The Hunter Association headquarters stood in the center of Virel like a massive steel fortress.
Bright white lights illuminated the tall glass building even though it was already past midnight. Normally the building would be quiet at this hour.
But tonight was different.
Emergency reports had already reached the Association.
A D-Rank dungeon had produced a B-Rank monster… and even an A-Rank Guardian.
That alone would have triggered an investigation.
But what shocked the Association even more was the name mentioned in the report.
Arin Voss.
The weakest hunter in the city.
Inside the large lobby of the headquarters, dozens of employees rushed around carrying tablets and documents. Several hunters sat on the waiting benches, whispering among themselves.
Arin walked through the entrance calmly.
Behind him walked his two shadow soldiers.
The Stone Guardian.
And the armored Shadow Knight.
The moment they entered the building, the entire lobby fell silent.
People stared.
Some stepped backward instinctively.
The shadows around the soldiers seemed darker than normal, and their glowing purple eyes made them look terrifying.
A receptionist nervously looked up from her desk.
"W-Welcome to the Hunter Association…"
Her voice trembled slightly as she looked at the two giant shadow creatures.
Mira stepped forward.
"We need to speak with the Rank Evaluation Department immediately."
The receptionist quickly nodded and contacted someone through her headset.
A few minutes later, a tall man wearing a dark suit walked into the lobby.
His sharp eyes immediately locked onto Arin.
"Arin Voss."
His voice was calm but serious.
"My name is Director Halden. I oversee rank evaluations for the Association."
His gaze moved to the shadow soldiers.
"…And I believe we need to run a test."
Arin already expected this.
Whenever a hunter awakened new abilities, the Association always reassessed their rank.
Still, the atmosphere felt heavy.
Director Halden gestured toward the elevator.
"Follow me."
The group entered the elevator and descended several floors underground.
When the doors opened, they stepped into a massive training arena.
The room looked like an underground stadium built entirely from reinforced metal.
Rows of observation windows surrounded the arena.
Inside those rooms, several Association officials had already gathered.
One of them whispered into a microphone.
"Subject has arrived."
Arin stepped into the center of the arena.
Director Halden spoke through a loudspeaker.
"This will be a simple combat evaluation."
The large metal doors at the opposite end of the arena slowly opened.
CLANG.
A huge mechanical creature walked out.
It looked like a humanoid robot made of thick steel armor.
"This is a Rank Evaluation Golem," Halden explained.
"Designed to measure combat ability."
The golem's red eyes lit up.
"Combat protocol activated."
Arin exhaled slowly.
"Alright…"
The system suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.
[New Quest]
[Pass the Hunter Rank Evaluation]
[Reward: Skill Upgrade]
Arin smiled slightly.
Even the system wanted him to fight.
The golem suddenly moved.
Its massive fist shot forward like a cannon.
BOOM!
The ground cracked where Arin had been standing.
But he had already moved.
His agility had increased dramatically since awakening the Shadow System.
He dashed to the side and examined the golem carefully.
"Stone Guardian," he said calmly.
The giant shadow monster stepped forward immediately.
"My King."
The Stone Guardian swung its massive arm.
BOOOM!
The golem blocked the attack, but the impact pushed it several meters backward.
Observers inside the control room stared in disbelief.
"That golem can handle B-Rank hunters…"
"And it just got pushed back."
Director Halden crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"Interesting."
The golem launched another attack.
This time its arm transformed into a spinning blade.
Arin's eyes narrowed.
"Shadow Knight."
The armored shadow stepped forward.
The knight drew its enormous sword and blocked the spinning blade.
CLANG!
Sparks exploded across the arena.
The shadow knight pushed forward with overwhelming strength.
The golem staggered.
Arin raised his hand.
"End it."
The Stone Guardian grabbed the golem from behind.
The Shadow Knight raised its sword.
Then—
SLASH.
The blade cut straight through the golem's chest.
The machine froze.
Red lights flickered.
Then the entire construct collapsed to the floor.
Silence filled the arena.
Inside the observation room, several officials looked completely stunned.
"That golem is rated B-Rank defense…"
"And he destroyed it in seconds."
Director Halden pressed a button on his console.
The loudspeaker activated again.
"Evaluation complete."
He looked directly at Arin.
"Arin Voss…"
The entire room waited for the result.
"Your combat ability exceeds A-Rank standards."
Murmurs spread across the observation room.
But Halden continued.
"However…"
His expression became serious.
"…your abilities are highly unusual."
His eyes briefly glanced toward the shadow soldiers.
"The Association will temporarily classify you as a Special Rank Hunter."
Arin blinked.
"Special rank?"
Halden nodded.
"It means your power is unpredictable."
"And potentially dangerous."
At that moment…
Another voice suddenly spoke from the observation room.
"Dangerous indeed."
Everyone turned.
A tall man stepped into the arena from a side entrance.
He wore a long black coat and carried a massive sword on his back.
His presence alone felt overwhelming.
Even Mira's expression changed instantly.
"…S-Rank hunter."
The man stopped a few meters away from Arin.
His sharp eyes studied him carefully.
Then he smiled slightly.
"So you're the one causing all the noise tonight."
He extended his hand.
"My name is Kael Draven."
"The strongest hunter in Virel."
The atmosphere inside the arena grew tense.
Because the strongest hunter in the city…
Had just taken interest in Arin.