Return Of The SSS-Class Hunter

They watched as Derek made attempt after attempt, improving every single time with terrifying consistency.

The instructor gave him another pill.

"Alright, one last run for today. Let's see how far you can go."

Derek nodded. He felt mentally exhausted, but physically, he was fully restored. He tightened the bells, tightened the blindfold, and stepped up.

"Ready?" the instructor asked.

"Yes."

"Go!"

Derek exploded forward. This time, everything felt clear. Every sound, every vibration in the air, every shift in temperature.... he sensed them before the traps activated.

A log swung.

He brushed past it without a scratch.

Knives shot up.

He danced between them effortlessly.

Whip-like vines attacked.

He slipped past them as if he could see.

Spike tiles erupted.

He leapt over them flawlessly.

He dodged everything.

Almost everything...

The bells rang only twice.

Once, a dart barely grazed his sleeve.

Another time, a rock scraped his ankle.

But aside from that…

He reached the finish line without a single injury.

When he pulled off the blindfold and turned...

Everyone was frozen.

The instructor's mouth hung open as if he had just witnessed a fish that climbed out of the water and started walking around.

The four students looked like their souls had left their bodies hours ago.

None of them had practiced at all during the entire class.

They simply stared at Derek — this terrifying anomaly who had trained through hell repeatedly and walked out smiling.

The instructor finally found his voice.

"Class is over for today."

But his voice cracked so badly that even he didn't believe his own words.

Derek just stretched his arms and rubbed the back of his neck lightly.

"Not bad," he murmured. "But I still need more practice."

Everyone's jaws dropped even lower.

After that, Derek left the training chamber in a happy mood. Although he had been frustrated at the beginning, by the time class ended, he was elated. Third phase or not, he knew what he had achieved. Dodging those traps while blindfolded was on a completely different level, and he knew it would definitely help him in the future.

He then walked to the dining hall. He was unusually early today; no one else had arrived yet.

Because of his performance, the instructor had dismissed class quite early.

But since the food had already been served, Derek took a seat and immediately began devouring everything. For some reason, he felt unusually hungry today.

It didn't take long for the other students to arrive as well.

While he was busy eating, he suddenly heard a voice. "Look at you, Derek. You're eating like you've been starving for days."

It was Eva.

Derek lifted his head and smiled, his mouth still full. "Hey." He somehow managed to say the word while chewing.

Eva sat across from him. "How's your day going? Are you facing any problems?" she asked, grabbing a plate and taking some food for herself.

"Nope. Everything's been fine."

"I hope it really is," she said softly. "And don't think I don't know about how you got abducted. Your orientation may be over, but I'm still your guide. So if you ever need help, you can come to me anytime, you know that, right?"

"Yes. And I'll definitely ask for help if I ever need it."

"Good." Eva smiled and continued eating happily.

Soon after, Art and Henry arrived and joined them.

"Hello, Senior Eva," Art greeted.

"How have you been, Senior Eva?" Henry asked as he sat down.

"I'm good. I hope you two are doing well, too."

Eva was also Derek's senior, but she had permitted — more like insisted — that he address her simply as "Eva."

"Hey Derek, did you find anyone else willing to join our team?" Henry suddenly asked while filling his plate.

"Ye.." Derek began, but Eva's voice cut him off.

"What team?"

"We're going to take part in the half-yearly Ranker's Test," Art said enthusiastically.

"Really? If you have a vacant spot, I'd like to join."

"You will? You know it's dangerous, right?" Art asked, puzzled.

"Of course I know. But you're only joining for training purposes, right? So I can join too. After all, if you first-years dare to participate, why won't I?"

"That's great then! We just need one more member," Henry said.

"Yeah," Art added. "But by the way… we're not just participating to train. We're aiming for the top three positions."

Eva had just lifted her glass and touched it to her lips when she heard that. The moment Art's words sank in, she spat the entire drink out.

"You're what?!" She could barely believe her ears. "Are you guys insane or just stupid?"

Henry chuckled. "That's exactly the reaction I was expecting."

Meanwhile, Eva turned toward Derek with a stern gaze. "You do know how dangerous it is, right?" she asked the same question she herself had faced a few moments earlier.

"Yes," Derek replied nonchalantly, still eating as if it were nothing.

"And you're still willing to aim for the top three? If it were any other test or competition, it wouldn't be a problem. But just having that thought in your mind during this exam could drag you straight to your grave."

"Well, the academy wouldn't offer cultivation treasures if it were that easy," Derek said with a resolute expression. "Dangerous or not, we're definitely going to try for the top three."

Eva let out a long sigh. "Why am I even bothering to explain things to you…"

Memories of giving Derek his academy tour flashed through her mind. 'Maybe he really can do it,' she thought. 'I just hope he isn't overestimating himself too much.'

"But," she continued after a moment of thought, "I would still like to join your team, if that's possible." She had finally made up her mind.

"Are you sure?" Derek asked.

"Yep."

"Great. In that case… I think we can start our group training soon."

"How?" Henry asked, puzzled. "We still need one more member."

"Nope. Senior Emma will be joining too."

"What?!"