Chapter 30: Kael VS 5 F Ranked Hunters

Kael stumbled toward the registration seats, trying to keep the chairs between himself and the attackers rather than allowing them to surround him.

He remembered the basic instructions he had picked up during his limited self-defense practice. He needed to keep his balance, avoid swinging wildly, and watch his opponents’ shoulders. However, remembering those instructions and using them under pressure were two very different things.

The broad hunter, who had recovered enough to stand, pointed at him.

"Hold him down!" the man shouted.

One of the others lunged forward and grabbed Kael’s jacket. Kael caught the man’s wrist as the hunter tried to yank free. Without thinking, Kael tightened his grip, and the man’s expression changed almost immediately.

"Let go!" the hunter demanded.

Kael pulled him forward, turned his body, and shoved him aside. The hunter lost his footing and crashed into one of his companions, sending both men stumbling into the seats.

Kael stared for half a second, surprised that the move had worked. His increased strength had helped him break the man’s grip, but he had also used the attacker’s momentum against him instead of trying to overpower him directly.

The remaining hunters swore and rushed him again.

This time, Kael didn’t stand still. He stepped back from the first punch, let the hunter’s momentum carry him forward, and struck him in the chest with a short punch. The impact drove the man backward into the second hunter.

Kael’s knuckles hurt from the contact, but his opponent was too busy gasping to attack immediately.

The third hunter tried to grab Kael from behind. Kael twisted around, but not quickly enough to avoid the attack completely. An arm locked around his shoulders, and a fist struck the side of his face.

His vision blurred.

"Got you now!" the hunter shouted.

Kael drove his elbow backward, catching the man’s ribs. The grip loosened, and Kael tore himself free before turning to face him.

The fourth hunter charged with his head lowered. Kael stepped aside at the last moment, and the man rushed past him before slamming into the reception counter.

A clerk behind the counter jumped back.

"Hey! Watch where you’re going!" the clerk shouted.

Someone in the crowd laughed. "That’s one way to register!" another visitor remarked.

The hunter spun around with his face red from anger, but Kael was breathing hard. His cheek throbbed, and his stomach hurt. He was beginning to understand why people trained for years before entering a dungeon.

Strength alone wasn’t enough. He could hit hard, but he was still slow to react, and every time he made a mistake, one of the hunters managed to land a blow.

However, he wasn’t helpless either. His increased strength and the little training he had done were helping him stay in the fight, even though he was taking more hits than he wanted.

The broad hunter finally joined the fight and threw a heavy punch aimed straight at Kael’s face.

Kael saw the movement a little earlier this time. He raised his forearm to block part of the blow, but the impact still forced him backward.

The hunter grinned. "You’re not so tough now, are you?"

Kael glanced at the man’s exposed side. He didn’t know if his next move would work, but he couldn’t afford to stand there and take another punch.

He stepped forward and punched the hunter in the ribs. The man’s grin disappeared, and he bent forward with a sharp gasp. Kael followed with a shove that sent him crashing into the seats.

The man who had taken the first punch was still struggling to get up. Two others had collided with the counter and each other, while the last hunter stood several steps away, looking less certain than before.

Kael raised his fists and tried to steady his breathing.

"Anyone else?" Kael asked, his voice rougher than he intended.

Nobody moved.

The last hunter looked at his companions before turning back to Kael.

"You... you’re an F-rank, aren’t you?" the hunter asked.

Kael lowered his hands slightly. "I haven’t even registered yet," he replied.

The hunter stared at him, and for some reason, that answer seemed to frighten him even more.

Several clerks behind the counters began talking among themselves.

"Serves them right," one young woman said. "They’ve been bothering people all morning."

"Someone should have stopped them earlier," her colleague replied.

"They wouldn’t listen to us," the first clerk said.

She then looked at Kael. "Sir, are you all right? Do you need medical attention?"

Kael touched his cheek and winced. "I think I’ll survive," he answered.

"Security is on the way," the clerk informed him.

"Good. They can deal with these five," Kael replied.

He straightened his jacket, although it was now wrinkled and had a small tear near the shoulder. As he looked at the hunters scattered around the lobby, he began to realize how much trouble he might have caused himself. He had been the one attacked first, but he had also thrown the first punch that seriously injured someone.

The Association wasn’t going to ignore a fight just because he had a reason to be angry.

Kael walked to the registration counter, where the young clerk looked from him to the five hunters on the floor.

"Um... how can I help you?" the clerk asked.

Kael rested his hands on the counter. "I’d like to register with the Hunter Association," he replied.

The clerk blinked. "Register as a hunter?"

"Yes," Kael answered.

She glanced at his bruised face, then at the hunters behind him. "Of course. We can begin with your identification and registration form. You’ll also need to schedule an aptitude assessment before your status can be finalized."

Kael nodded. "Tell me what I need to do."

As she reached for the forms, another system notification appeared.

[Hunter’s Path: First Objective in Progress.]

[Optional Challenge: Prove Your Worth — Registration Process Started.]

Kael looked down at the paperwork. His face hurt, his jacket was ruined, and he had absolutely no idea what the assessment would reveal. He had also just gotten into a fight inside the Association’s own building, which could create problems before he had even completed his registration.

Still, he picked up the pen. He had come here to take the first step, and he wasn’t going to leave without doing it.

What Kael didn’t know was whether the Association would let him finish registering without investigating the fight first, or whether his attempt to become a hunter had already made his path more complicated than he expected.