Arriving at the orphanage, Lev made his way to Oriana’s office. He walked inside with confident strides and took a chair. Oriana just observed his antics with an amused smile.

“You seem happy,” Oriana raised a brow.

“Of course, my shock and awe tactics worked wonderfully,” Lev replied cheerily. Oriana’s face fell flat at that. She stared at him long enough to make him slightly nervous.

“What did you do?” She asked with a bit of steel in her voice. Lev explained how the day had passed without anything interesting of note. When he finished explaining the ambush during the night, she sighed in relief.

“Sorry, you made it sound like you might have messed around with others in the test to show off.” She explained herself, making Lev roll his eyes.

“Have some faith in your little brother,” he muttered.

Oriana smiled brightly at that, walked up to him, and grabbed him in a hug. “Congratulations. If even half of what you said is true, then getting bronze should be easy. Let’s go meet the rest of your team. Tomorrow, we will announce this to everyone in the orphanage and hold a celebration party.”

****

There was nothing alcoholic at the party, so Lev and his friends slept soundly. Waking up completely fresh, they waited for Oriana. She showed up not ten minutes later, wearing simple clothing that covered her arms and legs completely. Looking no less amazing despite the modest clothing, she led them to her office.

“Not a single child has ever walked out of my orphanage without something to help them along with their life. You guys will be no exception.” With that, she put up four boxes on the table. She had kept them under the table as a surprise.

Kayla’s box looked very much like it contained a wand, which she opened to find that there was indeed a wand inside. It was mostly green, formed with multiple different metals. Very small runes were visible on its surface, too obscured for Lev to make heads or tails of.

Amelia’s box had a pair of bracers inside. She immediately checked how they interacted with her class skills and found them able to store heat that she could use at will. The bracers reached their limit rather quickly but could hold enough heat to let her use her enhancement for a few more minutes at low intensity.

Jack’s box looked suspiciously like a hammer. Opening it, he found a silver hammer with flat ends on both sides. With Identification, he found that it had an enchantment to enhance the blunt force delivered through the weapon. The weapon itself was long, giving him enough reach to contend with a longsword user easily. The shaft made up most of the length, thick enough that Lev would barely completely wrap his hand around it. Jack’s large hands had no problem accomplishing that.

Lev’s box was long like Kayla’s, which he opened to find a pair of short swords and a simple message. It read,

‘Congratulations Lev

-Alec’

Eagerly grabbing the shortswords, his face fell when he realized that they were slightly hollow, with only empty space in place of its sharp edge. Prodding the swords, he found a channel. Guessing its use, he formed a small tendril-shaped barrier through it. After a moment, the channel ended where it had started, forming a fully closed loop. Realizing the purpose of the swords, he expanded the barrier. It grew to imitate the curved edge of the sword. With a mental command, the barrier started to spin like a chainsaw, creating a short sword that fully utilized his skills.

Laughing at the discovery, he further cemented his resolve to enhance his movement by manipulating his armor. It could be moved like normal barriers, after all.

Stopping his Giddy testing, Lev noticed that everyone was staring at him oddly. Clearing his throat, he tried to change the subject. “What does your wand do, Kayla?”

She beamed at him. “It reduces the cost of spells cast through it by up to 25%, depending on how long it has been allowed to gather mana.”

That… was pretty good, Lev decided. He looked at Oriana, who was observing them with a smile. Amelia addressed him before he could say anything.

“What exactly do your swords do?” Amelia questioned, looking at his now hollow swords. Instead of answering, Lev flourished a single sword and brought it in front of her. Sending a barrier tendril inside, he grew it until the edges were filled out. Realization dawned on her face, and before she could say anything, Lev spun the edge at full power.

Moving away from everyone else, he swung it a few times. The sword produced a crisp whistling sound, cutting cleanly through the air. It was also easier to move around compared to a normal sword. The barrier parted the air and decreased resistance.

“That's a mighty gift for an apprentice. You must’ve left a great impression on him to create something like this for you,” Oriana remarked.

“He can smith swords?” Lev asked in surprise.

Oriana shook her head. “No, but he can design them.”

The gifts proved to be a great distraction from the dreadful moment waiting for them. Testing out their gifts for a few moments, they left for the Hunters Guild. This time, they all followed Oriana to the clerks. Instead of talking to them, she motioned for Lev to take the lead.

Lev didn’t let his nervousness show and walked up to the clerk with confident steps. “Hey, where can we see the results for the last recruitment exam?”

The lady behind the counter replied in a professional tone. “We have the results with us. Please give me your names so I can check.”

“Lev, Jack, Kayla, and Amelia.”

The clerk looked at the result papers before her eyes widened slightly in surprise. “You and your team are immediately given bronze rank and will be eligible for iron rank as soon as you hit level 75.”

She then went inside and brought four badges with her. “These will be your identification badges. Please send a bit of mana inside them to bind them to you.” The badge was made of bronze, with a bow and arrow etched on its surface. Lev wasn’t sure if the material was going to match a hunter’s rank because that would get very expensive for the guild.

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When they did so, they looked back to find Oriana missing. Less than a minute later, she came back accompanied by an imposing man with dark brown skin. He was even taller than Jack, nearly two meters in height, but didn't sport massive muscles. That only served to make him lithe and even more imposing.

“Greetings, greetings. I am Hakim, the Guildmaster of Whitefall’s Hunter Guild.” His voice was deep and carried weight beyond just the sound. The clerk bowed her head to show respect. Lev identified him.

[Warrior]

The Guildmaster saw the confusion on his face and guessed that Lev had identified him. “Blocking Stones are very useful when you don't want to publicly announce your level.” He winked at Lev.

For a moment, Lev was scared Hakim had noticed his Identify before realizing he must’ve read Lev’s expression. Oriana had reassured him that humans couldn't feel the skill being used on them, and so far, none of the monsters had been reported to be able to do so, either.

“I came down here to clear some confusion you must be having. The special treatment is not to curry any favors, as someone suspected,” He glanced at Oriana and smiled. His smile widened even further when Oriana rolled her eyes. By now, everyone in the hall was observing them.

“It is a reward for your own efforts. All of you were fully approved for immediate bronze rank by the examiners. A few even spoke highly of your team. Especially you.” He looked at Lev. Oriana gave him a look at that.

“Thank you for your kind words, but it was a group effort that allowed me to succeed.” Lev bowed his head slightly in gratitude.

“Hah! Humility in a hunter, that is rare.” Hakim boomed a laugh. “Personally, I’m also curious about your abilities. Barrier mages are vanishingly rare outside of crafters.” He had a twinkle in his eyes that resonated with Lev. He formed a simple barrier and floated it in front of the Guildmaster.

The Guildmaster observed the barrier closely, flicking it with a finger. The barrier moved back a bit. Flicking it harder, the result was the same. He took a stance and punched it dead center. The barrier cracked at that. The excitement in Guildmaster’s eyes dimmed.

Realizing what he wanted, Lev formed another barrier. This one was bigger and much more robust than the previous one.

With a smile, he motioned Lev to move it where no one would be present behind it. Taking a stance, he punched it much harder than before. The barrier was once again hit in the center and flew back at high speeds before Lev got it back under control.

The barrier was undamaged.

He’s controlling his strength and putting on a show. Why?

The Guildmaster laughed and took a stance again. Lev obliged, bringing the barrier back in front of him. The following punch almost moved too fast for Lev to track and hit it in the center for the third time. The barrier shot backward with a shockwave before slamming into the wall.

Despite being riddled with cracks, it was still whole.

“Interesting! Very interesting. That is one fine class you have, young man. I’ve heard that they are also extremely sharp. Care to demonstrate that?” The Guildmaster looked giddy, too excited for a simple demonstration in Lev’s opinion.

At Lev’s assent, a clerk bought out four different wooden dummies. Each of them looked more resilient than the last. The Guildmaster motioned for him to go ahead.

Forming a large barrier, he sharpened its edges, commanding it to spin at full speed. Lev launched it at the weakest dummy. The barrier cleanly bisected it at the waist. The second dummy also met the same fate. For the third dummy, Lev formed a smaller barrier and pushed his skills to the limit. Making it as sharp as possible, Lev aimed it at the dummy’s neck. It cleaved through with only a hint of difficulty. Doing the same for the fourth dummy, Lev watched as the barrier slammed into its neck with a loud crack, using all of its forward momentum and centrifugal force in an instant, followed by the sound of the wooden head hitting the floor.

“Marvelous! Well done, Lev. Can I call you Lev?” The Guildmaster asked him, continuing at his nod. “Those dummies cover training for most of the Bronze rank. You managed to behead the Level 50 adjacent one at the end. Albeit barely, it is still impressive, considering you are still in the Copper rank level range. Does anyone here think Lev does not deserve the Bronze rank despite his level?”

Ah, that was also his goal all along.

A few people looked jealous. None of them tried to create a scene, though. Lev considered it a fair trade for showing his abilities publicly. He knew from experience that such matters could escalate very quickly.

“Welcome to the Hunters Guild, kids. I expect greatness from each of you.” With a grand thumbs up, Guildmaster Hakim blurred back to his office. The crowd dispersed, and people went back to their business.

Lev, Jack, Kayla, Amelia, and the clerk looked at each other before the four of them burst out laughing. Even the clerk cracked a smile.

“Well, that happened.” Lev mused once he calmed down.

“So, Mr. Bigshot. How are your barriers so durable?” Amelia asked while poking him in the ribs.

Dodging the deadly attacks, Lev hastily replied. “They aren't. The Guildmaster held back considerably and made the last punch look much stronger. In reality, it was not much stronger than the one before it. He slowed his fist at the last moment. There’s no way my barriers would’ve survived a punch of that caliber.”

Satisfied with the answer, she stopped her barrage. They all looked toward Oriana about what they were doing next, but she just shook her head.

“You are Bronze-ranked hunters now. Congratulations. You have graduated from the Orphanage. With your rank, there are many inns available for you to stay in and get a discount.” She said with a sad yet proud smile.

All of them knew this was coming, but it still felt like a punch in the gut. They just stood there, looking at her. She moved toward them, giving them all a tight hug one by one. She handed Lev a small pouch.

“Visit me whenever you get the chance, okay? All of you.”

They all nodded dumbly, and before long, they were left by themselves at the Hunters Guild.