Bo City's eastern district woke up under a grey sky.
The rain from the night before had left shallow puddles along the cracked pavement, each one reflecting the electric lines above like messy star maps. Outside the Hunter Union substation, a crowd of young faces gathered, most of them still in school uniforms, some wearing borrowed armor that did not quite fit.
On the far edge, Mo Fan leaned against a lamppost with his backpack slung over one shoulder, pretending he was relaxed.
His right hand, though, kept flexing at his side. Lightning wanted to move.
A few days of accelerated cultivation and secret gifts had taken root. The seven Lightning stars formed smoother than ever. The orbit appeared whenever he wished. Novice level two was solid now, something most teachers would not believe even if he showed them.
He was very careful not to show them.
The Hunter examiner stepped out of the substation, his beard stiff with dried smoke, his eyes scanning the group with the casual sharpness of someone who had watched many young mages come and go.
"City Demon Hunting Apprentice assessment," he said. "If you are here just to show off, leave. We do not pick bodies. We pick people who will come back alive and bring others with them."
No one moved.
The man snorted. "Good. Follow me."
The group walked.
They passed through the checkpoint, across a short bridge, and out toward the low scrub hills east of Bo City where Minion level monsters liked to test the city's defenses. In the distance, the outer barrier shimmered like thin glass.
Farther back, keeping to the trees, Xu Mang walked silently with the Frost Star Wolf at his heel. The wolf stepped so lightly its paws left only the faintest frost on the leaves.
He did not wear a Hunter badge. He had not signed up.
He was here to watch.
Lu Jun had wanted to come along, but Lu Mei dragged him to a family obligation, saying bluntly that an Apprentice exam was "not a playground." Xu Mang had smiled and left without arguing.
Now he watched Mo Fan's back.
He wanted to see how Bo City's future hero looked before his first real kill.
The examiner stopped near a shallow valley where the trees thinned and the grass grew uneven. Strange mounds dotted the ground, as if something had pushed up from below.
"Giant-eyed ratts," the man said. "Standard Minion level. This stretch of valley keeps getting reinfected. Today you will clean a portion of it under supervision. One squad per nest. You will be graded on cooperation, time, and ability to avoid getting eaten."
Nervous laughter broke the tension, then faded when the man did not smile.
He pointed and crews were assigned.
Mo Fan ended up with three strangers about his age. One timid Water girl, one Earth boy with a shaved head, one Fire mage who looked like he wanted to fight everybody at once.
"Name?" the Fire mage asked, giving Mo Fan a sideways look.
"Fan Mo," he replied.
"Chen Hao," the Fire mage said. "You handle backup. I will take point."
Mo Fan smiled. "Sure."
He had no intention of showing his Fire. Lightning was for when it mattered.
The examiner marked their target nest.
"Remember," he said, his voice carrying across the valley. "Even Lesser Minions can kill you if you are careless. A Standard Minion nest has thirty to fifty. You are Novice mages. Treat this seriously."
Xu Mang stood on a low ridge, watching the valley from the side.
He marked the nests with his eyes, checking mana signatures.
Lesser Minions in that nest.
Standard Minions in that one.
One small cluster with an Evolving Minion aura, near the back.
The Hunter station had chosen the area carefully. It was just dangerous enough.
Mo Fan's squad approached a mid-sized mound.
The ground under them vibrated faintly.
"Here we go," Mo Fan murmured.
The first rat boiled out of the ground in a blur of damp fur and teeth. Its neck extended unnaturally, eyes flashing crimson. A level one Novice might have panicked.
Mo Fan simply stepped back.
"Fire Shield," Chen Hao shouted, raising his hands.
A thin layer of flame burst upward, forcing the rat back. Two more emerged from side tunnels. The Water girl cast a clumsy Water Curtain that barely held.
"Earth Wall!" the shaved Earth mage called, pulling up a chunk of soil.
The nest shook more aggressively. Minions multiplied every second.
Mo Fan watched the rhythm.
Counting.
"Heh."
He stepped forward, Lightning forming lazily. He could have used fire and burned them in one breath, but this was Hunter work. Not a stage.
"Kill," he whispered.
A fan of Lightning swept outward.
Lesser Minions screamed and turned to charcoal. The front line crumpled, giving the others room to cast properly. Chen Hao's eyes widened as his own flames looked weak next to Mo Fan's casually thrown spell.
"Nice," Chen Hao muttered, half impressed, half competitive. "Do not hog them all."
The fight settled into a pattern.
Minion monsters rushed.
Earth raised barriers.
Water slowed them.
Fire tore open gaps.
Xu Mang nodded to himself.
Mo Fan's timing was good. His battle sense was natural. Not polished yet, but alive.
The Frost Star Wolf shifted beside Xu Mang, eager to jump in.
"Not today," Xu Mang said softly. "He has to do this himself."
The wolf huffed frost but stayed.
One nest after another fell.
Squads struggled, shouted, won, retreated. Some were pushed to the edge, saved only by the examiner's interference. Others managed clean kills through discipline and luck.
Mo Fan's group finished their assigned nest early.
The ground quieted.
The examiner strode back to the center of the valley and raised a hand.
"Enough. Today's assessment is over. Apprenticeship offers will be posted tomorrow. If you were bitten, report to the station medic. If you feel something crawling under your skin, definitely report to the medic."
A few awkward laughs.
Mo Fan swung his backpack on and wiped soot from his sleeve. His eyes were bright.
He liked this.
He liked this a lot.
The messy terrain, the smell of burned monster, the attention of his teammates, the feeling of his fire stars and lightning stars humming together in his chest.
Real combat suited him.
He walked back toward the city with the group, still chatting.
On the ridge, Xu Mang turned away.
He could already see the lines: Mo Fan joining the Hunters, learning to fight, earning a reputation long before the rest of the school realized who he really was.
That was good.
Bo City needed a Mo Fan who had seen blood before the disaster.
But today's valley was also a reminder.
Those were only Minion level creatures.
Back in the sewers, the Evolving Warrior had nearly killed him and Wolfie.
Xu Mang knelt and touched the wolf's head.
"Last night was a lesson," he said quietly. "This was another."
The Frost Star Wolf licked his knuckles, icy tongue leaving a faint numbness.
Xu Mang stood and looked toward the northern forests, where the barrier shimmered faintly.
Somewhere out there, Commander nests were growing.
Monarchs were watching.
Farther away, Emperors ruled seas and mountains.
He was still a Novice.
Lightning at level two.
Summoning at level two.
Wolfie at the very peak of servant class, but not yet a true Warrior.
Not enough.
He exhaled.
"We keep moving," he said.
The wind tugged at his jacket as the Frost Star Wolf trotted beside him.
In the city behind them, Mo Fan laughed loudly with his temporary teammates, completely unaware that this was only the first step in a road that would end with Bo City burning and the sky filled with demons.
And this time, Xu Mang thought,
we will be there before the fire starts.