Youngest

A black, high-end sedan with the Lurius family crest emblazoned on its doors pulled up in front of the Hunter Association headquarters. It was a vehicle far more expensive than anything usually seen in the area, and all the hunters loitering outside immediately stopped what they were doing to stare.

The driver's side door opened and a man in a crisp black suit stepped out, quickly moving to open the rear passenger door. He and another man, who exited from the other side, were clearly her escorts. They both possessed the calm, dangerous air of high-ranking hunters.

A single, slender leg encased in pristine white combat gear emerged from the car, followed by its owner. A young woman of sixteen, with long, silver hair tied back in an elaborate braid, stood up. She was Nora Lurius, the last born child of Alric Lurius and the family's youngest prodigy.

'Tch. Look at them all gawking. Like fish in a dirty pond. This is why I hate leaving the estate. The air quality in the city is simply terrible.'

She took a moment to adjust the cuff of her perfectly white glove, her eyes sweeping over the crowd of hunters with utter disinterest.

One of her escorts bowed his head slightly. "My lady, we are here."

"I can see that. Now, clear a path. I do not wish to be delayed by this rabble. Father expects me to achieve the highest score in today's registration assessment, and I will not be late."

"Of course, my lady."

The two D-3 rank hunters moved forward, their presence alone enough to make the other hunters part like the sea. Nora walked between them, her chin held high, not even bothering to look at the commoners she passed.

'Today, I will achieve a rank of at least E-8. Perhaps even E-9. That will be a new record for a sixteen-year-old. Then Father will finally see that I am far more promising than any of my older siblings. I will become the true pride of the Lurius name.'

She entered the lobby, which fell silent at her arrival. The contrast with Luthra's visit the day before was stark. Where he had been met with whispers of scorn, she was met with a hush of awe and envy. She walked directly to the front of the line at the main counter, ignoring the people who were already waiting. 

No one dared to protest.

She placed a hand on the counter, her fingers tapping impatiently.

"I am here for my new hunter registration and assessment."

The cashier, a different one from the day before, looked up and her eyes widened when she saw the Lurius crest on the girl's gear.

"Ah! Yes, of course! Right away!"

The cashier fumbled with her terminal, her hands moving with frantic speed. "Name, please?"

"Nora Lurius."

'Honestly, do they not know who I am? How pathetic. The whole world should know the name of the next great Lurius hunter.'

"Everything seems to be in order, Lady Nora. The fees have already been paid by the Lurius estate. Your assessment is scheduled in Training Ground 3. Good luck."

"I do not require luck," she stated flatly. 

She walked down the white-tiled staircase, her two escorts following a respectful distance behind her. 

Training Ground 3 was a large, square room with padded gray walls. A handful of other applicants were already there, milling about awkwardly. There were about ten of them in total.

A tall young man with blonde hair and expensive-looking gear was posturing near the center of the room, while a smaller boy in a simple leather vest looked like he was about to be sick.

Nora swept her gaze over them and made a small sound of disgust. 

'Is this it? This is the pool of talent for today? It is like a collection of rejected prototypes.'

Her escorts stopped at the doorway. "We will wait here, my lady."

"Fine. Just try not to breathe too much of this commoner air."

She strode into the room, her presence immediately causing the other applicants to fall silent and stare. She ignored them all, picking a spot by the far wall and standing with her arms crossed, radiating an aura that clearly said 'do not approach me'.

A few minutes later, the door opened again. Luthra walked in. He was wearing the same cheap clothes from the day before. He glanced around the room, his eyes briefly passing over Nora, and then found an empty corner for himself. 

He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

The blonde-haired noble sneered in his direction. "Look what the cat dragged in. Did you get lost on your way to the kitchens, peasant?"

Luthra did not open his eyes. He did not respond.

'Ah, a classic template noble #1. How boring. I am just going to conserve my energy.'

His eyes briefly flickered towards the young woman who stood apart from the others, radiating an air of superiority. He recognized her immediately.

'So, Nora is here too. She's really grown up, huh. Sixteen now, I think? But it looks like she still has that same stuck-up attitude as always. Some things never change, I guess.'

He let out a small sigh and closed his eyes again.

'Whatever. Just gotta get through this assessment.'

A few minutes passed in silence before the door at the front of the room slid open with a hiss. A man with a tired expression and a clipboard walked in. He wore the standard uniform of an Association instructor.

He scanned the group of applicants with a bored look. "Alright, listen up. I am your examiner for today, my name is Hannes. We are going to make this quick and simple. I have a lunch meeting I do not want to be late for."

He tapped his pen against the clipboard. "The assessment is divided into three parts. First, the strength measurement. Second, the speed measurement. Third, the mana output test. Your final rank will be an average of your performance across all three. We will start in that order. Any questions?"

No one said anything.

"Good. I like a quiet group. Let us begin."

Hannes walked over to a large, metallic machine in the corner that looked like a high-tech punching bag. "This is a mana-infused strength gauge. Punch it. The number it displays is your score. Simple enough. You, blonde hair, you seem eager. You are first."

The noble boy who had insulted Luthra earlier puffed out his chest and swaggered forward. "Hmph. Prepare to be amazed. My name is Varian of the House of Astel, and my strength is renowned."

'House of who? Never heard of them.' Luthra thought, still leaning against the wall.

Varian took a deep breath. A faint yellow aura flared around his fist. He shouted, "Haaaah!" and punched the machine.

BAM!

The machine shuddered and a number flashed on its digital screen: [482].

Varian looked at the number with a proud smirk. "Hah! A score of 482! That is nearly E-1 rank strength!"

Hannes just wrote the number down on his clipboard without a change in his expression. "Acceptable. Next."

One by one, the other applicants went up to punch the machine. The scores were mostly mediocre.

[155] 

[210] 

[98]

The small boy who looked nervous earlier only managed a score of 98. He walked back to his spot with his head down.

Then, Hannes called out, "Nora Lurius."

Nora walked forward with an air of complete confidence. She did not bother with a wind-up or a shout. A brilliant, dense silver aura enveloped her fist, far more potent than Varian's. She struck the machine with a clean, precise motion.

CRACK!

The number that appeared on the screen was so high it made the other applicants gasp.

[1,154]

Varian's jaw dropped. "One thousand... that's... that's E-7 rank power! Already!"

Nora just glanced at the number with a flicker of satisfaction before turning away, as if the result was completely expected.

Hannes, for the first time, showed a hint of interest. He made a note on his clipboard. "Very impressive. As expected from a Lurius."

He then looked down his list. "Last one. Luthra."

Nora, who had been standing with an air of complete indifference, suddenly went rigid.

'Luthra? That name… wait. It can't be. My brother?'

She focused on the man in cheap clothes for the first time, her eyes tracing his outline. He was taller than she remembered, but there was no mistaking him.

'It is him! What the hell is he doing here? He has no mana circle! And those clothes… he looks like a common beggar. This is so embarrassing for the family.'

The blonde noble, Varian, let out a loud scoff.

"Hah! This peasant? I bet he can't even get a score of 50. This is going to be hilarious to watch."

Luthra paid him no mind and walked up to the large strength-testing machine. He did not take a special stance or gather any energy. He just stood there, looking at the punching pad.

Hannes tapped his pen against his clipboard, his patience clearly wearing thin.

"Well? Get on with it. I have a lunch meeting."

'How troublesome. I just have to punch it, right?'

He pulled his arm back and threw a simple, almost lazy-looking punch. It looked completely ordinary, without an ounce of power behind it. His fist connected with the machine with a soft, unremarkable thud.

For a single, silent moment, nothing happened.

Then, the entire metal chassis of the machine let out a low, tortured groan. Thin cracks began to spiderweb across its surface, originating from the point of impact. The digital screen above the pad flickered wildly, displaying a chaotic jumble of corrupted symbols before it went completely dark with a sad little puff of black smoke.

The machine was dead.

The room was completely silent.

"Wha- What the hell?!" Varian shouted, pointing a shaky finger. "He broke it! That's cheating! He must have used some kind of illegal device! That's impossible!"

Nora stared, her mind racing.

'He… broke it? Without any visible mana reinforcement? How did he do that? That punch had no force behind it. It makes absolutely no sense.'

Hannes walked over and gave the dead machine a swift kick. It just rattled pathetically.

"Great. Just great. That's the third one this month. You have any idea how much paperwork this is going to be?"

He scribbled something on his clipboard with an annoyed flourish.

"Since the machine is broken, I can't give you a score. So I'll just put down an error. Congratulations, your score is zero."

'What the hell? That has to count for something. Dammit, I held back a lot too.'