Theo glanced at Owen for a moment.

’’Adrian?’’

Owen shrugged.

’’He has the earth element too,’’ he said. ’’So why not?’’

Hearing that, Theo’s eyebrows raised slightly.

’That actually fits him well then,’ he thought, staring at Owen. ’Especially considering his temperament...’

Both of them continued waiting patiently outside the reception.

Theo leaned back against the wall, his mind already shifting back to his own choice.

’I’ve got a really good spell for lightning already, I just need to fill in the rest with some cheaper, versatile spells.’

’My water spells, on the other hand, are severely lacking.’

As for why he chose a teacher who also had the chaos element?

It was a matter of personal interest and figuring out how he could protect himself against it.

’’I have an update for both of you,’’ the receptionist’s voice rang out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Both Theo and Owen turned to her immediately.

’’Owen Wilson,’’ she continued, locking eyes with Owen, ’’your instructor is on his way to pick you up right now.’’

Hearing that, Owen’s expression faltered for a moment.

’’What?’’ he said, tilting his head slightly. ’’Already?’’

The receptionist ignored him, turning to Theo instead.

’’Theo Lane,’’ she said, her tone neutral. ’’Your instructor will be here tomorrow, as she’s currently flying back from the Netherlands.’’

Theo raised an eyebrow.

’The Netherlands?’

He quickly shook off the thought and nodded.

’’Understood.’’

The receptionist smiled faintly before shifting her attention to some other documents near her.

Owen, on the other hand, still looked slightly caught off guard.

He turned to Theo slowly.

’’I thought we were going to tour the campus today...’’

Theo couldn’t help but smile, shrugging once.

’’I don’t think that should be your main worry.’’

Owen’s expression changed, a slight frown appearing on his face.

While he slept on the plane, Theo had heard Adrian complain about wasting his time several times.

’Let’s hope it all ends well for him,’ he thought, letting out a quiet sigh.

Theo pushed himself off the wall and glanced at the exit.

’’I’m heading out,’’ he said. ’’There are a few places I still need to go today.’’

Owen blinked, confused. ’’Now?’’

Theo smiled and nodded once.

’’No point waiting around for me, is there?’’

Owen clicked his tongue, but didn’t argue.

’’Yeah... you’re right.’’

Without saying anything else, Theo turned and started walking away.

He took out his phone, focused on only two things.

’I need to get an apartment... and go to that private hunter group.’

Joop had sent him the location last night with a few more details surrounding them.

’It seems like a pretty exclusive club,’ he thought, heading for the exit. ’To think there are only eight members in total...’

As he stepped through the exit, someone brushed past him at a fast pace.

Theo snapped out of his thoughts and immediately recognized him.

’Adrian?’

His expression was tight, clearly not in a very good mood.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

Adrian gave a short nod before continuing inside without slowing down.

Theo watched him for a few seconds longer.

’Owen... good luck.’

With a small smile, he continued walking, heading straight off the campus grounds.

The noises slowly faded behind him as he moved further away, following the GPS on his phone.

After nearly twenty minutes, the buildings started getting much older and smaller.

’It’s around here somewhere,’ he thought, glancing around the narrow streets.

Finally, after another turn, he came to a halt in front of a small, three-story building.

The paint on its walls had long faded away, while an old, crooked sign hung above the entrance.

Theo raised an eyebrow.

’Is this really it?’

For a moment, he just stood there.

Then, he let out a sigh.

’Guess I’ll just have to see,’ he thought as he pushed the door open.

A small bell rang softly as he entered.

The inside wasn’t much better, looking much more like an old shop than anything else.

There was only one person inside.

A girl a few years older than him, sweeping the floors beside the counter.

’’Uh, hello,’’ Theo said, scratching the back of his head.

The girl looked up immediately.

’’Oh,’’ she said, placing the broom against the wall. ’’Please come in.’’

Theo walked further inside, stopping in front of the counter, still unsure about the whole situation.

The girl stepped behind it, a polite smile on her face.

’’Are you here to place a request?’’ she asked. ’’I’ll have to warn you that our commissions are very expensive.’’

Theo shook his head immediately.

’’I was told to come here so I can join the Northern Line hunter’s group.’’

The girl’s eyes narrowed slightly for a moment.

Then she turned her head toward a door leading to the back. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

’’Grandpa!’’ she called out. ’’You have a guest!’’

The shout echoed briefly through the building before fading into silence.

Theo tilted his head slightly, his eyes drifting to the door as he waited.

Then, slow footsteps sounded from the back.

A few seconds later, the door creaked open.

An old man stepped out, his posture slightly hunched, yet Theo immediately felt something strange about him.

His gaze landed on Theo the moment he appeared.

’’You’re the one Joop sent?’’

Theo gave a small nod.

’’Yes, I am.’’

The old man just looked at him for a moment.

Then, without saying anything, he stepped forward.

’’Show me your badge,’’ he said.

Theo nodded, immediately taking it out and handing it over.

The old man glanced at it once before looking at him again.

’’Follow me,’’ he said, already turning around.

Theo didn’t hesitate.

He followed the old man, walking through a tiny corridor before coming to a stop in front of a large room.

’What is all this?’ he couldn’t help but think.

Tables filled the room, stacks of papers scattered everywhere.

Even the walls were lined with pinned-up papers and some very clear maps with red dots on them.

The old man continued further inside, coming to a halt in front of one of the tables.

’’Come here,’’ he said, nodding his head.

Theo walked over hesitantly, his gaze scanning over the table.

’’We get thousands of requests each year,’’ the old man said, his voice firm. ’’Even so, we’ve maintained a 96% completion rate.’’

He paused, staring back at the table.

’’The four percent of missions that failed... never make it back.’’

Theo glanced up, finally looking at the old man.

He’d seen some of the papers on the table and could easily see why.

’These are all... extremely difficult requests.’

One of them mentioned capturing a C-rank creature alive... as an adept hunter.

But with such a massive downside, there was bound to be an upside too.

’The payouts are absolutely insane...’

Money, resources, even rare materials he hadn’t even heard of.

Just then, the old man tapped his finger on the table.

’’I want you to pick one and complete it.’’