---
The lobby of the Azure Blade Guild Tower gleamed like a monument to wealth and power.
Crystal chandeliers dangled from the high ceiling like frozen lightning. Marble floors reflected perfect silhouettes of men and women in polished armor, chatting, laughing, shining with mana. Large screens displayed live raids, victory announcements, and Guild achievements.
And in the middle of it all…
Lee Jin-Soo walked in wearing a worn jacket and stitched sneakers.
He was invisible again.
Just the way he liked it.
> [System: Aura Suppression Active]
[No detection signatures found.]
At the front desk, a young receptionist perked up at his approach.
"Name?" she asked cheerfully.
"Lee Jin-Soo," he replied. "Here for the trial contract."
She typed quickly, then smiled. "Ah! You've been approved for the 7-day Observation Path. One of our recruiters will be here shortly."
She pressed a button.
Within seconds, the elevator dinged—and Han Do-Kyun stepped out, smiling like they were old friends.
"Welcome to Azure Blade, Jin-Soo-ssi," he said smoothly. "Come on up. Let's get you settled."
---
27th Floor – Mid-Level Hunter Operations Division
The hallway here smelled different.
Not luxurious like the lobby, but more… sterilized. Professional. Cold.
Rows of doors, all sealed with biometric locks. Monitors. Magical detectors. You couldn't take a breath here without being recorded.
Do-Kyun walked him into a small interview room. Inside was a long table, two chairs, and a surveillance orb floating silently in one corner.
"Before we assign you to your first gate, we'd like to run a small compatibility scan. Just basic stuff. Magic type detection. Skill resonance. Your core still reads low-level, but… we have our own methods."
Jin-Soo smiled politely.
"Sure."
He stepped into the scan chamber.
> [System Alert: Attempting Core Scan – Tier C Analysis Detected]
[Neutralizing… Fake Output Engaged]
A small crystal floated in front of him and pulsed blue. After a few seconds, it dimmed.
Do-Kyun frowned slightly.
"Huh. Still E-rank. But strange… Your affinity levels are fluctuating like they're being… choked."
Jin-Soo shrugged. "Must be broken."
Do-Kyun chuckled. "Maybe. Or maybe you're just... difficult to read."
---
Later That Day – Orientation Grounds
Jin-Soo was introduced to a "temporary trial squad" of four other Hunters.
They wore matching gear, laughed easily, and moved like they'd fought together for months.
Their squad leader, a red-haired D-rank called Kim Ryo, clapped Jin-Soo on the back.
"We heard you're quiet. We like quiet. Just don't die on the first floor."
Jin-Soo nodded silently.
They didn't trust him.
But they didn't fear him yet either.
Perfect.
---
That Night – Dorm Room
His assigned room was clean, small, and cold. White walls. Narrow bed. Steel desk. No camera, but a silent orb embedded in the ceiling—watching.
He sat cross-legged on the bed.
> [System: You are in a monitored space. Verbal commands only. Mental link enabled.]
> "System," he thought. "Track everything. Doors. Staff. Files. Anything hidden."
> [Understood. Mapping layout… Completed.]
[Security floor: 3 levels underground. Restricted zone detected – Code Black.]
That caught his attention.
He pressed gently on the system link.
> "What's in the restricted zone?"
> [Encrypted Records: Prison Cells – Subject IDs masked. Essence Suppression Rooms Detected. Mana Distortion Field Active.]
He froze.
> "Essence suppression? They're imprisoning people with mana here?"
> [Correct.]
> [System Suggestion: Investigate the lowest level. High-value secrets confirmed.]
---
The Next Day – Assignment
Their first gate together was a simple D-rank Denguen just outside of Incheon. Goblin nest again. Jin-Soo played his role perfectly—lagging behind, pretending to trip, flinching at blood.
The squad joked about it.
Kim Ryo even offered to buy him soju if he managed to kill just one goblin.
Jin-Soo smiled. Quiet. Grateful.
Then silently sliced three goblins in one sweep when no one was looking.
> [Absorption Complete – Stats Stored in Background Mode]
> [Title Progress: Monarch of Silence – 38%]
[You remain unseen. Your blade leaves no trace.]
But what shocked him more was what he found deep in the goblin nest—
A dead human body.
Male. Young. Mage uniform. No wounds.
Just… drained.
And tattooed on his chest was a symbol:
A blue dagger piercing a crown.
> [System Alert: Marked corpse detected. Azure Blade symbol – Internal unit.]
"Why was he here… alone?" Jin-Soo murmured.
And why had they left him?
He looked up.
His squad hadn't followed him into this far chamber.
They had told him to "scout a side path."
Now he understood.
> "They sent me here… to see if I'd die too."
---
That Evening – Dorm Room
Jin-Soo sat motionless in his bed.
His eyes cold.
His fingers clenched slightly.
> "They're using the Guild for something else. Something darker."
> [Confirmed.]
[Option: Enter Restricted Zone. Warning – Extreme risk.]
He closed his eyes.
And smiled faintly.
> "Then I'll let them believe I'm still weak."
> "Until I see what they're hiding underneath their golden tower."
---
Final Scene – Azure Blade, Floor -3, Restricted Zone
Far beneath the tower, in a room lined with obsidian stone, a man in a suit stared through a magical window.
Behind the glass, chained to a wall, a young hunter screamed silently. His body flickered with suppressed magic. His eyes had long since gone hollow.
"The newer test subject died," a staff mage reported.
"Unfortunate. We'll need another."
"What about that Jin-Soo kid?"
The suited man paused.
"…No," he said finally. "Not yet."
"Why?"
The man stared into the darkness behind the glass.
"Because we don't know what he is yet."
---