The crowd was momentarily silent.
"Wait… that's Astra, isn't it?"
"The Demon Hunter?" someone whispered.
"No way. An actual S+ Rank? What's he doing here?"
The whispers spread like wildfire. A few participants took a step back, instinctively making space as Astra continued forward, unbothered by the attention.
He didn't speak right away. Instead, he studied the remains of the shattered crystal, then glanced at Asher with an a unreadable expression.
"So... who broke my measuring device?" he asked, though from the way he was looking, he already knew the answer.
The tester tensed. "Apologies, sir. It was—"
Astra held up a hand to stop him, eyes still locked on Asher. "I already know."
He stepped closer, just enough to be face to face with Asher. "What's your name?"
"Asher," he replied, standing his ground.
Astra nodded once. "You're strong. So what's someone like you doing here? Any organization would've taken you in without question."
