The morning sunlight streamed through the window, but Zeki barely noticed it. He got up, changed clothes mechanically, and walked into the living room. In the kitchen, the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of his parents' voices pulled him back to reality.
"Good morning," he said, stepping into the kitchen.
"Morning, Zeki," his father replied, not taking his eyes off the newspaper. "And don't go eating junk first thing in the morning."
Zeki glanced around, ignored the processed options, and grabbed a banana. "I'll just have a banana."
He sat down on the couch, slowly chewing.
"Zeki, can you grab the broom from the balcony for me?" his mother asked.
He stood up, went to the balcony, picked up the broom, and handed it to her. "Here, Mom."
Back on the couch, he checked his phone. 10:00.
I better hurry so I won't be late.
"Mom, Dad, I'm heading out so I don't get late."
"Already?" his father asked, finally lowering the newspaper. "Well, anyway, I know you'll pass. It's that guild you were talking about yesterday, right?"
"Yeah. It's the best in São Paulo, but also the hardest to get into."
"I know you'll make it, son," Cleiton said, genuine pride in his voice. "You've worked hard for this."
"Wow, that's rare—seeing you encourage him," Claudia said with a smile.
"Well, he deserves it. He's very dedicated."
"Thanks, Dad. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad." Zeki felt an unexpected warmth from his father's words.
"Good luck, Zeki. We're rooting for you," his mother said.
"Do your best, kid."
Zeki left the house, feeling motivated. As he walked, the busy streets of São Paulo felt like an anthill full of competitors.
This guild… I have to make it.
Finally, he arrived.
The building was massive—a towering structure of glass and steel that seemed to touch the sky, with an imposing, modern façade. A crowd of young people—some as nervous as him, others overflowing with confidence—pushed together at the entrance.
Up close, this building doesn't seem that big, he thought, trying to calm his racing heart.
He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The interior buzzed with anxious chatter.
"Wow, I'm so nervous. What if I fail?"
"Relax, I'm sure I'll get a high rank right away. I'm ready!"
"I'm confident too. I didn't come all this way just to get kicked out."
As Zeki walked through the lobby, he heard his name being called.
"Hey, Zeki! What's up?"
He turned and saw Bia and Gustavo approaching.
So they came, he thought, surprised. Bia, I expected… but Gustavo was so set on not coming.
"Hey, Bia," he said, walking over.
"What's up, man! Ready for this?" Gustavo said with contagious energy. "This guild is awesome. I'm getting a high rank, you'll see!"
He never misses a chance to mess with me, and now he acts like we're friends… what do Bia or his mom do to make him act like this?
"So, shall we?" Zeki asked.
"Let's go! I'm curious to see what it's like inside," Bia said excitedly.
"That's right! I can already see it—I'm walking out of here as the top of the guild. And you, Zeki, have you accepted you're gonna lose to me?"
"If that's what you think," Zeki replied calmly.
"Man, Zeki, I'm so excited! But yeah, let's go!"
The three of them walked in together, ready for whatever came next.
Meanwhile, in Fortaleza, the storm was just beginning.
News of the breached wall had spread like wildfire, and public trust in hunters was plummeting. Marta, the director's assistant, escorted the three available S-class heroes into Roberto's office.
"Director Roberto, the S-class heroes have arrived."
"Let them in," Roberto said, his voice deep.
They entered, and Marta closed the door.
"Sit down," he ordered, irritated. "We need to talk about yesterday's disaster. About the monster that destroyed the wall. But Gustave—where were you?"
Gustave, a man with an air of bored superiority, leaned back in his chair. "Ah, Director, you know how it is. I'm very busy, and monsters are unpredictable. Of course, if I had been there, I would've handled everything quickly, but… the monster is already dead, so why worry so much?"
"Gustave, always so full of yourself," said Choquita, a woman with a sharp gaze and stern appearance. "What matters now is acting fast. And what about the guild's reputation? There should always be an S-class available for incidents like this."
"I agree with Choquita," said Amanda, the youngest, visibly concerned. "Besides, the guild's image is ruined. And how did that monster even break the wall? Those were built to withstand dragon-level monsters."
"Did you see the news?" Roberto said, frustrated. "It took five A-class heroes to defeat a single A-class monster. That's terrible for our image. Hunters are getting too relaxed and overconfident."
"I can't blame them. After all, who would expect lower-level monsters to break the wall, right, Amanda?" Gustave said with a mocking smile.
"Yes, but I was careless too. I should have checked. I'm sorry."
"Don't blame yourself, Amanda," Choquita said. "But why didn't the alarm go off when the wall was breached? I would've come immediately."
"Look, sorry to interrupt, but that's in the past," Gustave said impatiently, standing up. "I've got things to do. I'll send some money to the guild, alright?"
Choquita looked furious at his attitude, while Gustave simply walked out.
"If he weren't so strong, I would've gotten rid of him already," Roberto growled. "Arrogant brat."
In the hallway, Gustave thought to himself:
What do they think I am? If they expect me to lower myself to fight weak monsters, they're wrong. I won't waste my strength on tiger-level creatures.
The truth was, he had been present during the incident—but chose something else he considered more important.
"That idiot," Choquita said, furious. "We'll have to manage without him, as always."
"Please, calm down," Amanda said gently. "We can fix this, right, Director?"
"I hope so," Roberto replied, tired. "You're dismissed."
The two left.
"Honestly, if I could, I'd punch that arrogant snob," Choquita vented.
"Well… he could be a bit nicer," Amanda said, ever positive.
"Amanda, I'm impressed by how positive you are.
Back in São Paulo, Zeki, Gustavo, and Bia stood in line to register.
"So, how does this ranking thing work?" Gustavo asked.
"Well, I'm not totally sure, but I think there are seven ranks," Bia replied. "You know what, Zeki—better you explain. You seem to know more."
"Alright. There are seven ranks. The highest is Z, and the lowest is E."
Gustavo frowned. "Wait—Z class? What's that? Isn't S the strongest?"
"It's a bit different," Zeki explained. "Z ranks are global hunters, while S ranks are the strongest within each region. Got it?"
"Man, how long did it take you to memorize all that?"
"We can talk later. It's our turn."
Zeki, Gustavo, and Bia wrote their names down—the first step toward the exams that would define their futures.
Inside the São Paulo guild headquarters, directors discussed the record number of applicants that year, unaware of the three extraordinary youths who had just entered their ranks.