The ceiling of the Colosseum medical bay was becoming a very familiar sight.

Glen opened his eyes staring at the bright fluorescent lights. His entire body felt like it had been run through an industrial rock crusher. His ribs ached with every breath and his right hand the one he had used to punch Evander Buchanan was wrapped in thick layers of glowing restorative bandages.

He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. The dark fragment of The Lost resting inside his spiritual core was completely silent. The absolute beating he had taken from the S Class Dragon Knight had seemingly knocked the demonic energy into a dormant state.

The sliding glass doors of the medical room hissed open.

Isla Sinclair and Caleb Sterling walked in. Caleb was carrying a large basket of expensive looking fruit while Isla held a sleek black envelope in her hand.

"You are awake" Caleb smiled setting the fruit basket on the table next to the bed. "I brought you some premium imported apples. Figured you earned them after trying to fight a dragon."

"Thanks" Glen rasped his throat dry. He reached for a glass of water on the nightstand. "Who won the tournament?"

"Evander" Isla said leaning against the wall. "He beat me in the finals. I managed to freeze his boots to the floor for about two seconds before he shattered my ice and threw me out of the ring. He did not even draw his lance."

Glen took a slow sip of water. "He is a monster Sinclair. I hit him with everything I had. I used a merged A Rank skill and stepped directly into his attack just to get close enough to punch him. And all I got was a single drop of blood."

Isla crossed her arms her green eyes serious. "You are looking at it the wrong way Mcdonald. You think Evander is the absolute peak of power because he is merely an S Rank. But you are forgetting one very important detail."

Glen raised an eyebrow. "What detail?"

"He is eighteen years old" Isla stated flatly. "He awakened six months ago. Yes his base stats are terrifying and his mana pool is massive. But he is still just a rookie. He has no real combat experience. He relies entirely on his overwhelming raw power because he has never had to struggle."

Caleb nodded grabbing an apple from the basket and taking a bite. "She is right Glen. The Awakening system gives you a starting floor but your ceiling depends on your effort. An S Rank starts at the top of the mountain. But they still have to learn how to fight. Every Hunter can level up. Most low ranking Hunters cap out at B or A rank but those A and B ranks have a shot at reaching S rank if they push past their limits. If Evander stepped into an arena with a veteran A Class Hunter right now the veteran would wipe the floor with him."

Glen frowned processing the information. "So the ranks are not absolute?"

"The ranks are not a permanent cage" Isla explained. "Experience and leveling up are what keep you alive. Look at Guild Master Elias Vance. He is an S Rank Berserker who has been fighting in the Towers for thirty years. His skills are perfectly optimized. His combat instincts are flawless. If you had tried that suicidal stunt against Elias Vance he would not have just knocked you out. He would have vaporized you before you even took a step."

Glen looked down at his bandaged hand. It made perfect sense. Evander was a baby dragon. He was incredibly dangerous but he was still young and inexperienced. The true monsters of the world the Guild Masters and the veteran Hunters who ruled the mega cities were on an entirely different level.

It was a humbling realization but it was also incredibly liberating.

It meant Evander could still be surpassed. It meant even Elias Vance had to work to maintain his power. They were bound by the rules of the system but hard work could bridge the gap.

Glen was not. His Skill Predator class allowed him to grow infinitely. He just needed time to hunt time to steal and time to build his own combat experience.

"Speaking of time" Isla said walking over to the bed and tossing the sleek black envelope onto Glen’s lap. "The Association processed the paperwork while you were unconscious. You made the top eight. You earned it."

Glen picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a solid black metallic card engraved with his name and a unique identification number.

It was the Independent License.

"You are officially a free agent Mcdonald" Caleb smiled. "You do not answer to the academy. You do not answer to the local guild branches. You answer only to the global Association council. Duncan Carmichael and the Valor Guild cannot touch you legally."

Glen stared at the black card. For his entire life he had been trapped. Trapped by poverty trapped by the slums and as of recently trapped by the mockery of his F Rank status.

He ran his thumb over the engraved letters of his name. He was free.

"So what is next?" Caleb asked leaning on his wooden staff. "Are you going to take a vacation? Maybe buy a nice apartment in the upper spires?"

Glen looked up a slow dark smile spreading across his face. The pain in his ribs suddenly did not matter anymore.

"No vacations" Glen said sliding out of the medical bed and grabbing his black combat jacket from the chair. "We all have a license now. That means we can access the restricted Tower gates without guild oversight."

Isla smirked her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "You want to go back into the Towers already? You just got out of a coma."

"I am behind schedule Sinclair" Glen said strapping his heavy black longsword to his back. "There are veteran Hunters out there with thirty years of experience. I need to catch up. And I need to find some new skills to steal."

Glen walked past them pushing the glass doors of the medical bay open. The tournament was over. The prologue of his life was finished.

The real hunt was about to begin.