Before Leon could even respond, Noah hurried over with an excited expression.

"I’ve been looking for you for the past few days, but there was no sign of you anywhere. I even had my brother search through the entire hunter registry at the Hunter Association, but we still couldn’t find any information about you."

Leon scratched his cheek. "Well, that’s because I’m not a registered hunter yet."

"What?" Noah looked stunned. "You’re not? Why?"

"I had some difficulties." Leon shrugged. "That’s all." He had no intention of revealing the whole truth.

Just as Noah was about to ask more questions, Jenny suddenly interrupted. "You know my brother?"

Noah blinked. "I didn’t know he was your brother," he said honestly. "Otherwise, I wouldn’t have wasted so much effort looking for him all this time."

Leon looked at Noah, then at Jenny. A confused expression appeared on his face.

Noticing it, both of them answered at the same time. "We’re classmates."

"Ah." Leon finally understood. "So why were you looking for me?"

Noah’s expression immediately turned serious. "It’s because I want you to join our guild." He looked Leon straight in the eye. "You saved all of our lives. And after seeing what you’re capable of, we could really use your strength."

Without warning, Leon grabbed Noah by the arm and pulled him a short distance away from Jenny and Jasper.

Then he lowered his voice. "You didn’t tell your brother about me, did you? The things that happened in the hidden realm. I mean everything in details."

"No, no." Noah quickly shook his head. "I was about to, but Meridith stopped me. She reminded me about your friend from the hidden realm. We didn’t want to take any risks."

Leon nodded. "Good. So what did you tell him?"

"I told him we managed to escape because of Emily Flemming."

"Emily?"

"Yeah." Noah shrugged. "She’s an S-Class hunter. It’s much easier to explain things that way."

Then he added, "I also told my brother I wanted you to join our guild because you’re talented and capable. To be honest, he was pretty skeptical at first."

Noah glanced toward Jasper. "But in the end, he agreed."

"Why?"

"Because he still remembers how you saved me before we were dragged into the hidden realm."

Noah’s expression became sincere. "And because he owes you for that."

"You don’t need to be so dramatic about it." Leon waved his hand dismissively. "And regarding joining your guild, I can’t give you an answer yet."

Noah looked puzzled. "Why?"

"I ran into some issues during registration." Leon shrugged. "Because of that, I have to attend the military training camp first. It’ll last six months." He paused before continuing. "After that, whether I join your guild or not will depend entirely on the situation. And honestly, you don’t need to feel indebted to me."

Leon smiled faintly. "I simply did what I thought was right at the time. However, I’d appreciate it if neither you nor that female hunter talked about my sword or what happened inside the hidden realm."

Noah immediately understood. "You mean..."

"The people I killed. You remember that I killed humans in there, right? If word gets out, it could create a lot of unnecessary trouble for me in the future."

Noah immediately raised his hand. He pinched his lips shut with two fingers and made a zipping motion. "My lips are sealed."

Then he grinned. "You can relax. But..."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "But what?"

Noah’s smile turned awkward. "I spent a lot of effort convincing my brother to recruit you."

"And?"

"If I suddenly tell him you’re refusing to join the guild, he might take it as an insult."

Leon stared at him.

Noah rubbed the back of his head. "My brother’s ego is pretty big, you know."

Leon couldn’t help but find it strange. Back in the hidden realm, Noah had been timid and constantly on edge. Today, however, he seemed much more energetic and talkative.

Perhaps surviving that ordeal had changed him.

"Then think of a way to convince him." Leon shrugged. "I don’t want one of Delvan’s Seven S-Class Hunters holding a grudge against me over something this trivial."

Noah immediately rubbed his temples. "Yeah... I’ll try."

"Good." Leon nodded. "I’m heading to college now."

"Sure."

The two walked back together.

Jasper had been watching them from a distance the entire time. The way Noah interacted with Leon surprised him slightly.

’Looks like he found himself a good friend. Let’s just hope that kid doesn’t turn into trouble.’ Jasper thought.

After exchanging a few final words, Leon quickly said goodbye. He had no desire to deal with Jasper directly.

Soon afterward, Noah and Jenny headed toward their classroom while Jasper left the school grounds.

Meanwhile, Leon began walking toward his own college. The morning was calm. The streets were quiet. Everything seemed perfectly normal.

Then..

Just as Leon turned a corner and entered a narrow alleyway...

A black cloth suddenly covered his face.

"What the?!"

Before he could react, several powerful hands grabbed him. One seized his arms.

Another grabbed his legs. A third locked his shoulders in place.

The next moment...

The side door of a vehicle slid open. Leon was shoved inside.

Bang! The door slammed shut.

And within seconds... The black car sped away from the scene. Nearly thirty minutes later, Leon could finally see again. The black cloth covering his face was ripped away.

He blinked a few times before looking around. Five men stood before him. All of them were dressed like street thugs. Rings hanging from their ears and noses. Tattoos covered their muscular arms.

One of them stepped forward and grabbed Leon by the chin.

"I hate rich brats who think they can do whatever they want with their money."

Leon blinked. ’Rich? Me?’ He looked at the man as if he were an idiot.

The thug suddenly raised his leg.

Bang!

His boot slammed into Leon’s chest. Leon tumbled across the floor.

"How dare you covet someone our boss likes?"

Leon’s expression turned strange. ’Covet someone? They’re not talking about a girl, are they?’

A sigh escaped his lips. ’I haven’t even had the chance to experience what love feels like, and these idiots are already begging me to beat the shit out of them.’

His patience finally ran out. Leon slowly clenched his fists. And then...

Crack!

The metal chains binding his wrists snapped apart instantly.

The sound echoed throughout the room. The five thugs froze.

Leon stood up leisurely and rolled his shoulders. His gaze swept across them.

"Which mental hospital did you idiots escape from?"