Someone shouted, "Hey! You there, boy! Bring this over here!"
Another person yelled, "Where are the banners?! Hurry up and bring them!"
Mohin woke to the sound of noise coming from outside. He left his room, curiosity consuming him to find out the reason for the clamor at this hour.
He went down to the first floor and saw Mr. Beer decorating the inn with some lights and ornaments. Mohin asked, "Mr. Beer, what is all this commotion outside, and why are you decorating the place?"
Mr. Beer replied, "Oh! Don't you know? It's the annual festival of the City of Hunters. It's when all the hunters who began their journey here return and gather on this day."
"And what is today's date?" Mohin asked.
"The nineteenth of Tahrir, meaning the nineteenth of the sixth month. Do you know, Mohin, why the month is called Tahrir?"
"Of course I know. The orphanage caretaker used to tell us the story almost every month. In short, it's the month in which the Kingdom of Monu was liberated from a monster invasion by a legion called Hope, led by the former hero known as Nalt Krest. He was the last hero, and the power of the hero has not been inherited to this day."
Mr. Beer replied with a smile, "It seems you are knowledgeable about that. The incident happened 256 years ago, and since then, this festival has been held. The reason is that Nalt Krest started from the City of Hunters. As for the part about inheriting the hero's power, I heard in the news that there is already a candidate, but I forgot."
---
After their brief discussion, Mr. Beer continued his work, and Mohin went outside. He opened the door and was greeted by the smell of street food and the crowd of passersby. Some were setting up stalls to sell on, and others were decorating the streets.
Mohin went wandering here and there, exploring the activities. He heard someone calling him, "Mohin! Good morning!"
It was Lana who had called him, but she wasn't wearing her work clothes. She was wearing clothes that were neither expensive nor cheap—clothes that suited her and enhanced her beauty.
"Lana? You look different from what I remember," Mohin said.
"Of course. I bought these clothes recently. It's true they were a little expensive for my salary, but I wanted to prepare for this day," Lana replied.
The two chatted and began walking around, exploring the activities. After hours, Mohin said, "It seems this is all that's left."
"Not yet," Lana said.
"What's left, then?" Mohin replied.
"In a little while, they will come," Lana said.
"They? Who do you mean?"
"The elite of the Kingdom of Monu."
"Really!? Is Sain among them too?" Mohin said, surprised.
"Unfortunately, I don't expect Sain to appear. He disappeared a while ago, and no one has seen him. And this festival—Sain rarely ever attended it," Lana replied.
"What a shame."
One of the passersby shouted, "They're here! They've arrived!"
Mohin said, "Lana, can you tell me about them when they appear?"
"Of course! No problem at all."
---
The city's residents had decorated one of the roads because there would be a parade for these elites. People gathered at the edges of the road, leaving enough space for the elite hunters to pass.
The beginning of the parade consisted of three people. Lana said casually, "These are the members of the Tarbin Guild. The person in the middle with dark green hair and dark green eyes is the guild leader, his name is Salas, S-Rank, ranked eighth in the world among humans."
Behind them were four knights. One of them had the bright white hair that Mohin quickly recognized—it was Lam.
Lana said, "These four are one of the knights of Monu. Their leader, who wears glasses, is named Yuts, also S-Rank, ranked seventh in the world among humans. One of those worth mentioning is that white-haired knight. His name is Lam, and he is the same as you—the evaluation device didn't work on him."
"I know him well. I've already met him," Mohin replied.
Directly behind them were five people. It only took Mohin seconds to recognize them.
Lana said, "And these are the team of Hunter Zain. The leader is named Zain, S-Rank, ranked fifth in the world among humans."
At that moment, Mohin remembered his conversation with Zain:
"The world of hunters is bigger than I expected. And what's your rank, Zain?"
Zain paused for a moment, glanced at his friends, then turned his gaze back to Mohin and said with a smile, "I am B-Rank."
"Awesome! What about the other members?" The entire team burst into hysterical laughter, except for Zain, who kept smiling, trying not to laugh.
Mohin returned to the present and said, "So that's why they laughed back then. The reason was that I didn't recognize Zain."
He continued, "Lana, tell me the ranks of this entire team."
"Alright, no problem. That young man is named Zak, A-Rank."
Mohin's memory: "Zak is C-Rank; he's our attack mage."
Lana said, "And that big guy is named Morten, A-Rank."
"The big guy in front of you is called Morten; he's our main defender, also C-Rank."
"And the lady's name is Benny, also A-Rank."
"The woman next to him is Benny; she's a mage too, but specialized in healing and enhancement, also C-Rank."
"And the person at the back, who is like you and Lam—the evaluation device couldn't measure him—his name is Brom, C-Rank."
"And the last person is Brom; he's D-Rank, and he's our scout."
Mohin said, "So I traveled with one of the elite teams and didn't even know it."
---
Then the final team appeared, consisting of six beautiful young women. Lana said, "And the last team is this one. A team composed entirely of women. Their leader is Elsa, with long yellow hair and beautiful white skin. She is S-Rank, ranked second in the world among human women—focus on among women. And it seems that person isn't here, as usual."
Mohin asked, "Not here? Who?"
"This team is known for recruiting only women. It reached six members, and the leader decided not to accept any more. But later, the leader accepted a new member, and the strangest thing was that he was a man. And he never comes to this festival."
"And who is this man?"
"A man who has as many enemies as he has friends. He is a man for whom a special rank was created—a rank in which no one else exists. It is F-Rank. A man with no talent and no skills, who grew through sheer effort alone and became famous for his sharp intelligence. Even some of these elites borrow him for consultation. That man's name is Faiz. Even I admit that he tried with all his might to be a normal hunter like the rest, but life let him down."