THE GUILDE

"Son, sit down. We need to talk."

Jean sat on one of the couches while his father took a sip of wine. Then, looking at him coldly, he asked:

— "From what I've heard, you managed to become a hunter. Is that true?"

— "Y-yes, Father. I passed the test, and in three days, I'll start my first training..." Jean replied, trembling with fear.

His father set down his bottle and said:

— "You see, son, in our family, we have always been great warriors. Did you know that your great-great-great-great-grandfather was a great samurai who never knew defeat in his entire life? Your great-great-great-grandfather followed the same path. Your great-grandfather protected Japan until the very end. Your grandfather fought in World War II. Then, he answered the call and went to battle alongside his father during the Demon War."

He paused, then continued:

— "As for me, I fought in 2012 with your brother during the Second Democratic War. That's not nothing, is it?"

— "Yes, Father, I know all that," Jean replied.

His father stood up and declared firmly:

— "All of this should make you understand that a Takahashi knows only two destinies: he dies a hero, or he dies in battle. So don't drag our name through the mud."

He turned on his heels and left. Jean cast a glance at the ancestral Takahashi katana, then stood up and bowed before the weapon.

— "I will make you proud, dear ancestors. I swear it on my life and on the name of our clan."

On Igris' Side

He had gone to a gym where many Slayers came to train. Upon entering, he observed the room, then suddenly stopped.

— "No... I won't be able to stay calm. If all these people see me lifting 150 kilos with ease, it might raise suspicions."

He smirked and thought to himself:

— "Whatever, I'll find a way to train without drawing attention. And I don't want all of humanity to know that I'm a half-demon..."

Igris went home and headed to the basement. He resumed his training once again. He ran for two hours on a treadmill, then worked on his abs. While doing his exercises, he thought:

— "Well, I don't know what the demons we'll face during the internship will look like, so I have to get stronger. It's true that I have immense strength and incredible abilities, but my mark is still pitch black... I have to do everything I can to turn it red and reach Rank D. And once I'm strong enough, I'll exterminate those demons to the last one."

A Few Miles Away…

A few kilometers away, Todoroki was perched on a rooftop, calmly sipping sake while gazing at the surrounding buildings.

He sighed and said:

— "Pff... The more I learn about this kid, the more I want to meet him. First, he kills a demon with his bare hands... Then, he has a mark that supposedly shouldn't appear according to legend... And to top it all off, he got insanely muscular in less than a day."

He smirked and added:

— "This guy... I really have to meet him."

Two Days Later…

While Igris was out jogging, he received a message on his phone. He stopped, looked at the screen, and read:

"Hey, it's Lise. I was wondering if we could meet after your internship, around 7 PM?"

Igris immediately replied:

"Hey, sure, I'll be free afterward. I'll come, but I'll have to be home by 9 PM because I need to train after."

Lise quickly responded:

"Alright, see you at 7 in front of the CNTD building!"

"Okay."

He put his phone back in his pocket and resumed running.

The Next Day, Around 8 AM

Igris arrived in front of the Shadow Slayers Guild building. He spotted Jean and Erica already waiting at the entrance. Approaching them, he asked:

— "Hey, have you been here long?"

— "Yeah, since 7:13 AM, to be exact..." Erica replied, yawning.

— "Then why haven't you gone in yet?" Igris asked, looking at them.

Jean shrugged and pointed at Erica.

— "If it were up to me, I'd already be inside. She's the one who wanted us to wait."

Erica lowered her head and explained:

— "Yeah… I wanted us to go in together since we took the tests at the same time."

Igris thought for a moment, then nodded.

— "Yeah, makes sense. It's cooler, and it'll help us get noticed faster."

Then, walking toward the door, he added:

— "Alright, let's go in, or we'll be late."

With that, they entered the building. Unlike the guilds in role-playing games, the place looked more like a modern corporation. Two or three hunters were scattered around the hall.

Igris remained calm and approached the reception desk. Jean greeted the man behind the counter with a smile:

— "Hello, we're trainee slayers. We're here for the internship."

The man gave them an indifferent look and asked:

— "Give me your cards."

They handed him their cards, which he scanned before returning them.

— "7th floor, left hallway, all the way to the end. You'll find the meeting room."

— "Thank you!" they replied in unison.

They walked toward the elevator and went inside. During the ride up, Erica kept moving restlessly and humming a tune.

Igris, on the other hand, stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. The silence was becoming heavy, so Jean broke it by asking:

— "By the way, Erica, I'd like to know something..."

Erica looked at him, intrigued.

— "Between me and Igris, who would you choose as your boyfriend?"

— "WHAT?!... WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! WHAT KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?!" Erica blurted out, completely flustered.

Still looking at the ceiling, Igris calmly said:

— "She'd obviously choose me since I'm taller than you."

Jean turned to him abruptly:

— "Wait… What did you just say?"

Igris raised an eyebrow and replied mockingly:

— "You heard me loud and clear."

Jean was about to retort, but the elevator doors opened. He sighed and stepped out with the others.

A Sinister Presence…

As Igris and his group entered the room, several Rank E, D, and C slayers were already present.

A Rank C hunter stood at the front, observing them. He smirked and said:

— "Oh… You must be the trainees, I assume?"

— "Yes, we are," Jean replied, resting his hand on the hilt of his katana.

Igris simply stood there, scanning the room.

The guild master pointed to a corner of the room and said:

— "You, sit back there."

They obeyed and took their seats.

But what they didn't know was that, at that very moment, a sand demon had been teleported into the city by accident. He was tall and dressed like someone from a desert region. But what stood out the most were his hands, equipped with two curved blades, his sand-colored skin, and his glowing red eyes peering from behind his turban. A massive horn adorned his forehead.

He looked at the CNTD building before saying as he walked toward it:

— "So this is the famous building..."

He started moving forward with determination and declared:

— "I will succeed, Master Yamaki!"