The next morning, they did not wake up peacefully.
They woke up to knocking.
Not polite knocking.
Aggressive, synchronized, professional knocking.
Tatsu opened the door.
Five people in tailored coats stood outside.
Behind them, another group waited.
And behind them, a third group.
Tatsu blinked.
"…We forgot to pay rent."
"No," Leonhart said calmly from behind him. "They are guilds."
Fridge Sama walked past both of them and opened the door fully.
"Yes," he said flatly. "State your offers."
The tallest man stepped forward immediately.
"Azure Dominion Guild. A-rank average. We can offer full sponsorship, equipment, a private training compound, and thirty percent profit share."
Another woman cut in.
"Scarlet Crescent Guild. We offer immediate S-rank testing, media shielding, and double their profit share."
A third stepped forward aggressively.
"Steel Bastion. No media circus. Just results. You will have command authority over dungeon teams."
Tatsu slowly closed the door.
Then reopened it.
"…Are we expensive now."
Leonhart crossed his arms, looking thoughtful.
"This is expected," he said. "We cleared two public breaches."
Fridge Sama nodded once.
"They are inefficient," he said.
All three guild representatives blinked.
"Excuse me."
"You are speaking over each other," Fridge Sama continued. "It is disorganized."
The Azure Dominion leader forced a smile.
"We are simply eager."
"Yes," Fridge Sama replied. "That is visible."
Tatsu raised his hand awkwardly.
"Question. Do any of these offers include health insurance."
Silence.
The Scarlet Crescent woman blinked.
"…Yes."
Tatsu nodded seriously.
"Important."
Leonhart pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You are embarrassing."
"I nearly died to a cat," Tatsu snapped. "I am thinking long term."
The Steel Bastion leader stepped forward.
"We are prepared to assign you your own strike team immediately."
Leonhart's eyes sharpened.
"Strike team."
Fridge Sama glanced at him.
"You like that."
Leonhart did not deny it.
Before negotiations could escalate further, another voice cut through the hallway.
"Step aside."
The air shifted.
The guild representatives turned.
A single woman walked forward in a long dark coat, silver insignia glowing faintly on her collar.
Even the other guild leaders stiffened.
Tatsu leaned toward Leonhart.
"Who is that."
Leonhart's expression hardened.
"Black Meridian."
The strongest guild in the region.
The woman stopped a few feet away.
"I will be direct," she said calmly. "Join us."
Tatsu blinked.
"That's it."
"Yes."
Leonhart tilted his head slightly."And what do you offer."
The woman's gaze moved to Fridge Sama.
"Freedom," she said.
The hallway went quiet.
Fridge Sama studied her for a long moment.
"Define," he said.
"No leash," she replied. "No forced schedules. No sponsorship branding. You enter dungeons when you want. We handle the politics."
Tatsu's eyes widened.
"That sounds dangerously comfortable."
Leonhart looked intrigued.
"And what do you gain."
She answered without hesitation.
"Power on our side."
Fridge Sama nodded slowly.
"That is accurate."
The Azure Dominion leader snapped.
"You cannot seriously consider this without review."
The Scarlet Crescent representative added quickly.
"We are offering more capital."
Fridge Sama looked at them both.
"You are loud," he said.
They fell silent.
Tatsu leaned closer to Fridge Sama.
"Are we joining a guild."
"No," Fridge Sama replied.
Everyone paused.
Leonhart blinked.
"…No."
"We are not joining anyone," Fridge Sama continued calmly.
The Black Meridian woman studied him carefully.
"And why not."
Fridge Sama's voice was quiet.
"Because you are all thinking about control."
Silence fell heavy in the hallway.
"We are thinking about cooperation," she corrected.
"No," Fridge Sama said. "You are thinking about leverage."
Leonhart looked between them.
"And what are we thinking about."
Fridge Sama glanced at him.
"Hunting."
Tatsu nodded immediately.
"Yes. Hunting. With health insurance."
The Steel Bastion leader lost patience.
"You cannot operate independently at this scale."
Fridge Sama's gaze turned cold.
"Watch us."
The temperature in the hallway dropped by a few degrees.
The Black Meridian woman held his stare.
Then, unexpectedly, she smiled faintly.
"…Very well," she said. "If you insist on independence, then consider this."
She handed Leonhart a thin black card.
"A joint operation begins tomorrow. High-tier dungeon. Public broadcast."
She turned to leave.
"Participate as independents if you like. But if you survive, we talk again."
The other guild leaders exchanged looks.
They began retreating too.
The hallway cleared slowly.
The door shut.
Silence.
Tatsu looked at the card in Leonhart's hand.
"…Public broadcast."
Leonhart exhaled slowly.
"That means ranking implications."
Fridge Sama walked toward the window.
"That means noise," he said.
Tatsu swallowed.
"So… we are doing this."
Leonhart looked at him.
"You want to."
Tatsu hesitated.
Then grinned nervously.
"…Yes."
Fridge Sama nodded once.
"Then we hunt," he said.
Outside, the city buzzed.
Guilds recalculated.
Rumors spread.
And somewhere behind closed doors,someone was already planning for tomorrow's broadcast.
Because independent hunterswere bad for business.