After the King's Shadow Fades
Arclight City remained silent long after the obsidian airship shrank into the distance.
It wasn't peaceful silence.
It was the kind of silence left behind after a natural disaster—the quiet that exists only because no one dares to breathe yet.
People peeked out from alleyways, balconies, rooftops, doorways, whispering as they watched the figure who had stood unmoved before a king.
Rengoku Hayate.
Some saw a hero.
Some saw a monster.
Some saw salvation.
Some saw doom.
But all agreed on one thing:
He was no ordinary adventurer.
Hayate didn't look at any of them. The residual trembling of the city's atmosphere washed over him like an insignificant breeze. His focus had already shifted inward.
The Devouring Star pulsed quietly within him.
Steady. Growing. Hungry.
Flare, still clinging to his shoulder, let out a shaky breath.
"Hayate… I think we just survived a political meteor strike."
Hayate didn't answer.
His attention drifted toward the northern horizon—the direction of the capital.
The king had acknowledged him.
Not as a subordinate.
Not as an equal.
As a future threat.
That acknowledgment alone shifted the balance of the entire kingdom.
And Hayate knew it.
"Let's go," he finally said.
Flare blinked in confusion. "Uh… go where?"
"Inside. To prepare."
"For what!?"
"The next storm."
Inside the Association: Chaos and Reverence
The Adventurer Association was a battlefield of emotions when he pushed open the doors.
Adventurers scrambled to straighten themselves, whispering frantically.
"He really faced the king…"
"And survived…"
"No—he REFUSED the king!"
"And lived…?"
"That's not human…"
Hayate ignored the noise and walked toward the Guildmaster's office.
The elderly woman exhaled as soon as she saw him.
"You just turned my entire Association into a shrine."
Hayate raised a brow. "A shrine?"
"To fear, awe, and confusion." She tapped her cane sharply. "I hope you're pleased."
Flare floated forward indignantly. "Hey! It wasn't Hayate's fault the king showed up to flex his muscles like a battle maniac!"
The Guildmaster pinched her forehead.
"I'm too old for this…"
Hayate spoke calmly.
"The king will not interfere further. For now."
"'For now' is what terrifies me." She sighed. "You've forced the kingdom's hand, you know. They won't be able to treat you as a simple adventurer anymore."
"I never was."
"Fair enough." She leaned back. "What will you do next?"
"Continue."
"Continue… what?"
"Everything."
She stared at him—then burst into tired laughter.
"Well, at least you're consistent."
But her tone shifted.
Solemn. Heavy.
"Be careful, Hayate. When a king acknowledges you as someone worth watching… it means half the court sees you as someone worth eliminating."
Hayate nodded once.
"I'm aware."
The Shifting Kingdom
News spread faster than wildfire.
Before midnight, every guild, noble house, and military division had heard fragments of the truth—some exaggerated, some twisted, but all centered on one name.
Rengoku Hayate.
Most citizens admired him.
Many nobles feared him.
Several factions marked him as a future threat.
But one faction—one single unit—reacted differently.
The First Knight Battalion Moves
Far from Arclight City, the First Knight Battalion rode through the moonlit night, escorting the king's returning airship.
Their armor glowed faintly with divine runes, lion emblems etched into steel, silver, and obsidian. They were the strongest knights in the kingdom—elite among elites.
They had expected to be fighting a monster today.
Instead…
They had witnessed something else.
Something terrifying.
Something inspiring.
Their commander, Sir Kaidus, rode at the forefront. His jaw had been clenched ever since they departed Arclight, but not from anger.
From conflict.
He looked up toward the airship, where the king stood at the bow with wind cutting past his cloak.
"Your Majesty," Kaidus finally said. "About Rengoku Hayate…"
The king did not turn.
"Speak freely."
"…Is he a threat?"
A pause.
Then:
"He is a storm that has not chosen where to strike."
Kaidus grit his teeth. "Then… should we eliminate him now, before—"
"No." Aldric's voice was sharp. "That is the worst possible move."
"But—"
"That boy," the king said, "blocked my fist."
Silence swept through the battalion.
Kaidus swallowed hard.
"…What…?"
"He blocked it with one hand."
The knights riding behind him felt their souls chill.
Everyone in the battalion knew the legend:
When the Black Lion King punched a mountain, the mountain lost.
If Hayate stopped that blow—
"He is not an enemy," the king continued, "unless we force him to be."
Kaidus hesitated.
"…Then what are your orders?"
Aldric turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, where Arclight's lights flickered faintly.
"We will observe him."
"And if he continues to grow?"
The king's voice grew lower.
"Then we decide whether to stand beside the storm… or be destroyed by it."
Kaidus bowed his head.
"I understand."
But as the airship flew onward, Aldric spoke again—this time quietly, to himself.
"No… that's not quite right."
His golden eyes narrowed.
"He is not merely a storm.
He is a devouring star."
The Morning After
The next morning, the sun rose over Arclight City like a gentle balm over a wounded battlefield.
But the tension did not fade.
People whispered wherever Hayate walked.
"Is he really stronger than the king…?"
"He refused a royal title!"
"I heard he caught the king's punch with two fingers—"
"That's impossible—"
Flare puffed up dramatically. "Actually, it was one hand! And he didn't even GO ALL OUT!"
Hayate glanced sideways.
"Enough."
Flare deflated."…Yes."
Hayate wasn't concerned with rumors.
He was concerned with the dungeon.
The deeper levels were stirring.
The Devouring Star trembled inside him the moment he awoke—the dungeon core was calling, echoing like a heartbeat buried beneath the earth.
He needed to move soon.
But before he could even reach the Association gates—
A sound cut through the air.
CLANG!
Dozens of armored boots struck the stone road in perfect formation.
Hayate stopped walking.
Flare squeaked and ducked behind his hair.
A troop of armored knights marched toward him—black lion emblems gleaming on their chestplates.
The First Knight Battalion.
But not to fight.
Not to confront.
Not to threaten.
They marched until they were only a few steps away.
Then—
CLANG!CLANG!CLANG!
Every knight dropped to one knee.
The entire street gasped.
The commander, Sir Kaidus, lowered his head deeply.
"Rengoku Hayate…"
His voice rang through the city like a bell struck by divine force.
"On behalf of the First Knight Battalion, we present ourselves before you."
Flare's jaw dropped.
"H-H-H-HAYATE!? DID YOU BREAK THE COUNTRY!?"
Hayate remained expressionless.
Kaidus continued.
"His Majesty ordered us to observe you. But the battalion…
"He exhaled."
…has chosen to do more."
Silence fell.
Even the breeze paused to listen.
Then—in one synchronized motion—
Every knight slammed their armored fist against their chest.
A deafening, unified roar followed:
"WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR STRENGTH—!!"
The resonance shook dust from the rooftops.
Citizens froze mid-breath.
Whispers died instantly.
Hayate said nothing.
Kaidus raised his head—not in challenge, but in respect.
"My king does not kneel before strength."
The battalion echoed,
"NEITHER DO WE."
"But we bow," Kaidus said, voice steady,
"to recognize reality."
"We bow—"
"—to the man who stood as an equal to the Black Lion King."
"—to the man who blocked His Majesty's Divine Fist."
"—to the man who walks a path beyond human limits."
"—to the man the kingdom must not provoke."
Then the final line:
"WE BOW TO RENGOKU HAYATE—A MAN WORTHY OF A KING'S WATCHFUL EYE."
The street vibrated with the force of that oath.
Flare stared in shock.
"Hayate… you… you accidentally became a national-level SSS threat celebrity…"
Hayate's expression didn't change.
But a single thought crossed his mind.
This is troublesome.
Kaidus stood.
"We will not interfere with your journey.
We will not bind you.
We will not hinder you."
He met Hayate's eyes—calm, resolute.
"We will simply watch.
And if the day comes where you fight for this kingdom…"
He bowed again.
"…we will fight beside you."
Hayate finally spoke.
"What if the day comes when I fight against the kingdom?"
Kaidus held his gaze without drawing his weapon.
"Then we will face you with everything we have."
Not hatred.
Not fear.
Only duty.
Hayate nodded once.
Kaidus nodded back.
The oath was complete.
The battalion rose as one, their armor flashing like black iron suns.
Without another word, they marched out of the city.
After the Oath
Hayate walked forward.
People stepped aside instinctively—not out of fear,
but out of something else.
Recognition.
Absolute.
Unshakable.
Flare floated beside him with wide eyes.
"Hayate… you just got acknowledged by the strongest battalion in the kingdom."
Hayate answered without slowing his pace.
"I don't need their acknowledgement."
"I know, but THEY don't know that!"
He paused.
"…But their respect will help."
Flare perked up. "Oh…? You're planning something?"
Hayate looked toward the another dungeon entrance in the distance—a dark maw waiting for him, towering like a silent ancient giant.
"I will descend soon."
"To which floor?"
"All of them."
Flare swallowed.
"All… one hundred…?"
Hayate's eyes glowed faintly.
"The dungeon core calls me.
I cannot ignore it."
Flare shuddered.
"It's starting, isn't it? The real journey…"
Hayate said nothing.
But his silence was answer enough.
The Storm Ahead
That night, Arclight burned with torches, patrols, and trembling anticipation.
Because tomorrow—
Rengoku Hayate would begin his descent.
Floor 1 through Floor 100.
A path no adventurer had ever completed.
A path lined with monsters growing stronger every level.
A path ending at a core that pulsed with an unknown, ancient will.
But even that wasn't the true threat.
The king watched.
The nobles plotted.
The factions gathered.
Enemies from the past stirred.
Rival prodigies awakened.
And deep beneath the dungeon—
something waited.
Something older than kingdoms.
Older than stars.
Older than the dungeon he cleared recently.
Older than the gods themselves.
It felt Hayate's approach.
And it smiled.