Chapter 29: Don’t Insult My Family

"Look at that guy," the scarred hunter said. "Did someone send an accountant to register?"

His companion laughed. "Maybe he’s here to calculate how much it costs to get eaten by a monster."

Kael heard them but kept walking. He wasn’t there to impress strangers, although some people seemed to take silence as an invitation to cause trouble.

Five hunters moved away from the seating area and approached him. Their clothes were worn, and their equipment looked cheap, but the letters printed on their identification badges were clear enough.

F-rank.

They were the lowest official rank, but they were still registered hunters. At the very least, they had passed the Association’s requirements.

The broadest of the five stepped in front of Kael.

"Hey, office boy. You lost?" the hunter asked.

Kael moved slightly to the left, but the man shifted with him and blocked the way again.

"I asked you a question," the hunter said.

"I’m looking for the registration counter," Kael replied.

The hunter looked him up and down. "Registration? You?"

His friends laughed.

"Look at his arms," another hunter said. "Has he ever lifted anything heavier than a briefcase?"

"Maybe he wants to become a hunter so he can carry our bags," a third man added.

Kael ignored them and tried to walk around. This time, the broad hunter caught his shoulder and pushed him backward. Kael stumbled two steps before regaining his balance.

His first instinct was to push back, but he stopped himself. He didn’t know how strong these men were. He had been exercising for weeks, but his workouts consisted of squats, wall push-ups, marching in place, and other basic movements. He wasn’t a trained fighter, and he had no reason to believe he could win a fight against five registered hunters.

Kael took a breath and looked at the man.

"Move. I don’t want trouble," Kael said.

The hunter’s smile widened. "Did you hear that? The office boy doesn’t want trouble."

One of the others stepped closer. "What’s the matter? Afraid we’ll wrinkle your jacket?"

Kael said nothing, hoping they would get bored and leave him alone. Instead, the broad hunter’s expression hardened.

"I’m talking to you, and you’re ignoring me?" the hunter demanded.

He shoved Kael again, harder this time. Kael’s shoes scraped across the floor, and his shoulder struck the edge of a nearby chair, making it slide backward.

Several people turned to look.

Kael straightened his jacket and prepared to walk away, but one of the hunters laughed before he could leave.

"Forget it. Look at the poor bastard," the hunter said. "If he struggles this much just to handle a few men, imagine what his wife has to deal with."

Another hunter joined in. "His kids will probably grow up just as useless. Weak father, weak children."

Kael stopped moving.

For a moment, he barely heard the conversations around him. He thought about Noah’s tiny hand gripping his finger and remembered Sera sitting on the sofa that morning, holding their son while telling him to be careful. Then he remembered the way these men had pushed him around as if he were nothing.

Kael turned to face them.

"What did you say?" Kael asked.

The hunter grinned. "Your wife and kids. What about them?"

Kael didn’t remember deciding to move. Anger took over before he had time to think through the consequences, and he stepped forward and swung his fist at the man’s face.

BAM!

His punch landed squarely on the hunter’s jaw. The man’s grin vanished, and his feet left the floor as his body shot backward. He crashed into two chairs before hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

The entire lobby went silent.

Kael stared at his own fist, surprised by what he had just done. He hadn’t put much thought into the punch. He had simply swung, yet the impact had sent a grown man flying several feet.

’What the hell?’ Kael thought.

The hunter on the floor groaned and tried to sit up while clutching his jaw. One of his companions stared at him before turning toward Kael.

"What the hell did you just do?" the companion demanded.

Kael didn’t answer because he was still trying to understand what had happened.

A system notification appeared at the edge of his vision.

[Basic Combat Mastery (F Rank): 11%]

[Physical Conditioning: Strength E | Speed F+ | Endurance E+]

[Notice: Basic training has improved your physical foundation. Combat effectiveness remains limited by experience and technique.]

Kael swallowed as he read the panel. He had known his body was improving, but he hadn’t expected his strength to be enough to send another person flying with one punch.

The system’s improvements offered a possible explanation. His physical conditioning had advanced beyond an ordinary beginner’s level, even though he was still weak in terms of speed, endurance, and combat technique. The increase in strength meant he could produce more force than he had before, but he still lacked the control and experience to use that strength properly.

The hunter he had struck was also an F-rank. Kael didn’t know exactly how strong the man was, but he was beginning to understand that even a low-ranking hunter could be dangerous.

Unfortunately, he had no time to think about it because the remaining four hunters were already moving toward him.

"You bastard!" one of them shouted.

All four rushed him.

The first swung a wide right hook. Kael leaned away, but his reaction was too slow, and the punch grazed his cheek, making his head turn.

"Damn it!" Kael muttered as pain spread across his face.

A second hunter attacked from the side. Kael raised his arms just in time to block part of the blow, but the impact forced him backward, and another punch caught him in the stomach. He doubled over and struggled to catch his breath.

So much for being stronger than he thought.

The hunters crowded him, throwing punches without much coordination. They weren’t skilled fighters, but they had more experience hurting people than he did. One struck his shoulder while another clipped his forehead.