The hall still buzzed faintly from the introductions, but Kylie wasted no time. She stood tall before the gathered squads, her gaze sharp, her voice cutting through the murmur like a blade.
"Greetings, everyone. I am your new captain," she said plainly. Her tone was calm, yet there was no softness in it. "My name is Kylie. Remember it well, because from this day forward, your failures will fall under me. And I do not tolerate weakness."
The words hung heavy in the air.
A few hunters shifted uneasily, others straightened instinctively. Even Alex, who rarely looked fazed, gave a small grunt and nodded. Emre smirked faintly, but he didn't speak.
Kylie let the silence linger before continuing, her eyes scanning them like a hawk. "I've read your records. Numbers, kills, mission reports. None of that matters here. Numbers don't impress me. What matters is whether you can fulfill missions at the limit of your skill. From now on, all of you are under my command. Any mission, any task assigned to me will be carried out without slack, without excuses. If I find negligence—" her voice grew colder, "—the consequences will be worse than you can imagine."
She turned toward the commanders. "Tomorrow morning, all squads under my command will report to the southern training dome at dawn. Don't be late. I will see for myself what you are worth. That will decide how I lead you."
With that, she turned sharply, cloak trailing behind her, and left the hall.
The silence she left was suffocating.
Emre muttered, "Tch. Cold as ice. Thinks she can scare us with words."
Alex smirked faintly. "She didn't need to scare you. You're already trembling."
Sarah, calm as always, said, "She's different. Stronger. You can feel it."
Mike hadn't spoken. His eyes lingered on the doorway where Kylie had vanished. He could still feel the weight of her gaze, sharp and cold, lodged in his chest. He trembled once, then shook his head hard. Why did I lose control like that? Over a woman? He clenched his fist. No. Forget it. Focus on myself. Focus on improving.
David's voice snapped them back. "Enough chatter. You heard the order. Training dome. Dawn. Don't embarrass me in front of the new captain."
Dawn — The Southern Dome
The dome was massive, a wide steel structure layered with beast-crystal veins glowing faintly across its curved walls. Inside, protective runes shimmered along the ceiling. The air was heavy with pressure, the ground marked into several training zones.
Two squads—David's and Krissy Shaw's—stood in formation, ten hunters total. Low chatter buzzed between them until the heavy clang of boots silenced the hall.
Kylie entered. Mask on. Greatsword strapped to her back. Her aura was calm, yet every step she took seemed to pull all attention toward her.
"Form lines," she ordered. "Squad leaders, front. Hunters, behind."
David stepped forward. Beside him, Krissy Shaw—a tall, wiry woman with braided hair and sharp eyes—strode confidently, her fists clenched.
Kylie's gaze swept them once, then she pressed her wristband. A translucent screen appeared, listing their names:
Squad 224 – Leader: David Trueman
Squad 225 – Leader: Krissy Shaw
Kylie lowered her hand, voice steady. "Krissy. David. Show me what you can do. Attack me together."
A ripple of surprise ran through both squads.
David frowned. "Together? Against you?"
"Yes," Kylie said flatly. "At once. Or do you think you're above orders already?"
David's jaw tightened. Krissy smirked. Both nodded.
Kylie leapt lightly down onto the training floor. Her cloak shifted, boots planting firmly on the ground. She raised a hand, signaling for them to begin.
The Spar
Krissy moved first. She dashed forward, fists glowing faintly with earthen energy. She punched straight for Kylie's face.
Kylie raised her palm and caught it effortlessly.
Krissy twisted, throwing a flurry of kicks and punches, her movements sharp and practiced. But Kylie blocked them all—calmly, efficiently, as though she had seen each strike before it was even thrown. The sound of impact rang again and again, but Kylie's stance never wavered.
After a minute of futile strikes, Krissy stepped back, panting faintly.
David stepped in, drawing his machete. With a sharp cry, he swung upward. The blade, infused with green wind energy, whistled through the air.
Kylie drew a small dagger and met his strike mid-swing. Sparks burst as steel clashed. David pressed harder, chaining multiple slashes, each accompanied by howling gusts of wind. Kylie deflected them one by one with minimal movement, her blade never straying more than inches from her body.
The squads watching gasped in awe.
"She's reading them like a book…" Alex muttered under his breath.
Kylie stepped back, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Abilities. Now."
Krissy and David exchanged a glance and nodded.
Krissy slammed her palms to the ground. Two massive spike pillars—three meters tall, studded with jagged barbs—erupted upward, then shattered, firing dozens of smaller spikes toward Kylie.
At the same time, David gathered his aura. His machete glowed with violent green light. With a roar, he swung, releasing five crescent wind slashes that tore across the training ground.
Kylie's sword sang. With one swing, she shattered the barrage of spikes. She sidestepped two of the wind slashes and cut down the remaining three in arcs of blue light.
Her movements were almost casual.
David's eyes narrowed. He dashed forward, wind wrapping around his legs for a burst of speed. His machete, coated in fierce aura, slashed downward in a critical strike.
Krissy, not missing her chance, thrust forward a barbed stone staff formed from her spikes, aiming for Kylie's side.
Kylie bent slightly, her greatsword flashing free from her back. She met David's machete in a violent clash that shook the ground, then twisted and deflected Krissy's strike with her other arm. With a swift kick, she launched Krissy backward several meters.
The clash continued for another minute, but both leaders were clearly being overwhelmed. Kylie's swordwork was too sharp, her defenses flawless.
Finally, David pulled back, sweat on his brow. He tightened his grip. Krissy mirrored him, bracing. They prepared for one last desperate push.
David channeled more wind into his blade until it howled with green light.
Krissy pressed both palms to the ground—this time, spikes erupted beneath Kylie herself, forcing her to leap back. As she landed, a volley of jagged stone spears shot upward.
Kylie's left arm shimmered. Shards of blue crystal erupted across her forearm, forming a crystalline shield. She swept it once, deflecting the spears, while her sword smashed the rest to fragments.
David roared and released his strongest attack—a massive half-arc slash of compressed wind, nearly a meter thick, tearing forward like a storm wave.
Kylie slammed her foot into the ground. Blue runes lit beneath her boots, and a two-meter wall of crystal surged up before her. The slash struck, shattering into fragments of wind and light, but the wall stood firm.
David's eyes widened. "What—?!"
Before he could recover, Kylie was already moving.
She slammed her foot again. Two crystalline trails snaked along the ground like hunting beasts, racing toward David and Krissy. Before they could dodge, the crystal erupted upward, ensnaring their legs and torsos, locking them in jagged blue bindings.
Both leaders struggled, straining against the crystal's unyielding grip. But it was useless. Kylie had them completely immobilized.
She walked forward slowly, her greatsword resting easily on her shoulder.
"Enough," she said flatly.
The bindings shattered on her command, releasing them. Both leaders collapsed to their knees, panting heavily, drenched in sweat.
Kylie's eyes swept the squads once more. "If this is the best you can offer, then your squads would already be dead."
Then, more evenly, she added, "You fought well. But you are far from enough."
The squads erupted in whispers, stunned by the overwhelming display.
Alex exhaled, shaking his head. "Damn… she's on another level."
Emre clicked his tongue but smirked faintly. "Hmph. Show-off."
Sarah's voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp. "No… that was precision. She didn't waste a single move."
Mike stood silently, his fists clenched at his sides. He had known she was strong—but to dominate both David and Krissy so utterly, without even breaking a sweat…
His heart thudded again.
Fear. Admiration. And something else he couldn't name.
Something that made him stare at her back as she walked away, cloak swaying with each confident step.
Kylie stopped at the edge of the training ground. Her voice carried over them, firm and steady.
"Tomorrow, we hunt. Both squads will accompany me on a field mission. I will observe each of you—not your numbers, not your kills, but your performance in real battle. I will see who can be relied on, and who cannot."
She turned her head slightly, her eyes glinting from behind the crystal mask.
"Do not think of this as a mission. Think of it as your first judgment under me."
Then she left the dome, her footsteps echoing long after she was gone.