The following morning, I felt better than ever before. I could move freely and box without discomfort, and there were no marks on my body. If only we had this level of health care.

  I have to admit that their medical services are amazing. I thought that Gun-wo was joking about being better in the morning.

  The nurse caring for us returned with our clothes, which were now completely dry, clean, and mended, "I am happy to see you are in better condition." she said, blushing nervously.

  Laughing confidently and admiring my strong physique, I replied, "Of course, that was nothing but a scratch."

  The nurse began to shyly play with her hair, her cheeks still flushed, as she murmured, "Please take care of yourself. I don't want to see you in that state again." Her nervous movements and soft-spoken voice made her request ten times more powerful.

  I lowered my head and asked, "What's your name?"

  Her blush deepened, and she struggled to speak before finally uttering, "Vita."

  I gently pressed my right hand against the right side of her face. She was warm.

  I dragged my hand down her face till I reached her chin. Gently lifting her chin up responding with a smile, "Vita, it was a pleasure to meet you." My charms work and she immediately dropped the clothing and ran out of the room.

  "So you are also a womanizer now, remind me not to have a crush on you if I don't want my heart broken." Said Gabrielle since she was the only other remaining person in the room.

  After gathering our clothing, I approached her and said, "Believe it or I am a very loyal hound. I'm not usually one to talk much, but I change my personality depending on the situation." To which I laid her clothes on her bed.

  "She seems like a nice girl, and the way she was looking at you during our stay could hint that she likes you." she suggested as I pulled the four curtains closed, ensuring our privacy. "Maybe consider meeting up with her in your free time."

  As I dropped my clothes onto the bed, "I might consider that option." I replied

  (Ten minutes later)

  After changing, we exited our room to find our supervisor and Ren waiting for us, "You guys look healthy. Come on, Kyorin is waiting for us." said Gun-wo.

  Gun-wo cut a rift to where we all walked through. We were outside the temple where we encountered some unfamiliar faces.

  "Gun-wo, this must be your squad. A curious group of delinquents you have probably influenced with your foul presence." A woman with long orange hair approached us. Her hunting uniform was similar to mine, yet the colors were reversed.

  Gun-wo seemed reluctant to engage in a conversation with her, his annoyance was obvious, "Kids, this is Ruby, a friend of mine that you don't need to pay any attention to."

  She attempts to punch him but for some reason, she punches herself against the face.

  Gun-wo smuggling laughed at her to which she just returned to her teammates in a very foul mood.

  One of them approached me, asking, "Are you Xavier Edwards by any chance?" He was a young man with messy blonde hair and wearing a red robe

  I nodded slowly, and in response, the man saluted me, "It's an honor to meet a former soldier of the American army. My name is Atlas Frost, and I was part of the sniper unit." Damn it... someone recognizes me.

  Ren popped in and asked, "You were in the army?"

  Atlas didn't stop there, he doubled down and said, "Not only is known as the Winter Soldier, but he is also a living legend because he killed-" I was finally fed up.

  "ENOUGH!" I shouted.

  I shifted my gaze to Gun-wo, who seemed to know what was on my mind, "We should go before Lady Kyorin becomes furious." he said as we walked together into the temple.

  The others followed suit, entering the room where Lady Kyorin lay on her mound of pillows, enjoying a red apple.

  First, the three supervisors walked forward and kneeled before her, with each of their team standing right behind them.

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  "White Hawk, Blue Dragon, and Red Lion, it grieves me to inform you that you are the sole remnants of our C-rank division. This is due to a miscommunication that caused many supervisors to be late in collecting you all. We are conducting an investigation to identify the source of this leak. Meanwhile, we will integrate some D-rank Hunters into the C-rank team to restore some balance. On a positive note, I have arranged a special event for the three supervisors present. Your teams will engage in a training Battle Royale to prepare for real-world challenges. You may deem this premature, but in light of the leak, our division must achieve A-rank strength before the next attack. Our adversary remains unknown, yet they pose a significant threat. Therefore, each supervisor must remain vigilant and close to their team during the mission. That is all." declared Kyorin.

  "You're missing something," I said, capturing the attention of Ruby and the other supervisor.

  Their eyes attempted to silence me, but I didn't care what their thoughts were when I had something that needed to be said.

  I noticed the apple she had been eating was now in my hand, "By all means, share your concerns." she said, this apple was a clear threat to me. She is the fastest hunter after all.

  So I better watch how I respond.

  "What will happen to those of us whose information was leaked? Shouldn't we be taken into account?" I asked, before biting into her apple, which infuriated the other supervisor but made Gun-wo laugh.

  Kyorin smiled at me before saying, "The hunters must exercise greater caution now. Some like you are fortunate to be new to the system. However, in my opinion, you should be worried. This situation merely increases the risks for all of us. Our security was lax because we trusted our hunters to abide by the law. Unfortunately, this incident reveals how lenient we have been in enforcing our rules. There will be significant and strict policies and enhanced security until we apprehend the culprit. Anything else, Xavier?" she asked as the apple once again appeared in her hand.

  "One more, do you think an elder is responsible for this leak?" That single question changed the atmosphere entirely.

  I blinked my eyes once and she was in front of me, "What are you implying?" She showed me a very modest smile as both of her eyes transformed into fox-like eyes.

  Ruby and the other supervisor immediately restrained me, "He is being stupid-" but they were put back where they were originally.

  She clearly wants an answer and won't take any interference, "I'm just saying that an operation like this requires a leader who can match the elder's strength. Even the four of you can not agree with each other philosophy. Are you confident enough that the others won't betray you or you won't betray them." I asked.

  "Can I answer that question another time?" She replied.

  I'm not satisfied but I can tell that I should stop now, "Yes that's all for now. Hope can we spar again soon." I replied.

  Kyorin smiled brightly and clapped her hands together, causing flower petals to swirl around us, followed by everyone being transported outside the temple.

  Without hesitation, Ruby grabbed me by the shirt, with a very furious look on her face, "You got some nerve disrespecting Kyorin like that. Do you realize she could have killed us if she was annoyed by your words?" she asked, her body emitting a dark red aura.

  I tilted my head slightly while smiling, "You are overthinking this a bit too much. All I did was ask a question which she responded to. Right now, we are her most valuable asset given the situation. It's not smart to alienate potential allies now is it." My response didn't sit well with her. She aimed a punch towards me but ended up punching herself to the ground.

  With his arms wrapped around my neck from behind, Gun-wo said, "You need to stop hurting yourself. It's not good for your mental health."

  A girl who was part of the same team as Ruby, who wore a black and white diamond-patterned robe, pointed a gun at me, "For a newcomer, you sure are a troublemaker. Shame those good looks are going to waste." said the girl with the long green hair, but her gun was knocked out of her hand by a soccer ball.

  Gabrielle stepped forward and positioned herself next to me, "Same goes for you, Rika." she stated a remark that infuriated Rika as she helped Ruby to stand.

  Suddenly, a boy with short purple hair, dressed in a purple robe with black stripes, stood before me, "It seems the hawks and dragons can't behave themselves, especially since we have been given the chance to battle one another," he said.

  His supervisor was a bald man wearing a sleeveless white robe, he appeared with his arms wrapped around his neck, "Couldn't agree more, Nux. We Lions are not only the best but the heart of the C-rank division." he said.

  Appearing next to me was Ren who was surprised that he was even standing here in the first place, Gun-wo looked at the man and said, "Angel, ever since we were kids. You guys never once beat me. Who's to say that my students aren't going to kick your ass."

  "Perhaps it's because of him." said a bulky man in brown robes as he stepped forward beside Riki, making Ren tremble slightly.

  "The weakest graduate from the academy, Ren Okada. A shrimp like you has no business being a hunter." the bulky boy declared.

  Ren glanced downward and murmured, "Kevin, that's simply not true. I am fully qualified to be a hunter." His voice lacked the confidence to back it up.

  The two remaining girls stepped forward beside Nux, "The most useless hunter in existence can't even stand up for himself." one of them said, she had curly blonde hair and wore a split robe that was red and black.

  "Truly a pathetic display." remarked the other with a punk blonde haircut with pink highlights and was dressed in a robe split between white and green.

  "Whatever opinion you have on Ren will change because that kid is truly amazing." I spoke up with a confident smile.

  Atlas advanced next to his teammate, turning his attention to me, "To be praised by a professional killer must be rare these days. Are you that confident in your team?" he asked with a smile.

  I chuckled briefly before addressing the rest of them, "I'm not only confident, but I am certain that the Harks will emerge victorious at the Battle Royale. And once we have won, we will take a moment to remind each of you why we are the top team in the C-rank division."

  We stood beside our respective supervisors, eyes fixed intently on our opponents.

  Nine wild animals are on a path to destroy each other, and our predatory gaze says much about how we perceive this friendly clash.

  It wasn't for good sport or forming any bonds, it was a battle purely for our egos.