Chapter 69: Becoming A Hunter

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Becoming A Hunter

Aeon looked at Alex and replied calmly, "Yeah, I am going to register as a Hunter. Since we will have to enter gates sooner or later, why not register now while we have the time?"

The others pondered his words for a moment, weighing the implications. Becoming a certified hunter would allow them to enter the active gates freely, bypass standard civilian restrictions, and actively hunt the dangerous Voidborns threatening their world.

It was an excellent opportunity to gain practical experience, earn resources and doing it now was perfect.

Moments later,the group came to agreement as they all agreed to register as Hunters today. Soon they immediately headed toward the registration building, which was a fully operational branch of the Galactic Order.

To ensure that students remained inside the Academy compound during their academic years, the administration had made sure to have a branch open directly inside the campus.

The Galactic Order itself was a massive, neutral organization created for a single, absolute purpose: to ensure the lasting peace, stability, and prosperity of the entire galaxy.

Because of this sweeping mandate, they partially governed the mysterious gates that continuously fractured reality.

Since gates were the most dangerous threats to the galaxy and could appear anywhere regardless of territorial boundaries, the Galactic Order maintained a centralized registry documenting their locations, classifications, discovered resources, known dangers, and exploration records.

Furthermore, registering as a Hunter was a highly lucrative and resourceful profession. One could discover numerous materials for both financial gain and cultivation. Consequently, it was incredibly rare to find a cultivator who was not a hunter or did not aspire to be one.

Soon, the group arrived at one of the largest and most architecturally imposing buildings in the entire Academy.

Towering over the surrounding structures, the words "The Galactic Order" were displayed across the high facade in elegantly curved, brilliant neon-lit letters that cast a sharp glow over the plaza.

They headed directly inside as the heavy glass doors of the building slid open automatically, revealing a massive, high-ceilinged reception hall.

A sea of students crowded the polished marble space—some waiting anxiously in lines to register for the first time, while other older, battle-hardened student-hunters stood in groups, trading stories or waiting at specialized counters to sell their freshly harvested resources.

Since this specific branch was nested entirely inside the Academy grounds, access was highly restricted. Only verified students, staff members, and professors were permitted to register as hunters, trade their exotic loot, or access the secure archives.

After looking around the bustling hall for a brief moment to orient themselves, Aeon spotted a counter with a significantly smaller crowd. They quickly walked over, and minutes later, the line shifted forward, making it finally their turn.

The female receptionist behind the counter didn’t even look up to see who stood before her. Her fingers moved in a rapid, seamless blur as she kept tapping away at her holographic keyboard, her voice carrying a gentle but thoroughly professional tone.

"How may I help you?"

Aeon, stepping forward as the first in line, spoke up clearly. "I would like to register as a Hunter."

Still without lifting her gaze from the glowing display screens, the receptionist asked standard procedural questions in a monotonous rhythm.

"Name, gender, race, age, and cultivation rank, please?"

"Aeon Astaraeas, male dragon, fifteen years old. Peak D+ rank warrior path cultivator," Aeon calmly replied, his voice steady and completely unbothered by the administrative routine.

"Please pay a registration fee of 20 low-grade cosmic stones or 20 Academy points here," the receptionist stated. She casually pointed a slender finger toward a glowing transaction device on the desk, showing no outward sign of shock or surprise at his exceptionally high cultivation level, despite his remarkably young age.

Without saying a word, Aeon raised his arm and tapped the interface of his wrist guard. He quickly keyed in the required amount of Academy points, held it over the sensor, and let the device scan the digital signature.

Once the transaction chimed successfully, the receptionist’s voice sounded again. "Go straight to the third floor. There, you will be tested through standard simulation to see if you are qualified to be an active hunter. Next."

Aeon did not head to the elevator immediately. Stepping off to the side, he waited patiently for the rest of his friends to finish their own registration paperwork so they could all head upstairs together.

Not long after the last point transaction went through, Aeon and his group reached the third floor and stepped out of the elevator doors. They found themselves walking into another wide, sprawling hall lined with rows of sleek metallic seats.

Students from various classes and departments were scattered all around the room. Some sat in complete silence, visibly nervous as they waited for their names to be called for the trial, while others gathered in relaxed groups, chatting quietly and laughing together to ease the tension.

Aeon and the rest of the group quickly found an empty row of seats, settling in to converse comfortably. They bounced between various casual topics, sharing funny stories and joking around to pass the time until their turn finally arrived.

Every once in a while, a stern-faced man wearing a crisp black suit would emerge from a reinforced door facing the seating area, reading from a tablet to call out two names at a time. Before long, the man’s sharp voice echoed through the waiting hall.

"Next up, Aeon Astaraeas and Elysaria Drakonius. Please come forward."

Aeon and Elysaria stood up in unison. They turned back to wish good luck to the rest of the group, who offered encouraging smiles, and then headed directly toward the official.

He was a male elf with striking blonde hair and a gleaming silver authority badge pinned firmly to his chest.

Without offering any unnecessary small talk, the elf gave Aeon and Elysaria a quick, assessing look, then turned on his heel and opened the door behind him.

"Follow me."

Aeon and Elysaria followed close behind the silent man, navigating through a maze of sterile, brightly lit hallways before finally stopping inside a massive, coliseum-sized training room.

The vast space was strictly divided into two distinct sections. An elevated audience seating area meant for officials to observe, and a massive, completely enclosed cubic energy barrier resting in the center of the room, humming with power.

The elf pointed a sharp finger toward the shimmering barrier and looked directly at Aeon.

"You are first. Step inside the containment unit, and your test will begin immediately."

Aeon nodded calmly, walked down the short ramp toward the designated section, and stepped right through the translucent energy barrier, which rippled like water as his body passed through it.

The elf’s voice then echoed clearly across the entire testing chamber through the internal sound system. "Now, listen well. You will be fighting virtual representations of real Voidborns to accurately assess your practical combat power.

There will be a total of three different ranked monsters. Your body is entirely covered by the terminal’s protective energy barrier; if the monsters manage to break that barrier entirely, you fail the trial."

He paused for a brief moment, letting the high-stakes rules sink in, before continuing.

"Your first opponent is a standard F-rank Voidborn: a Void Rat. Good luck."

With that, the elf’s voice cut out. The next moment, a mechanical female voice echoed inside the energy barrier.

<Commencing Level 1: F-rank Void Rat>

Instantly, light gathered five meters away from Aeon, slowly materializing into the shape of a gigantic, one-and-a-half-meter-tall rat. ℯℯ𝑙.

It possessed pitch-black fur, glowing white eyes, and two massive horns resting on its head. Its translucent body flickered a few times before gradually turning solid. Its huge, sharp claws looked capable of easily tearing through the earth.

Locking its monstrous, glowing white eyes onto Aeon, it let out a piercing shriek.

Skreeee!

Without wasting a single second, it charged at Aeon at full speed. Aeon looked at the Voidborn, studying it calmly.

’Although it’s a virtual one, this is my first time seeing this. So this is really a Voidborn—even if it’s one of the weakest types. Still, they could easily kill most F-rank cultivators, or even E-rank ones if they aren’t careful.’

Seconds later, the Void Rat closed the distance and swung its massive claws, intending to slice Aeon into pieces.

But Aeon simply side-stepped the attack. He raised his index and middle fingers, channeling his standard Martial Cosmic energy into a short, razor-sharp energy blade, and sliced the Void Rat across the abdomen.

Shing! Slice!

The Void Rat instantly went stiff before disappearing from the arena, its body dissolving into particles of light.

The mechanical female voice echoed once more.

<Level 1 successfully passed.>

<Commencing Level 2: E-rank Void Hound>

In the exact same manner, another figure materialized, this time turning into a five-meter-tall monster. Like all Voidborns, it had a pitch-dark body. Sinister, closed mouths were scattered across various parts of its flesh, their purple teeth clearly visible.

Its upper front body was significantly larger than its rear, featuring large, protruding teeth inside its main jaws. Bizarrely, it lacked eyes like the Void Rat, yet it still locked onto Aeon’s direction with pinpoint accuracy as it crawled toward him.

Crrrrk!

Three minutes later, Aeon stepped out of the barrier, having successfully killed the final virtual Voidborn. Waiting before him were the elf and Elysaria.

"Congratulations! You have passed. Please return to the waiting area and wait ten minutes to receive your Hunter License," the elf instructed Aeon, before shifting his focus to Elysaria.

Aeon wished Elysaria good luck, then headed back out to the waiting area. Seeing Aeon return to the room, Sophia stood up and approached him.

"What was the test like? How did it go?"

Aeon began explaining the testing process and the behavior of the virtual Voidborns. Before long, Elysaria and the elf emerged from the room, and the elf called out Sophia and Alex next.

Eight minutes later, Seraphina and Anastasia—the last two of the group—finished their respective tests. The entire group then headed over to a separate counter in the waiting room to collect their Hunter Licenses.

By the time they stepped out of The Galactic Order building, evening was already approaching. Soon, they all parted ways, saying their goodbyes.

After walking for a while, Aeon teleported back to his room. He took a quick shower, enjoyed a massive feast from his Omniverse Dimension, and lay down on his bed. Finally, he pulled an ancient book from his inventory and read it to pass the time.

-----

Hours later, in Sophia’s bedroom.

Wearing a red nightgown, Sophia walked toward her bed. Lying on it was a long pillow bearing Aeon’s face.

She climbed onto the bed and lay down, pulling the pillow closer before wrapping her arms around it and hugging it tenderly.

Just as she closed her eyes, ready to drift off to sleep, a female mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside her mind, jolting her awake.

[Ding]

[You have met the Awakening Conditions]

[Soul Resonance Detected]

[Binding The System With The Host]

[Congratulations!]

[You have awakened THE HAREM SYSTEM]

[WELCOME, HOST]

"Huh!?"

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Sorry for the late Chapter, everyone! 🙏 I’ve been taking some time to come up with new ideas and figure out how I want the story to progress. Thanks for being patient with me, and I hope you enjoy the Chapter!