Tabaki leaned over to Iwaizumi, whispering like he'd just uncovered fate itself.
"You hear that, Iwa? If this isn't a sign we're meant to chase our dreams, I don't know what is."
Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow.
"You mean my dream of being a hunter?"
Tabaki's grin widened. He was practically drooling.
"You want to be a hunter I've got plans of my own."
Iwaizumi side-eyed him.
"You're thinking about Lady Justice again, aren't you? You perv."
As Kenta and Samira continued discussing guild matters, the boys drifted into their own whispered world.
Tabaki leaned in again.
"You wanna enter a dungeon. I wanna see Lady Justice. It's a win-win."
Iwaizumi frowned.
"Did you even listen to Samira? She only needs Gabriel to complete her team. They're way out of our league."
Tabaki shook his head, serious for once.
"No, idiot we're applying for the camera crew position."
Iwaizumi stared at him.
"You do realize dungeons are dangerous, right?"
Tabaki nodded quickly.
"Exactly. That's why we join as camera crew get better protection, we're not on the frontlines, and we can observe everything from behind the scenes. We build reputation, get good shots, and who knows? Maybe we move up the ranks and actually meet Prime… and Lady Justice."
Iwaizumi folded his arms.
"Are you insane? We have zero experience. We don't even know how those advanced dungeon cameras work! How are we supposed to pass the exam?"
Tabaki's confidence wavered. He scratched his head.
"Yeah… true. We're kinda clueless. If only we knew someone who could actually pass the test."
Gin, who had been quietly listening, let out a small chuckle.
His mouth curled into a half-smile.
"I overheard your little plan… I'm in."
Both boys turned to him, stunned.
"Wait Gin, sir? How can you help?"
Then Iwaizumi's eyes lit up. It clicked.
He snapped his fingers.
"Right! I remember now! Sir Gin, you had a personal interest in cameras"
But Iwaizumi's excitement wavered. Doubt crept into his voice.
"Wait… this isn't just filming on a phone or some casual vlog stuff. These are advanced, combat-grade rigs"
Before he could spiral deeper into uncertainty, Gin cut in smoothly, without missing a beat.
"Real-time battlefield stabilization. Mana interference shielding. Super zoom, 1-to-64 range. And the new-gen models? They run on Blue Tiger processors."
Iwaizumi and Tabaki froze.
"Whoa…" they muttered in unison.
Gin gave a slow, confident nod. Calm. Precise.
"Spent all seven years in K-Pen working on camera systems. Took every mock exam I could find at the library. Built a simple prototype from scratch."
He leaned back slightly, a small smirk on his lips.
"So yeah if anyone's ready for that exam, it's me. I just never knew where they held it."
Tabaki and Iwaizumi exchanged wide-eyed glances.
This… this might actually work.
Out of nowhere, Tabaki, who was sitting closest to Samira, suddenly shot up and shouted:
"Look no further, Samira! Your camera crew is right here!"
Everyone froze.
Kenta, Jiro, Samira, and even her guards turned with confused stares.
Samira raised an eyebrow, half-curious, half-skeptical.
"You guys?" she asked, smirking, but her voice hinted at doubt.
"Do you even know anything about dungeon-grade camera tech?"
There was a flicker of hope in her tone but she didn't want to get ahead of herself.
Tabaki, with a wide grin, pointed to himself and Iwaizumi.
"Nope. Not a clue."
Her smile immediately dropped.
"Then why would you say that? Don't raise my hopes like that!" she snapped, almost pouting.
Tabaki didn't miss a beat.
"Because Sir Gin does."
Samira blinked, turning her attention sharply to Gin.
"Wait you? You know about dungeon camera rigs?"
Gin scratched the back of his head, offering a sheepish grin.
"I do, actually. Though… not on the newest models. And, uh I've never filmed inside an actual dungeon before."
Her face lit up instantly.
"That doesn't matter!" she said, spinning to face her guards, brimming with excitement.
"Finally. At least there's a chance."
Samira grinned at Gin, practically glowing.
"All we need to do now is get you through the certification exam and I'll handle the rest."
She began pacing, murmuring rapid calculations in barely decipherable gibberish a habit everyone quickly realized meant serious planning mode.
Then she turned her head sharply, and faced the one person who could make all of it happen faster.
"Mr. Kenta…"
All heads swiveled toward him even Jiro straightened up.
Kenta blinked.
"Huh? Why's everyone looking at me like I'm about to announce the end of the world?"
He chuckled nervously.
Samira stepped forward.
"All I need is your permission for us to be partners. And to know the cost of the paperwork. That's it."
Before Kenta could respond, Iwaizumi jumped in:
"Just curious, but… how much is the recommission fee? I've got 30,000 hunts saved up it's not a lot, but it's something, right?"
Tabaki's jaw dropped.
"Thirty… THOUSAND?! You've been sitting on that much and still made me split fried fish with you last week!?"
He looked moments away from tackling him.
"You mooched my lunch for two weeks straight! I thought you were broke, you stingy traitor!"
Iwaizumi shrugged innocently.
"Hey. I was saving that to get license for F rank visitation."
Laughter rippled through the group, even the guards cracking faint smiles.
Kenta folded his arms, eyes dropping to his fingers as he began lightly tapping one against the other, thinking.
Jiro leaned in and murmured, just loud enough for the group to hear:
"Kenta… you always said you wanted to keep the guild going. For your son's memory. Maybe this is it. Think about the offer."
Kenta didn't respond at first. His eyes drifted to Samira, to Gin, then to the rest of the misfit crew.
He exhaled, slow and steady.
The moment was weighing on him.
Kenta didn't respond at first.
His eyes drifted across the group Samira, Gin, the two rowdy boys, and even his old friend Jiro.
He exhaled, slow and steady.
The weight of the moment settled on his shoulders.
Finally, he spoke.
"Alright... let's give it a try. But fair warning the recommissioning fee isn't cheap. We're talking at least 50 million hunts."
The group went dead silent.
Everyone except one person.
"Just 50 million hunts?" Samira said, casually brushing imaginary dust off her cloak.
Tabaki's face twisted.
"Excuse me just? Just how rich are you?"
He looked like he was trying to mentally process her bank balance.
Samira giggled, waving him off.
"What? Hahaha"
One of her guards quickly leaned in, whispering, "My lady, perhaps you shouldn't"
"Oh, it's fine." She flashed a mischievous grin.
"Let's just say… ridiculously."