The Inspector

"What?" Keith ran to the window to see the commotion outside. A wild Dungeon appeared nearby which caused his phone to ring. The sirens blaring outside also echoed throughout the city, and the people panicked to find shelter.

Keith sighed and responded to his phone. He was only a few meters away and it was only an E-rank Dungeon, which meant that it was okay for him to enter.

"Sir, you cannot go!" the nurse said when Keith tried to leave the hospital. "You're still wounded. You wouldn't survive out there."

Keith opened his shirt to reveal his current state. There were no wounds and his legs worked fine. The traces of his battle against Chiron vanished and he was now in a better state than he was before.

"I'm fine now," Keith said. "I will be careful. Besides, it's only an E-rank Dungeon. What bad could happen?"

"The Dungeon you entered before was an F-rank. Look what happened." A tall blonde woman spoke. She wore rectangular glasses and had a healthy plump breast that made Keith stare for a moment. "As your doctor, I cannot let you go."

"But I already responded," Keith groaned, showing his phone. "I have to be there in at least two minutes or I'll get penalized."

The doctor narrowed her eyes when she realized that Keith was standing. "How are your legs?"

"They're okay," Keith responded. "Now, I have to go. Please take care of my dog. Goodbye!"

With a dash to the exit, Keith successfully escaped the hospital. Guards tried to stop him, but the doctor told them to stop. He was now free and was going to test out his new skill.

When he arrived at the scene, Keith saw familiar faces. Everyone glanced at him, but then looked away. Some started to whisper amongst themselves, obviously looking at the man.

Keith did not respond to their stares. Instead, he just let them look at him. They weren't trying to hide the fact that they were staring, and nobody was starting a fight with him. He figured that it was fine.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Today we will start our inspection," a man spoke in front of the crowd. He wore a black suit and a pair of sunglasses. His hair was also black that was slicked back. "My name is Inspector Clint Harvey. I am going to watch the fight against this Demon to make sure you're all safe. As you might know, this is a safety measure from the Union to secure your safety."

Keith did not know that the Union would sent highly talented individuals to observe. Inspetors are just three steps away from being a Judge and all of them has to be at least rated A-rank before they could even apply for qualification.

"Woah," Keith grinned as he saw Clint. The man looked cool and mighty, but his salary was less than an average C-rank. He has connections and political power, but that doesn't buy him anything.

The main reason why the Union started to investigate Chiron's Dungeon was because of their financial situation. They had to rely on the government and sponsorships to finance their people, and a loss of a high-profile Hunter who was a son of a powerful conglomerate was a huge loss.

Keith looked around to try and spot who the rich person Clint is trying to protect. Among all the wild Dungeons that could appear in the country, it would outnumber the Inspectors that the Union has. There are only thirteen Inspectors in the country and at least four Wild dungeons in random locations. They cannot mobilize all of them in addition to their already hectic work.

"Please do not mind my presence," Clint said. "I am from the Union and my only task is to supervize and report any threat that might come your way."

When everyone has settled down, Clint walked to the side to allow Hunters to pass through. They each ran through him for a final inspection and then they got closer to the Dungeon.

This time, the portal was much smaller and the barrier was not broken yet. The Demon is still inside, but has broken the barrier enough to trigger a Wild status.

"You're Keith, right?"

Keith turned to the side to see a young beautiful girl. She was offering her hand at him which he gladly took. "My name is Jackie. I'm a Hunter too. I heard about you on the news. Was it true that you only survived because you passed out?"

"That's what they told them?" Keith was dumbfounded for a minute, but he recovered himself immediately. He grinned and nodded, trying to fit the narrative that Angel told the public. "Right. I fainted and the Demon ignored me."

"That's so cool," Jackie giggled. "I wish I could be as brave as you."

"The portal is breaking!" Clint yelled, calling the attention of all the Hunters including Keith.

"It's nice to meet you, Jackie. Let us talk again soon," Keith smiled and Jackie smiled back.

Crack. Crack. Break!

Their heads jolted to the direction of the sound. The portal was opened and a large bird flew from inside it. It was a pale blue bird with blue flames on its head down to its long peacock-like tail. The bird also had wings of flames and eyes that were burning with anger.

"A beast!" Jackie cheered. "I want it!"

Beasts were Demons that take form of non-humanoid features. They have appearances of usually animals that are found on earth, but had few modifications like this bird who was covered with flames.

A great deal with beast Demons are their high-drop rate for a beast pet. A pet was invaluable and was always of use. They go as much as a few thousands of dollars to millions, depending on the rating and unique traits.

"It's so pretty, I want one!" Jackie cheered again. She brandished her sword and smirked. "Keith, do you think I can take it?"

Keith stared at the woman for a moment. He just couldn't believe that she was so enthusiastic that she thinks she can take down the bird on her own. She was barely even at a legal age, so she would at least had low rating.

"Diamond Blade Magic..." Jackie chanted. "Excavatory Slash!"

With one strike from her white crystal sword, Jackie launched a crescent-shaped attack at the bird. She missed the head, but she was able to cut through the flaming wings.

The crowd of Hunters cheered for her. Some even approached her and commended her work. She was not only insanely powerful, she was quick and smart too. The wings of the bird were made of magical properties, any physical attack would no use against it.

But a magical attack such as her slash damaged the bird until it was too weak. Jackie cheered as the bird went down, killing it and using her sword to pierce through the heart to take its core. "Got it!"

She returned beside Keith and showed the core to him. "Look! The bird. I think I have it."

"Impossible." Keith was beyond shock. Just when he thought that Jackie had little to no ability to even fight, she launched an attack that was able to injure a beast demon. "You are..."

"The Heir to the Gates Empire, Hunter Jackie Gates," Jackie introduced with a smirk.

It was a lightbulb moment for Keith. He looked for Clint and found the man not far from them. He was leaning on a wall with a proud smirk on his face. He was looking at Jackie as the woman cheered for her newly acquired core.

"He's protecting her."