Under the sunset, Shoji and Ryo had a casual stroll together, while heading to the testing site as they intended to.
"Hey Sho... Y'know you should tell your parents about this, and the fact you were hospitalized for a week straight."
"Oh right... I even skipped college..."
"Right? Why didn't they call you anyways?"
"Ryo, they did call. I just... I don't know If I can tell them the truth or not."
"I guess I get it... Your mom always got scared you might get hurt even in the least dangerous moment."
"She loves me, that's why. Even though it did feel overwhelming at times..."
"Yeah~ she also really cared for me back then. So what do you think? Should we visit them first?"
"I... want to be evaluated first."
"You're such a wimp! Fine! Let's get going then."
A few minutes passed by, and they arrived at one of the Hunter Guild. Ryo guided Shoji through the basic procedure until he was separated from her by the Evaluation Officer.
"I'll be waiting out here, Sho!" They exchanged waves as they parted ways.
Following the Officer, Shoji walked past a well-secured gate that led to a sphere inside.
"That thing is the Mana-detecting sphere. It will determine your current Rank. Remember, the highest you can get is C-Rank. Further promotions will depend on your performances and your contributions, of course." The Officer walked Shoji through the secluded path to the sphere.
"Understood..."
Wait... is there where I place my hand on the sphere and break it just like those overpowered characters? - Shoji walked casually, but he couldn't hide his visible excitement.
"Sir, please step here and hold your hand onto the sphere for ten seconds." The Officer stepped to the side.
Standing before the sphere, Shoji gently hold the sphere with his right hand. The sphere then glowed a pure gold beam, intensely - Shit! This is it! Let's go baby!
After around ten seconds, Shoji stepped back and immediately gazed at the Officer, waiting for his answer.
"Hmm... Congrats sir! You are now an E-rank."
"Oh... Thanks..." Shoji now looked like he just got hit by a truck. Devastated.
"Mr. Shoji, you are also required to sign this Agreement." The Official then pulled out a scroll that seemed to be imbued with magic. "By signing this, you are agreeing to not harm any Hunter in the following three months. If you broke the contract, it would automatically lock you up using the 'Chained' spell that was imbued in it."
"H-huh? I didn't hear about anything like this? What about self-defense?"
"Sorry for the inconvenience, sir. Lately, all the Anomalies that were caught were all evaluated to be E-rank... And this is the current method we're having due to the sudden rise of them."
What? They're all E-rank? This doesn't feel right...
Despite being deep in thoughts, Shoji opened the scroll and just signed reluctantly. After waiting for the Officer to be done with his registration, he again was met with another question.
"So, Mr. Shoji. What Class did you pick? You're also required to show enough proof for us to finish registering you." The Officer had his arms crossed, and an eyebrow raised.
Right... Anomalies don't have the same skills as the System Hunters... Except for one class.
"It's Monk"
"..."
"I'm good to go, right? New Monks don't actually have skill so..."
"Yeah... Whatever... I'm not paid enough for this anyways." The Officer then completed the last step after typing his Class out. "Congrats one more time Mr. Shoji, you're now officially a Hunter. Please return to the lobby for now."
Nice!
On his way out, Shoji couldn't help but question himself - There's so much going on...The Anomalies being E-ranks? Why? Maybe they possess different type of mana? Man...
Just as he got to the lobby, Ryo took no time to notice him and just jumped at him, giving him a big hug.
"Hey! How was it, Sho!?"
"Well, It wasn't like what I imagined... But I'm an E-rank now."
"Oh... You must have been feeling so down huh?"
"But y'know... I feel like I can make this work just fine." Shoji said firmly.
"Oh! That's my Shoji! Let's get wasted tonight then! My treat!"
"Ryo... About that... Maybe another time? I just have something to do today..."
"Fine! Just leave me like that!" Ryo gave him the side-eye.
"Oh come on~ Just this one time! I really need to go home today!"
"Okay... By the way, you might have to buy new stuff for your room, y'know? They're all... gone so..."
"Oh... Right... Ryo, I'll be home later then. I'll bring dinner, alright?"
"H-huh? What's with the sudden change..."
"I'll be back~ okay?" He placed his hands on her shoulders, then proceeded to rush away to the door, leaving Ryo there dumbfounded. "See you!"
As he started running, he picked his phone up and noticed a text from Ryo - "At least buy fried chicken, the old spot"
Sorry Ryo, you might have to wait for a while...