[Tunnel Exit - Dawn]
Vorn moved from the underground access point as the first light of dawn filtered through the city's steel and glass canyon. His reflection in a storefront window stopped him cold.
His hair remained the jet black from his casino disguise, but it had grown longer and taken on an almost metallic sheen. The temporary dye had somehow become permanent through his body's adaptations. His eyes, which had been their natural blue before the beauty shop transformation, were now deep crimson red - the colored contacts had also been absorbed and made permanent by his enhanced physiology.
More concerning was his aura. Even to his own enhanced senses, he radiated a presence that felt predatory. Not threatening exactly, but focused in ways that would make people instinctively step aside without understanding why.
"The absorption...," the slime explained from his shadow. "Your body is incorporating traits from everything you've consumed. Physical changes are inevitable."
Vorn tested his aura suppression - a technique most awakened individuals learned early to avoid overwhelming normal people in social situations. It took conscious effort now, like holding his breath. The moment his concentration slipped, that predatory presence leaked out again.
"This is going to be a problem," he muttered, practicing the suppression while walking.
---
[Overheard Conversation]
As he moved away from the tunnel entrance, voices carried from below. The cleanup crew had arrived faster than expected.
"...shouldn't have existed," someone was saying in accented English. "These enhancement readings are off the charts."
"Bureau's going to want a full report," another voice replied. "Third modified creature this month. Someone's running experiments down here."
"Or something's running experiments on itself. Look at these mana channel patterns - they're too complex for external engineering."
Vorn paused, listening carefully. They were treating the creature's death as part of a larger pattern, not an isolated incident. That suggested other enhanced beings were operating in the city's underground systems.
"Bag everything. Lab needs samples for comparison analysis."
"What about the kill method? These cuts are precise, professional. Whoever did this has to be a trained professional."
"File it under 'unknown hunter, advanced techniques.' Could be guild work."
The conversation faded as they moved deeper into the tunnels. Vorn continued toward the surface, processing what he'd heard. His activities weren't being tracked personally, but they were being analyzed as part of something bigger.
---
[Bureau Building - Side Entrance]
The Hunter Bureau occupied a complex of interconnected buildings in the government district. The main entrance was busy with official procedures and high-profile registrations, but the side entrance served independent hunters who preferred less attention.
Vorn approached the smaller reception area, where a tired-looking clerk processed paperwork with mechanical efficiency. His aura suppression was holding, but it required constant concentration that was already becoming exhausting.
"Registration?" the clerk asked without looking up.
"Independent hunter, initial certification."
She handed him a stack of forms. "Physical assessment, mana evaluation, basic combat demonstration. Two hundred thousand yen processing fee."
Vorn paid with cash earned from his content creation rather than casino winnings. Legitimate income with proper documentation, in case anyone investigated his financial history.
While he filled out paperwork, he overheard a conversation between two Bureau employees at the next desk.
"Another unstable reading," one muttered quietly. "Fourth one this week."
"If we don't flag these cases, the guilds will get to them first," the other replied. "And you know what they do to free hunters with potential."
"Predatory contracts and impossible quotas until they break or run."
"Bureau policy is clear - we keep strong talent under government oversight. It's protection, not control."
Vorn continued writing, but filed the information away. The Bureau wasn't just processing hunters - they were actively competing with guilds for recruitment and retention.
---
[Physical Assessment]
The testing facility was clinical and efficient. Sterile white walls, equipment that looked more medical than athletic, observers who took notes on everything from his walking gait to his breathing patterns.
"Basic strength test first," the examiner said, indicating a machine that looked like sophisticated gym equipment.
Vorn gripped the handles and pulled with carefully measured force. Not his maximum capability, but enough to register as awakened without revealing his true limits. The machine's readout showed numbers that placed him in the upper ranges of newly awakened individuals.
"Impressive for someone without formal training," the examiner noted. "Where did you develop these capabilities?"
"Self-taught, lots of practice, I aspire to be a great hunter one day."
He said like some great ethusiast
"Independent training could be dangerous. Have you considered guild affiliation for proper guidance?"
"Not interested."
The examiner made notes that probably translated to 'potential flight risk' in bureaucratic language.
Speed tests, reaction time assessments, mana output measurements - each one carefully managed to show competence without revealing the full extent of his enhancements.
---
[Combat Demonstration]
The final test was practical combat against controlled opponents. Not real monsters, but constructs designed to simulate various threat levels without actual danger.
"We'll start with basic opponents," the examiner explained, activating a practice dummy that moved with the speed and aggression of a tunnel rat.
Vorn engaged it with calculated precision. His silk threads wrapped around its limbs to control movement, while his artifact card delivered strikes that disabled rather than destroyed. Clean, efficient, professional.
But he could see the examiner taking notes about his technique.
"Interesting approach," the man muttered. "Very controlled for someone self-taught."
The next opponent was faster, more complex in its attack patterns. Vorn adapted his strategy without appearing to think about it, which seemed to unnerve the examiner more than raw power would have.
"He knows exactly how much force to use," the examiner said quietly to his assistant. "That's not a rookie move."
Vorn finished the demonstration without breaking a sweat, having carefully displayed competence while hiding his true capabilities. The examiner's expression suggested this balance had been noted and found suspicious.
---
[Registration Complete]
An hour later, Vorn held his official Hunter ID - a small card that felt heavier than its actual weight suggested.
"With this, you're registered," the Bureau official explained. "You can't just disappear now. Every dungeon run will be logged, every enhancement tracked, every significant activity monitored."
"For safety purposes," Vorn said.
"For everyone's safety," the official corrected. "Independent hunters have a tendency to either burn out quickly or develop... problematic associations."
The implication was clear - the Bureau considered him a flight risk who would either quit or be recruited by organizations they couldn't control.
"Any restrictions?"
"Standard probationary period. Solo operations only for the first six months. No team formations without Bureau approval. Mandatory progress reviews every thirty days."
Essentially, a leash disguised as procedure.
---
[Overheard Politics]
As Vorn prepared to leave, he lingered near the reception area, listening to conversations between Bureau staff.
"Keep his file classification locked," one administrator was telling another. "Last thing we need is some guild waving a contract in his face."
"Right. If they get him and he bolts later, that's blood on our hands."
"His test scores put him in the recruitment zone. Marketing will want to fast-track him into their development program."
"Good, better he grows under our supervision than out there where the guilds can sink their teeth into him."
The conversation painted a clear picture - the Bureau wasn't trying to control him out of suspicion, but to protect him from predatory organizations that would exploit his potential until he broke or fled.
"Independent hunters with his capability profile have a seventy percent chance of guild recruitment within their first year," another voice added. "And an eighty percent burnout rate after that."
"Which is why we keep them close. Government oversight is stable. Guild contracts are designed to extract maximum value from expendable assets."
---
[Quiet Resolution]
Outside the Bureau building, Vorn found a quiet café and ordered coffee while processing what he'd learned. His reflection in the café window showed his permanent transformation - black hair, red eyes, presence that required constant suppression to avoid drawing attention.
"Guess this is me now," he muttered to his altered appearance.
He sighed, accepting the reality of his situation. "Anyways, this was always going to happen."
The registration had been inevitable. His enhanced capabilities would have attracted attention eventually, and operating completely outside official channels would have created more problems than solutions.
The slime stirred in his shadow. "The Bureau sees you as valuable but vulnerable. The guilds would see you as profitable but disposable."
"And I see myself as neither," Vorn replied quietly. "Good luck, with their classifications."
He pulled out his Hunter ID and studied the official designation. Rank C, Independent Classification, Probationary Status. On paper, he was just another newly registered awakened individual with slightly above-average capabilities.
In reality, he was something that had systematically absorbed and adapted traits from multiple enhanced creatures, formed contracts with ancient intelligences, and developed capabilities that didn't fit standard power classifications.
The gap between his official profile and actual abilities was a weapon in itself - as long as he could maintain it.
"Time to see what kind of assignments they give probationary hunters," he said, finishing his coffee.
The next phase was beginning. Official recognition brought new opportunities, but also new constraints and scrutiny. He would have to balance legitimate hunter activities with his continued development, all while keeping his true capabilities hidden from organizations that specialized in identifying and exploiting potential.
The registration process was complete, but the real test was just starting.