The National Hunter Academy had transformed overnight. The sterile, militaristic training grounds were now draped in massive, vibrant banners displaying the crests of the country's top S-Rank Guilds.
News helicopters circled the perimeter, and a fleet of armored, luxury SUVs lined the main courtyard. Today was the Joint-Guild Exhibition. It was the one day a year when the untouchable S-Rank Guild Masters descended upon the Academy to draft the most promising cadets into their private armies.
Elias stood at the edge of the assembly hall, wearing his standard Academy uniform. He watched the spectacle with cold, calculating eyes. To the other cadets, this was the most important day of their lives. To Elias, it was a gathering of his future prey.
The heavy double doors of the assembly hall swung open, and the room instantly fell silent. The sheer weight of the auras entering the room was enough to make the lower-ranked cadets physically nauseous.
Three figures walked down the center aisle.
The first was a towering man in crimson armor—the Guild Master of Crimson Dawn, Leo Valerius's father. The second was a woman draped in elegant, mana-woven silks—the Matriarch of the Phantom Lotus Guild.
But Elias's eyes locked onto the third man.
Arthur Vance.
The CEO of Vance Tech and an S-Rank Tank. He wore an immaculately tailored dark suit that barely concealed his massive, muscular frame. His face was a mask of cold granite, but his eyes were bloodshot and restless.
"Look at Vance's aura," an Elite Class cadet whispered nervously nearby. "It feels unstable. I heard his son, Marcus, went missing during the first Gate outbreak in the city. They still haven't found a body."
Elias smirked inwardly. They would never find a body. Marcus Vance was currently a pile of ash in a collapsed subway tunnel, a minor obstacle Elias had casually removed on his first day back.
Instructor Graves marched to the front podium, saluting the Guild Masters before turning to the hundreds of assembled cadets.
"Listen up!" Graves barked. "Today, you stand before the absolute pinnacle of humanity's strength. The Guild Masters will observe your combat proficiency in the Exhibition Arena. Those who impress them will receive lucrative contracts upon graduation. Those who fail will be assigned to standard military logistics."
Arthur Vance stepped up to the podium, gently pushing Graves aside. The S-Rank Tank didn't use a microphone; his deep, booming voice rattled the windows all on its own.
"I don't care about flashy magic or textbook forms," Arthur growled, his eyes sweeping over the Elite Class in the front row. "Humanity is at war. I want to see killers. I want to see who among you has the instinct to survive when the system fails."
Arthur paused, his heavy gaze scanning the room until it abruptly stopped. It locked directly onto Elias.
"Instructor Graves," Arthur said, not breaking eye contact with the young Necromancer. "I read the after-action report from the Savage Wilds exam. A B-Rank Summoner allegedly took down a B-Rank Bloodfiend with a scrap metal stake."
Whispers erupted across the hall. The details of Elias's fight had been classified, but Arthur Vance clearly had the military clearance to bypass those locks.
Leo Valerius, standing a few feet away from Elias, gritted his teeth in sheer jealousy. Even Aria Sterling, standing perfectly still in the front row, subtly shifted her gaze toward Elias.
"Yes, Guild Master Vance," Graves answered nervously. "Cadet Elias showed... exceptional combat intuition."
"Intuition," Arthur scoffed. "Or luck. I despise luck. It gets good men killed."
Arthur stepped down from the podium and walked slowly down the aisle, stopping just a few feet in front of Elias. The S-Rank aura rolled off the older man in suffocating waves. It was a deliberate test of dominance, meant to force the cadet to look away or bow his head.
Elias didn't blink. He met the S-Rank Guild Master's gaze with absolute, dead, abyssal calm. He didn't even shift his posture.
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly. A normal B-Rank should have been sweating, struggling to breathe under the pressure. But this kid was looking at him the same way one might look at a mildly annoying insect.
"You don't flinch, Cadet," Arthur noted, his voice dangerously low.
"There's nothing to flinch at, sir," Elias replied smoothly.
The entire hall collectively gasped. Speaking back to an S-Rank Guild Master with such blatant disrespect was considered career suicide, if not actual suicide.
Arthur Vance let out a harsh, barking laugh that held absolutely no humor.
"Arrogance. I like it," Arthur said, turning back to the podium. "Instructor Graves! Change the schedule. The cadets aren't sparring against each other today. They are going to spar against my active-duty A-Rank Hunters."
Panic immediately washed over the Elite Class. Fighting an A-Rank veteran was a death sentence for a newly awakened cadet.
"And for the first exhibition match," Arthur Vance smiled, a cruel, predatory expression. "My Vanguard Captain will test the 'miracle Summoner'. Let's see if Cadet Elias can kill an A-Rank without his luck."
Graves paled but nodded quickly. "A-As you command. Everyone, proceed to the Exhibition Arena!"
As the crowd began to nervously shuffle out of the hall, Elias stood perfectly still. He let out a slow, quiet sigh. He had wanted to lay low for a few more weeks to consolidate his power, but the Vance family seemed determined to dig their own graves.
"You provoked him," Aria whispered as she walked past him, her lips barely moving. "Why?"
"I didn't provoke him, Aria," Elias whispered back, his eyes glowing with a faint, chilling blue light. "I'm just tired of hiding."