HUNTERS ALLIANCE - CHAPTER FIVE: THE FIRST TRAINING

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The Hunters Academy training grounds were louder than usual that morning.

Students filled the massive open field while instructors walked around checking attendance, equipment, and weapons. Some trainees looked excited.

Others looked like they were seconds away from throwing up.

Roshan Ryn adjusted the sleeves of his worn academy uniform while staring at the giant steel gates ahead of them.

Beyond those gates was the simulation zone.

Today was their first physical training exercise.

And unlike written exams—

This one could actually hurt.

Beside him, Daren stretched lazily before groaning dramatically.

“If I die today,” he announced, “I want everyone to know it was because the academy hates poor people.”

Lira rolled her eyes. “You say that every five minutes.”

“Because every five minutes this academy proves me right.”

Miko laughed quietly beside them, though she still looked nervous.

“There are way more instructors than usual,” she whispered.

Roshan noticed it too.

The atmosphere felt heavier.

More serious.

Then suddenly—

A loud horn blasted across the grounds.

Every student immediately straightened.

The instructors stepped aside as a tall man wearing a dark combat coat walked toward the center platform.

Instructor Garrick.

One of the academy’s most feared trainers.

The scar across his face alone was enough to silence half the students.

“LISTEN CAREFULLY!” his voice thundered across the field.

The entire training ground became silent.

“Today marks your first practical simulation exercise. This academy does not train heroes.”

Several students exchanged confused looks.

“We train survivors.”

The giant screen behind him flickered to life, revealing a detailed map of a destroyed city zone.

Collapsed buildings.

Blocked roads.

Fire markers.

Civilian signals.

Monster locations.

Whispers immediately spread through the students.

“That looks insane…”

“We’re first-years!”

“I heard simulations here feel real.”

One rich-looking student crossed his arms confidently. “It’s probably exaggerated.”

Garrick glanced at him.

“You’re free to think that until a monster tears your arm off one day.”

The student immediately shut up.

A few nearby students snorted with laughter.

Garrick continued.

“You will be placed into teams of four. Your mission is simple: evacuate civilians safely from the disaster zone while avoiding monster threats.”

“Avoiding?” one student complained. “Shouldn’t we fight them?”

“That mindset,” Garrick replied coldly, “is how hunters get civilians killed.”

Silence followed instantly.

“The objective is protection. Not glory.”

Roshan quietly absorbed every word.

Because unlike many students there—

He understood fear.

Outside the barrier walls, monsters didn’t care about pride.

They only cared about killing.

An instructor holding a digital tablet stepped forward.

“Teams have already been assigned.”

Names immediately appeared across the giant screen.

Roshan Ryn.

Daren March.

Lira Water.

Miko Stone.

Daren grinned. “Perfect. We stay together.”

“Thank goodness,” Lira sighed.

Nearby, other students reacted far less happily.

“WHY AM I WITH HIM?!”

“You’re dead weight!”

“We’re failing already…”

One girl looked seconds away from crying.

Roshan scanned the other teams quietly while instructors handed out communication devices.

That was when another figure stepped onto the platform above.

Instructor Reese.

Unlike Garrick’s intimidating appearance, Reese carried herself calmly, but somehow that calmness made students even more nervous around her.

Her black academy coat moved lightly in the wind while her sharp eyes observed the field below.

Several boys immediately straightened their posture.

“Why does she look cool doing literally nothing?”

“Focus before you fail.”

“I am focused.”

Roshan looked away quickly before she noticed him staring.

Unfortunately—

Too late.

Her gaze briefly met his.

For some reason, Roshan immediately remembered her earlier words from days ago.

“Being emotional only weakens you in times of trouble.”

Before he could think further, mechanical sounds echoed through the grounds.

The giant gates slowly opened.

And every student fell silent.

The simulation zone looked horrifyingly real.

Destroyed streets stretched endlessly ahead.

Smoke rose into the sky.

Artificial fires burned between collapsed buildings.

Emergency alarms echoed from hidden speakers.

Even fake screams could be heard in the distance.

“This is messed up…” Daren muttered.

Then metal cages suddenly rose from underground.

Inside them—

Monsters.

Smaller than real battlefield monsters, but still terrifying enough to freeze weaker students in place.

Sharp claws scratched against metal.

Dark eyes glowed aggressively.

One creature slammed itself repeatedly into its cage while growling.

Several students stepped backward instantly.

“Oh hell no.”

“That thing is HUGE!”

“We’re actually doing this?!”

Garrick smirked slightly.

“Simulation begins now.”

The alarms blared loudly.

And chaos exploded.

Students rushed into the city zone from different directions while instructors observed everything from elevated platforms.

Roshan’s team sprinted through broken streets filled with debris.

“Okay!” Daren shouted. “What’s the plan?”

Roshan looked down at the academy tracker device.

Civilian signals blinked rapidly from Zone C.

Two monster markers nearby.

One unstable structure warning.

“We prioritize civilians first,” Roshan said quickly.

Miko nodded immediately.

Lira looked nervous but determined. “Got it.”

Meanwhile nearby—

Other teams were already panicking.

“RUN!”

“DON’T LEAVE ME!”

“There’s another monster behind us!”

A loud crash echoed from another street as students screamed.

Roshan ignored it and focused ahead.

Inside a partially collapsed building, frightened civilians huddled together while smoke filled the hallways.

A child cried loudly.

“We’re from the academy!” Lira called out gently. “We’ll get you out safely!”

The civilians looked terrified but hopeful.

Then—

The building shook violently.

Dust rained from above.

Miko’s eyes widened. “Monster nearby.”

A loud roar echoed from the upper floors.

Students outside screamed.

“We need another exit,” Daren said urgently.

Roshan scanned the area rapidly.

Blocked doors.

Collapsed staircases.

Broken windows too dangerous for civilians.

Then—

His eyes landed on an old emergency map hanging beside a cracked wall.

“There,” he said immediately.

Everyone turned.

“A maintenance tunnel.”

Daren blinked. “You spotted that already?!”

“It connects underground to the evacuation gate.”

Miko frowned. “The tunnel’s partially blocked.”

“We clear it.”

Another violent crash interrupted them.

The monster broke through the upper floor.

Huge.

Fast.

Terrifying.

Several civilians screamed in panic.

“MOVE!” Roshan shouted.

The team immediately sprang into action.

Daren forced debris aside while Lira guided civilians toward the tunnel entrance.

Miko stayed near the monster to slow it down.

BAM!

Its claws slammed against her reinforced gauntlets, throwing her backward.

“Miko!” Lira yelled.

“I’m fine!” Miko snapped while standing again.

Roshan helped the last civilians through the tunnel.

Then the ceiling suddenly cracked above them.

The monster roared again and lunged forward.

Miko tried retreating—

CRASH!

Falling concrete slammed onto her leg.

She cried out painfully.

Everything happened fast after that.

The civilians panicked.

Daren froze briefly.

The monster kept advancing.

And Roshan made a decision instantly.

He grabbed a broken metal pipe nearby and smashed it directly into a weakened support beam above the monster.

The structure collapsed instantly.

BOOM!

Concrete buried the monster beneath rubble.

Dust exploded through the hallway.

“GO NOW!” Roshan shouted.

Daren immediately carried Miko while everyone rushed through the tunnel together.

The underground passage shook from the collapse above.

Civilians cried.

Students coughed through the dust.

But nobody stopped moving.

Finally—

Light appeared ahead.

The evacuation gates.

The moment they emerged outside, instructors rushed toward them immediately.

“Injured trainee!”

“Get medical support over here!”

Medics quickly placed Miko onto a stretcher.

Lira hurried beside her anxiously.

“Miko, stay awake!”

“I said I’m fine…” Miko muttered weakly.

But before Roshan could follow—

Voices suddenly erupted around him.

“They finished first?!”

“No civilian injuries?!”

“How did they do that so fast?!”

Even upperclassmen watching from the sidelines looked impressed.

Instructor Garrick checked the results on his tablet.

“Fifteen civilians evacuated,” he announced. “Zero civilian casualties. Efficient route control.”

Several instructors nodded.

Then Reese stepped forward calmly.

“The collapse strategy was dangerous,” she said, her sharp eyes fixed on Roshan, “but effective.”

The field immediately became quieter.

Students nearby started whispering.

“She praised him…”

“Seriously?”

“She almost never compliments people.”

Roshan scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“I just did what made sense.”

More students gathered around him.

“That was insane!”

“You trapped the monster!”

“You looked like a real hunter!”

For the first time in a long while—

Roshan felt admired.

Seen.

Important.

Even some girls nearby smiled at him now.

But further back, the rich students looked annoyed.

“He got lucky.”

“That strategy could’ve failed.”

“He’s enjoying this too much.”

Roshan tried ignoring them.

Because honestly?

The praise felt good.

Really good.

Then his eyes drifted back toward Reese.

She was still watching him quietly.

And suddenly her earlier words echoed in his head again.

“Being emotional only weakens you in times of trouble.”

His smile slowly weakened.

Because only then did he realize something.

Daren was gone.

Lira too.

And Miko—

Miko had been injured badly enough to be rushed to the infirmary while everyone focused on praising him.

Roshan quickly looked around the crowded field again.

But his friends were nowhere in sight.

The cheering around him suddenly didn’t feel as loud anymore.74Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcLNN16jNZ

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