"But." Zarek’s voice stopped him cold.

"Like you know, not many passed the final evaluation. Especially some of the Soul-Hunters that passed the second option with you."

Rentaro’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Eliza, Timmy, Alexa? They didn’t pass?"

"... Yeah."

"I see." Rentaro closed his eyes for a moment. In that brief silence, he seemed to understand the pain and sorrow of his previous teammates, the harsh law of survival where only the strong moved forward, and the weak were left behind to perish.

Still, there was always next year.

"Well then, it was a pleasure meeting you, Rentaro Mizuno."

As Zarek walked away, Rentaro glanced at him for a few moments, before turning his attention back to the folder in his hands.

"What?" He blurted out as he read the paper that was sealed inside the folder given to him. It was his evaluation and his score from both selections.

"Candidate Rentaro Mizuno, you have been successfully evaluated and we are pleased to inform you that you have successfully passed the Second Selections with a score of 70/100. Your damage to property during the first selection has awarded you with a penalty of thirty reduced points."

Rai chuckled as he read the first line of the letter. A seventy out of a hundred? Really? Because he blew apart the walls of the evaluation room when he first revealed Temporal Burst?

"As a fully verified Soul-Hunter, your access to the Soul-Squads placed in the range of your scores has been made available. However to join a Soul-Squad you have to be chosen by one. The Soul-Squad under your range of score includes;

• The 8th Soul-Squad

• The 9th Soul-Squad

• The 10th Soul-Squad."

"Holy shit... Even if my score in my exams were deliberately lowered, these Soul-Squads available in my score range are amongst the top ten Soul-Squads in the kingdom. I wonder if anyone chose me..." He said, then quickly moved on to read the final sentence of the letter.

"However, after careful evaluation by all the captains of the Soul-Squads aforementioned in your score range. None made the decision to enlist you into their Soul-Squad."

Rentaro sighed.

"Of course, I should have known. There are usually high ranking Soul-Squads in charge of these things, that means they all belong to the noble class of the kingdom. Damn it all.."

Noble classes always selected their own, despite the latent potential in others, that’s how it has always been for years.

Additionally, his history in the sanctuary, as well as the power he displayed in the second selection was easily seen as a power most couldn’t control, and control was all noble classes were known for.

Even with a perfect score, the choice to enlist him into a Soul-Squad lay entirely in the hands of the captains. The only exception was the captain of the fifth Soul-Squad who would have accepted him without hesitation. The other nobles, however, were a different story.

"So I wasn’t part of the ten candidates that got selected huh." Annoyed, Rentaro was about to crumple the paper in his hands and toss it aside when his eyes caught a particular sentence.

"After a brief evaluation period, you have been chosen successfully by the captain of the 14th Soul-Squad."

"What? The fourteenth Soul-Squad? They aren’t part of the Soul-Squads listed in my score range, so who are they?" He thought about it for a moment as he reached the end of the letter.

The Fourteenth Soul Squad wasn’t among the squads available to recruits who scored between seventy and a hundred on the association’s exams.

Now that he thought about it, there hadn’t been much information about the Fourteenth Soul Squad. The captain of that squad was a mystery to everyone outside the association, and their influence was far less than that of the other Soul Squads.

"The 14th Soul-Squad huh, well I guess it’s better than nothing." Rentaro sighed, feeling a bit disappointed by the results of his evaluation. He had always preferred to work alone, free from rules and other people’s pace.

But when he thought about the high costs of living and feeding and as well hunting grounds, especially since every hunting grounds was owned by the Soul-Hunter’s association he knew going solo wasn’t practical. Joining a Soul-Squad would save him time, money, and trouble, even if it meant giving up some freedom.

Besides, he saw it as a good thing. If the Soul-Squads within his score range were dominated with nobles, they would surely make things difficult for him, treating him like an outsider.

He could already imagine the backtalks, the pride, and the constant motives to kick him out. Joining a squad made up mostly of commoners would make things much easier. At least there’d be fewer eyes watching him, fewer people looking down on him, and a better chance to focus on his growth and strength.

"Huh?" He murmured quietly to himself, whatever it was, it seemed urgent.

Inside the envelope was a single-use tattoo bearing the mark of the Fourteenth Soul Squad. Beneath it lay a small plastic card with the squad’s location written on it. Rentaro took the card out carefully and studied the address printed on its surface.

"So we are expected to proceed to our designated Squads as soon as possible huh." He murmured silently to himself, it seemed urgent.

"Well, I guess it can’t be helped."

..

In a luxuriously decorated room, a long round table sat at its center. The walls carried a divine aura, as though crafted by something beyond mortal means, while the ceiling shimmered with star-like constellations. Above it all, a grand chandelier hung elegantly, casting a soft, radiant glow over the space.

Seated along both sides of the table were nine individuals, seven men and two women, each dressed in finely woven robes that reflected their high status.

At the far end of the table sat a brown-haired man with a full beard, his fingers interlocked and his posture tense, as he waited impatiently in silence.

The brown-haired man’s gaze slowly shifted across the table before settling on the empty seat at the left side.

Then impatiently, he asked. "Where is Hypnos?"

The remaining men and women stayed silent, their expressions restrained as they exchanged uncertain glances.

"We lost contact with him after he was sent to handle the problem in the fifth level." One of the men around the table said, his voice loud like a thunderclap, and sharp that you couldn’t miss a word he said.

"The fifth level?" Another man spoke.

"I heard that there was a human who ascended to the fifth level in just a day, could that possibly be true?" One of the women asked, as she crossed her beautifully toned legs.

"It is a human known as Creator 401, that was the problem Hypnos left to attend to, but he hasn’t returned since."

"I see, then we shall proceed without him." The brown haired man at the end of the table said as the entire room fell quiet. "I assume you all know why you were abruptly summoned?"

The entire room fell silent at once. Conversations stopped, and the atmosphere tightened as every expression around the table stiffened.

At the far end, the brown-haired man narrowed his eyes, his calm demeanor sharpening into something far more serious.

Then, in a low, steady voice, he spoke. "He has returned."