---
Two days later.
The world didn't end when the truth leaked.
But something deeper cracked.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just… quietly unstable.
It began with whispers in forums where Hunters gathered after raids. Anonymous posts.
> "Is Azure Blade harvesting their own?"
"Anyone else heard of the 'essence tubes'?"
"Why is the Association investigating their main tower?"
Most dismissed them as conspiracy nonsense. Trolls.
But some Hunters didn't laugh.
Because they had seen things.
Because they remembered squadmates who vanished during simple missions.
And the lie they lived in… started to rot.
---
Inside Azure Blade HQ – Floor 20, Tactical Division
Jin-Soo stood silently before a glass wall, overlooking the training yard.
Behind him, the air was heavy.
The atmosphere had shifted.
A quiet paranoia had settled across the tower.
The sudden cancellation of three outer Denguen expeditions.
Security checkpoints doubled.
Access to the lower floors restricted—even to mid-rank officers.
The Guild was bleeding internally.
Covering holes it couldn't admit existed.
> [System: External Public Interest in Azure Blade – Rising]
[Media Probes Detected: 3 Journalists Requesting Guild Interviews]
[Public Confidence – 61% → 52%]
And at the heart of this hurricane… stood Jin-Soo.
Still unnoticed.
Still smiling.
---
Inside Dorm Room – Night
Kang Mi-Ra stood with him over a hand-drawn map of the tower's lowest layers. She had drawn it from memory—floor by floor.
"This room here," she said, tapping a red X, "is where they store the siphoned essence stones before transferring them off-site."
Jin-Soo nodded slowly.
"Security?"
"Heavy. Magical locks, retina scan, code crystals. Only three Commanders have full access."
He stared at the X.
> "If we can extract just one essence stone… and get it to the Association..."
> "…It's over."
She nodded.
"But the only path in is through the elite Hunter quarters on Floor 29. That place is off-limits to trial Hunters like you."
Jin-Soo's eyes sharpened.
"Then I'll stop being a trial Hunter."
---
The Next Day – Combat Arena, Floor 15
An open Guild match was being held—an unofficial event where Hunters tested their strength in front of sponsors and staff. No rules. No referee. Just fighting.
A chance to rise.
Jin-Soo had stayed away—until now.
He stepped into the circle with calm steps.
Across from him stood a loud, broad-shouldered C-rank called Shin Jae-Hwan, known for his fire affinity and arrogance.
"Really?" Jae-Hwan laughed. "You again? You barely held your blade last week."
Jin-Soo smiled politely. "Maybe I got lucky today."
Someone in the crowd chuckled.
Another muttered, "This'll be quick."
> [System: Combat Suppression Mode Active – 70% Strength Cap]
Jin-Soo raised his weapon—a short practice blade.
Jae-Hwan didn't even wait.
He charged with a blaze of heat, laughing, a fist wrapped in flame hurtling forward like a comet.
Jin-Soo didn't move.
Until the last second.
Then—
Step. Turn. Slice.
Jae-Hwan stopped.
Looked down.
Blood trickled from a clean cut on his abdomen.
Silence.
He dropped to one knee.
Gasps echoed.
> "What the hell was that?"
"Did he just…?"
"Wait, wasn't he E-rank?"
Jin-Soo bowed slightly.
Then walked away.
---
An Hour Later – Floor 29, Elite Quarters
He was summoned.
The Guild had changed his tag:
Trial Hunter → Contracted Specialist.
He was officially part of the inner tower now.
Exactly where he needed to be.
But the halls here were different.
Wider. Brighter. But colder.
Paintings of past heroes. A statue of the Guild founder. Magic woven into the very air.
And behind each smile from passing Hunters was carefully measured suspicion.
> [System: Surveillance Level – High]
[Countermeasures Active]
Jin-Soo walked with a clipboard, blending in as if performing inspection.
Until he reached the supply gate to the essence vault.
Guards blocked the path.
He memorized the lock layout in three seconds.
> "I'll need seven minutes and a blindspot," he told Mi-Ra through a silent signal transmitter.
"Set the fire alarm. On my mark."
---
Meanwhile – Floor 4, Cafeteria
Kang Mi-Ra bumped into a janitor.
Her elbow tapped his mana crystal.
It shattered.
Boom.
White sparks exploded through the cafeteria.
Sprinklers triggered.
Guards panicked.
> [System: Distraction Success – 84% chaos achieved]
---
Back at the Vault – Moment of Infiltration
Jin-Soo moved.
Fast. Silent. Deadly.
He bypassed the guards.
Bypassed the eye-scan using a hacked retina overlay.
> [System Override – Lock Level A Neutralized]
He slipped into the vault.
And saw them:
Rows of essence stones.
Each one pulsing softly, glowing like trapped stars.
He picked one up.
It throbbed in his palm.
> [Item: Condensed Essence Core]
[Origin: Human Hunter]
[Soul Fragment Detected.]
He clenched his fist.
"Never again."
He slipped the core into a concealed pouch—and walked out with calm steps.
No one noticed.
Not yet.
---
Final Scene – Association Office
That night, an anonymous package arrived at a sealed postbox within the Hunter Association headquarters.
Inside:
One essence stone.
One note.
> "They're bleeding us.
This is just the beginning.
Burn their name."
---