Zain smirked to himself as he walked down the corridor leading to the next room.
"That was pretty easy, huh?"
His eyes gleamed as he reflected on the fight.
"Using abilities in this world is ridiculously convenient."
He flexed his fingers, small embers still flickering across his knuckles.
"Quick Step to Dodge... Fire Hand to boost my hits…"
He tilted his head with a satisfied grin.
"Abilities are more useful than I gave them credit for."
As he approached the large metal door at the end of the hallway, he stopped.
A scanner buzzed softly to life, recognizing his temporary ID slip.
Zain raised his eyebrow.
"So this is the entrance to the hunting test?"
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck.
"Alright then… Let's see what kind of game they've got waiting for me inside."
He immediately opened the door and saw what his next test would be.
---
Just as Zain opened the door to enter the hunting test room.
Eron, the participant who had used Thunder Hand earlier, came out.
His face was a bit pale, and his steps were a bit shaky, just like before.
He also looked irritated and drained.
He spotted Zain and immediately frowned.
"What do you want?"
Zain raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by the sudden attitude.
"What do I want?" he repeated, tilting his head slightly.
"I just want to enter the room. You're standing in the way."
Eron paused, blinking.
He gave Zain a second look.
He was young and completely uninjured.
"...You're here for the hunting test?"
Zain nodded casually.
"Yeah. Now if you're done glaring at me, mind moving aside?"
Eron clicked his tongue and brushed past him with a scoff.
"Tch. Whatever. Good luck, kid. You'll need it."
He stormed off, clearly annoyed.
Zain watched him go, brow furrowed slightly.
"What a rude guy. Even after I was nice enough not to laugh at how beat-up he looked."
He turned back to the now-open door."Alright. Let's see what you've got for me in there."
---
Zain stepped into the room, expecting something elaborate or high-tech.
Instead, it was surprisingly simple.
A desk, a few monitors on the wall, and a woman sitting casually behind a terminal, flipping through a tablet.
She looked up as the door closed behind him.
Her eyes scanned him quickly before she spoke.
"Hello. Are you the next one who passed the combat test?"
Zain nodded once.
"Yeah."
The woman tapped on her screen, her tone still casual.
"Name?"
"Zain."
She typed quickly.
"Zain… Zain… huh."
Her brow lifted slightly as she glanced at the information.
"You just registered today?"
She raised her eyes to look at him fully.
"And you're… pretty young, aren't you?"
Zain didn't respond.
The woman then smirked and leaned forward slightly.
"Quite handsome, too."
Zain remained completely unfazed.
"Let's stay focused. What do I need to do to pass this hunting test?"
She chuckled, leaning back in her chair."Straight to business, huh? I like that."
She tapped a few things on her tablet and handed him a thin book.
"Like the name says—'hunting test'—your task is simple. Go out, find a target, and bring them back."
Zain opened the book.
Inside was a list of wanted criminals, each with a C-Rank threat level, along with pictures, locations, and ability descriptions.
His eyes scanned the list briefly."So I just… hunt one of them down?"
"Exactly." She pointed at the page.
"Catch one, bring them back here."
Zain raised his eyebrow.
"Alive or dead?"
She grinned.
"Alive, if possible. You're trying to become a hero, not a brute. Show some restraint."
Zain flipped through a few more pages, his tone calm.
"Got it. Can I take this with me?"
"Of course. That's your copy." She rested her chin in her hand.
"You'll need it if you plan on getting your first arrest."
Zain tucked the book under his arm, a small smirk forming.
"Alright then. Wish me luck."
The woman smirked right back.
"Go knock 'em dead, pretty boy."
---
Zain leaned against the wall.
He was flipping through the thin book of wanted criminals with one hand.
Each page contained a name, picture, last known location, and a brief description of the target's abilities and behavior.
He muttered to himself as he skimmed."Too far… too far… too far…"
Most of the names had last sightings in other sectors.
Some deep in Zone D, others even outside the city limits.
But then, one entry made him pause.
"Hm? CC-1?"
Zain's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the entry.
Splinter & Knuck.
A duo that was last seen in his own home sector.
He read further.
Splinter – Ability: Bone Projectile
Can detach small sharpened bone shards from his body and fire them as ranged weapons. Fast regeneration prevents permanent damage.
Knuck – Ability: Bone Claw
Extends long, reinforced claws made of bone from his fingertips. Used for brutal close-range combat.
Zain raised his eyebrow, then chuckled.
"Huh… using your own bones as weapons? That's a new one."
He tapped the page with his thumb.
"Don't they feel pain pulling them out like that? Or are they just numb freaks?"
He closed the book, tucking it into his coat.
"Not exactly the flashiest abilities... but perfect for my first catch."
He stepped away from the wall, opening the door to leave.
"Alright then, Splinter and Knuck. Time to meet your new hunter."
---
Zain returned to CC-1, the streets just as rundown and noisy as ever.
He then made his way to the last recorded sighting of Splinter and Knuck.
When he arrived in the general area which was a cluster of old buildings, he began to ask around.
He approached an elderly man sitting on a crate, peeling vegetables outside a tiny food stall.
"Excuse me. Have you seen these two guys around here lately?"
Zain held up the page with Splinter and Knuck's photos.
The man squinted, frowning.
"Hm… those faces do look familiar. They used to hang around the old scrapyard two blocks from here. But lately? Haven't seen 'em. Not in days."
Zain nodded. "Thanks."
Next, he asked a young boy kicking a broken soccer ball around.
"Hey, kid. You seen these guys near here?"
The boy glanced at the pictures, then shrugged.
"They used to scare people near the market… but I think they're hiding now. People said someone from the Association is sniffing around."
Zain smirked.
"That someone's me."
The boy blinked, then ran off without another word.
He turned to a woman smoking on a balcony, calling up:
"Miss! These guys—seen them around lately?"
She leaned over the railing, squinting at the photos.
"Those freaks? Yeah, they were here last week. Haven't shown their ugly faces since the local shop owner threatened to call in the heroes."
Zain clicked his tongue.
"Tch... So they're hiding now. Smart. But annoying for me."