I woke up to silk sheets and the smell of money.
This wasn't a hospital. Hospitals had scratchy blankets and the stench of disinfectant. This room screamed private medical facility—the kind where CEOs recovered from "exhaustion" and celebrities got new faces.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. The screen was cracked, but alive.
[87,432 missed calls][241,889 messages][#LiamChen - Trending #1 Worldwide]
I sat up, ribs protesting. The pain was manageable—too manageable for someone who'd taken a direct hit from an A-rank monster twelve hours ago.
[Status Window] [Level: 25] [HP: 1,850/1,850] [Unassigned Stat Points: 75] [Warning: Excessive growth detected. Recommend gradual distribution]
Seventy-five points to spend. Enough to rival a C-rank hunter, maybe even B-rank if I played it smart.
But that was just the Leveling System.
The other one, the one I couldn't let anyone know about, whispered information:
[Guild Master System: Passive Mode] [Location: Frost Medical - Private Wing] [Detected Presences: 1 approaching] [Identity: Elena Frost] [ETA: 10 seconds]
I closed both windows and grabbed my phone, pretending to scroll through messages.
The door opened without a knock.
Elena Frost entered like winter itself—sudden, beautiful, and potentially lethal. She'd changed from her business suit into something more casual, though "casual" for her still cost more than most people's cars.
"You're awake." Not a question. "We need to talk."
"About what? How your guild left me to die?"
She pulled a chair next to my bed, crossing her legs. "About how you didn't."
[Analyzing: Elena Frost] [Hidden Skill: Absolute Zero (SSS-Rank) - 95% SEALED] [Emotional State: Frustrated, Intrigued, ...Attracted?] [Loyalty: 15 (Interested but suspicious)] [Warning: Target has eliminated 47 people who knew her secret]
I kept my face neutral while my mind raced. Forty-seven people. And she had an SSS-rank skill she didn't even know about.
"I got lucky," I said.
"No." She leaned forward. "Lucky is dodging once. Lucky is landing one good hit. You killed an A-rank Shadow Draconian solo, at level one. That's not luck."
"The leveling system—"
"Shows combat predictions. I know. I've studied every type." Her eyes narrowed. "But yours is different, isn't it?"
A knock saved me from answering. The door burst open and three people in expensive suits rushed in.
"Mr. Chen! Park Hyunwoo, Titan Guild." The first man thrust a tablet at me. "Ten billion won signing bonus, S-rank apartment, your own team—"
"Dragon Guild offers fifteen billion!" The woman interrupted. "Plus exclusive dungeon rights—"
"Phoenix Guild will double any offer!" The third shouted.
Elena didn't move. Didn't speak. Just stared at them.
They shut up.
"Leave," she said quietly.
"CEO Frost, you can't monopolize—"
She stood. The temperature dropped ten degrees.
"Leave."
They scrambled for the door.
When it closed, she turned back to me. "Where were we? Ah yes, your impossible survival."
"Maybe I'm just that good."
"Maybe." She pulled out her phone, showing me a livestream clip. "Or maybe you have something every guild in the world wants."
On screen, I was dodging attacks that should have been invisible, striking at empty air where the monster would appear.
"Precognition? Future sight? Or something else?"
My Guild Master System screamed warnings:
[Warning: Target Suspicion Rising] [Elena Frost Analyzing You] [Recommendation: Partial Truth]
"The leveling system shows me... patterns. Movement predictions. Nothing special."
"Show me your status window."
"That's private."
"Everything has a price, Mr. Chen." She leaned closer. Her perfume was like winter roses. "Name yours."
"Freedom. I don't want to join any guild."
"Not even for fifty billion?"
"Not even for a hundred."
She smiled—the third time I'd seen it. "Interesting. Then let me make a different offer."
Before she could continue, the door slammed open again.
Jake Morrison strutted in with a camera crew, his armor polished and gleaming. His confidence had returned now that the danger was over.
"There he is! The man of the hour!" He flashed his perfect smile at the cameras. "Liam, buddy, I wanted to check on you."
"We're not buddies."
"Come on, don't be like that." He turned to the camera. "People are saying crazy things online. I want to set the record straight—I softened that monster up for you. Team effort, you know?"
I almost laughed.
Instead, I held up my wrist. "This your bracer?"
His smile cracked.
"The one you dropped while running?" I pulled out my phone, finding the timestamp. "Here, look. You left at 14:23:07. The Draconian fully emerged at 14:23:41. You ran before it even appeared."
The camera crew turned their equipment toward Jake.
"That's... edited. Fake news."
"It's from the official HunterTV stream." I found another clip. "Oh, here's a good angle. Is that you crying?"
His face went purple. "You little—"
"Also." I zoomed in on the video. "Did you... is that a wet stain on your—"
"ENOUGH!" Jake lunged forward.
Elena caught his wrist without looking. "Touch my patient, and I'll freeze your assets. All of them. Including the ones below your belt."
Jake yanked his hand back, glaring at us both. "This isn't over."
"Yes, it is," Elena said. "You're fired from Frost Guild. Security will escort you out."
He left, camera crew following, their story now completely different from what he'd planned.
Elena sat back down. "Where were we? Ah yes. My offer."
"I'm listening."
"I'm starting something new. Not expanding Frost Guild—building something entirely different. A guild where strength isn't measured by rank alone."
Her eyes had a dangerous gleam.
"I need someone with instincts. Someone who can spot potential others miss."
[Hidden Quest Unlocked] [The Ice Queen's Gambit] [She knows more than she's saying] [Reward: ???]
"Why me?"
"Because you survived the impossible. Because you didn't bow to pressure. Because you're hiding something interesting." She stood, smoothing her skirt. "I'll fund everything. You help me build it. Equal partners."
"I choose the members?"
"Within reason."
"And if I refuse?"
She leaned down, close enough that I could see gold flecks in her blue eyes. "I don't handle rejection well, Mr. Chen."
The Guild Master System suddenly flared:
[Talent Detection: Passive Activation] [S-Rank Potential Detected] [Distance: 50 meters] [Location: Room 4B] [Identity: Unknown Patient] [Critical: Life Signs Failing] [Time Remaining: 2:47:33]
I forced myself not to react.
"I need time to think."
"Of course." She headed for the door. "You have until tomorrow. Try not to die before then."
She left, and I immediately got up. My body felt stronger than ever—those unspent points begging to be used.
But first, room 4B.
I made it halfway down the hall before Elena's voice stopped me.
"Where are you going, Mr. Chen?"
She stood by the elevator, watching.
"Just... wanted to check on the other survivors."
"They're all dead. You know that."
[Time Remaining: 2:41:16]
"I thought maybe... someone might have made it."
Her expression was unreadable. "Room 4B is restricted. That patient isn't from your raid."
"Oh."
"But curious that you'd pick that specific room." She walked closer. "Almost like you knew something was there."
[Warning: Suspicion Level Critical] [Recommend Immediate Deflection]
"I saw a nurse heading that way earlier. Looked worried."
"There are no nurses on this floor."
Shit.
We stared at each other. The system counted down:
[Time Remaining: 2:38:42]
"Join me," she said suddenly. "And I'll give you access to that room."
"That's manipulation."
"That's business." She smiled again—fourth time. "Your move, Mr. Chen."
I looked at the countdown, then at her.
An S-rank potential dying down the hall. The world's most dangerous CEO wanting to make me her partner. Two systems that shouldn't exist.
"Fine. Partners."
"Excellent." She pulled out a keycard. "Room 4B. Try not to let them die. I'm curious what drew you there."
She walked away, heels clicking on marble.
[Quest Updated: Save the S-Rank] [Time Remaining: 2:35:58] [Warning: Elena Frost is testing you] [Hidden Objective: Don't reveal your true capabilities]
I ran for room 4B.
Inside, machines beeped frantically around a small figure.
A child. Maybe sixteen. Covered in portal burn scars.
[Analyzing: Kim Aria] [Current Rank: F] [Potential: S-Rank Healer] [Status: Cursed - Mana Poisoning] [Time Until Death: 2:33:41] [Note: Standard healing will accelerate death]
The door opened behind me.
Elena stood there, watching. "Interesting. How did you know?"
The game had begun, and I was already three moves behind.