the first test

Soon, his two assistants began pouring gasoline over "Leo," amidst his panic and pleas for mercy, "Leo" screamed, begging for compassion, but they showed no interest, laughing with delight before stepping back, As they ignited his body, his cries filled the air, haunting and full of terror.

On the other side, that madman went to see his star, his precious treasure, As he opened the door, he found a man sitting in a chair, holding the little girl in his arms. He waved at him with a sarcastic smile, saying:

"Hello, sorry for not scheduling an appointment for my visit."

The massive man filled with rage shouted at his assistants, "Grab him now!" But they couldn't even touch him, Instead, he found himself standing before them after placing the heads of his two assistants in his hands. "Who is this man?" he muttered, staring in horror at the heads, He initially couldn't comprehend what had happened, but as he regained his senses, he quickly threw them aside:

"Impossible! Who are you? Don't come near me! That emblem on your sword... are you from the Black Hunters organization?"

The man smiled wickedly and said, "And what if I am? Well, that doesn't matter since you're going to die anyway."

"Tyler" rushed to the door, but soon the man's sword sliced through his body. He looked at the girl, who was unresponsive, and said to her, "Come on, you need to come back with me now."

The girl glared at him angrily: "I'm not going anywhere without my dad."

"What??" Shock etched across Tyler's face, "Your dad is...?"

But she quickly dashed toward the door, and he grabbed her swiftly, "Alright, alright, Lisa, we'll look for your so-called father," he said with a sigh of annoyance.

"He's in the basement!" Lisa replied.

They descended the stairs, him carrying her, but he caught a whiff of a familiar scent: the smell of burnt flesh, Smoke began to rise from the basement, so he asked her, "Can you wait here?"

"No! I want to come with you; I want to see him."

"Fine, I suppose..." he said, pinching his nose as he faced the charred body of "Leo," recognizable only by the ring still partially clinging to his finger.

"Daddy! I'm here! Wake up!" Lisa called out excitedly.

"Um, Lisa, I think you should let him go, He's... he's dead," "Tyler" tried to convince her.

"No way! Mom said my dad is the one who won't leave me in the orphanage, and he didn't, He's my dad now, wake up!"

"Tyler" grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, saying, "Let's go." She cried bitterly.

As he turned, he heard a faint breath, He spun back in surprise, "Is he still alive? Impossible!" He set her down and moved closer to "Leo," As soon as he touched him, the burnt skin fell away, revealing new flesh beneath, "Impossible... the leader must see this!"**

He looked around and found a cloak wrapped around "Leo's" body, He lifted it onto his back, heading toward the forest, leaving all the chaos and destruction behind him.!

The sound of metal clanging against a hard surface and a soft tap of high heels echoed nearby, "Leo's" vision was hazy, his mind clouded, A woman appeared in and out of focus, touching his skin with something cold. He surrendered to a drifting awareness and closed his eyes again.

-"It seems he's starting to wake up, Call the chief,"** Veronica said calmly.

**"Yes, Miss Veronica,"** replied the assistant, leaving the room swiftly.

**"I know you're awake, Open your eyes."

A chill ran down Leo's spine, bringing back memories of the agony he'd suffered in the flames, He didn't know if this woman was connected to those men from the tavern, but he understood that resisting was useless, Opening his eyes, he tried to move but found himself bound to a metal bed.

Veronica, after placing her glasses on the table, looked at him and said:

"Don't bother moving; the restraints are steel, Besides, your skin is still new, and you're only making it worse."

Leo relaxed; he had no strength to do otherwise, The door opened, and a tall man entered, with dark hair and deep-set eyes, dressed entirely in black from head to toe.

**"Hello, sir,"** Veronica greeted him.

-"No need for formalities, What have you discovered about this being?"

"Unfortunately, nothing much, sir."

"I'm surprised, You, of all people, found nothing? The genius of the century?"

"Thank you for the compliment, but nothing's clear, Nothing in the records or anywhere, Even his name doesn't appear in the kingdom's archives, I've searched thoroughly he has no title, no medical history, no official documentation, It's as if he fell from the sky, And beyond that, he burned yet didn't die; if anything, he came back better... fully healed."**

"Hmm, well, we do have something intriguing here."

"So, what do you suggest we do with him? Lisa has already driven me mad, insisting on calling him her father, Should we just kill him?"

"Well, he is dangerous, We don't know his strengths or limits, Look here, I made a cut to see if he could heal, but it's gone now, See?"

"Keeping a creature like this alive is undoubtedly risky, but the choice is yours. Do as you wish."

All of this conversation happened right in front of Leo, as if he didn't exist.

"Hey, you two! I'm right here! How can you discuss killing me while I'm sitting here?"

The man turned and approached Leo: "And is there any reason I shouldn't kill you? You sold a three-year-old girl to a man without knowing what he'd do to her. Why should I let you live?"

Leo swallowed hard and said, "I'm truly sorry."

"Sorry? That's all you have to say?"

"Please, spare my life. I'll become your servant if you want—please," Leo began to cry like a frightened child.

"Ha, a servant?"

"Veronica, what do you think? Should we let him join us?"

Veronica looked at him in surprise: "You're joking, right?"

The man gripped Leo's face harshly, saying, "Oh, I'm not joking, The number of recruits for the Black Hunters has dwindled over the years, We lost two last month, We need to make up for the gap."

**"Fine, sir, do as you wish, But remember, he's dangerous, and one day you'll have to kill him—if he can even pass the entrance test."

He glanced at her: "If he can't pass, he'll die anyway, So, let's make this interesting, Call someone to take him to the test."

Veronica opened the door, and the sharp sound of metal clanging returned, Leo's fate now hinged on a test that could determine his life or death.