"Glad that's over, speeches are so boring, all of them kept talking on and on," I sighed as I stretched my arms up.
"Hey, come on, don't be mean...but I suppose I can't disagree, I kept zoning out through the whole ceremony after we got our Licenses," Smiled Ariella sheepishly.
"Yup, they could've just given us the Licenses and ended it there. Well, anyway...got anything planned to celebrate today?" I asked her.
"Mhm, my grandma's taking me out for lunch later. What about you?"
"I'll probably just laze about at home for a couple of days, and then look for some work at the Union. I bet every Guild in the Sanctuary will be making you an offer before long," I replied wryly.
"I guess so...honestly, it still doesn't feel real, it's hard to believe our time at the Academy is really over now. Now that it's over, it feels like it ended in a flash," She responded with a wistful smile.
"Yeah, it probably won't hit us for a day or two, at least. So, are you looking to join any particular Guild, or do you not have a preference?"
"Eh, not particularly, I'm fine with any of them. I know you're planning to freelance to start with, but if a Guild does make you an offer, do you think you'll accept it?" She asked me.
"Hm, I'm not sure...I guess I might. But that's unlikely to happen, I don't think there's a single J-Ranked Hunter in the world who's a member of a Guild, all of them are Freelance Hunters."
"True, but still, you never know. Well, anyway...I should get going, I don't want to keep my grandma waiting. I guess...this is goodbye for now, huh?" She muttered, her shoulders slumping slightly.
"I suppose so...you're probably going to be pretty busy after you join a Guild, after all," I responded, patting her shoulder with a smile.
"Yeah...I'm going to miss you, Kai. I really had a lot of fun hanging out with you, so it sucks that I won't get to see much of you after this, at least for now. Mind if I text you every now and then?"
"I wouldn't mind that one bit, text away as often as you want," I smiled, feeling a bit emotional.
"Okay, I'll take you up on that, and you better reply to my messages," She replied, before stepping towards me and pulling me into a hug, my eyes widening slightly in surprise as she embraced me tightly.
I patted her back as I returned the hug, before she met my gaze with a warm smile as she eventually broke the embrace and stepped back.
"Till next time, then. Take care of yourself, Ariella."
"Mhm, I will. Bye, Kai, see you later."
I let out a quiet sigh as she turned around and walked away with a wave, feeling kinda deflated and melancholic.
Huh? Uh, yeah, probably.
Aw, you trying to comfort me, Ai? How sweet of you...for real, thanks, I appreciate it.
<...>
Hm?
I glanced back as I heard footsteps approaching, to see a man in a suit walking over. Wait, that's the guy who questioned me at the Union after my last raid.
"Good afternoon, Kaivel Intrix. Sorry for bothering you, but might I have a moment of your time?"
"Uh, well...sure, so long as it won't take too long," I replied hesitantly.
"Of course, we won't keep you long. Please, follow me," He responded, before leading the way as I followed after him.
What's this about? Is it a follow-up to the last interrogation? Guess I'll find out soon enough.
As we made our way through the building, we came to a stop in front of a door, before he knocked on it.
"Yes?"
"It's me, ma'am, I've brought Kaivel Intrix here."
"Good, show him in, please."
That voice, it's the Chairwoman of this Sanctuary's Hunters Union branch, Charlotte Bryns...what does she want with me?
I reluctantly stepped inside as the man opened the door, before shutting it behind me as I entered the room, leaving me alone with her.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you. Please, have a seat," She greeted me with a smile.
"Uh, sure. Nice to meet you too, ma'am. So, if I may cut to the chase...what's this about?" I inquired, as I sat down.
"Alright, I'll get straight to the point, Kaivel Intrix. You're stronger that you let on, aren't you?"
Okay, no beating around the bush, I see.
"Huh? No, I'm-...," I began with a dumbfounded look on my face.
"Why don't we skip the bullshit, kid? I wasn't born yesterday, you know. Looking at you, I'd guess you're on par with, hm...a borderline K-Ranked Combatant, I'd say. So, tell me...why pretend to be a J-Rank?" She responded, narrowing her eyes at me.
Shit, how did she-...?!
Seriously? Damn it, this is bad, she accurately assessed my current level with one glance...how am I supposed to explain my way out of this one?
Guess I'll keep playing dumb to buy some time and think my way out of this.
"I don't know what to tell you, my Power Level was measured after my last raid and-..."
"Yes, yes, I saw the results. And I am curious how you managed to trick our detection devices, that shouldn't be possible. But, then, there's a lot about you that shouldn't be possible.
Most notably, your seemingly Arcane abilities despite possessing J-Rank Potential.
And despite apparently maxing out your Potential several months ago, the reports from each subsequent raid you participated in indicate that you've been steadily growing stronger, with an especially drastic spike during the last raid."
"I don't-...," I began, but she ignored me and continued...
"Additionally, the two Skills you revealed after your first raid, the black and white jaws of energy, you claimed that they restore your Mana and stamina. And yet, the report from the last raid says you were visibly exhausted by the end.
You've used these two Skills on every single one of the four raids you've participated in, you always make sure to completely devour the Monsters using the black jaws in particular."
"Well, that's-..."
"If what you've told us about that Skill is true, then you should be brimming with stamina from start to finish during every raid, and that aside, there wouldn't be any reason to consume every single Monster entirely, especially at the beginning of the raids, when your stamina would be full. So, what's the real purpose of using that Skill?" She inquired with a smile.
Fuck...fuck, fuck, fuck! I can't think of a convincing excuse!
"I, uh..."
"Come, now. Let's just cut the shit, shall we?"