The days after lunch training passed in a blur of sweat, bruises, and laughter. AK and his companions—Hazzy, Ash, Phaphy, Aisha, with Ajay guiding them and Maya pushing them to their limits—had fallen into a cycle. Train, rest, eat, collapse, repeat. For three straight days it continued, a rhythm of exhaustion and growth.
By the fourth morning, when they stepped into the towering Hunter Guild headquarters once again, Ash was the first to notice something unusual.
Near the reception desk stood three girls. Two were pretty enough to catch anyone's eye, but the third… she shone brighter than the rest. Her beauty was on a different level entirely. Her posture, her poise, her aura—it was enough to make half the lobby glance at her twice.
Ash's feet froze. Then, without a word to his group, he started walking straight toward her.
"Oi, oi, oi—where are you going, idiot?" Hazzy called, eyebrows jumping.
Ash didn't answer.
