City Demon-Hunting Squad

*Oh — oh!* A quiet thrill ran through Mo Fan.

So Lightning Element mages were this sought-after in the Hunters' Alliance.

No wonder — fewer than one in a thousand mages awakened Lightning Element, and on top of its offensive punch rivaling Fire Element, it came packaged with muscle paralysis and convulsive suppression effects that worked devastatingly on Demon-Beasts. A single Lightning mage in the squad could slash the difficulty of any hunt.

*Perfect. I've found exactly what I needed — something that earns money and sharpens my combat ability at the same time.*

"But to keep my Dual Elements secret, I still need a disguise," Mo Fan decided aloud. "Hide who I am, look older while I'm at it — I'm still way too obviously a high schooler." With his mind made up, he quickly got hold of a black crayon.

Putting the disguise together was easy enough. He darkened his complexion with the crayon, then pulled on a long grey hooded sweatshirt.

Hood up, a dark and sharp-featured face peering out from beneath it — the transformation was complete. He looked like an entirely different person.

He found the City Demon-Hunting Squad's recruitment table and took one look at the enormous queue snaking ahead of it, letting out a low, rueful breath.

*Damn — this line rivals a government exam registration drive.*

Nothing for it but to wait. First interview, then a second round by the looks of it — and at least the woman handling the front table was quite pretty.

"What a lot of useless trash. These idiots think the City Demon-Hunting Squad is some cushy desk job where you sit around collecting a paycheck?" Behind the recruitment table, a hulking man with bandages still wrapped around his head growled in disgust.

"Captain, relax — with this many applicants, someone decent has to turn up." The man speaking wore a fashionable beret perched atop a perfectly round head.

"This one's actually not bad." A slight, soft-looking girl standing behind the captain gestured at a file. "He's mastered Wind Trail at level two — the Flash Step variant. Solid for tracking and corralling Demon-Beasts."

"We already have me for Wind Element. Why would we need anyone else?" said the Wind mage — a young man in a button-up shirt, long hair drifting around him with the languid arrogance of someone who knew exactly how he looked.

"We're just keeping options open. I still haven't seen anyone who actually impresses me." The bandaged captain folded his arms.

"Why not just take A Cheng? He's sharp enough. Honestly, any mage worth their salt already has a fixed squad — nobody truly elite is standing in that line. I say we go with A Cheng; his Fire Element can handle whatever we run into." The long-haired Wind mage shrugged.

The captain shook his head with a resigned sigh. "Looks like we don't have much choice."

The words had barely left his mouth when the sweet-faced girl from the front table came sprinting back — and plowed face-first straight into the captain's chest.

"Ah — ah, I'm sorry!" she stammered, face flushing scarlet. "There — there's a L-Lightning — a Lightning mage who wants to join the City Demon-Hunting Squad."

"Are you serious?!" The captain snapped upright, eyes blazing, scanning the queue with sudden intensity.

Every squad member's eyes lit up in exactly the same way.

A Lightning mage!

The City Demon-Hunting Squad was already considered more desirable than most units — but that didn't mean Lightning mages were lining up to join them.

Lightning mages had always been the most coveted catch for any hunting squad. Even elite teams would happily take on a Lightning novice without a second thought.

A novice could be trained up. But a Lightning mage — appearing in fewer than one in a thousand — was a rarity you couldn't find even searching by lantern light.

Most of them were already claimed before they graduated, snapped up by major clans or large organizations the moment they were identified. Stumbling across a free-agent Lightning mage in the wild was practically a lottery win.

"Is that him?" The captain couldn't contain himself any longer and strode out from behind the table.

"Y-yes, Captain. Are you going to conduct the interview yourself?" the girl asked, still flustered.

"Interview?" The captain turned around, looking genuinely puzzled. "What interview?"

The recruitment girl and the other squad members exchanged confused looks. If he wasn't conducting an interview, then what exactly was he rushing over there to do?

By then, the captain had already reached the front. He glanced at Mo Fan — whose darkened complexion gave him a rough, weathered look — and asked simply: "You're a Lightning mage?"

Mo Fan gave the big man a brief once-over, then slowly raised one hand. An arc of electricity crackled between his fingers and took shape — a snapping, sparking little spirit that jumped onto the tabletop with a sharp **crack** and burned a neat scorched hole clean through the tablecloth.

The captain's face broke into a wide, beaming grin. He nodded with obvious satisfaction.

"Everyone in line — you can go home! We've found our recruit!" He bellowed it across the entire queue without an ounce of apology.

That announcement went over poorly.

"What the hell? We haven't even had our interviews yet!"

"Hey, I'm good — I can cast a full spell in under four seconds!"

"This is insane. Favoritism at a mage recruitment? The world's gone rotten. I didn't drag myself all the way out here just to watch someone waltz in ahead of the line!"

The crowd grumbled and fumed — it was plain they had all placed serious hopes on landing this position.

"If any of you here is Lightning Element, I'll take you on the spot, no interview needed." The captain bellowed it a second time, not offering so much as a shrug of apology.

That quieted the crowd for a stunned beat.

"Wait — Lightning Element?!"

"Are you kidding — a Lightning mage swooping in to steal our shot? There's no future in this field anymore!"

"Right, Lightning Element. I'm not even going to try. I'll go check somewhere else."

The moment Lightning Element was mentioned, every last person in the queue drooped like a rooster that had just lost a fight.

What could you do? Lightning Element was the premier element — its advantages were simply beyond compare. No one felt even a flicker of desire to compete.

Mo Fan turned to find the entire queue dissolving before his eyes, and felt a quiet jolt of surprise.

Back at school he'd known Lightning Element was considered exceptional — but out here in the broader world of magic, it seemed to command an absolute, crushing dominance.

*And it does make sense. When we faced the Gloom Wolf Beast, the one thing that actually decided the outcome was the Lightning Seal — it didn't just deal damage, it locked up the creature's muscles completely.*

"Come, come, come — welcome aboard, little brother!" The hulking captain strode over with the enthusiasm of a man who had just found treasure. "Let me introduce the team — actually, me first. I'm Xu Dahuang, captain of the City Demon-Hunting Squad. Fire Element mage."

"Hello. I'm Xiao Ke, Water Element." The slight, gentle-looking girl gave him a sweet smile.

"Li Wenjie. Wind Element." The dashing young man tossed his flowing hair with the easy self-satisfaction of someone who considered that sufficient.

"Just call me Feishi. Earth Element." The round-faced man in the beret grinned broadly.

Mo Fan looked at this group — all of them clearly several years his senior — and hesitated for just a beat before introducing himself: "My name is Fan Mo."

"Fan Mo. I had a look at that blank résumé of yours, which tells me you're a complete rookie who hasn't come face-to-face with a real Demon-Beast yet." A woman of striking looks fixed him with a cool, measured gaze. "So let me give you one word of warning: don't think that being a Lightning mage makes you anything special. Watch your life out there."

Mo Fan glanced at the woman. She seemed oddly familiar.

"Ah — this is our vice-captain, Caitang! Ice Element!" Captain Xu Dahuang said with a cheerful smile.

*Caitang?*

*Damn. It's her.*

Mo Fan finally placed her. Caitang had family ties to the Mu Clan — she'd always carried herself like royalty, all imperious condescension and unapproachable arrogance. Absolutely the last type of person you'd want sharing a team with you.

*Of all the rotten luck — Mu Clan connections everywhere I turn. The sooner I get into a decent magic university and get out of this city, the better.*