Chapter 14
A year passed.
The SSS-rank dungeon collapse had become a story whispered only in fragments—half-truths, speculation, and rumors buried under fresh crises. The Bureau moved forward, the guilds pursued other gates, and the people of Tokyo returned to their daily rhythm.
And Renji?
For him, life became… normal again.
Renji lived a Quiet Life...
Every morning, he rose with the sun to make breakfast for Lily. She'd grown taller, her smile brighter, her spirit stronger. Renji worked long hours, splitting his time between part-time jobs and escorting Choji into low-level dungeons where they could mine for magic gems.
At first, Renji waited for something—anything—strange to happen.
The voice in the darkness.
The memory of losing his heart.
The impossible reflection in the mirror.
But days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and nothing came. His hair darkened back to its natural shade. His body, though firmer, carried no unnatural changes anymore. Slowly, Renji convinced himself:
Maybe it really was luck. Maybe that was all.
Choji only strengthened that conviction. Over the past year, their friendship blossomed beyond just partners in hardship, they became inseparable.
Choji teased relentlessly, his grin always shameless.
❝Oi, Renji… don't tell me you're trying to marry Lily one day, huh? You're too protective for just a brother.❞
Renji would glare and swat him with whatever was in reach.
❝Idiot. That's my sister. Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself.❞
Their laughter carried through the small apartment, warming even the darkest corners. For Lily, watching them was like watching the brothers she never had.
It was peace. The kind of fragile peace Renji thought he'd never know again.
But Not for Some…
Far from Renji's modest life, in a guild compound lined with banners of crimson silk, Tang Shi sat alone in silence.
Tang shi the infamous s rank hunter
The humiliation of that dungeon still burned into his bones.
His guild had been torn apart. His pride shattered. His strength mocked by a monster he couldn't kill.
But what haunted him most… was Renji.
A boy with no aura. No rank. No scars.
A boy who walked away from an SSS-rank dungeon alive when Tang Shi himself had been broken.
He slammed his fist into the table, splintering the wood.
❝Did he… defeat it?❞ The question twisted in his chest like poison.
He had spent nights replaying it over and over.
If Renji was a hidden SSS-rank, then why had the Bureau found nothing? Even Takeda, the man with eyes sharper than blades, had declared him powerless.
But the mystery only deepened Tang Shi's obsession.
If he is just human… then why? Why him? Why not me?
The hatred grew, festering like rot in his heart.
Until it consumed his every waking thought.
Then overwhelming hatred Became a Decision
Tang Shi stood before the mirror in his training hall, his reflection soaked in sweat and fury. He looked older, harder, his once sharp eyes darkened by vengeance.
❝I won't let it stand.❞ His voice was low, trembling with rage.
Renji had stolen from him.
Not his power, not his title no. He had stolen the one thing Tang Shi couldn't forgive: his pride.
And worse… the Bureau let Renji live freely. They treated him as a harmless bystander.
They're blind. But I'm not. I know something's wrong with that boy. Something he's hiding.
Tang Shi's fists clenched until blood seeped from his palms.
❝If no one will end him… then I will.❞
But not just Renji.
His eyes narrowed, lips curling into a twisted smile.
❝And I'll take his sister too. I'll watch the light die in his eyes as everything he lives for burns away.❞
The decision was made.
For Tang Shi, this was no longer about justice, or truth, or Bureau politics.
It was vengeance. Pure, absolute vengeance.