Yan P.O.V.

Traveling had never been easier. With planes and helicopters freely roaming the vastness of the sky, all we lacked was teleportation. We just had to wait for that, as the bright minds were working on it.

After wasting almost half a year with my recovery, it was finally time for me to report to my superior. That's why I was granted the privilege of being escorted by three men with a chopper, even though my rank was low. My boss was afraid it would take me forever to see him.

Truth be told, I had a bad feeling about meeting him.

Not being able to rely on the limited resources given to me by the main family, I had to make do with what my own family had. And boy, that was far from enough for me. Because I didn't just want to be a local celebrity like my father; I wanted more. I wanted to be free.

And to achieve my dreams, I had to find a strong enough backer who could provide techniques and materials to nourish me. So, I ended up working for the ECAD (Exorcism Criminal Activity Division). These were the actual law enforcement guys dealing with the exorcist scourges poisoning the world. From the crimes of the exorcists, to theft and corruption, ECAD dealt with it all.

When I joined them three years ago, ECAD had a massive manpower problem. Big enough for them to accept a weakling like me. Theoretically, I was working for the big guys; technically, I was just doing reconnaissance, infiltration, and information gathering work. However, as I knew I had to do something for a backer to notice me, I took more of the dangerous and messed-up missions that no one wanted. That paid off, as someone finally saw potential in me and decided to keep me close. That someone was my boss, Parco Melina.

I didn't earn my current position with fighting abilities, but with my acting and info gathering skills. Because, only after taking me under his wing did Mr. Melina realize what a gem he had picked. That being said, I became indebted to him. And I'm speaking about hundreds of thousands.

Meeting Mateo in Spain wasn't a coincidence; ECAD did everything in their power for us to become teammates for a mission. And I did everything in my power to make myself liked and accepted. Don't get me wrong; Mateo was a good guy. His father, not so much. I was supposed to befriend the son to get to the father. That mission had the potential to earn me a lot of credit, and I could pay a considerable part of my debt with the money reward.

Big opportunities like that mission don't come every day, but fate decided to ruin my plans. Mateo died, and I got an unwanted vacation to the recovery center. To add the cherry on top, I missed my academy entrance exam, so now I had to be one of the sore losers that managed to transfer there. No remarkable teacher takes pupils from the transfer students, as they all pick the best after the entrance exam.

Ehhh, I'll have to do something about that later. Now, I have to face my boss and apologize for allowing the target to die on my watch. I don't usually kneel, but today I think I'll make an exception.

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Omniscient P.O.V

Yan stretched his body the second he got out of the car, the hot air outside making him want to reenter the vehicle.

Why the fuck did I choose to look somber with a black t-shirt on this suffocating day? Yan asked himself.

"Let's go inside, Mr. Melina is waiting for you," said the man coming to take Yan and Silver.

Yan nodded and followed.

"Couldn't they build the field offices in a tree or something?" Yan asked Silver after seeing the air distorted by the heat reflecting off the building.

"That wouldn't impose any respect, would it?" Silver replied.

Yan imagined the law enforcement exorcists coming out of a tree and laughed.

"No, but that would be funny," he said.

Entering the building, a refreshing breeze awakened Yan's senses. Passing by the stern-looking man at the reception, they were guided towards the elevator. The exorcist escorting them pressed the lowest button marked with a B.

"Is Mr. Melina upset for some reason?" Yan asked, feeling the elevator descending.

"No idea." The exorcist shrugged his shoulders.

"Silver, I might need a new set of clothes. Make sure they're white," Yan said.

Silver raised an eyebrow.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"If I'm called below, it means I'm in for a beating," Yan replied.

"Your clothes are already prepared, Mr. Rain." The exorcist couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Really?" Yan asked with an innocent expression. "So thoughtful of you," he said, returning to his usual demeanor.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. The exorcist motioned for Yan and Silver to step out as his task was to accompany them this far.

"Mr. Melina is waiting for you at training ground 1."

"Thank you," Yan said, entering the white hallway.

Two vending machines guarded the hallway, offering free drinks and snacks for the tired exorcists. Beyond them, there was a corridor on each side of the walls, leading to the showers. A woman came from the one on the left. White shirt, black skirt, heels. She was arranging her hair while carrying a sports bag.

"Hi!" Yan greeted, passing by.

"Hi!" the woman responded, continuing her walk to the elevator.

"What do you think?" Silver asked with a smile.

"Cute," Yan replied, leading the way to the door bearing the number one at the end of the hallway.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Opening the door, a massive, dimly lit room welcomed the two. Standing in the middle was a shirtless man, his body no smaller than Silver's. Yan approached in silence, while Silver remained at the door, making a short bow in the man's direction. They knew each other; Mr. Melina was the one who made it possible for Silver to walk at the side of his Master. Otherwise, he would have been dead the moment he entered society.

"Boss," Yan said, arriving before Melina. He knelt before sitting in seiza, hands resting on his knees, looking down.

"I've read the reports," Melina said in his usual deep voice. "You're not at fault. Get up."

Yan nodded.

"How is your current condition?"

"Fully recovered," Yan said.

"Really?" Melina asked, smiling mischievously.

Hand forming a claw, he slashed upward, sweeping Yan off the ground, making him airborne. A piece of Yan's t-shirt remained between his fingers.

Staggering after landing, Yan grunted in pain, holding his stomach.

"Boss, you're Rank A. Are you trying to kill me?"

"Complaints?" thundered Melina.

"Where?" Yan asked, looking around with a curious expression.

"What have you done while recovering? Have you not absorbed SE? If you spent six months without doing anything to improve, you can forget about ever showing yourself before me."

"Rules," Yan shouted, becoming serious as he didn't like what he heard.

"No weapons of any kind, no runes. Just SE and physical strength. Let me test your physique before departing to China," Melina explained.

"Roger that."

Yan removed his torn t-shirt and put down the exorcist pendant before taking his stance. Eyes locked on his opponent, he warmed up his shoulders, every muscle coiling like a spring.

"Come at me, boy!" Melina instructed.

Listening to his command, Yan poured SE into his legs and ran to close the distance. He jumped high, body bending, and threw a kick at the head of his adversary. Melina blocked without a problem, aiming to catch the leg. But Yan never placed his full force into the kick from the beginning, aware that this might happen. Quickly retracting his foot, with the remaining air in his lungs, he breathed out fire.

Waving his hand, Melina created an air current that scattered the flames and sent Yan further away.

Yan landed on his toes, reflexively moving for his pistols, but there weren't any. Closing the distance again, he tried a low kick. Melina didn't bother with that; the gap between their strength was too large for him to actually need to block it. He stepped forward with the other foot, and a punch flew in Yan's direction.

Accustomed to Melina's way of fighting, Yan blocked with his palm and bent to the side, evading the fist. Like a compressed piston, a left uppercut threatened to cave in his chest if received. But back on his two feet, Yan sent an impulse through his toes, propelling himself back.

This time, Melina no longer remained in place but advanced after his opponent.

"I'm not gonna use my full strength. Fight me, don't be afraid," he advised.

Without another choice, Yan stopped retreating. A clawed hand flew past his head as Yan bent down. Infusing his right hand with SE, Yan sent a hook.

Blocked by his adversary.

Right then, Melina retaliated in the same manner, with a right hook. Yan twisted his torso, narrowly avoiding the blow, and countered with a knee strike. But Melina stepped to the side with his back foot, avoiding the attack.

Yan evaded a swift jab by rotating his body and immediately sent a spinning kick in retaliation. That caught Melina unprepared, and he received the strike with his chest, being pushed back.

"Good, good," Melina praised before closing the distance.

Yan was assaulted by a series of rapid punches. But hiding behind his guard, he bobbed and weaved, his movements fluid and precise. Then came Melina's elbow, which, even though it landed on his guard, numbed Yan's hand. Yan jumped, using his knees to force his opponent to take a step back. Nevertheless, as he descended, Yan became an easy target for Melina's punch. The punch was aimed at his abdomen. Yan prepared to grab it, stretching his body and extending his leg to kick Melina in the head.

No one was hurt from the exchange, but Yan's leg was grabbed by Melina's hand that appeared to parry the blow. Yan hugged the extended hand of his adversary to avoid falling, and Melina held his leg.

"You think fast," the boss said.

Then, swinging his hand, Melina slammed Yan on the floor before letting go of him. The force of the impact reverberated through Yan's body, forcing the air out of his lungs. Melina gave him time to recover, and when Yan was back up, raising his hands, he attacked with a roundhouse kick.

Yan ducked to evade it, then immediately circulated SE through his toes and lunged at his opponent. Palms opened like wings, he gathered SE.

Tiger's Bite, Yan said the move's name in his mind as it solidly connected.

The strike carried a massive quantity of spiritual energy (SE) and physical power, capable of severely injuring a Rank C exorcist and killing a Rank D by creating internal damage. As the move was designed to insert the destructive force inside the body of the opponent, Melina remained in place. And after shrugging off the chaotic SE from his body, he remained unharmed.

"I think this is enough, right, boss?" Yan asked with a gentle smile, aware and afraid of what would happen if they continued.

"Hmmm," Melina mimicked the gesture, but understanding Yan's intention, his smile had a devilish connotation. "You know you can't escape from that."

"S-Silver, a little help?" Yan tried to find hope in his seneschal.

. . .

"Never stop training in controlling the spiritual energy, no matter how many runes you learn or how fast you can cast them. Energy must always circulate through your meridians, understand?" Melina advised.

"Yes, sir," Yan replied, holding a bag of ice to his ribs. No healing potion for him, it was training. "Glad you didn't hit my face."

"Did you say something?" Melina threatened to throw the water can on his desk.

"I said that I'm grateful for your lesson," Yan replied, making a genuine smile appear on his boss's face.

Hope you never change, boy, Melina thought.

"Have you been home?" he asked.

"You know i had no time," Yan replied. "I'll go home for my brother Blood Cleansing ritual though."

"Yeah, you should do that. I've already told the ECAD in China about you and they will give you a helping hand if needed, but don't expect to receive too many missions. In other words you'll have to find a way to make money, i heard the academy is quite costly."

"Two hundred thousand per year."

"What?" Melina couldn't believe his ears. "And you are still going there? Have you stumbled on a gold mine or something?"

"I don't have to pay for food, accommodation, or training materials, and if i can get in the top ten, i won't have to pay the tuition fee. Originally i planned to get in top ten at the entrance exam, but life had other plans for me."

"I'm sorry, i can't help you with that."

"Hahaha," Yan laughed. "You don't have to worry. I know i still have to pay you about three hundred thousand for the equipment and stuff."

"I never expected a refund," Melina said.

"I know, but that is not a sum that i can afford not to pay it back."

"Let's leave it at that for now. How are you planing to earn so much to pay the academy?"

"You don't have to worry, i will find something," Yan replied. "I'll do what many exorcists do, join a local exploration team or a Union if i have enough luck. If not, i'll just find something else. What i hope you to help me with is to give Silver a recommendation to a decent and trustworthy Union. He's a Rank B and can be accepted anywhere in the world."

"I might be able to do that, but are you sure you want to let him go?"

"He needs to grow on his own and make his own decisions. And for now i need money, so yes."