‘I can’t believe I’m actually here.’ Blake thought to himself as he took in the sight of the few hundred Altered Hunter who had gathered in this secret base today. Up until now, his father had been the only other Altered Hunter he had ever come in contact with.

It hadn’t been easy getting here. His father had taken him across the country into some seemingly random no-name Tier-4 town, where they had been picked up by a guide who had then dropped them off in a car park. Before leaving, the woman had pressed a certain button combination, which had made it so that the elevator had let them out below the supposed basement that went deep underground.

Unsurprisingly, there was barely any light down there. Fortunately, that wasn’t really an issue for Blake or the others. All those who were in attendance were dressed in the full set of an Altered Hunter, including masks capable of night vision.

After a quick verification of their identities, father and son had both been separated, led to their respective rows to be amongst their peers. In Blake’s case, this meant being led to the seemingly biggest faction of other unranked Altered Hunters, most of whom were around the teenager’s age.

“I’m sorry to have kept all of you waiting for this long.” A middle-aged man with curly hair suddenly said as he came on to the stage. He was the only one that wasn’t wearing a mask, though the pair of black sunglasses on his face appeared to allow him the same night vision as the rest of them enjoyed.

Nobody addressed the oddity of those sunglasses while being underground, especially given their own attire, but also because nobody dared to disrespect that man. Edvard Heimdallr was in his early forties, yet not only did he hold the title of ‘youngest five-star Hunter’ in their organisation, his Altered kill count was in the triple digits, making him a prime candidate to be the successor of the current leader.

“Now that we’re all here, I won’t bore you with some long-winded speech. After all, today is not about me, but all about you! Let us honour those amongst you who have earned their promotion!!!” Edvard lifted his hands out and was met by the loud cheers of the audience.

Blake was surprised to actually see his usually calm and rational father join in the cheering. This was a first for him, and far more emotion than he had ever witnessed from him, in any of his rugby matches.

“As is tradition, I shall start from the highest promotion. Although we don’t have any new five-star Hunters joining us today, there are a healthy number of you who will walk away with their fourth star today. I have high hopes for all of you!” Edvard revealed as he began calling out names, including Ozacas Hunt.

Nearly a dozen of them climbed on the stage front. They all undressed everything above their waist, revealing their shoulders with the three stars. This was a moment of pure joy for them, each one of them looking forward to what was to come.

From the side, a large man walked in, holding on to a glowing black stick with a star at the end. The room became completely quiet, only the sounds of the man’s footsteps resounded, until he reached the leftmost Altered Hunter.

Without any warning, he pressed the hot metal to their skin, leaving it there for a few seconds, before moving on. The sound of searing flesh filled the room, but nothing else. Each one of those Hunters endured the pain with a stoic face, rather portraying extreme joy at becoming four-star Hunters.

It might seem like a mere branding, but every star was testimony to their capabilities, and proof of their success. In a way, it was everything to them.

Next came the two-star Hunters who had earned their third star, the one-star Hunters who had earned their second star… until it was finally time for the youngsters who would receive their very first star today.

“Ah, it is always a pleasure to see our promising youth receive their first branding. It’s a rite of passage that all of us have gone through, one that marks that you’ve joined our ranks as fully fledged Altered Hunters. Your generation will be the one to succeed us, and I’m looking forward to your future! First up, Blake Hunt!”

Walking up, Blake proudly took off his robe and mask placing them on a table to the side, he looked at the metal pole, and then turned to the crowd. Here he could see his father with his arms crossed. Although Blake couldn’t see his facial expression, he was certain that his father was proud of him.

‘My first star…’ The teenager wondered whether he truly deserved it. After all, the first Altered he had actually killed was Billy, and he had only managed to do so by teaming up with Gary. Just as planned, the police had found the clues that pointed to the Altered Hunters, allowing Blake to take credit for the kill.

Then, the news channel had recorded him having killed a few of the infected Altered who had attacked Slough, so upon his return Ozacas Hunt had shared the good news with his son that he had earned his first star. While the Altered Hunters didn’t exactly approve of Blake acting in such a public manner, there was undeniable proof that he had taken out those Altered, and taken on Billy had also done its part to convince the leaders that Blake was worthy of promotion.

Blake had little time to overthink the situation. He was forced to grit his teeth, unwilling to be the first one to cry out, even though the smell of his sizzling flesh made him want to throw up.

Once everyone had received their branding, all those who had gone up on the stage had been told to follow behind Edvard. The man pushed in a few bricks, which opened up a secret entrance, and the group entered what appeared to be a giant warehouse. It was so enormous that Blake couldn’t see the end of the walls.

“For those who are new, I shall explain,” Edvard spoke. “Everything the Altered Hunters have been able to gather over the years has been brought here today. Depending on your star ranking, different sections are available to you. Our best weapons and armours are naturally reserved for our best, so take that as a motivation to improve.

“As much as I’d like to outfit all of us to the teeth, we don’t have an unlimited supply, and despite our technological advancement, we’re unable to forge weapons that are as effective as those of our predecessors. Not to mention, it wouldn’t fare well if they got into the hands of the wrong people. Anyway, forgive me ramblings, please enjoy and pick out your new weapons.”

Blake was extremely excited to look at what he could get. Thanks to his father’s influence, he had actually used far more advanced weapons than his peers, he was perfectly aware that it was more of a loan from his father, while these weapons would actually be his.

Just as he started to walk to the one-star section, Blake spotted something at the very back. Even beyond the five-star section, there was something held inside a glass case.

“What…is that…I can feel its energy.” Blake wondered out loud.

“That, my young friend, is the most ancient, but also the most powerful piece of equipment we own.” Edvard put his hand on the teenager’s shoulder. “According to records, this Red Dragon armour has been a gift from the best friend of our founder.”

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