"Hello, RED! Hello!" AK shouted but there was no response.
"I think he's already gone to sleep for a month… what a headache," AK muttered, running a hand through his hair. "The so-called Creator doesn't know anything in detail… or is he hiding something?"
He let out a frustrated sigh and collapsed onto his chair. "I have thousands of questions for him. Maybe I should make a list while he's gone. The biggest mystery right now… why did the other Top 10 hunters betray me? And why didn't Hazzy and Sadique show up at the party that day?"
AK leaned back, staring at the ceiling as his thoughts spiraled. "There are too many questions—questions only the writer of this world can answer. And yet… something about RED feels suspicious. Why did he choose me to be the protagonist of this story? There was an original protagonist… who's dead now. Even RED doesn't know if he's truly gone or not."
He frowned, his voice dropping to a whisper. "And what about the original soul of this body? Yeah… my soul in this body. There's no limit to the questions I need to ask the so-called creator—this weakest Primordial Being…"
AK slammed his notebook open. "Alright. Time to make the list."
---
Hours passed. AK stared at the page filled with questions when a notification popped up on his device. Hazzy: Join the raid. Another message followed—Ajay: Dungeon raid today. Maya will be there.
For a moment, AK's heart skipped. Maya. He wanted to join Ajay's party for a chance to see her… but then he exhaled deeply and shook his head. "No. Not today." He typed back a quick "Can't join" to Ajay and then replied to Hazzy with "I'm in."
Before leaving, AK made a quick call to someone, his expression unreadable.
The dungeon was near BN Collegiate School, an old building covered in cracks and ivy. When AK arrived, Hazzy, Ash, and Phaphy were already waiting. All three looked sharper, stronger—power radiating from their presence.
"Hello, AK. How are you doing? Everything fine?" Hazzy asked casually.
"I'm fine, Hazzy. What about you guys?" AK replied with a polite smile, then his eyes narrowed slightly. "You all look stronger than before… grinding too hard, I see."
"Yeah. We are," Ash cut in with a smirk, interrupting AK mid-sentence.
"Let's just get inside," Phaphy said impatiently. "It's only a D-rank dungeon."
"Wait," Hazzy and AK said in unison. "We need to wait for someone."
Phaphy frowned to AK. "You also invited someone new?"
"Yeah," Hazzy chuckled. "I remember saying AK, gonna invite someone new face too."
Before AK could respond, two figures approached from the distance—two stunningly beautiful women, their presence commanding attention even before they reached the group. One of them was Maya.
AK's breath hitched. For a second, he felt his heart race uncontrollably. She's here…
But then his eyes moved to the second girl—equally gorgeous, but with an aura that felt strangely familiar. Hazzy greeted her warmly, "Hello!"
AK's gaze lingered longer. The more he stared, the more his stomach churned with shock. His lips trembled as he finally whispered—then shouted in disbelief:
"YOU…!"