CHAPTER 57: THANKFUL

After their shift ended, they wasted no time changing out of their uniforms, slipping into casual clothes and leaving the restaurant behind like this sh*f had never happened.

Neither of them said much on the walk over, but the silence wasn’t heavy.

It was the kind of pause that settled naturally, the kind that made it easy to just keep moving side by side without the need to fill the air with words.

The park they chose wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it carried a sense of familiarity.

It was the same place where Lanz and Talia had once lingered for a "date", and now it seemed to quietly take on new meaning as Kaz and Angela arrived together.

The paved walkways stretched cleanly through the open space, the trees rustled softly overhead, and the late evening light brushed over everything with a muted calm.

It wasn’t luxurious, f*ck no, but there was something steady about it.

A patch of green that didn’t try to be more than it was, with benches scattered here and there and a handful of snack carts hanging around as though the vendors couldn’t quite bring themselves to close up for the night.

In the center, the fountain continued to spray water higher than anyone ever expected, its mist catching faint traces of wind before falling back into the pool below.

For all its simplicity, the park felt like a pause in their day, a corner of the city where things slowed down just enough to let them breathe.

Kaz leaned back against the bench with a long, tired sigh, his arms stretching upward as though that alone might chase away the ache in his shoulders.

"This sh*t is hard, Angela," he admitted, his voice carrying the exhaustion of the day. "How do you even manage to do this every single day?"

Angela mirrored his stretch, loosening her arms before letting them fall back to her sides.

"You just get used to it after a while," she said, her tone casual but not dismissive.

She stepped closer until she was standing directly in front of him, her bright pink eyes catching the faint glow of the park lights.

Her light pink hair moved slightly with the evening breeze as she tilted her head, a teasing smile forming. "But now that you’ve finally experienced how brutal this job really is, are you starting to regret taking it?"

Kaz didn’t laugh at the joke.

Instead, he looked at her with a steady expression, one that softened into a smile that wasn’t forced or playful.

"I’ll never regret getting this chance," he said, his voice quieter now, almost gentle. "If anything, I’m thankful. You’re the one who gave me this opportunity, and for me, that means a lot. It’s the least I can do to ease some of the weight my parents carry. This job... this job is one step closer to helping them."

Angela froze at the sincerity in his words.

Her face grew warm, and before he could notice, she quickly turned her back to him.

"Y— Your parents must be really nice people," she stammered, her voice uneven, the redness in her cheeks impossible to hide even with her back turned.

"They are," Kaz answered with that same quiet smile. "By the way... why are you turned around?"

"N– Nothing," she blurted, her voice higher than usual.

She scrambled for a distraction and quickly spotted an ice cream cart in the distance.

"Hey, do you wanna get ice cream?" she asked, pointing towards an ice cream van as if it had been her plan all along.

Kaz chuckled softly, pushing himself off the bench. "I don’t see why not," he said, walking toward her at an easy pace.

*****

*Earlier, before Lanz entered the dungeon*

"Listen up." The voice cut sharply through the murmur of the hall, commanding enough that every single student in the Hunter Prep Track turned their attention forward.

The speaker stood tall, his uniform marked by a dark blue jacket with a single black stripe running straight down the center, paired with regulation black pants.

His assistant, Theodore, wore the same.

"There are one hundred sixty students in Year Three of the Hunter Prep Track," the BB-rank hunter announced, his tone clipped and authoritative.

"As you’ve already heard, ten of you will be entering a Tier 1 Gate today. Each of you will have twenty minutes inside. There’s no reason to panic, because my assistant and I will be on standby the entire time. We’ll step in if necessary." He gave a quick gesture toward Theodore, who nodded stiffly in acknowledgment.

Somewhere near the back row, a group of girls leaned in close to whisper.

"He looks hot."

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend?"

"Girl, please. He’s not out here looking for an E-rank girlfriend."

"Doesn’t matter. I could give him this kitty all day, E-very day," one of them shot back with a smirk that earned muffled giggles.

... these girls are wild, so let’s just ignore them.

Theodore heard every word, though, and silently cringed at the secondhand embarrassment.

He kept his face neutral, pretending none of it reached him, but the corner of his mouth twitched like he was holding back the urge to groan.

"Before we proceed to the gate location," the BB-rank continued, raising his voice back into the microphone, "our student council president will now give a few words of encouragement." He stepped aside with a measured gesture, ceding the floor to the neatly dressed figure waiting in line.

The instant the BB-rank hunter stepped aside, the atmosphere in the gym shifted.

It wasn’t loud or flashy, but it pressed against everyone all the same, subtle at first, yet impossible to ignore.

Students who had been slouching, whispering, or barely paying attention seemed to straighten without thinking, their chatter cutting off as if something inside them suddenly decided that silence was the only acceptable option.

She entered at an unhurried pace, each step measured, steady, and deliberate.

There was nothing theatrical about her appearance, yet the silence she carried into the room was more commanding than any performance.

Elaire Von Ascarén didn’t require an introduction.

Her reputation moved with her, preceding her presence before she even crossed the stage.

Her long violet hair was pulled into a braid that rested neatly across one shoulder, sharp and structured.

A black-purple coat draped over her shoulders instead of being worn properly, the fabric shifting faintly with her movements, catching just enough light to emphasize its quality.

The details stood out immediately: the scarlet trim on her gloves, the polish of her boots that were far from regulation issue, and the overall precision of how every piece fit together.

Nothing about her appearance felt accidental. It was intentional, commanding, and absolute.

"Woah."

From the crowd, Talia’s eyes widened. ’So that’s Velmordop East’s student council president,’ she thought, watching the way the entire room seemed to bend around Elaire’s presence.

End of Chapter 57.

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ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO

Level: 15

EXP: 39 / 150

Next Reward: Quick Sever

Global System Tracking: DISABLED

World Rank Association: UNLINKED

Stats:

STR: 20 | AGI: 10 (Affinity) | VIT: 5 | DEX: 5 | INT: 17 | WIS: 5

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Derived Stat — MANA: 90 / 90]

Skills:

[Crimson Slash Lv. 1]

[Phantom Stride Lv. 2]

[Instinctive Blade Lv.1]

[Predictive Guard Lv.1]

[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]

[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]

[Developer Node – Fusion Core Anchor: Active]

[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]

Equipment:

Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)

Training Ring (+1 VIT)

Bag :)

Ring of Genorya - ???