Leon soon arrived outside the president’s chamber on the second floor.

Standing before the door, he knocked.

Inside, the female president had just finished a call when she heard the knock.

"Come in," she said.

Click!

Leon pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Have a seat." She gestured toward the chairs in front of her desk.

Leon pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I believe the girl who was with you is your sister, correct?"

"Yes."

"You didn’t bring her along?"

"Well, this assessment is getting a bit messy, and I didn’t want her to worry. I took her to the association’s cafeteria and told her to wait there for me."

"That was a wise decision." She leaned back slightly before continuing. "Let me ask you something. Are you from Summitas Valley in the Western Continent?"

"Huh? You mean that mountain region? No. Why?"

"No? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Both of my parents are from Delvan. We didn’t come here from another country, much less another continent. And if I remember correctly, isn’t that place a forbidden zone? Even mountain climbers aren’t allowed to enter it. People actually live there?" Leon asked, visibly puzzled.

The female president fell silent. She simply stared at Leon, as if trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.

After a while, she finally spoke. "Alright. Wait here for a bit. My grandfather is on his way. He is the one who will decide how to finalize your hunter license."

"Sure."

The ticking of the wall clock echoed through the quiet room. The female president returned her attention to the documents on her desk while Leon sat patiently.

Nearly twenty-five minutes later, the chamber door clicked open.

A tall man stepped inside. The moment he entered, an overwhelming aura spread throughout the room. It wasn’t suffocating, but it carried a natural pressure that would make people instinctively want to obey its owner.

Leon turned toward the entrance.

A man dressed in a sharply tailored suit walked in. Even the expensive coat couldn’t conceal the powerful muscles beneath it. He stood at least six feet three inches tall. Strands of white hair hinted at his age, yet there wasn’t a single wrinkle on his face.

’Stanley Cooper,’ Leon thought. ’The strongest S-Class Hunter in all of Delvan. He may have grown old, but I’m certain that even if the other six S-Class Hunters joined forces and attacked him together, Stanley Cooper wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.’

The newcomer, Stanley Cooper, walked toward Leon and extended his hand for a handshake.

"You must be the one Jessica was telling me about. I’m Stanley Cooper."

Leon hurriedly rose to his feet and accepted the handshake. "Sir, it’s an honor to meet you. And, there isn’t a single person in Delvan who doesn’t know your name, sir," Leon said, genuine respect visible in his eyes.

"Hahaha!" Stanley laughed heartily. "You’ve got a sweet tongue, boy. So, I heard you ran into some problems during the assessment."

"Yes, sir."

"Don’t worry about it." He turned toward Jessica. "Go bring the briefcase from my locker."

"Yes, Grandpa."

Jessica walked over to a heavily reinforced metal locker in the corner of the room. She bent slightly and pressed her finger against a small scanner mounted beside the door.

Click.

The locker opened instantly.

She pulled out a large briefcase and carried it back. The entire case was made of metal, clearly designed to protect something extremely valuable. It was large enough to hold two football-sized objects.

Jessica placed it on the desk. Stanley stepped forward and opened it. Two translucent orbs rested inside — one larger and one noticeably smaller.

He picked up the smaller orb first.

"Here." He casually tossed it toward Leon.

Leon’s eyes widened in surprise, but he reacted quickly and caught it before it could hit the ground.

"Channel your energy into it," Stanley instructed.

Leon nodded. ’Here we go again... I’m sure this one won’t work either.’ He focused and tried to pour his energy into the orb.

A few seconds passed.

Then half a minute.

Then a full minute.

Nothing happened.

Not even the slightest reaction.

"Give it back." Stanley’s expression remained calm and unreadable. There was no disappointment, no mockery, and no impatience.

Leon handed the orb back.

Stanley placed it inside the briefcase before picking up the larger orb.

"This one." He handed it over.

The moment Leon’s fingers touched the orb, something stirred within it. A ripple...

Then...

A brilliant blue light erupted from the orb, flooding the entire room.

Jessica’s eyes widened at that. So did Stanley’s. "So, you are from Summitas Valley," Stanley said.

"This again?" Leon replied. "I’m not, sir."

"You aren’t?" Stanley was clearly taken aback at that.

"No, sir."

Stanley looked at Leon and didn’t say anything immediately.

"What are your abilities?" He asked after a brief pause.

"Swordsmanship and summoning magic."

"Summoning magic? Can you show it to me?"

"Yes, sir. Of course."

Leon raised a hand. A moment later, another jackal corpse emerged from the system storage and dropped onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Stanley stared at the corpse. ’Wait, isn’t it just like those...’ For a long moment, Stanley remained silent.

Then he finally spoke. "Follow me." Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room.

Leon glanced at Jessica before following behind him.

Stanley led him to the underground level of the association. After passing through several corridors, he stopped before a massive metal door.

The door slid open. Stanley stepped inside. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Leon followed and his eyes widened immediately. The chamber was enormous.

It resembled a giant training gymnasium. Weapon racks lined the walls, displaying swords, spears, axes, and countless other weapons. Sets of armor were neatly arranged throughout the room, while various training equipment occupied different sections of the hall.

"You said you’re a swordsman, right?" Stanley asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Go pick a sword." He gestured toward a nearby weapon rack.

Leon walked over and examined the available weapons before selecting a longsword. It wasn’t identical to Frost Blade, but its size and shape were close enough for him to feel comfortable using it.

Meanwhile, Stanley turned toward Jessica, who was standing near one of the walls. He gave her a slight nod.

She nodded and pressed a switch embedded in the wall.

The next moment, ten training dummies burst out from hidden compartments beneath the ground. Each dummy carried a sword in its hand.

"Show me what you’re capable of," Stanley said. The instant those words left his mouth, the dummies sprang to life.

Whoosh!

All ten charged at Leon simultaneously.

Leon calmly adjusted his grip on the sword and took a stance.

"Sword Dance."