Earlier at the Hunters' Guild — Zone 47
In a room on the second floor, a rectangular table made of rustic oak displays a darker tone than usual for that wood. Around it, three men and three women covered by a black cloak are seated and looking at some papers in their hands.
Then a seventh member appears. A man covered by a cloak equal to the others, but his displays a darker gray tone. He sits at the end of the table and removes the hood, revealing hair as gray as his cloak and an eyepatch made of leather on the left side. Then he begins to speak.
"Since we are all here, let us begin. You first, Miriane." His voice echoes soft and serene.
"Good afternoon, Master Apis!" First she meets his black gaze while he returns a subtle nod, then returns to the two sheets on the table. "This year I have two nominations to be part of the guild internship program. The first is a young man named Lonobliqua, he presents an above-average performance in subjects in general, and a great knowledge about poisons. This is due to his parents who are already intermediate-level hunters."
"Who are they?" Miguel, Sarah's school teacher, is also there. He asks while looking at her light brown hair.
"Lanata and Dirphia."
"Those two actually stayed together?" Miguel lets the words slip.
"Indeed, they are very good with poison and traps." Apis speaks while looking at some details on the table in front of him. "Approved."
"The second is named Kandai." Before she can continue, she is interrupted.
"Is that not Jaziel's son?" Apis asks her.
"Yes, him." Miriane answers already placing one paper over the other and letting her gaze get lost on the wood of the table in front.
"So the son of the leader of the strongest clan has finally grown." A man named Stuquer, sitting beside Miriane, joins the conversation.
"You are mistaken, the strongest clan is called Golden Gorgons." A woman named Miuri, who is sitting on the other side of Miriane, points out in a louder tone while closing her fist in front of her face.
"You know very well that the Northern Griffins are the greatest." Stuquer even turns in his chair toward her already with a more serious expression, his long blonde hair swaying along.
Miuri also turns toward him already casting her almond-shaped gaze sharply. Miriane even leans over the table trying to get out of the crossfire.
"Please calm down!" Apis sees no alternative but to intervene with a slightly louder voice. "We all know that the Valley Anhangás are at the top."
This statement of his starts a heated discussion even among those who were just observing. Apis smiles in a disguised way while listening to each one overlapping the other in their reasons to say that their clans are the best.
Miguel and Miriane look at each other and smile in silence.
After a few minutes, everyone is calmer and the meeting continues. Other members speak and reveal their nominations, all of them are boys.
"Miguel, I see that you have three papers, it is very rare for your school to have more than one nomination." Apis even lifts his head a bit to see if he can read any of the names, but Miguel places the sheets upright and stacked to frustrate him.
"This year is an exception, but I assure you that they are more than qualified." Miguel begins to speak while observing from the corner of his eye Apis relax his shoulders and let out the air. "The first is named Sebastian, he is the student with the second best grades in physical aptitudes and combat, whether with firearms or melee weapons." He pauses and sighs a bit, then continues. "His father was one of the hunters who disappeared in the Desert of Creation... According to the report of a survivor, they were captured by the androids."
At that moment everyone's gaze becomes low and distant, some even bite their own teeth.
"A strong motivation and exemplary grades. He is promising. Approved!" Apis extends his hand to take Miguel's sheet and take a closer look, then joins it with the others that are stacked in front of him.
"The second is a girl..." At that moment, everyone's gaze turns to him attentively. "...her name is Iris." The hairs on Apis's arm even stand up upon hearing this name, but the one who dares to speak is a man sitting beside him named Travis.
"Is she really going to follow this path..." Travis scratches the back of his neck, drowning his fingers among the short black strands while whispering to himself.
"Are you sure about this nomination?" Apis speaks with a more serious look while staring at Miguel. "We all know where this will end."
"I oppose this nomination!" Miriane even stands up while also staring at Miguel seriously. "She will die for sure!"
Miguel takes a deep breath and looks deep into her eyes.
"You are right to be concerned, certainly that girl will one day want to enter the abyss dungeon. But until she has permission for that, she will have to climb a lot in the guild, until then, I myself will be responsible for observing her and training her to the extent that concerns me." He finishes speaking seeing Miriane sit back down already a bit calmer.
"Even so, in that place there is only death..." She lets the words out into the air almost like whispers.
"Not to mention that she probably went through an awakening that day. She presents the third best overall grade in physical aptitude, and a vast mastery of the most varied short and medium range weapons. And already knows how to prepare many baits using plants." He resumes his speech looking at Apis.
"I happened to meet them a few times, they were a very united family, the father and mother were good collectors and sold excellent flowers." The last of the members at the table, a woman named Loris who is sitting beside Miguel, speaks with a low voice and looking at some details on the table in front of her. "She was always with them smiling and playing." Her dark gray hair falls forward and partially covers her face, but her blue eyes still stand out. "When I heard about that tragedy, I hoped she would follow the same path as her parents..."
"If she is indeed an awakened through trauma, the chances that she will level up in the guild in record time are quite high, not to mention that it has been some years since we have had a new female in the guild. She can become an example for the new generations of girls." Apis explains his thoughts with a distant gaze directed at the ceiling, then sees Miguel extend her paper to him through his peripheral vision. After taking a look he continues. "These grades are really good. Approved."
Everyone's gaze becomes more neutral after all this conversation.
"And lastly, another girl." Again Miguel draws everyone's attention. "But this is a peculiar case, she did not sign any of the fields."
He lets out the air and smiles slightly, somehow making the atmosphere of the room even lighter. Apis's eyes even open a bit more than usual.
"Her name is Sarah, she has the best grades in physical aptitudes. With firearms, her accuracy score exceeds seventy percent. With melee weapons her performance is below average. But she stands out at a level I have never seen before in hand-to-hand combat, I would say she is even capable of taking down an adult depending on the situation. Not to mention her observation abilities which are well above average." Miguel even gets lost in thought while extending his hand to deliver her sheet.
"This really is a very rare case here. It is even possible to state that she is the most promising I have seen in all these years as a Hunter." Apis cannot even take his eyes off the paper while speaking. "Unfortunately I cannot approve someone who did not even choose us." He smiles while reading what she wrote. "But if she changes her mind, the doors of the guild will always be open to those who want to become one of us."
"May I make a suggestion?" Miguel lets the words out toward him.
"Feel free!"
"Next week, we will have a practical test of our subject there at the school, and here at the guild some Neophyte evaluations will take place, I would like those names that I indicated, plus two other promising ones, to be able to watch from a distance some of these evaluations." Miguel explains his thoughts still looking directly at Apis.
"If I am not mistaken, that was how you entered the guild, right?" Apis asks Miriane.
"Yes, I was undecided, but after watching one of those evaluations I ended up deciding to join the guild." Miriane answers him with a neutral and still thoughtful look.
"Very well! Nothing more fair than you accompanying them, may it be?" Apis asks her and also looks at Miguel.
"For me, it is fine, she is the most capable among us for that." Miguel answers while observing the handle of her sword on the back of the chair, a reddish crystal stands out slightly.
"All right, that way I also take the opportunity to take a closer look at Iris. But I am already warning. If I think she is not qualified, I will file a request to remove her name from the program." Miriane leaves her words in the air while already getting up. Along with her, the others also stand up.
"Well! We end our meeting here. I will pass on the names and situations to the central. I hope everything goes well, the guild is in need of new blood more than ever." Apis is the first to leave the room after his speech. In silence, the others leave one by one.
A few hours later, in a smaller room still in the guild, Apis is holding a cellphone while speaking.
"Boss, I want to make a recommendation for our clan." He stays silent while listening for a few seconds and then continues. "I know we are not accepting anyone at the moment, but she is the daughter of that couple who died in the Abyss Dungeon." He listens again and continues. "There is a possibility that she is an awakened, it would be a great acquisition for our clan, not to mention that it was already in the plans to explore that dungeon anyway." More silence while he casts a distant look again at the paper. "Okay, I will keep you informed about her progress. Thank you very much and good night."