"I know none of you want to hear me blabber like this, and the only thing on your mind is to go inside a dungeon and kill the monsters as soon as possible…" Sighing, the man looked at the massive crowd in front of him and added.
"I know this because I was once among you there…" he said, pointing toward the crowd below.
"...I know the fire that is burning inside of you. I know why most of us had our eyes on this hunter license from the moment we gained the ability to think."
"There exists a plethora of reasons as to why you would want it. Some want to have this to amass a fortune… some may be doing it for the betterment of society…" A chuckle escaped the man's lips as he looked at the reaction of the crowd to the last sentence.
'...really no one wants the betterment of the world… who am I to judge when I will do the same. Not everyone can be Prakash after all.' Nodding his head, the man continued his speech.
"..some of you are doing it for the honor it brings, and maybe others just want to enjoy the privilege a hunter's license brings…" Pausing he added the last reason he could think of.
"And I'm sure most of you are doing it for the sole purpose of destroying the monster… as they had done the same with your home," he said, slowing towards the end of his sentence.
A strange wave of sadness permeated the group as he said the latter part. This sentence and the reality, for that matter, were like a thorn in their existence.
Even if one forgets about the catastrophe that happened recently. A single day didn't pass without the monster destroying a small village and reaping innocent lives in the process.
And that is the reason why some of them were happy about getting the license, some view it as the ladder to greatness, and some showed an unholy amount of fixation on it.
And the latter were the most dangerous of them all.
They were the bunch who had lost everything to these demons and monsters, and now the only purpose in their godforsaken life is to destroy them. They didn't want fame, nor did they have any greed for the money.
They only knew the language of kill or be killed.
And they were the type of people the hunter academy was looking forward to the most.
With a smirk, the director started speaking again, "I know your eagerness and somehow it is justified... but still I must warn you. Never try to put your life before the death of the monster. If it is a situation that demands sacrifice, don't try to be a hero. If you must, become a coward and survive."
And for the final sentence of his speech, the director announced,".... here let me tell you a line which most of you have probably heard before, still hear it one more time… it is not the greatest who survives until the end. It is who survives that becomes the greatest."
"So tell me which one you will choose... Greatness or survival?" He asked, looking at the crowd.
"Survival.."
"Survival.."
"Survival.."
"Greatness.."
"Survival.."
"Survival.."
"Greatness.."
"Greatness.."
Most of them had chosen the path of survival, but even then, there were some for whom greatness mattered more than their survival. The teaching they had received from birth didn't let them value their life more than the pride they had borne with.
'Must be those noble bastards...' Hearing the word greatness here and there, the director thought to himself.
"I don't want to take any more of your precious time. You can get your license from the administrative building. According to your rank in the semester, the rank of the armor and weapon will be decided. A few potions will be given for free, and guess what a lucky few will get?" he asked, looking at the crowd with anticipation.
"What?" the crowd asked in unison.
"An Artifact," he said, looking at their expression.
"WHAT!? An Artifact, are you sure?" Some were shocked that the academy would even gift something like that to a passing hunter.
"Artifact... how can that be?"
"What are the criteria for selecting those lucky few?" Someone asked from the crowd.
"Well, didn't I say it would be the lucky few? Let's just see which one of you it is. It can even be you." He said, pointing toward the person.
"Really?"
"Well... if you are lucky enough." Smiling, he looked at the crowd and ended the passing ceremony, "Well, that is all from me. You can go and collect your licenses."
Bowing slightly, he looked at the crowd and whispered into the mic. "May the light guide us all."
"May the light guide us all." Everyone followed the teachings.
With the ceremony concluded, the man left the stage and began to move toward his office. While he was in the middle of his way, his secretary arrived in front of him and said with a solemn expression, "Sir, someone from the temple is looking for you."
Gears in his mind began to turn as the man stopped walking. He tried thinking many times, but still he couldn't guess the reason for their visit.
In the end, he looked at his secretary and asked with a questionable expression, "Do you know them? Did they tell you the reason for their visit?"
"They haven't mentioned the reason for their visit, but I think I've seen him with the Inquisitor Marty." She replied.
Hearing the name, he fell silent and began moving toward the place they were resting at the moment, 'Marty. What has this buffoon done now...? It can't be that bad, right?'
Churning the gears inside his head, he sped up his pace, and soon they reached the place they were staying. Hiding his worries, he looked at the man and bowed slightly, and opened his mouth.
"I apologize for having you wait like this."
"I can't expect such a busy man to be free, and anyway, it was my fault to come unannounced like this." The man said, looking at the secretary with the corner of his eye.
Understanding the meaning of his gaze, the man looked at his secretary and said, "Tina, can you give us some space?"
Hearing the words, she nodded her head and went out of the room. Now that no one was there to disturb their peace, the Templar finally stated the purpose of his visit.
Without beating around the bush, the man blurted out, "A new dungeon has been formed around 40-50Km north of the city."