Capitain Mark was angry.
No, to say that he was just angry was probably the understatement of the century.
If one were to word what he was feeling, they could say that he was royally pissed right now and even then they wouldn't be able to grasp the full extent of his anger with those words alone. No words were able to describe it actually.
"What the fuck am I looking at, Miguel?"
The man he addressed merely shrugged his shoulders with a helpless sigh, "Don't growl at me. The current director of the LAPPD sent the order to let someone pass the test."
A vein popped on Mark's forehead as he fought against his rising temper.
"Fuck!!"
He cursed and spewed out profanities for a while before sighing helplessly like the person named Miguel…
"Is it again some boosting from a high-ranked family? I thought the Director would be above such practices."
It was only five minutes later that he was finally able to calm down and looked at the record of the young man that they were supposed to test.
No prior information. Time of awakening unknown. Power level unknown. No ID whatsoever.
He felt like he was gazing at a completely blank slate. As if someone had appeared out of nowhere and only awakened a few days or weeks ago.
He pinched his brows to cope with the rising annoyance and anger that were threatening to take over him. Anyone past a certain level had to get an ID. The fact that this person did not have one simply means that he didn't have the qualifications for one.
This was very upsetting as he didn't want to give a hunter's license to someone who did not have the skills for it.
"Anyway, what do we care? This is just another spoiled brat. Let him do the test, as long as he meets the minimum threshold we give him the license and we are good."
"No."
Mark spoke quietly in a low voice, causing Miguel to sigh endlessly, "This is why you are still assigned here despite your skills."
Miguel knew that Mark was vastly stronger than him. The man was a Silver-ranked Hunter. This was enough to enter a renowned mercenary group or any powerful cooperation and at the same time climb the stairs in the hierarchy of the Hunter Association.
But whether they were hunters or not, Nepotism and Corruption were ever-present in any and all places, and people who refused to play the game only had two choices waiting ahead for them.
Either be so incredibly skilled that they could impose their ideals and not participate in the corruption… Or simply be crushed by their ideals and stay down forever to be the dregs and cannon fodders of the association.
While a Silver-ranked hunter was impressive and all, it sadly wasn't high enough to impose anything on the grand scale of things.
Mark shrugged his shoulders as he took the file and arranged his black suit. His deep black hair reached his shoulder, giving him a very youthful and vigorous expression.
"Many young and stupid people see the position of a hunter as a dream. A status to reach in life. They forget the responsibility and the weight this position brings to them. I will be damned if I let any stupid and weak young man pass just cause he has the connections for it."
He didn't become a hunter for the riches and the honors. Like many before him, he became one out of a feeling of duty and a desire to protect others from what had happened to him.
Hunters in an area could be dispatched in case of any dangers to the populace. But if there was one among them who was not worthy of that position, one who did not have the skills necessary to keep up with the rest of the group, all this would result in the probable deaths of most of the members of the team.
"Well, Let's go and see the wonder boy, shall we? Since the director recommended him, I am sure we won't be disappointed… much."
Miguel grinned ear to ear. He wasn't even a ranked hunter. One barely comparable to the Iron rank of hunters. The fact that he had such a simple yet cushy job was enough for him.
He would leave the idealism to the others and watch the show from a front-row seat. That was enough for him.
———
Mark and Miguel were not the only ones looking at Adam's file at that time.
But unlike them who could only look at the most basic information, the crimson-haired woman who was languidly reading a much more detailed file on her pad couldn't help but sigh out loud in exasperation.
"Sister. Just what have you done."
Theresa was confused like never before.
Adam Gospel, 21-year-old male. Son of Cecilia Gospel.
Her sister had a son. No, that was not right. Her sister was raising Lady Mei's son…
When did Lady Mei get pregnant? Why was the son of the heiress raised for 21 years abroad with no knowledge of the main family? Did the old man Musashi even know about this?
There was also another problem…
"A heart problem? Seriously?"
The body of a hunter was at least a hundred times more healthy than anything a normal human could ever hope to achieve. Because of this, diseases were extremely rare for them.
At the same time, any disease that could affect a hunter was generally very deadly, and out of them all, a heart problem was no different from becoming a cripple. It was like a runner losing his legs. There was no possible future for a hunter with heart disease.
'Is it possible to buy a new heart?'
Theresa cringed. The heart, or any other organs of a hunter, for that matter, were no different than artifacts. Even so, there were different grades for them.
'Is there even a heart available that can suit her body?'
It wasn't just a question of compatibility for her. The heart was like a motor and the body was like a machine or a car.
Cecilia's body was like a super formula 1 car made for a super high-level race at the top of the pack and her heart matched the performance for it to reach for the trophy every single time. The chance of finding a motor that would both be compatible and as durable as her current one was close to zero if not downright impossible.
"Teacher."
"Yeah?"
Theresa decided to stop thinking deeply about the matter. She would have her sister answer all her questions soon anyway. There was no need for her to trouble her brain by speculating everything.
"Is that young man the future young master?"
Theresa stopped for a while as she looked up at the screen. She was going to watch the test.
Makoto told her that he seemed to be able to use magic. It was unprecedented for a member of the Kaminari family, much less one from the direct branch, to be a Shaman. But as long as he was strong, it didn't matter.
"Well… Everything will depend on the old man. But yeah, I guess you could say that he is the young master."
Makoto nodded silently and began to focus intensely on the young man as he started the test.
She hadn't been able to see much of his powers last time. But it was clear that the resolution of the situation was partially thanks to him.
This time, she would see everything… She would see the power of the man she was supposed to serve.