HUNTERS ALLIANCE - CHAPTER FOUR: THE FIRST LESSON

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Morning came too quickly.

A sharp bell cut through the academy like a blade, dragging students out of sleep and into reality.

Roshan groaned softly, rolling onto his back as the sound echoed through his room.

“…already?”

For a moment, he just stared at the ceiling.

Then it all came back.

The academy.

The dorm.

The promise.

The girl.

He exhaled slowly and sat up.

“Right…”

No going back now.

The classroom was larger than expected, though nowhere near as overwhelming as the main hall. Rows of desks curved slightly toward the front, where a wide board stood, etched faintly with glowing runes.

Students filled the room quickly, voices low but restless.

Roshan took a seat near the middle.

Not too close.

Not too far.

Just enough to observe.

A moment later, Miko slid into the seat beside him.

“You look half-dead,” she said.

“Feel half-dead,” he replied.

Lira dropped into the seat behind them, stretching. “If this is how every morning feels, I might quit early.”

“You won’t,” Daren said from across the aisle.

She smirked. “Yeah… probably not.”

For a brief second, things felt normal again.

Then—

The door opened.

And silence followed.

A man stepped in.

Tall. Lean. His presence wasn’t loud, but it didn’t need to be. His sharp features and calm eyes carried a kind of quiet authority that made people sit up without being told.

He walked to the front of the room.

Turned.

And looked at them.

No rush.

No wasted movement.

“…so these are the new ones,” he said.

His voice was smooth, controlled.

Not harsh.

But not warm either.

“I am Professor Velric.”

He didn’t write it.

Didn’t emphasize it.

He simply was.

“And from this day forward… I will decide whether you live long enough to become hunters.”

A small pause followed.

No one laughed.

Good.

Velric’s gaze moved across the room slowly.

“You think strength is what keeps hunters alive.”

He tilted his head slightly.

“You’re wrong.”

A faint murmur tried to rise—then died under his stare.

“Strength matters,” he continued, “but knowledge decides whether that strength is used correctly… or wasted.”

He turned slightly, lifting a hand toward the board.

With a faint glow, an image formed.

A monster.

Tall. Twisted. Its body unnatural, its limbs slightly too long, its face barely resembling anything human.

Some students leaned back instinctively.

“Monsters,” Velric said calmly, “are not mindless creatures. They evolve. They adapt. And they learn.”

His eyes sharpened slightly.

“Faster than you.”

Silence.

He tapped the board lightly.

“Which is why every hunter must understand one thing above all else.”

The image shifted.

Two glowing marks appeared on the creature.

The neck.

The forehead.

“Their weak points.”

Roshan leaned forward slightly.

“Every monster,” Velric continued, “regardless of size, type, or classification… possesses two primary vulnerabilities.”

He pointed.

“The neck.”

A pause.

“And the forehead.”

He turned back toward the class.

“Strike anywhere else, and you risk prolonging the fight.”

His gaze hardened slightly.

“Strike correctly… and you end it.”

Miko’s voice came quietly from beside Roshan. “So it’s about precision.”

“Exactly,” Velric said, his eyes flicking toward her briefly. “Not power.”

Lira leaned forward from behind. “So if we just aim there, we win?”

Velric looked at her.

For a second too long.

Then—

“If it were that simple,” he said calmly, “we wouldn’t need hunters.”

A few students shifted uncomfortably.

“Monsters don’t stand still,” he continued. “They react. They defend. And most importantly…”

A slight pause.

“They kill.”

The word landed quietly.

But heavily.

Roshan felt it settle in his chest.

Velric stepped forward slightly.

“If you hesitate…”

A pause.

“If your mind wavers…”

Another.

“If your emotions interfere…”

His voice lowered just enough to feel closer.

“You die.”

Silence filled the room.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

Roshan’s grip on his desk tightened slightly.

Emotions interfere…

The words stuck.

For some reason.

They stayed longer than everything else.

The lesson continued, but the weight of those words didn’t fade.

Not for Roshan.

Not completely.

“Roshan Ryn.”

The voice came later.

After class.

Soft.

But clear.

Roshan turned.

A woman stood near the doorway.

Composed.

Elegant.

Her presence didn’t demand attention—it drew it.

“Follow me,” she said.

No explanation.

No hesitation.

Roshan glanced briefly at his friends.

Miko frowned slightly.

Daren’s eyes narrowed.

“Go,” Lira whispered. “We’ll be fine.”

Roshan nodded.

Then followed.

The walk to her office was quiet.

Too quiet.

The halls were mostly empty now, footsteps echoing softly.

Roshan kept a small distance behind her, his thoughts slowly starting to shift.

Why me?

They reached a door.

She opened it without a word and stepped inside.

Roshan followed.

The office was simple.

Clean.

Organized.

But something about it felt… controlled.

“Sit,” she said.

He did.

She moved behind the desk, settling into her chair with calm precision.

For a moment, she simply looked at him.

Studied him.

Then—

“My name is Reese Witherspoon.”

Her voice was smooth.

Measured.

“I am part of the Hunters Bureau.”

Roshan straightened slightly.

“I’ve been watching you,” she continued.

That made his chest tighten.

“…watching me?”

“Yes.”

No hesitation.

“No reason to be nervous,” she added lightly. “You stood out.”

Roshan wasn’t sure if that was good.

“I’m impressed,” she said.

And just like that—

Something in him relaxed.

Just slightly.

“You adapt quickly. You observe. You think.”

A pause.

“Qualities we value.”

Roshan nodded slowly. “Thank you.”

But Reese’s expression didn’t change.

In fact—

It sharpened.

“But…”

There it was.

“But?”

She leaned forward slightly.

“Your weakness is obvious.”

The words hit harder than expected.

Roshan frowned slightly. “Weakness?”

“Your heart.”

Silence.

“…what?”

“Your emotions,” she clarified. “Your attachment to others.”

Her eyes didn’t leave his.

“It will get you killed.”

Roshan’s jaw tightened slightly.

“My friends—”

“Will hold you back,” she interrupted calmly.

The room felt colder.

“They make you hesitate. They make you care at the wrong time.”

Her voice remained calm.

Too calm.

“A hunter cannot afford that.”

Roshan shook his head slightly. “That’s not—”

“You think loyalty makes you strong,” she said.

A pause.

“It makes you predictable.”

Silence.

The words didn’t feel right.

But they didn’t feel wrong either.

And that was the problem.

“To survive,” Reese continued, leaning back slightly, “you must let go of unnecessary emotions.”

Roshan stared at her.

“…unnecessary?”

“Yes.”

Her tone didn’t waver.

“Attachment. Hesitation. Doubt.”

A pause.

“Even love.”

That word lingered.

Roshan felt something shift inside him.

Slow.

Uncomfortable.

“You don’t have to believe me now,” Reese said calmly.

“But you will.”

Silence filled the room.

Roshan looked down slightly.

His thoughts moving.

Turning.

Twisting.

If your emotions interfere… you die.

Professor Velric’s words echoed back.

Then Reese’s voice followed.

Your friends will hold you back.

His chest tightened.

He didn’t like it.

Didn’t agree with it.

But…

He couldn’t ignore it either.

“…I’ll think about it,” he said finally.

Reese smiled faintly.

“Good.”

Because that was all she needed.

A thought.

A doubt.

A crack.

“Dismissed.”

Roshan stood slowly.

Turned.

And walked out.

The hallway felt different now.

Quieter.

Heavier.

Roshan walked without really seeing where he was going.

His mind replaying everything.

Your heart is your weakness.

Your friends will hold you back.

Let go of emotions.

He stopped.

Just for a moment.

“…that’s not true,” he muttered.

But the words didn’t feel as solid as they should.

Because now—

The thought existed.

And once it did…

It didn’t leave easily.

Far behind him, inside the office—

Reese Witherspoon watched the closed door.

A small, satisfied smile forming.

“…and so it begins.”59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEP1EsbIYJA

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