4 Chapter 3

A few minutes before.

"I can't believe you Goz, who let someone fight a Devil on his first combat test!? And you too Mr. Raymond, who as the S-ranker in charge, approves of a thing like this!?"

The moment she heard about what Goz and her boss has done, Tina left her job come running to the arena, where she saw both her Goz and her Boss, Mr. Raymond, the S-ranker in charge of the testing sitting around chatting like they about to see a nice show. Angered by their attitude she immediately began to berate them and asking them where are their conscience.

"Don't you worry that he will die before we manage to interfere? You could lose your job for doing something like-"

"Ahh! Enough! My head hurts from all of your naggings," Finally couldn't tolerate it anymore, Goz cut her off while she spoke, "I didn't want to do this either, because if even if that brat win, he will probably too exhausted and full of injuries to fight me. This is all because of him" he said while pointing at Raymond who sat near him with an amiable smile.

"Huhu, he's right I was the one who told him to do this," the middle-aged man opened his mouth, "however, I have support from the higher-up to do this, after all this is too weird that an A-ranked Hunter popped out of nowhere without any previous background."

Hearing this, Tina still tried to argue, "but he passed the truth test of the police, and it proved that he is speaking the truth, so why is do you still need to suspect him."

"Because that he is speaking the truth the higher-up wanted to use that kind of means to test his abilities." Raymond's face turned serious. "After all, a hunter that trained completely outside the jurisdiction of the association isn't something that happens often."

"But still, using a Devil is a bit too much," Tina still tried to argue.

"Enough, this is the final say I have about this situation. In any case, you shouldn't worry about him getting killed, the Devil he is fighting against is drugged and will only fight at 50% of his ability, and in addition, there is a bomb inside him that will explode at my decision, so you shouldn't worry so much about him dying."

After finally calming Tina down to some degree, Raymond looked back at the arena with eyes full of curiosity. "In addition, my instincts tell me there is something unique about that man, so for now no more talking, I don't want to lose any detail about this fight."

And as soon as he ended his words, the Devil has begun to move started to walk toward Nex, but before any regular eye could notice, the devil vanished from where a was and almost instantaneously appeared behind Nex and stabbed a scythe through his back.

"Kyaa!"

Tina shrieked and covered her eyes to horrified to look, but in contrast to her the people next to her who knew what truly happened and that it wasn't Nex, but an afterimage of his, had a different reaction, Goz looked in disbelieving eyes while Raymond smiled brightly as if his hopes come through.

But none of them prepared for what happened after.

Before the devil managed to move after realizing that his attack didn't succeed, Nex appeared next to where he was and swung his sword down in a simple motion. And as if cutting through butter, decapitated him.

And at that moment silence fell on the three who watched this scene, and each a different expression on his/her face. Tina mainly astonished and relieved, Goz happy and full of battle intent, while lastly, Raymond had a face as if he trying to comprehend what he just saw.

Swinging the sword to clear off the purple Devil blood, Nex looked back at his "audience".

"Well, did I passed the Test?"

After staring at him for a few moments, Raymond finally reacted and sighed deeply and answered: "yes you have passed the test, normally, if the matter was my decision I would give you the license immediately, but since it is an order from my superiors, you would need to defeat Goz additionally."

Goz, who sat next to him a moment ago, was now standing in front of Nex while making a clicking sound from his body while stretching.

Nex stared at Raymond, and then at Goz who was Grinning at him and shrugged. "Sure, that what I expected anyway." he then threw his sword back to where he picked it from, and then signaled with his finger for Goz to come. "Come, I want it to finish it quickly"

Goz seeing this begun to chuckle, "hehe, I'm not like that half-assed demon, you would probably need the sword in order to wound me."

Nex shook his head. "I only use a weapon to kill or when it is truly needed, now we are only sparring and since your level isn't higher than mine I would fight barehanded."

"You dare to look down on me?!" Feeling angry and humiliated, Goz yells at Nex.

Nex, clearly not caring about what Goz said, just shrugged his shoulders.

"If you want me to do otherwise you would have to prove it."

"Haha! Very well I will prove you by breaking your bones first." with those words, Goz charged at Nex in breathtaking speed while his body began to glow in threatening light.

For a normal person, witnessing a giant like Goz running toward them like that will scare them out of their wit. But Nex was completely calm as he stared at him unfazed.

And the moment that Goz arrived where Nex is and was about to punch him with, time seemed to stop for a second along with the sound of a whip followed by the sound of something crashing.

*Bang!*

And then the world seemed to change in an instant.

Where Goz just was stood Nex with a pose that looked like just punched something with his fist stretched out, and on the other side near the wall of the arena, there was Goz lied on the floor seemingly dead with his body shape slightly embedded on the wall.

"Goz!"

Managing to finally shake off the shock he felt, Raymond ran to where Goz was while Tina followed behind.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about him I only knocked him out"

Ignoring what Nex said and Arriving where Goz is, Raymond checked Goz pulse and then released a sigh of relief, "he's okay." After making sure Goz is okay, Raymond turned to Nex and said without disguising the surprise in his eyes.

"That was quite a punch, It's hard to believe that someone with only A-rank magic power could do this." he looked deeply at Nex who seemed unfazed by the meanings of this sentence, but then he smiled "luckily I saw the results so you won't be suspected for Rank forgery."

Hearing this, Nex smiled as well. "Does that mean that I can now get the hunting license?"

"Haha, of course, in fact, we will issue it immediately as someone in your state would probably want to earn money soon aren't you."

Hearing this Nex nodded.

"You read my mind."

***

"This is the Hunter ID, its color is black meaning you have a Hunting license and eligible to enter danger/hunting zones according to his Rank, where you have not passed the test, you would have got a white ID notice that it can also be used as a credit card and a bank account for your convenience. In addition here's a communication device that given for an A-rank Hunter through in it has a high-level computer and navigation device, do notice that a new one will cost money if you ever lose or break this one. And that's all, is there anything you want to ask?" Tina said while giving him what seemed like a black credit card and a futuristic(at least from Nex point of view…) wristwatch.

Nex thought a bit and then spoke.

"I have one question."

"Please ask."

"Where the Demonic Beings worth the most?"

"..."

***

Goz woke up inside a hospital be inside the treatment room of the arena, trying to understand how he got there he remembered what happened earlier in his fight against the guy who he was supposed to test until he suddenly heard a voice.

"Oh? I see that you are awake? Good, I want to hear what happened there from you."

Turning his head Goz saw Raymond standing next to his bed. Thinking of what his boss just said Goz smiled grimly.

"There isn't much to explain, while I was about to hit him with my fist, he suddenly had a different air around him like I was standing in front of someone who can see through all of my openings. The next thing I know is that I felt like a truck hit me in the guts, and afterward is that I waked up here."

Goz then looked at Raymond who had a similar expression on his face and said: "Boss, I think we just met someone incredible! To be so strong already at A-rank."

Raymond sighed and said while looking toward the arena where Nex was a short time ago.

"Its more than that Goz. Even though he showed power well over A rank, his magical power never actually passed that level.

***

In an A rank hunting zone beyond the city border.

"And here another 100,000 credits~~"

A certain man sang while removing a dark gem from a gigantic monster corpse, although the corpse looked grotesque, the man didn't seem to mind as he threw the stone to a small sack and cleaned his hand of blood.

"Only a few more for workless life!"

That man was Nex.

After getting instructions on how to get here and what things he should look out for from Tina. Nex walked(teleported) directly toward the hunting ground in order to earn money fast enough because he was tight on time to get a place to live and money but most important of all...

'Who knew that the game would come out in two days?! That old man made it sound like it will be only in a month. Luckily this hunting-thing is quite profitable so it seems that I will make it on time.' such type of thought passed through Nex head while he searched for the next monster.

After he casually checked through his communication device about the game "The Mythical Age" and found out it will be coming out in two days from now and headsets are long since begun to sell, he began to hunt Demonic beings like crazy, and in order to save time he took only the magic stones from the monster corpse and left the rest as it would be too time-consuming to take each time the demon corpse to the Hunter station(where hunters sell their loot) and have it sold.

And so, he began hunting and soon enough he was close to earning the amount he set as a goal and the best of it was that no one will disturb him while he doing it.

"Hey, you! What do you doing hunting in my area!"

...Or so he thought.

Although the voice that talked was quite pleasant and cute, Nex still turned around with a frown on his face, only to have his expression freeze for a moment.

In front of him stood a stunningly beautiful young girl less than 18 with short brown hair and gray eyes wearing fancy battle clothes, her face was without any marks and blemishes with a little baby fat which exuded cuteness and although her youthful face she seemed to already develop a feminine and curvy body which would turn quite a few heads, and if one were to describe in a few words her looks he would say that she is a top-level beauty!.

"Hmm? Brat what do you want? Don't you need to be in school right now? Shoo, shoo, go away."

But that didn't matter to Nex! Even though Nex froze a little when he first saw her, that was because he still didn't completely synchronize with his now-unsealed emotions, he, who saw(and slept with) countless beauties back in Perias wouldn't begin to act strangely just because of someone looks.

"What did you say!?" the girl looked incensed, she lifted the weapon that was in her, a large spear, and began to attack him. "Who do you think calling a brat!?"

But although her attacks skill was way above a normal hunter, they were all dodged easily by Nex, who silently assessed her abilities.

'Oh? She's probably an A ranker like that guy from the association, and although her experience lacks little she make-up for it using raw abilities and well-trained moves that she has plenty of. And although she seems like an arrogant little princess, she purposely avoids hitting all the vital zones with her attacks.'

He then looks at her hand filled with calluses and injuries, 'it seems that she also doesn't slack in training as well. So overall, not a bad kid.' And so, Nex decided to not bother her in the end and go away.

"Damn it! Uncle will stop moving around so I could hit you already!"

'... on other thought, every good kid need a lesson here and there.'

Waiting for the girl next attack, Nex disappeared from where he stood and then appeared in front of her-

"What the hell-!" *flick*

"Good kids shouldn't use bad words."

And flicked her forehead so hard that she flew and crashed a few meters away.

'Well, that will teach her a lesson.' Nex thought in satisfaction(and immaturely), he then looked around to make sure there aren't any demons around, and turned around and started to walk away.

He walked for a few minutes until he heard something and immediately turned back.

*Skree!!!*

'Damn!, I thought those things would not be in this zone!'

***

Elise woke up feeling a headache.

'that damn uncle.'

Never in her life, she was so humiliated. But what intrigued her, even more, was that although he clearly used the same level of abilities as her, that man was overwhelmingly stronger than her or any other people she met of the same rank, and because of that, she became determined to find him and make him tell her his secret.

She stood up and picked her spear, she was about to leave but suddenly felt something stare at her.

"I got you now uncle!"

Thinking it was the man from earlier, Elise turned around and attacked with her spear with all her might!.

*stab**Skree!!!*

It wasn't the man, but a humongous bird that had two pair of wings and gold-like feathers.

'Oh no! A Gilded King! How did an S-rank demon get here? This is an A-rank zone!'

She got ready for a fight and pressed the emergency button in her communication device, now this is a battle of survival until help arrived, luckily for her the part she stabbed was the demon's eye so as long as she stays in its blind side may have a-.

*Smack!*

Before she managed to react, the bird hit her with a swing of its wing, making her fly away while blood has begun to rise in her throat.

'H-how?' she thought while her vision began to darken, 'don't tell me! It's a variant!...' immediately desperation filled her as she saw the demon begin to come close to her 'i guess I'm doomed to fail in my goal.'

But suddenly a handsome figure showed-up between her and the demon and started to walk toward her, 'is that?' she suddenly felt warm energy enter her body and heals her injuries as the figure put its hand on her.

Her vision gradually began to get clearer, as she tried to stand up but the figure stopped her.

"You will faint if you get up."

The figure that now along with his voice now made Elise sure who it was, turned his back to her and looked at the monster who stopped to examine him and begun to madly rush at them.

*Skree!*

"Shut up already."

And as he said it, the man lightly chopped his hand downward.

*Skr-!!*

And abruptly the demon stopped at its place, and without any further warning, it started to split apart until it turned to two bloodied half's.

The man then turned back to the shocked Elise with terrifyingly calm eyes that as he looked at her turned gentle.

"Kid, I'll be glad if you keep this a secret."

Saying these words along with the most handsome smile Elise has ever seen, the man vanished like he was never there.

"Hey wait!"

She tried to get up and run after him, but the moment she stood, a wave of fatigue came over her body and she lost conscious.