Anderson, the Guild Leader

67

The receptionist couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. She adjusted her glasses just to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

She looked at the girl standing before her two-star hunters were rare assets for any guild, and guilds often fought fiercely to recruit them.

And now, she was supposed to believe that a two-star hunter was right in front of her, here to take the admission exam alongside one-star and even lower-ranked hunters?

She picked up the information form and glanced over the details Tiffany had provided. Tiffany Weber. The name sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had heard it before.

The people around Tiffany were staring at her as if she were a celebrity. The receptionist had never seen anyone like her taking an admission test if she had known this would happen, she might have behaved differently.

"Damn it, how could a two-star show up right when I decided to take the exam? How am I supposed to stand out now?"

A young man nearby, surrounded by other hunters, spoke dramatically, leaning his body and pressing his hand to his forehead as if he were about to faint.

"Brother, don't worry! Being number two is almost as good as being number one. Even if you're a star level below that girl, you're still the best here," another hunter said, massaging the young man's shoulder encouragingly.

Tiffany hadn't paid attention before, but now that the receptionist seemed to be making a call, she finally took the time to observe the other hunters who, like her, were waiting for their turn to take the admission exam.

There were two separate groups she assumed that the larger crowd consisted of hunters with no star level, while the smaller group of about five must have been one-star hunters.

Now she understood the commotion she was causing.

"It seems the Galax Aiz Guild is on the rise. I heard they recruited a two-star hunter just last week, and now another one. Looks like I made the right choice coming here," said a brown-haired girl to her friend beside her.

"Why are you talking like you're already an official guild member? We haven't even passed the exam yet," the other girl replied, her tone mildly scolding.

"With my talent, do you really think the Galax Aiz Guild wouldn't want me? I'm a treasure that'll make the guild shine."

"Looks like your humility only got worse after awakening as a hunter, huh?" her friend said with a hint of sarcasm. The first girl merely shrugged in response and turned her gaze toward Tiffany, who was being directed into a special room.

"If you're so amazing, why aren't you being sent to the special room like that two-star girl?" the hunter who had been lamenting earlier interrupted their conversation.

"Hmph," the girl huffed in response, her eyes still following Tiffany as if trying to remember where she had seen her before.

"Hey, Cláudia, doesn't that girl look kind of familiar to you? I feel like I've seen her somewhere before," she said, turning to her friend and ignoring the male hunter entirely.

"What a joke, are you saying you know someone with two stars?" The hunter laughed in the girl's face, implying she was making it up.

***

"Sir, someone with three stars has appeared!"

A secretary burst into the guild master's office, panting.

"I already told you to knock before coming in!" Anderson, the master of the Galax Aiz Guild, said, rubbing his forehead.

"Sorry, Guild Master," the secretary apologized, tossing a stack of documents onto his desk.

"Why are you so agitated? What happened? You said someone with two stars appeared? Explain this properly," Anderson turned his large frame toward her, now giving his full attention.

"There's a two-star hunter who wants to join our guild," the secretary said, her eyes sparkling.

"And who might this hunter be?" Anderson grabbed the file that listed the candidates applying for admission to his guild.

"Tiffany Weber," the secretary said, her tone carrying a hint of unease.

"Weber? Why would someone from that family want to join my guild?"

Anderson examined Tiffany's information, his eyes narrowing as he looked back at his secretary.

"I don't know either, Guild Master… Could she be a spy sent by Blue Spirit?" The secretary voiced the thought that had been bothering her ever since she learned that someone from Blue Spirit was applying for admission to their guild.

"Perhaps, but it's unlikely that's the case. I don't believe they would send someone so openly for this purpose, not to mention that it's the daughter of the leader of Blue Spirit. My old enemy would never do something like that,"

Anderson said, an image of a fierce man flashing through his mind as he reflected for a moment. The secretary hesitated, unsure whether to interrupt him.

"As if the sanction from the Hunters' Association wasn't enough, now I have to deal with the daughter of that man," he muttered.

"What should we do, Guild Leader? Should we send her away?" the secretary probed, giving Anderson an inquisitive look.

"Why send her away? If she wants to join my guild, then let her. When her father returns to the country, I'll pay Blue Spirit a personal visit and settle some old scores,"

Anderson's aura intensified, making the secretary shiver slightly.

"And what about the sanction imposed by the Hunters' Association?" Anderson asked, picking up another document the secretary had presented.

"The teams responsible for the dungeon disruption have already been handed over to the Association, but still, their demands have not stopped there,"

The secretary paused, gauging Anderson's expression before continuing.

"The Association will send a team to monitor our activities inside and outside the dungeons. All our operations will be overseen by their agents, and they will take 10% of our revenue as a form of tax."

A frown formed on the Guild Master's forehead, his fist threatening to smash the desk, but he restrained himself.

"The Hunters' Association is far too greedy. Who said they had the right to demand so much just because my guild caused a dungeon disruption?"

Seeing the anger of her guild leader, the secretary continued.

"The Association claims that 1% of the guild's revenue will be the tax on Hunter activities, and 9% will be allocated to the victims affected by the dungeon disruption."

"I am astounded by the hypocrisy of the Hunters' Association. How is it that 9% goes to the victims? My guild has already compensated the entire district! If they plan to steal our revenue, why invent such a blatant lie?"

The Guild Master spoke furiously, while the secretary merely rolled her eyes.

"Now I regret being a patriot. If I had accepted the proposal from the United States of America, I would never have had to endure this. And yet they still wonder why strong Hunters are migrating to other countries,"

Anderson said, lamenting.

"Guild Leader, the Association has sent three Hunters to supervise our guild's operations, all of them two-star,"

the secretary said, handing another pamphlet to the Guild Master.

"They're sending the Saint of the Sword?" Anderson frowned before passing to another pamphlet.

"John Venhorst? He's from the governor's family?"

The secretary shook her head and replied promptly.

"No, it isn't, Venhorst and not Venhorste." The secretary corrected him.

The Guild Leader's eyes widened for a moment as he looked at the last pamphlet in his hand.

"Alex Wellny, isn't that him?"

"Yes, it's him the hunter's son," the secretary said, nodding affirmatively.

"Interesting," Anderson said, a broad smile forming on his face.

The image of an extraordinary man whom Anderson had once both feared and deeply admired came to his mind.

"Master, why would the Hunters' Association be sending the professor's son to our guild?"

"I don't know what's going on in the general's head, but if this boy represents even 1% of what his father once was, it means changes are coming." Anderson stood up and walked to the window, contemplating a beautiful view.

His secretary followed; she couldn't tell whether her guild master was lost in thought or simply admiring the scenery.

"Bianca, I want you to take care of everything I'll be away for a few days. Let Alexandra handle the Weber girl and the Hunters' Association."

The Guild Leader's voice turned deep and very commanding.

"Guild Leader, where are you going and how long will you be gone?" the secretary asked, worried; whenever her master left like this he returned wounded and there was never any way to make him change his mind.

"I'm going to hunt some scum; these damned undead dared to mess with my guild, and I won't let it go unpunished," Anderson said, clenching his fists.

"How do you intend to find them? Even the Hunters' Association, a government agency, failed to locate them."

"I have my own methods. Just because others can't do it doesn't mean I will fail in my quest."

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