[Li Family Compound - Strategy Room]
The meeting room had no windows and smelled like old wood and careful decisions. Mr Li sat at the head of a long table while family members shuffled through paper files. No computers, no phones, no digital anything that could be hacked or traced.
"He's transcendent now," his nephew Chen said, sliding photos across the table. "Confirmed yesterday at the desert facility."
Elder Li Wei didn't look up from his tea. "And they stripped his safety protocols."
"Someone wanted him dealt with," another family member added. "Question is who."
Mr. Li studied the surveillance photos. Vorn walking out of the facility, moving differently than before. More confident, more aware. Each image showed someone who'd crossed a line that most people never even approached.
"His enhancement was clean," Chen continued. "No rejection, no complications. Kid adapted like he was born for it."
"That's what worries me," Elder Li Wei said quietly. "Natural transcendents usually come from established bloodlines. His family went dark decades ago."
Mr. Li tapped his fingers against the table. "Maybe they went dark for a reason."
The room fell silent for a moment.
"We should prepare containment measures," one of the younger members suggested. "If he becomes unstable-"
"He won't," Mr. Li interrupted. "Not yet, and when he does, we'll be ready."
"But sir-"
"We watch, we don't interfere. Let the others make noise and draw attention. We stay quiet and learn what he's really capable of."
Chen frowned. "What if the other families move first?"
"Then we'll see what happens when they try to cage something that doesn't want to be caged."
---
[Park Family Tower - Tactical Briefing]
The conference room was all glass and steel, forty floors above the city. Mrs. Park stood at the window watching traffic move like ants far below. Behind her, a dozen analysts worked at computer screens, tracking data streams and surveillance feeds.
"Subject entered the coastal dungeon facility two hours ago," one reported. "Standard entry, but his clearance was downgraded to C-rank."
Mrs. Park didn't turn around. "Downgraded by who?"
"Order came from internal security. No signature, but the authorization codes checked out."
She finally faced the room. The wall display showed Vorn's location as a red dot moving through the facility's mapped sections. Everything looked normal except for one detail.
"He's moving too fast," she observed.
The analyst checked his readings. "Confirmed. Normal transit time through those sections is forty minutes. He's been inside for twelve minutes and he's already at the halfway point."
"Enhanced speed, enhanced senses, or enhanced confidence?"
"Could be all three, ma'am."
Mrs. Park walked to her desk and opened a secure communication channel. After several attempts, she got through to someone with enough clearance to answer her questions.
"Why was his safety rating reduced?" she asked without preamble.
"Orders from above."
"Above how far?"
"Far enough that asking questions isn't healthy."
The channel closed. Mrs Park stared at the dead communicator for a moment, then turned back to the displays.
"Keep tracking him. And prepare a full intelligence package. If someone's playing games with transcendent candidates, we need to know who and why."
"What if he accesses restricted areas?"
"Then we'll learn what kind of weapon he really is."
---
[Ancient Families Council - Hidden Estate]
The meeting chamber was carved directly into living rock, five hundred meters below ground. No artificial lighting - just crystals that glowed when awakened individuals were present. Five figures sat around a circular stone table that had been there for centuries.
"The Ashworth boy crossed the threshold," the Yamamoto representative said. "Successfully."
"Without proper protocols," added the Mueller delegate. "Someone wanted to test him under stress."
The eldest among them - representing bloodlines that existed before modern hunter organizations - smiled coldly. "Then we'll see what stress reveals."
"His family name carries weight," the Petrov representative observed. "Ancient bloodline, even if they've been inactive."
"Inactive by choice or by force?" The fifth voice belonged to someone whose family name had been erased from public records generations ago.
"Does it matter? The boy is transcendent now. That makes him either useful or dangerous."
The eldest leaned forward. "We keep his information classified. Control the narrative. No public records, no open surveillance."
"And if he becomes problematic?"
"Then we'll have advance notice. Advance notice means advance preparation."
One of the younger representatives shifted uncomfortably. "What if he's stronger than we expect?"
"Then we'll learn exactly how much stronger," the eldest replied. "We've been managing transcendents for centuries. One more won't change the game."
"Unless he changes the rules."
The chamber fell quiet. In the distance, water dripped somewhere in the rock, counting seconds like a patient clock.
"We tighten the net," the eldest finally said. "But we don't close it. Not yet. Let him think he's free. Let him reveal what he's capable of. Then we decide what to do with him."
---
[Vorn's Apartment - Same Night]
Vorn sat at his desk, staring at the anonymous note under his lamp light. The paper was ordinary - nothing special about the ink or handwriting that would reveal its source.
"You're not the only one watching the gate."
He'd been thinking about those words since leaving the dungeon. Someone else knew about the sealed section. Someone with access to secure facility areas and the ability to leave messages without being detected.
Seren was asleep on the couch, some late-night show playing quietly on the television. She'd gotten used to his irregular schedule, stopped asking too many questions about his "research projects."
Smart girl. Sometimes not knowing was safer.
He pulled out his notebook and began writing. Not digital files that could be hacked or monitored - just pen and paper, like the old families preferred.
'Transcendent transformation: Complete. Enhanced reflexes, processing speed, threat assessment.'
'Physical capabilities: Significantly improved. Still testing upper limits.'
'Dungeon performance: Low-level encounters no longer challenging. Ready for higher-tier content.'
He paused, pen hovering over the paper.
'Observation: Multiple parties monitoring activities. Purpose unknown.'
The note suggested someone was watching both him and the dungeon. That meant the sealed gate was more important than facility records indicated. Important enough for multiple groups to maintain surveillance.
'If they know about the gate, they can control access. Block it, claim it, or use it as bait.'
He folded the note and tucked it into his wallet. Tomorrow he'd return to the dungeon. Not because he enjoyed the risk, but because waiting gave other people time to make decisions for him.
And he was done letting other people control his choices.
---
[Desert Facility - Communication Center]
Hajime tried three different secure channels before getting through to someone willing to talk. The voice on the other end was tired, stressed, like someone dealing with too many problems at once.
"Status report on Subject 47," Hajime said.
"Classified."
"I'm his supervising technician. I need to know-"
"You need to file your reports and stop asking questions."
"His enhancement is proceeding outside normal parameters. If there are complications-"
"There won't be complications. The subject is performing as expected."
"Expected by who?"
The line went dead. Hajime stared at the communicator, then tried a different channel, same result. Someone had locked down all information about Vorn's case.
He walked back to his office and opened his personal files. Not official facility records - private notes he kept for cases that felt unusual.
Under Vorn's entry, he wrote: 'Official oversight suspended. Unknown parties directing case. Subject unaware of external manipulation.'
Then he closed the file and prepared for the next day's procedures. Other candidates would undergo enhancement, following standard protocols with proper safety measures.
But in the back of his mind, he wondered what would happen when Vorn realized he wasn't the only one with plans for his future.
---
[Coastal Dungeon - Morning]
Vorn returned to the dungeon before dawn. The facility was quieter this time of day - skeleton crew, minimal surveillance, perfect conditions for testing his capabilities without observers.
He moved through the initial sections faster than before. Not just because of enhanced speed, but because he could read the environment more clearly. Monster movement patterns, structural weak points, optimal paths through each chamber.
The goblins barely registered as threats. His enhanced reflexes processed their attacks before they committed to movement, letting him respond with perfect timing and minimal effort.
Cave trolls that had challenged him weeks ago now felt slow and predictable. His nervous system tracked their muscle tension, balance shifts, preparation for specific attacks. By the time they began moving, he was already countering.
'Not just stronger, better than before.'
He reached the sealed gate in record time. The warnings were clearer now - inscriptions in multiple languages describing genuine dangers beyond the barrier. Ancient seals designed to contain something that posed real risk to experienced adventurers.
But his enhanced senses picked up something else. Fresh mana traces around the seal's edges. Someone had been examining this gate recently. Someone with transcendent-level abilities.
'They're not just watching, they're preparing.'
He placed his hand against the seal, feeling the energy patterns that held it closed. Complex, layered, designed by someone who understood both magic and engineering.
The gate responded to his touch. Not opening - just acknowledging his presence, like it was deciding whether he qualified for entry.
'Time to see what everyone's so interested in.'
He concentrated, pushing mana into the seal's pattern. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the inscriptions began shifting, rearranging themselves into new configurations.
The gate started to open.
---
[Unknown Location - Surveillance Room]
Multiple screens showed different angles of the dungeon interior. Audio pickups caught the sound of ancient mechanisms activating. Heat sensors detected elevated mana levels around the sealed gate.
The figure watching the feeds didn't move, didn't speak. Just observed with the patience of someone who'd been waiting a long time for this moment.
On the main screen, Vorn stepped through the opening gate into darkness beyond.
The observer reached for a communication device and sent a single message: "He's inside."
Within minutes, responses came back from different sources. Different groups, different agendas, but all watching the same feeds with intense interest.
The real test was about to begin.