in the expansive Training Hall, which was spacious enough to accommodate twenty teams, given the many participants who had been disqualified during the first phase.

From the office on the third floor, they had a perfect view. The central ring was already alive with movement. Some examinees fight while others stretch or chat along the walls.

Annacia wandered to the window, crossing her arms as she looked down.

Her gaze quickly snagged on one boy with light brown hair in particular who was sitting quietly in the corner. Lev. Even from this distance, he stood out. His skin glowing like he’d been born with his own filter. He was very handsome. Pretty might’ve been the better word. He carried a faint resemblance to the mayor… or perhaps the mayor’s daughter, depending on how you looked at him.

Annacia chuckled softly. Lev had already become something of a mini-celebrity in the office, thanks to that whole fiasco with Uno’s phone. Now, judging from Uno’s sour face these days, the kid had somehow managed to get under his skin too.

She couldn’t help but laugh softly to herself, shaking her head. With any luck, the kid would make it through the examination if only so she could watch Uno grind his teeth every time that pretty face showed up in the Association.

But her smile faded when she noticed several examinees, some from Team Emerald and others from Team Diamond, eyeing Lev with open hostility. He didn’t even notice because he’s too absorbed in his own quiet stretches. Their eyes were sharp and resentful.

Annacia frowned. Was it the vice captain thing? Probably.

Matthew’s antics never failed to stir chaos. When she first heard he’d named Lev as vice captain on day one, she nearly choked on her coffee. Nobody had ever done that before. Obviously, it was just Matthew poking at Uno and it worked like a charm. Uno had been in a sour mood ever since. Unfortunately, Lev was the one paying for it.

“Poor kid,” she murmured.

Sure enough, the group of examinees swaggered over and cornered Lev, looming over him. She couldn’t hear what was said from here, but it was obvious enough that they were harassing him. 

Encounters like that weren’t unusual during the hunter examination, yet the fact that this one stemmed from someone’s petty antics made it feel especially unfair.

Before long, the group of examinees seized Lev by the wrist and hauled him toward the ring, clearly set on challenging him. They dwarfed him in both height and build, making the mismatch painfully obvious.

“Uno–” Annacia started, but the word died in her throat. He was already at the window, staring down with a glare so sharp it could cut stone. She hadn’t even realized he’d been watching the whole time.

His fist flexed open and closed, jaw tight with irritation. A heartbeat later, Uno turned on his heel and strode for the door, his entire posture bristling as though he were the one about to step into the fight.

Annacia narrowed her eyes, watching him disappear from view. With a small sigh, she followed after him.

***

Lev stood up fluidly, stretching his body with the lazy ease of someone awakening from a light slumber. He lifted his arms above his head, the motion causing his shirt to shift and reveal a hint of pale skin. 

Today, they were doing outdoor activity as part of their ongoing physical assessment.

With a soft sigh, almost innocent in its nonchalance, he exuded an aura of obliviousness. Oblivious to the fact that every eye in the room was fixated on him, boring holes into the back of his head.

But he knew. Oh, he knew.

The glares were heavy, thick with pride curdled into resentment. To the examinees, it was an insult that a rank B had claimed the vice captain spot. Their stares clung to him like gnats, buzzing with bitterness.

He lowered his arms slowly, shoulders rolling loose, his expression painted in perfect ignorance. Only the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed the truth, a ghost of a smile that said he was savoring every second of their open hostility.

For now, he could suppress his strength to blend in with an ordinary person. He’d chosen to stay under the radar but since attention was inevitable, why not lean into it?

A naive fool was easier to overlook… and far more entertaining to play.. 

So loud, he mused, catching the edge of a glare without looking directly. All that pride dripping off you, choking the air. You really think glaring will scare me huh?

“Lev, do you want help? I’ll help you stretch,” Juho offered.

Lev glanced over, smiled softly, harmless. “It’s okay. I can handle it just fine.”

“Those guys keep glaring at you,” Aris added flatly, tilting her chin toward the pack of examinees. “What’s their deal?”

Only the blind wouldn’t have noticed.

Lev stretched again, slower this time, almost indulgent, tilting his head back as if basking in the attention. A smirk ghosted across his face for a brief moment, too fleeting to linger and become fully formed.

Before long, the group finally made their move. They cut across the training hall with the swagger of men who thought the place belonged to them, their presence was heavy enough to draw eyes.

One by one, the conversations broke off, and all eyes dragged inevitably to their parade.

“You’re Lev, huh?” one of them sneered. He didn’t bother to hide the contempt in his voice. “Rank B with a vice captain spot. Daddy must’ve pulled strings for you, eh?”

The others snickered.

“Bitter, are we?” Aris fired back. Her voice was cool and sharp. “Didn’t get the promotion yourself? Daddy not high enough on the food chain?”

Lev hid a grin, entertained by how well the insult cut. He had to hand it to her. That was pretty good.

The leader’s head snapped toward her, his glare sharp. “What the fuck did you just–”

Juho quickly stepped forward, slipping between them with a bright, easy smile that didn’t match the tension. “Whoa, whoa….let’s chill, yeah? No need to throw punches over something like this. We’re all here to prove ourselves, not knock each other’s heads off.” His tone was light, almost cheerful, like sunshine trying to pierce storm clouds.

One of the lackeys leaned into the leader’s ear, muttering something low. The leader’s nostrils flared as he sucked in a sharp breath, visibly forcing himself to ease back. His glare flicked to Aris, venomous but restrained.

“You’re lucky I’m not in the mood to deal with pests. That mouth of yours gets a free pass… this time.”

Aris was winding up for another jab, but Lev lifted a hand to stop him. This was his business, not hers. No sense letting someone else swat at flies when he was perfectly capable of doing it himself. Besides, parasites get boring fast if you let other people step on them.

“It’s okay, Aris,” he said, voice calm and gentle. “They’re probably upset because I might’ve done something without realizing it. I guess… my position as vice captain didn’t sit well with them. I’d feel the same way, too…”

The words were soft, carefully measured. They were harmless on the surface, even kind. To any listener, he sounded sincere, bearing the weight of blame without complaint. The perfect image of humility… and innocence so flawless it almost wasn’t believable.

The group seethed, baited by his false kindness.

Lev tilted his head. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone,” Lev said with mild sincerity. “If I did, then maybe a simple conversation could fix it?”

That faux-innocence only poured oil on their fire.

“Conversation?” the guy in front barked out a laugh. “No, no. We’ve got something better in mind.” His chin jerked toward the practice ring at the center of the hall. “How about a little match? You and me. Let’s see if that vice captain title of yours is anything more than daddy’s gift.”

The group behind him hollered in agreement, their grins wide and eager.