Chapter 36: Wifey Is Mad Angry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Instructor Vale?"

Marcus looked back. "Yes?"

"Next time you want to test my strength, could you start with something that doesn’t involve sending me through the air?" Kael asked.

Marcus laughed. "I’ll consider it."

"That’s not a promise," Kael pointed out.

"No, it isn’t," Marcus replied before leaving the room.

Kael stared at the closed door and shook his head.

"Terrible instructor," Kael muttered.

He shifted slightly on the bed, but the movement immediately caused pain in his chest.

"Terrible instructor with a very strong fist," Kael added, deciding that staying still was the better option.

===

An hour later, Kael had completed the paperwork for the beginner training program. The Association had assigned him a temporary F-rank classification while he waited to complete his remaining evaluations. His official license would be issued once he met the necessary requirements.

He also received a schedule for the beginner classes. The program covered basic combat, weapon handling, physical conditioning, monster behavior, emergency procedures, and teamwork. There were no promises of quick advancement because the Association expected new hunters to build a proper foundation before attempting real missions.

Kael found that reassuring. He wasn’t interested in getting himself killed just to prove that he could fight.

As he prepared to leave the medical room, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and found three messages from Sera. The first asked whether he had finished what he needed to do, the second asked when he planned to return, and the third simply read, Kael, are you all right?

He stared at the screen for a moment. He had left home that morning without telling her exactly where he was going, and he had promised to be careful. Looking at his bruised face in the small mirror beside the medical bed, he wasn’t sure he had done a particularly good job of keeping that promise.

Kael typed a reply.

I’m fine. I had a longer day than expected. I’m heading home now.

He hesitated before sending it, then added another message.

Sorry I didn’t explain where I was going. I’ll tell you when I get back.

Sera replied almost immediately.

You’d better.

Kael smiled weakly. At least she hadn’t called him ten times.

He stood up carefully, collected his belongings, and left the medical room. As he walked toward the exit, the system notification appeared again.

[Hunter’s Path: Become a Hunter]

[First Objective: Register with the Hunter Association.]

[Status: Preliminary Registration Complete.]

[Reward: $1,000.]

A second notification followed.

[Optional Challenge: Prove Your Worth]

[Objective: Complete the initial Hunter Association evaluation.]

[Status: Evaluation Incomplete.]

[Additional Reward: $10,000.]

Kael stopped beside the corridor wall and read the notifications carefully. The first reward had been processed, but the additional ten thousand dollars remained locked behind the unfinished evaluation.

He opened his bank application and checked his family savings account. The balance was still there, waiting for future expenses. Adding another thousand dollars would help, even if it wasn’t the amount he had hoped to earn from the additional challenge.

Kael transferred the reward into the family savings account and checked the updated balance before putting his phone away.

He would have to finish the evaluation another day. For now, he needed to get home before Sera decided to come looking for him herself.

=====

By the time Kael reached Crestview District, the afternoon sun had begun to fade. He entered his apartment building and took the elevator to the sixth floor. Every movement reminded him of the fight, especially when he had to adjust his jacket to avoid pressing it against his chest.

When he reached apartment 604, he paused outside the door and looked down at his wrinkled clothes. He also touched the swelling on his cheek and wondered how he was supposed to explain everything to Sera.

He could tell her that he had been at an assessment, and that would be the truth. However, if he mentioned how badly the fight had gone, she would probably ask why he hadn’t told her where he was going in the first place.

He couldn’t exactly say that a senior instructor had knocked him unconscious.

Well, he could. He just wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.

Kael unlocked the door and entered the apartment. Sera was sitting on the sofa with Noah in her arms. She looked up when she heard him enter, but her expression changed as soon as she saw his face.

"Kael, what happened to you?" Sera asked as she stood up.

Kael closed the door behind him. "Hello to you too."

"Don’t ’hello’ me," Sera replied. "Look at your face!"

Noah stirred at the sound of her voice. Sera immediately lowered her voice, but her eyes remained fixed on Kael.

"Sit down," she ordered.

Kael obeyed without arguing. Sera placed Noah safely in his crib before returning to the sofa. She sat beside Kael and carefully examined the bruising on his cheek.

"Who did this?" Sera asked.

"I was at the Hunter Association," Kael answered.

Sera’s hands stopped moving. "The Hunter Association?"

Kael nodded. "I went to register."

She stared at him in disbelief. "You went to register as a hunter without telling me?"

"I was going to tell you when I came back," Kael explained.

"After what?" Sera asked. "After getting your face rearranged?"

Kael winced. "That sounds worse than it is."

"Does it?" Sera asked, giving him a hard look.

Kael considered his answer before admitting, "No."

Sera folded her arms and remained quiet for a few seconds. Then she took a slow breath and looked at him again.

"Are you seriously hurt?" Sera asked.

"The nurse said there wasn’t any serious internal injury," Kael explained. "I just need to rest."

Sera looked at him with concern. "You saw a nurse?"

"Yes," Kael confirmed.

"And what did the doctor say?" Sera asked.

"It was a nurse," Kael corrected her.

"Kael," Sera warned.

"Sorry," Kael replied. "The nurse said I need to rest and avoid training for the rest of the day."

Sera closed her eyes briefly before speaking again.

"You went there to register, and you ended up in a medical room," she said.

"That’s a fair summary," Kael admitted.

She gave him a look, and he immediately stopped talking.

Sera stood up and went to the kitchen.

"Stay there," she instructed. "I’ll bring you something to eat, and then you’re going to tell me exactly what happened."

Kael watched her walk away. A moment later, Noah made a small noise from his crib, and Kael turned toward him.

"Your mother is angry with me," Kael whispered to the baby.

Noah waved one tiny hand, and Kael shook his head.

"Don’t look at me like that. I know I messed up," Kael told him.

Sera called from the kitchen, "I can hear you!"

Kael immediately sat up straighter.

"Then you can also hear me admitting that I was wrong!" Kael called back.

There was a brief silence before Sera laughed despite herself.

"Just wait until I finish making your food," Sera replied.

Kael leaned back against the sofa and let out a careful breath. He had survived his first day at the Hunter Association, but he still had to explain everything to his wife. Based on her reaction so far, that conversation was going to be just as difficult as the assessment.