Zachary looked at them with a neutral expression, his face calm, but his eyes told a different story. There was a faint glare hidden within them, a quiet anger that refused to fade.
It wasn't loud or explosive, but it was there—steady and controlled. The kind of anger that came from past experience, not impulse. The other hunters noticed it too, even if only for a brief moment.
For a second, they hesitated.
There was something unsettling about the way he looked at them—not fear, not nervousness, but something deeper. It made them uneasy, though none of them wanted to admit it out loud.
But before the silence could stretch any further, one of them stepped forward.
A man with a strong build, his physique clearly that of a Combat-class hunter.
"You're eyes look like you had some past experiences," the man said with a grin, his tone surprisingly friendly.
The other three hunters turned to him in disbelief, their expressions practically asking if he had lost his mind.
This was a level 1 mage they were talking about. Someone completely useless in a dungeon like this. Yet here he was, acting like he'd just met someone impressive.
"Oh! My name's Adrian Cole… you?" he asked, extending a bit of casual energy into the tense air.
Zachary didn't answer immediately.
He stayed quiet, his gaze lingering on Cole as if measuring him. Cole, on the other hand, waited patiently, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. The silence stretched just long enough to become noticeable. Then suddenly—
"Zachary!" he said, a bit louder than expected.
He paused for a fraction of a second before continuing more calmly.
"Zachary… Quinn." Cole blinked, then broke into a warm smile, completely unfazed by the abrupt response.
"Welcome to the team!" he said, letting out a small chuckle. "Zachary, huh? Or should I call you Quinn? What do you prefer?"
"Zachary is good," he replied simply.
Cole nodded, satisfied, as if that settled everything.
Meanwhile, the other three hunters exchanged glances filled with irritation and disbelief.
Their thoughts were anything but welcoming. One scoffed quietly, another frowned, and the third simply looked away in annoyance.
'Who does that kid think he is?'
'That face alone pisses me off…'
'And Cole actually likes him? What is wrong with—'
Their thoughts were abruptly cut off.
Cole suddenly bumped his elbow into each of their shoulders, not hard, but enough to snap them out of it.
"Guys," he said, his tone shifting slightly, carrying a quiet authority beneath the friendliness. "Introduce yourselves to our new teammate."
The three of them jolted slightly from the unexpected nudge.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
The tension lingered in the air, thick and uncomfortable, as they were forced to acknowledge the one person they had already decided to look down on.
"I'm Ethan Wells… n-nice to meet you… I guess," one of the hunters muttered, his tone uneven and clearly forced.
His eyes avoided Zachary's, as if even acknowledging him directly was a chore. Cole didn't miss it, of course.
With a light chuckle, he reached over and gave Ethan a firm pat on the shoulder.
"That's the spirit," Cole said, though his voice carried just enough weight to make it clear he expected better.
Ethan winced slightly from the pat, offering a weak nod as he stepped back into place.
The tension around him hadn't fully disappeared, but at least he had said something. Cole turned his attention to the next hunter, his expression still relaxed but his presence commanding.
"Now you get it," he added before shifting his gaze. "How about you, Blake? Introduce yourself."
Blake froze for just a fraction of a second, clearly caught off guard by being called out so directly.
His mouth opened slightly, like he was about to protest, but no words came out. He glanced briefly at the others, as if looking for support, but found none. Letting out a quiet breath, he straightened his posture.
"I'm Hunter Blake," he said, his voice steadier than expected. "And I'm in the Archer class."
His eyes flicked toward Zachary at the end of his introduction, sizing him up in a single glance.
There was no warmth in it—only judgment, quiet and sharp. Still, unlike before, he didn't openly mock him. That alone was an improvement.
Cole nodded approvingly, clearly satisfied with the progress. "See? Not so hard," he said with a grin, glancing between them.
Then his gaze shifted to the last hunter of his team, who had yet to speak.