Rangers Endgame

"Your channels will be scarred once they heal. You won't be able to absorb and store as much radiance as before."

Yakeru and Fuyumi both turned their heads to Kenji who stared off into space trying to process this new information. Yakeru wore a worried expression, unsure how he would take this.

Now that Kenji thought about it, it made sense why he experienced pain after using so many elixirs one after the other. He felt stupid to dismiss it as simple exhaustion. He was already weak to begin with but now he would never realize his full potential. It was ironic—his quest to grow stronger had ultimately made him weaker.

"I'm sure you have a lot to process but we really should proceed with a checkup."

Kenji remained silent but slowly nodded. After doing a quick checkup on his patients, he scribbled the results on his clipboard.

"So how long until we're released?" Yakeru questioned.

"About a week or so. But..." He looked over at Kenji who still found it difficult to move a muscle. "You'll need to remain here for a while, especially with your broken rib. Hospital health elixirs are usually stronger than what you see in vendors but they still have their limits."

"Makes sense. Thank you."

The doctor made his way to the door but looked back at the three.

"I'll be back to check on you guys. In the meantime, you have a visitor."

The trio tilted their heads in confusion as the man left the room. Before they could question who it could be, another man strolled into the room. Everyone's attention immediately shifted to this new mysterious man.

His short, dark hair with streaks of grey running through it was slicked back and his brown eyes held a gentle gaze. His fitted black suit coupled with his confident demeanor gave off a commanding presence.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he raised his hand to his stomach and gave a slight bow. "My name is Adrian Anders, the Guild Master of the Rangers Guild."

Yakeru, Kenji, and even Fuyumi's eyes shot open. Yakeru stared carefully shifting his body to the edge of his bed to give a respectful bow. As he gritted his teeth trying to ignore the lingering pain, Adrian raised his hand to stop him.

"Please, there's no need to push yourself. I'd rather you rest, Yakeru."

"Oh, well," he slowly crawled back into bed. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. An—wait, you know who I am?"

"I try to know all our rangers. Especially the ones who defeated the infamous Ripper," he swept his gaze. "Fuyumi, Kenji."

Yakeru's cheeks heated up in embarrassment. Of course, the Guild Master would've had records of them.

"Oh, right."

"When I heard that murderer had been caught, I wanted to meet the S-ranks who'd caught him...I never would've expected a B, C, and E-rank to be the ones to capture him."

He wasn't sure how they could defeat someone notorious for hunting high-rankers. Since this was unprecedented, he conducted a short interview.

He was shocked to hear that Kenji intentionally ventured into the mid-rim to hunt the Ripper. Kenji kept his reasoning behind his actions to himself as he recounted what happened.

When they finished their story, Adrian cupped his chin in thought, a deep sigh laced with irritation escaping his nose. After a few seconds, he offered them a deep bow of gratitude.

"On behalf of the Rangers Guild, I thank you for bringing in the Ripper. Alive, no less. Many people have lost their lives during this hunt so we are truly grateful that you three have prevented further casualties."

Something was still a miss. Someone as big as the Guild Master wouldn't travel all this way just to say 'thank you'. If that was the case why not just send one of his subordinates? They knew there had to have been more to this.

"However," he continued. "Not only have you endangered your safety, you also deliberately hunted the Ripper. Since this mission was ranked S, none of you were qualified to participate either. Because of this, not only will you not be compensated..."

Their suspicions were confirmed. Sweat formed on Yakeru's face as they braced themselves for the worst. Frankly, they weren't concerned with being properly compensated for their troubles. Coming out of the whole ordeal with their lives was more than enough. It was what he said next that had them on edge.

"Intentionally interfering with any mission of any kind that you're not taking part in is considered a serious crime."

With this, the rangers tensed up.

"After the guild was founded, rangers would take missions and complete them as usual. But some would seize opportunities to interfere with others' missions, mostly in hopes of reaping rewards for themselves. This became a problem during the guild's early years. If there was a mission they could pillage, they would. So a law was passed to help prevent this." He explained.

"Wait a minute," Fuyumi blurted out. "We were just trying to save our skins. We don't care about a reward."

"I understand, but unfortunately, the fact of the matter is you still interfered with the hunt. Which is punishable by jail time."

Yakeru and Kenji both went pale as a ghost. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. After what they've just gone through, the guild was just going to throw them behind bars? Fuyumi's blood got heated when hearing this.

"You mean you're just going to follow your stupid rules at the expense of those fighting for their lives?!"

"Unfortunately, under normal circumstances, I would."

Her blood reached its boiling point as she shot up from her bed and began marching toward the Guild Master, her eyes fuming with rage.

"You son of a-!"

He raised his hand in front of her and spoke in a calm yet louder tone.

"Let me finish."

She stopped dead in her tracks, anger still boiling inside her. Yakeru and Kenji stared at her in shock. Even when she was calm, she could still be scary but to see her in a rage was a new sight to them.

"As I was saying, under normal circumstances I wouldn't have a choice. However, these aren't normal circumstances. Regardless of how you captured him, the fact of the matter is you still managed to do so. And because of this, I'm willing to substitute your sentences with something more reasonable."

Fuyumi's shoulders relaxed slightly but her gaze remained firm. The color of Yakeru and Kenji's faces gradually returned as well.

"That being said, I believe temporarily confiscating your rank IDs and suspending you from the guild will suffice. Naturally, you won't be able to work as rangers during this time."

Yakeru thought for a moment. The only reason he was letting them off easy was because they managed to defeat the infamous serial killer. Had they not, they'd be thrown in jail. He still struggled to process their remarkable victory.

Power.

Speed.

Endurance.

Experience.

They were at a disadvantage in every category, desperately clinging to luck. Even with the Ripper's injuries, he still proved to be a challenge for the young rangers. He wasn't sure if the amulet somehow bolstered his pain tolerance or if he was simply inhuman. Ultimately, his desperation turned him into a sloppy fighter.

"And if we refuse, we go behind bars?" Yakeru swallowed.

"Correct."

"Okay then..."

Having no other choice, the three ultimately accepted his terms. With a pleased expression, Adrian nodded.

"Good...I know you three must've gone through a lot and this might not seem fair, but it can't be helped."

He turned to leave but lingered in the doorway. He glanced back at the trio.

"It's still hard for me to believe but, again, thank you."

With that, he exited the room leaving them pondering. They were still relatively new to being rangers and now they were already getting their IDs taken away. If word got out, this would most definitely paint a bad image for them in the ranger community.

On the other hand, if people hear that an E, C, and B-rank defeated the Ripper, it could attract the attention of clans. However, although it'd be nice to earn a higher salary if they were scouted by one, it'd be best to keep the identities of the ones who took down the Ripper a secret for now to avoid unwanted attention.

Minutes passed with Yakeru and Kenji making small talk. As usual, Fuyumi wasn't interested in mindless chatter.

Moments later, the door once again swung open and a small figure darted inside.

"Fuyumi!"

A kid younger than they were hugged Fuyumi by the waist.

"Hey, Kei."

Both Yakeru and Kenji were stunned to see her pat the kid's head. They had never seen her display even a hint of affection towards anyone until now. They had no clue who this kid was but they assumed it had to have been a relative.

A man followed behind Kei and went straight to Fuyumi.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" The man asked, worry evident on his face.

"I'm fine, dad."

"What happened, sis?! Are you okay?" Kei finally glanced up at her, still clinging to her waist with tears building up in the corners of his eyes.

Her father looked at her expectedly, also eager to hear how his daughter ended up in such a state.

Staring at Kei, she hesitated a moment. There was no way she could tell him that a murderer hospitalized her. How could a mere child even begin to process that kind of information?

"Nothing. I just fought a monster a bit stronger than me, that's all."

"Did you win?"

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

His face began to glow with admiration.

"Wow, you're so cool!"

Yakeru couldn't help but smile, seeing a bit of himself in the boy.

She looked up at her father who was still worried about her but it seemed like he bought it too. She hated lying to her family, but she had to spare them somehow.

Once again, the door flung open and, this time, a red-haired woman came storming inside. Yakeru gave a surprised look as the familiar woman practically sprinted up to him.

"Akari? Didn't think you'd be he-"

A forceful flick to his forehead interrupted him.

"Ow! You can't just go around flicking patients!"

Ignoring him, she yanked him into a tight embrace.

"Are you okay? You weren't hurt too bad, right?!"

Her tight squeeze sent waves of pain throughout his body.

"N-no but it still hurts!"

She released and immediately began scolding him.

"What were you thinking?! You had no business being in the mid-rim in the first place! What if that maniac had gotten you?!"

He stared at her for a moment. If she was on the verge of a breakdown now, there was no way he could subject her to the truth. Despite her best efforts to keep her composure, a couple of tears slid down her face anyway.

"When...when I heard what happened...I..."

He pulled her into a hug and she returned the gesture.

"You brat...that was the first time I legitimately fainted."

"I'm sorry I made you worry, Akari. You don't deserve this." He stroked her back consolingly.

Kenji watched as the two held each other and Kei continued to bombard Fuyumi with questions. So much so that their father had to hold him back. He sighed internally and resumed staring at the ceiling. He was the only one who didn't have a visitor, not that he was surprised but it still would've been nice.

"And you," Akari said in Kenji's direction. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Kenji. How're you feeling?"

Kenji was stunned for a moment. They'd briefly met before but he never expected her to remember him, let alone care about how he was doing.

"Uhm, I'm doing okay, thanks."

"Really? Cuz you look more banged up than this idiot here." She jutted her thumb at her hospitalized brother.

"Hey!"

Kenji's chest warmed as a small smile formed on his face seeing Yakeru bicker with Akari and Fuyumi growing more annoyed with Kei's interrogation. He felt guilty knowing their families almost lost them because of him. He doubted he could truly forgive himself for nearly losing those who stuck by his side and his scars would serve as a reminder of the consequences of obsession.