CHAPTER 32: ASSESSMENT

The testing facility in Sector 4 looked more like a military compound than a Hunter training center, high walls, security checkpoints, guards with actual weapons instead of just abilities.

Rin arrived at 0845, fifteen minutes early, found about twenty other E-ranks waiting in the staging area, all of them looked nervous.

He recognized a few faces from the licensing exam, the ice girl Tina was there, she saw him, waved.

"Didn’t expect to see you here this fast," she said, walking over. "Most people take like two months to qualify for D-rank assessment, you did it in three weeks."

"Been grinding missions."

"Yeah I heard, twelve completions with perfect success rate, that’s actually insane, I’ve only done seven and one of them almost killed me." She adjusted her gear. "You nervous?"

"Little bit."

"Same, heard the failure rate is like forty percent, people underestimate how different team leadership is from just fighting." She pulled out her phone. "Oh shit, check this out."

She showed him a video, some Hunter in Europe had posted a dungeon clear where everything went wrong, goblins turned out to be hobgoblins, the team panicked, started friendly-firing each other with abilities, complete chaos.

"Dude in the comments said this is basically what the D-rank test feels like, controlled disaster to see if you can keep your team alive."

"Encouraging."

"Right?" Tina laughed. "But hey, at least if we fail we just have to wait thirty days to retry, better than dying in an actual dungeon."

An official walked in, clipboard in hand. "Attention all candidates, assessment begins in five minutes, you’ll be called in groups of three, assigned to separate simulation chambers, your team will consist of two other candidates randomly selected."

Everyone tensed up, random team assignment meant you could get competent partners or complete idiots, pure luck.

"When your name is called, proceed to your designated chamber, an evaluator will brief you on the scenario, you’ll have ten minutes to plan, then the simulation begins, duration is approximately one hour, any questions?"

Someone raised their hand. "What’s the failure criteria?"

"Mission failure, teammate death, or evaluator determination that you demonstrated unsafe leadership, any of those three results in assessment failure." The official checked his list. "First group: Matsuda, Okonkwo, Vos, report to Chamber Seven."

Wait, Tayo was in his group?

Rin found him in the crowd, they made eye contact, both trying not to smile, random selection had given them someone they’d actually trained with.

They followed another E-rank named Vos to Chamber Seven, the guy looked young, maybe nineteen, practically vibrating with nervous energy.

"Yo, I’m Derrick," he said as they walked. "You’re the portal guy right, saw you on TV, that was sick, just straight up grabbed reality and closed it, insane."

"Thanks I guess."

"And you’re sound guy, Tayo right, heard you can make people’s ears bleed with frequencies, that’s metal as hell." Derrick was talking fast, probably anxiety. "I do barriers, force field generation, not flashy but useful, hopefully I don’t fuck up and get us all killed."

"You’ll be fine," Tayo said. "Just stay calm, follow directions, communicate."

They entered Chamber Seven, found an evaluator waiting, older woman with gray hair, stern expression, name tag read "Instructor Yuki."

"Welcome candidates, I’m your evaluator for this assessment, the scenario is as follows." She pulled up a holographic display. "You are a three-person team assigned to clear a goblin nest in an abandoned warehouse, preliminary scans indicate fifteen to twenty hostiles, standard E-rank threat."

The display showed the warehouse layout, multiple rooms, narrow corridors, lots of cover.

"However," Yuki continued, "this is a simulation designed to test your adaptability, complications will arise, your mission parameters will change, your job is to adjust and complete objectives without losing team members."

She looked at Rin. "Candidate Matsuda, you have the highest mission completion rate, you will serve as team leader, Okonkwo and Vos will follow your commands, do you accept this responsibility?"

"Yes."

"Good, you have ten minutes to review the layout, assign roles, develop your strategy, use the time wisely." She stepped back, started a timer.

Rin studied the hologram, the warehouse had three entry points, main door, side entrance, roof access, the goblin nest was in the center of the structure, surrounded by smaller rooms.

"Okay, formation," he said, thinking through their capabilities. "Tayo, you’re ranged support, stay behind me and Derrick, use sound blasts to control crowds, suppress any goblins trying to flank."

"Got it."

"Derrick, you’re on defense, if things get hot I need barriers to protect our retreat, also use them to funnel goblins into kill zones where Tayo can hit multiple targets."

"I can do that."

"I’ll take point, handle close combat, my ability lets me absorb damage so I’m the most survivable." Rin marked the hologram. "We enter through the side entrance here, slower approach but better visibility, main door is probably trapped or watched."

They spent the remaining time discussing contingencies, what to do if they got separated, if someone got injured, if they encountered something unexpected.

The timer hit zero.

"Strategy time complete," Yuki announced. "The simulation will now begin, remember, your actions are being recorded, evaluated for tactical decision-making, communication efficiency, and team safety, good luck."

The chamber transformed, walls becoming warehouse interior, lighting dimming to simulate abandoned building, the hologram disappeared, replaced with actual simulated environment.

It looked real, felt real, the air even smelled like decay and rust.

"Contact in thirty seconds," a computerized voice announced. "Prepare for engagement."

Rin took point, Tayo positioned behind him, Derrick brought up the rear, they moved through the side entrance carefully.

The warehouse was dark, their flashlights cutting through shadows, Rin could hear movement ahead, multiple sources.

Then goblins appeared, five of them, charging from behind crates.

"Tayo, suppressing fire!"

Tayo fired sound blasts, the pressure waves slammed into three goblins, knocked them down.

Rin engaged the remaining two, fracture energy enhancing his strikes, both dropped quickly.

"Clear, moving forward."

They advanced deeper, encountered more goblins, the simulation was accurate, the creatures moved and fought like real ones, used pack tactics, tried to surround them.

Derrick’s barriers kept them protected, funneling enemies into lanes where Tayo could hit multiple targets efficiently.

Fifteen minutes in, they’d cleared half the warehouse, zero injuries, good progress.

Then the complication arrived.

The computerized voice spoke: "Mission parameters updated, civilian presence detected in the nest area, new objective, rescue civilian while clearing hostiles."

A figure appeared on their tactical display, marked as "civilian," located in the center of the nest.

"Shit," Derrick said. "That changes everything."

"New plan," Rin said quickly. "We can’t just blast our way in anymore, risk hitting the civilian, we need surgical approach, Tayo, can you use directional sound to stun goblins without affecting the civilian?"

"Yeah, if I’m precise about it."

"Good, Derrick, I need barriers to create a safe corridor, once we reach the civilian we’re extracting fast, no heroics."

They adjusted formation, moved toward the nest carefully, the number of goblins increased, the simulation ramping up difficulty.

A goblin got past Rin’s guard, went for Tayo, Derrick threw up a barrier just in time, the creature bounced off.

"Thanks!" Tayo blasted it.

"No problem!"

They reached the nest area, found the "civilian," actually a holographic projection of a person, but they had to treat it as real.

"I’ve got them," Rin said, positioning himself between the civilian and the goblins. "Derrick, barrier around us, Tayo, clear our path to the exit."

Tayo unleashed a barrage of sound blasts, knocked down six goblins at once, Derrick created a barrier corridor, they started moving.

More goblins poured in, the simulation wasn’t holding back, Rin had to fight while protecting the civilian, couldn’t use his full power without risking the projection.

A goblin broke through, got inside the barrier, went straight for the civilian.

Rin intercepted, his fracture energy blast vaporized it, but another was right behind.

"Derrick, close the gap!"

The barrier sealed, they kept moving, fighting through wave after wave.

Finally they reached the exit, the civilian secured, mission complete.

The simulation faded, warehouse disappearing, they were back in the plain chamber.

Instructor Yuki was reviewing her tablet, expression neutral. "Candidate Matsuda, walk me through your decision-making during the civilian rescue."

"The civilian became the priority, we adapted formation to protect them, used barriers to create safe corridor, extracted efficiently while maintaining defensive posture."

"Why didn’t you clear all hostiles before extracting?"

"Because more kept spawning, attempting full clear would’ve taken too long, increased risk to the civilian, extraction was the safer tactical choice."

Yuki made notes. "Candidate Okonkwo, your assessment of team leader’s performance?"

"Solid, clear communication, adapted to changes, prioritized objectives appropriately," Tayo said.

"Candidate Vos?"

"Yeah, same, he kept us alive, got the job done, no complaints." Derrick looked relieved it was over.

Yuki closed her tablet. "Candidate Matsuda, your performance was acceptable, you demonstrated tactical flexibility, clear communication, and appropriate risk management, however you showed hesitation during the initial goblin engagement, that hesitation could have cost lives in a real scenario."

"Understood."

"Candidate Okonkwo, your ranged support was effective but you need to work on positioning, there were moments where you had poor sight lines, couldn’t provide cover fire when needed."

"Yes ma’am."

"Candidate Vos, your barrier generation was good but you waited for orders too often, in combat you need to react instantly, don’t wait for permission to save someone’s life."

"Got it."

She pulled up final results. "Overall team performance: Pass, all three candidates have successfully completed the D-rank assessment, your promotions will be processed within twenty-four hours, congratulations."

They left the chamber, Derrick was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Holy shit we passed, that was intense, I thought for sure we were gonna fail when that civilian showed up, but you handled it perfect man." He high-fived Rin. "D-rank baby, we made it!"

Tina was waiting outside, she’d already finished her assessment. "You pass?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Barely, my team leader panicked when complications started, almost got us killed, I had to freeze half the warehouse to save our asses, evaluator was not happy." She grinned though. "But a pass is a pass, we’re D-rank now."

"Drinks to celebrate?" Derrick suggested. "There’s this place in Klein Windhoek that does good burgers, cheap beer, perfect for broke Hunters."

"I’m down," Tina said immediately.

Tayo looked at Rin. "You coming?"

Rin thought about Volker’s message, about Reva’s warning, about the confrontation waiting.

But the assessment was done, he had a few hours before that meeting, might as well decompress with people who weren’t trying to kill him.

"Yeah, let’s go."

They caught a taxi to the burger place, ordered food and drinks, the atmosphere was relaxed, celebratory, first time in weeks Rin felt almost normal.

"So portal guy," Derrick said, already on his second beer. "Is it true you can actually close dungeon gates with your hands?"

"It’s more complicated than that."

"But you did do it though, everyone saw it on TV, you just walked up to that A-rank gate and closed it, that’s wild."

"It was E-rank when I closed it, got reclassified after the fact."

"Still though, nobody else can do that, you’re like, uniquely useful, Association must love you."

"They have complicated feelings about me."

Tina laughed. "Complicated meaning they’re scared of you, I heard through the grapevine you’ve got special monitoring, extra evaluations, all that paranoid oversight shit."

"Where’d you hear that?"

"Dude, everyone talks, Association isn’t exactly discrete about who they consider anomalous." She sipped her drink. "But hey, at least you’re interesting, most E-ranks are boring, generic elemental manipulation, enhanced strength, basic shit, you actually have unique capability."

"Being unique just makes you a target," Tayo said.

"Being boring makes you forgettable, I’d rather be a target than irrelevant." Tina leaned back. "Like, what’s the point of having powers if you’re not gonna do something crazy with them, we literally hunt monsters for a living, might as well embrace the chaos."

"That’s a concerning philosophy," Rin said.

"It’s a fun philosophy, you should try it sometime, you’re way too serious, always worrying about protocols and proper procedures." She pointed at him with a fry. "Live a little, do something stupid, make bad decisions, that’s what being in your twenties is for."

Derrick raised his glass. "To making bad decisions!"

They all drank to that, the conversation shifted to lighter topics, arguing about which abilities were most useful, debating whether goblins were actually intelligent or just operated on instinct, discussing the worst dungeon smells they’d encountered.

"Slimes," Tina said definitively. "Nothing smells worse than decomposing slime, it’s like rotten eggs mixed with expired milk."

"Nah, rotting goblin is worse," Derrick countered. "They’re omnivores so their decay is extra nasty."

"You’re both wrong," Tayo said. "Worst smell is corrupted dungeon air, that weird chemical stench that makes your eyes water, encountered it once during a recon mission, nearly threw up."

They looked at Rin.

"I don’t know, haven’t smelled enough dungeon horror to have an informed opinion."

"Give it time, you’ll develop a ranked list eventually, all Hunters do." Tina checked her phone. "Oh shit, there’s a party tonight, someone from the licensing exam is celebrating making C-rank, you guys want to go?"

"Can’t," Rin said. "Got something I need to handle."

"Association business or personal business?"

"Both."

"Cryptic, I like it." She stood up. "Well I’m going, Derrick?"

"Yeah sure, sounds fun."

Tayo stayed seated. "I should probably head home, got some things to research."

They split up, Rin and Tayo caught a taxi together.

"You’re really going to confront Volker?" Tayo asked quietly.

"Going to give the evidence to Reva, let her handle the confrontation, I’m just there for testimony."

"Be careful, people who kill Hunters don’t usually stop at one."

"I know."

They arrived at Rin’s place, Tayo headed to his own apartment, Rin went inside, checked his messages.

One from Reva: "My office, 1600 hours, be prepared to present everything you have."

One from Volker: "1700 hours, my office, Level 8 Research Wing, do not be late."

So Reva first, then Volker, proper chain of command, by the time Rin met with Volker, Reva would already have the evidence, would be preparing her investigation.

Volker couldn’t touch him without exposing himself.

Probably.

Rin showered, changed into clean clothes, reviewed the files one more time, made sure everything was organized, presentable, undeniable.

At 1545 he headed to headquarters, took the elevator to Reva’s floor, found her office.

She was waiting with two other officials, Rin didn’t recognize them, both looked serious.

"Mr. Matsuda," Reva said. "These are Investigators Han and Osei, they specialize in internal affairs, whatever evidence you have, present it to them, they’ll determine if it warrants formal investigation."

Rin pulled out his phone, transferred all the files Kira had given him, communications logs, access records, technical specifications, everything.

Investigator Han reviewed them on her tablet, her expression getting progressively darker.

"These show Director Volker accessing classified files without authorization, manipulating raid schedules, communicating with unknown parties about Hunter elimination." She looked at Reva. "If these are authentic, this is grounds for immediate suspension pending investigation."

"Can you verify authenticity?" Reva asked.

"We can, but it’ll take time, encryption signatures can be checked, metadata can be traced, probably twenty-four to forty-eight hours for full verification."

"We don’t have that long," Rin said. "Volker knows someone’s investigating him, he’s covering his tracks, every hour we wait he destroys more evidence."

Investigator Osei spoke up. "Do you have physical proof, anything beyond digital files, witnesses, recorded conversations, anything that can’t be erased?"

"No, just what the investigator provided."

"Then we need to move carefully, if we confront Volker without ironclad evidence he’ll claim it’s fabricated, use his position to shut down the investigation, we need to be certain before making accusations."

Reva looked at Rin. "Volker requested a meeting with you at 1700 hours, correct?"

"Yeah."

"Don’t go, if he’s guilty and knows you have evidence, that meeting is a trap, if he’s innocent it’s still not safe, either way you’re exposed." She checked her watch. "Stay here, we’ll initiate preliminary investigation, bring Volker in for questioning under the pretense of routine security review."

"What if he runs?"

"He won’t, running would confirm guilt, he’ll deny everything, claim the evidence is falsified, try to outlast the investigation." Reva stood up. "Investigators, begin verification protocols, I want preliminary results by tonight, full analysis by tomorrow morning."

They left, took the files with them, left Rin standing in the office.

"You did the right thing bringing this to us," Reva said. "Leo’s death wasn’t your fault, but ensuring his killer faces justice, that’s something you can control."

"What happens if the evidence checks out?"

"Then Volker is arrested, charged, tried, and hopefully convicted, his research division gets shut down, his projects get reviewed, anyone involved faces consequences." She walked to the window. "But understand, this will create chaos, Volker has allies, supporters, people who benefit from his work, they’ll fight to protect him."

"I don’t care about politics."

"You should, politics determines whether justice actually happens or gets buried under bureaucracy." She turned to face him. "Go home, stay safe, let us handle this, if we need testimony we’ll contact you."

Rin left her office, took the elevator down, his phone immediately buzzed.

Message from Volker: "You failed to attend our meeting. Disappointing. Consequences will be severe. You’ve made a powerful enemy, Mr. Matsuda."

Then another message: "Your pink-haired friend is quite close to her father. Would be unfortunate if Senator Castellanos learned about her involvement in your investigation. I hear he’s very protective."

Rin’s blood went cold, Volker was threatening Joy, using her father as leverage.

He called her immediately.

"Hey, what’s up?" Joy answered, sounding relaxed.

"Where are you?"

"Home, why, you sound stressed."

"Stay there, lock your doors, don’t let anyone in." Rin was already moving toward the exit. "Volker’s making threats, he mentioned your dad, might try something."

"Rin, calm down, my dad has security, Volker can’t just—"

"He killed Leo, killed multiple Hunters, had them eliminated without consequence, you think he’ll hesitate to threaten a senator’s daughter?" Rin caught a taxi. "I’m coming over, just stay inside until I get there."

"Okay, okay, I’m locking up now, hurry though, you’re scaring me."

The taxi couldn’t move fast enough through Windhoek traffic, every red light felt like an eternity.

Finally they reached Joy’s apartment complex, Rin threw money at the driver, ran inside.

He knocked on her door. "It’s me."

She opened it, looked fine, unharmed.

"See, I’m okay, you’re being paranoid." But she let him in anyway.

"Volker sent a message threatening you through your father, he knows you’re involved in the investigation."

"So what, he reports me to my dad, my dad gets mad, I tell him to deal with it, that’s not exactly life-threatening."

"Unless Volker convinces your dad that I’m dangerous, that you’re in danger being around me, senators have resources, can make problems disappear, including problematic Hunters."

Joy’s expression shifted. "You think my dad would, what, have you arrested? Eliminated?"

"I think your dad is scared of awakened, thinks they need control, if Volker presents evidence that I’m destabilizing you, turning you against the Association, your dad might act."

"That’s, that’s insane, my dad wouldn’t—" She stopped, thought about it. "Okay, maybe he would, but that’s a problem for tomorrow, right now we’re safe."

Rin’s phone buzzed again.

Message from unknown number: "Well played, bringing evidence to Reva. But you made one mistake. You assumed I work alone. - Volker"

Then his phone started ringing, number listed as "Deputy Director Reva."

He answered. "Hello?"

It wasn’t Reva’s voice.

"Mr. Matsuda, this is Investigator Han, I’m afraid there’s been an incident."

His stomach dropped. "What happened?"

"Deputy Director Reva has been attacked, currently in medical, condition is critical, the evidence you provided was seized during the attack, we’ve initiated lockdown protocols but the perpetrators escaped."

"Volker."

"We don’t know yet, investigation is ongoing, but you need to come in immediately, you’re a key witness, possibly a target."

"I’m on my way."

He hung up, looked at Joy whose face had gone pale.

"Reva was attacked, the evidence is gone, Volker’s making his move."

"We need to leave, get out of the city, go somewhere safe."

"Running makes us look guilty, proves we can’t be trusted." Rin thought fast. "We go to headquarters, stay in public, surrounded by Hunters, harder for Volker to act against us there."

They grabbed essentials, headed out together.

The leash was breaking.

Not by choice, not by plan, but by force.

And Rin wasn’t ready.

But ready or not, war was here.