A while later, the call finally came to an end.
Kael placed his phone back on the bedside table before stretching his arms over his head. The morning sunlight poured through the curtains, bathing the room in a warm glow as he let out a quiet yawn.
After the stretch he stood up and left his room.
The aroma of breakfast greeted him almost immediately.
Inside the kitchen, Lyra was already busy placing food onto the table. Upon noticing him, she simply gestured toward the empty chair opposite her.
"Perfect timing."
Kael smiled before taking his seat.
"I was beginning to think you’d eat everything before I got here."
Lyra looked at him as though he had just insulted her.
"I considered it."
"But then I remembered I’d probably have to explain to Mom why her precious son starved to death."
Kael chuckled.
"How thoughtful."
The two quietly ate breakfast while exchanging the occasional joke. Moments like these had gradually become a daily occurrence ever since life settled down a little.
Once they finished eating, Lyra placed her spoon down before looking toward him.
"So..."
"What’s the plan today?"
Kael leaned back slightly.
"I’m heading to the Hunter Association."
Lyra blinked.
"What for?"
"I’ve been putting off my Hunter Rank reassessment for long enough."
The moment those words left his mouth, Lyra couldn’t help laughing.
"You don’t say."
"There were times I genuinely looked at the front door expecting the Association’s disciplinary committee to burst in and drag you away in handcuffs."
Kael rolled his eyes.
"Don’t exaggerate."
"Am I?"
Lyra folded her arms.
"They were even nice enough to send an official representative to remind you."
"And then you proceeded to ignore them for days."
"If that isn’t peak rage baiting, I honestly don’t know what is."
"..."
For once, Kael couldn’t immediately come up with a comeback.
Because...
She wasn’t exactly wrong.
The Hunter Association had indeed contacted him some time ago regarding a reassessment.
To be honest, he had expected it.
After displaying strength comparable to an S-Rank Hunter inside the Verdant World Rift, it would’ve been stranger if they hadn’t come looking for him.
Although...
They had taken longer than he expected.
As for getting arrested...
Kael wasn’t worried in the slightest.
Ordinarily, deliberately concealing one’s true Hunter Rank while operating under a lower or higher classification was considered a serious violation of Association regulations.
Depending on the circumstances, punishments ranged from heavy fines to temporary suspension of Hunter privileges.
However...
Those rules were primarily aimed at ordinary Hunters.
S-Rank Hunters existed in an entirely different category.
Whether anyone liked it or not, exceptional strength naturally came with exceptional treatment.
The fact that the Association had politely sent a representative to remind him instead of issuing warnings or disciplinary notices was already proof enough.
Not to mention...
He had awakened barely a short while before demonstrating strength that rivaled an S-Rank.
Anyone with common sense could tell there was something unusual about him.
The Association wasn’t stupid.
Rather than offending someone with that kind of potential over a technicality, they would much rather maintain a good relationship.
Naturally...
Kael wasn’t about to explain all of that to Lyra.
She would probably just accuse him of being arrogant again.
Lately, she had developed a strange habit of calling him narcissistic whenever he made perfectly reasonable observations about himself.
Him?
Arrogant?
Narcissistic?
Compared to how awesome he actually was, he barely bragged at all.
People really do just be making accusations these days.
The thought alone made him silently shake his head.
Life was hard for truly outstanding people.
After chatting for a little while longer, Lyra pushed her chair back and stood up.
"Alright."
"I’m heading into the Tower."
Over the past few weeks, her enthusiasm for growing stronger had only continued increasing.
If Kael had to guess...
She probably didn’t want to fall too far behind him.
Not that he minded.
On the contrary, he was more than happy to help.
Whenever time allowed, he personally took her into Rifts to help her gain experience and level up as quickly as possible.
Of course...
That assistance stopped once she reached Level 60.
Anything beyond that would do more harm than good.
Levels alone didn’t determine a Hunter’s strength.
Combat experience.
Decision-making.
Battle instincts.
Those things couldn’t be gained by hiding behind someone stronger.
If Kael continued carrying her through every challenge, she’d eventually become someone who possessed impressive numbers but lacked the experience to properly use them.
That wasn’t strength.
That was dependency.
So from that point onward, Lyra would have to walk the rest of the journey herself.
Only then could she build a solid enough foundation to support greater heights in the future.
After watching Lyra disappear into her room to prepare for entering the Tower, Kael found himself with nothing particularly urgent to do.
He lazily spent the next half hour playing a few rounds of video games to pass the time.
Only after completely satisfying his urge to procrastinate did he finally get up.
A quick shower later, he changed into a clean set of clothes before grabbing the keys resting on the shoe cabinet.
During the past month, he had finally solved another small inconvenience in his daily life.
Transportation.
Although with his speed running was undeniably faster, but moving at such speed in a populated city was a recipe for disaster.
Buying a vehicle had simply been the more practical choice.
So...
He bought one.
After locking the apartment behind him, Kael made his way toward the parking area where his motorcycle waited.
A moment later, the engine roared to life.
He pulled onto the road before smoothly weaving through the bustling streets of the Third District.
Despite it being midday, the roads remained lively as pedestrians filled the sidewalks while vehicles steadily flowed through the city.
Roughly twenty minutes later, an enormous building gradually entered his field of vision.
The Hunter Association.
Its towering structure stood proudly at the heart of the district, dwarfing nearly every surrounding building. Hunters continuously entered and exited through the massive front entrance, giving the place an atmosphere that never seemed to quiet down regardless of the time.
Kael parked his motorcycle before making his way inside.
The spacious lobby was just as busy as he remembered.
Since it was already afternoon, the number of people waiting at the reception counters had nearly doubled compared to the morning.
Seeing the long queue stretching ahead, Kael let out a helpless sigh.
"Guess I’ll have to wait."
Without complaint, he joined the end of the line.
Thankfully, the receptionists worked efficiently.
The line steadily moved forward.
One person.
Then another.
Several minutes later, Kael finally reached the front.
Stepping toward the counter, he immediately recognized the receptionist sitting behind the desk.
It was the same woman who was behind the counter when he came here for his Hunter Examination a month ago.
She remained focused on the monitor before her, fingers moving across the keyboard with practiced efficiency.
Without even lifting her head, she spoke in the same calm, professional tone.
"Purpose of your visit?"
# #
[AN_ Hey guys, due to some real-life issues the bonus Chapter and other owed Chapters might be pushed to the weekend. I’m trying to sort things out ASAP, so hopefully it won’t get delayed that long. But if not, it’ll have to be on the weekend.]