CHAPTER 52: REGISTRATION INTO THE ASSOCIATION!

Chapter 51

Sigh!

"Here we go, I guess," Max said as he stood in his rundown house, the walls cracked and dull like they had given up long ago.

In his hand was the metallic card given to him by Elijah, the very card that would guide him straight to the Hunters Association.

He also carried a backpack, stuffed with his clothes and a few necessities. Just the night before, he had spent the entire evening with Camila and Mia. What began as an invitation turned into a wild night of passion, the three of them diving headfirst into a heated threesome.

After hours of pleasure and one more round to seal the night, Max had finally left the two women to rest, returning home with a wide grin and even wider rewards from his system.

{+200XP for cumming twice}

{+500XP for making both women cum}

{+500XP for satisfying both women and giving them a pleasurable time}

His level had risen again, the sweet climb of progression filling him with satisfaction.

{Level: 13 14}

{XP: 560/1500}

From the level-up, he also gained a boost in his agility.

{AGI: 51 52}

Max clenched his fist, staring at the notifications with burning excitement. With this, he was officially ready to begin a brand-new life as a Hunter.

"Mia is right. I won’t get this opportunity again if I let it slip. The safest route to grow stronger, aside from hunting beasts, is through women... and I’m sure the Association has plenty of them. Kek! Let’s see how hot they are," Max chuckled, mischief flashing in his eyes.

Without hesitation, he bit his thumb, drawing a sharp bead of blood.

He pressed the bloodied thumb onto the metallic card. Immediately, the card pulsed with a radiant glow, its light reflecting across Max’s sharp eyes. The glow intensified, growing brighter and brighter until it engulfed his entire body.

WHOOSH!

The room trembled slightly as the blinding light swallowed him whole. In moments, both Max and his backpack vanished completely, as though he had never been there.

—

Far away, beyond the reach of ordinary human civilization, a massive island revealed itself. It floated in quiet majesty, so large it resembled a city carved upon water. Endless tides swirled around it, the dark sea stretching outward like a natural barrier.

Encasing the island was a colossal transparent dome, shimmering faintly as sunlight touched it. From above, the structure looked like an isolated kingdom sealed off from the world.

Outside the dome, dense patches of forest hugged the shoreline. Birds flapped through the sky yet veered away abruptly when nearing the dome, instinctively avoiding it like a curse.

Despite the towering buildings inside, no soul wandered in sight. The silence was unsettling, as though the place had long been abandoned. There were no visible roads or bridges connecting to the island—only the endless waters keeping it trapped in isolation.

Inside the dome, in a particularly plain building, silence reigned until a sharp whoosh broke it apart. A beam of dazzling light erupted in the middle of the room, flooding the gray walls.

Within seconds, the glow receded, leaving behind a teenage boy with gray hair streaked faintly with purple. His eyes flickered with curiosity and wariness as he clutched his backpack tightly.

This was Max—though not in his full draconic form. To be safe, he had concealed most of his dragon traits, leaving only subtle traces of scales and claws hidden beneath his clothes. On the surface, he looked like any other human boy.

"Huh? Thought someone would be waiting to collect me," Max muttered as his eyes roamed the dull, empty chamber. The gray walls pressed around him, lifeless, with only a single door waiting in front of him.

’Should I step out, or wh...’

Before he could finish his thought, the ground beneath his feet lit up violently with intricate runes. The glow flashed in an instant before vanishing as quickly as it came.

"What the hell was that?" Max muttered, his body stiffening as he spun around sharply. His senses heightened, every muscle ready for danger.

"Welcome, potential hunter. Please follow the arrow that’s about to appear." A voice suddenly echoed in the room, startling Max a bit.

"Follow the arrow?" he muttered with a raised eyebrow. Right on cue, a huge yellow arrow suddenly appeared beneath his feet with the tip pointed toward the door. Without waiting for his approval, it began moving.

"Wait up!" Max shouted as he clutched his backpack tighter and hurried after it.

The door slid open with a mechanical hiss, revealing a wide hallway stretching out before him. Several doors lined the sides, each door identical and silent, as if hiding secrets behind them. The arrow hovered a metre in front of him, glowing brightly, and glided forward without hesitation.

Max, without a moment of thought, dashed forward. The arrow seemed to sense his pace, gaining speed as it ignored the countless doors that passed them by.

His footsteps echoed against the tiled floor, and the further he ran, the more he felt an invisible weight pressing down on him, like the air itself was testing his resolve.

After about a minute or so, the arrow came to a sudden stop before a massive door at the end of the hallway. Unlike the others, this door was carved with strange markings that faintly glowed blue, pulsing as if alive.

Max stopped as well, staring in confusion. He eyed the door repeatedly, scanning every inch.

"What’s this? What’s going on?" he muttered under his breath.

Instinctively, he activated his dragon eyes, trying to pierce the mystery. His pupils glowed bright yellow, but to his surprise—he could see nothing. The door stood firm, impenetrable even to his evolved sight.

"Huh?" He blinked and glanced down at himself. What he saw left him stunned. His aura, usually invisible, now radiated around him in a dazzling hue of bright yellow, faintly outlined with a tint of purple.

That tint had appeared ever since his evolution into a Dragon Scion. A reminder that his humanity was slowly being devoured.

"I can see my aura... but why can’t I see through this door?" Max mumbled, unease creeping into his tone.

The arrow beneath his feet suddenly zipped forward, slipping straight through the door and vanishing. Its silent command was clear—enter.

Max clenched his fists, conflicted.

’If this really is the hunter association, then I shouldn’t have to worry, right? Still... not being able to see through this door makes me uneasy. Damn uneasy.’

He inhaled deeply, bracing himself, and pushed the heavy door open.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the door shut behind him with a thud that echoed like a lock sealing shut.

Now he stood in a smaller, well-lit room. To the side was a desk with a woman sitting behind it, a faint glow from her computer screen illuminating her calm face. A few chairs lined one wall, and another, smaller door waited at the far end of the room.

"Please come in for your registration." The woman nudged with a small smile, her tone professional.

Max took slow, careful steps toward her, still cautious.

’I don’t sense any form of hostility from her,’ he thought, relaxing just a little as he reached her desk.

"Name?" the woman asked without looking up, her fingers already hovering over the keyboard.

"Max," he answered immediately.

"Age?"

"Eighteen."

The woman’s typing paused. Slowly, she tilted her head and studied his face closely, her eyes flicking up and down his frame.

"Eighteen?" she repeated, her voice carrying a note of surprise.

"Yes. Eighteen. Any problem?" Max asked, brow raised.

The woman shook her head slowly, though her gaze lingered on him with an odd intensity.

"Are you a hybrid?" she asked suddenly.

Max froze. The words struck him harder than he expected.

’Shit! What do I say now? If I say yes, and she asks what type, I can’t just blurt out dragon. That would be dumb. No one in their right mind would believe it—or worse, they might. Crap, crap, crap... what do I do now?’

"Are you a hybrid?" the woman repeated, her tone sharper this time.

"No." Max replied firmly, not giving her a chance to suspect hesitation.

Her eyes narrowed briefly, then she returned to typing. "Were you approached by a hunter?"

"Yes. Hunter Elijah."

The woman nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Good. Alright, walk through that door for your assessment." She pointed at the smaller door a few metres away.

Max gave her a slight nod before turning toward it. His mind, however, refused to quiet down.

’Why did she give me that look when I mentioned my age? Was it disbelief? Am I too old? Or... too young? Damn it.’

Now standing in front of the door, he exhaled sharply.

’No point stressing about that now. What I should really be worrying about is this assessment. I wonder what it’s going to be about.’

With a final sigh, Max pushed the door open and stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him like the start of something he couldn’t turn back from.