ETERNAL BOND GUILD HEADQUARTERS - 12:15 PM
The building was impressive—thirty floors of glass and steel in the heart of Jakarta's business district. The lobby displayed holographic footage of famous dungeon clears, all featuring Eternal Bond members.
Rama had been here countless times, but it never stopped feeling alien.
This was Sekar's world. Not his.
The receptionist—a C-Rank Hunter named Dina—looked up as he entered. Her smile was professional but her eyes held thinly veiled contempt.
"Mr. Kusuma. Here to see the Guild Master?"
"She invited me to lunch."
"Of course she did." Dina's tone suggested this was somehow pathetic. "Thirtieth floor. She's in her office."
Rama took the elevator, ignoring the stares from other Hunters in the lobby. He'd learned to tune out their whispers years ago.
The thirtieth floor was executive territory. Plush carpets. Expensive art. Conference rooms with million-rupiah views of the city.
Sekar's office occupied the entire northeastern corner.
He knocked.
"Come in!" Her voice was bright, excited.
Rama entered to find Sekar behind her massive desk, surrounded by holographic screens displaying dungeon reports, guild finances, and hunter deployment schedules. She dismissed them all with a wave.
"Darling!" She was around the desk in seconds, pulling him into a tight embrace. "I missed you."
"It's been four hours."
"Four hours too long." She kissed him, deep and possessive, one hand tangling in his hair.
When she finally pulled back, her eyes scanned his face with unsettling intensity.
"You seem... energized," she observed.
Rama's heart skipped. "Just had coffee. Strong coffee."
"Hmm." She didn't look convinced, but she let it go. "Come. I ordered lunch from that place you like."
The "place he liked" was actually a restaurant Sekar preferred, but Rama had learned to enjoy it. Or at least pretend to.
They ate at the small conference table in her office—rendang, sambal, fresh rice. Sekar talked about her morning meetings while Rama listened and nodded.
All while acutely aware of the System notifications minimized in the corner of his vision.
[DAILY QUEST PROGRESS: 100/100 push-ups, 100/100 sit-ups, 100/100 squats, 10km/10km run]
[QUEST COMPLETE! REWARDS PENDING...]
He'd finished the run earlier, sprinting through Jakarta's parks at superhuman speed when no one was watching. His current Agility made him faster than most C-Rank speed-type Hunters.
"Rama? You're doing it again."
He blinked. Sekar was staring at him.
"Doing what?"
"Spacing out. You've been distracted all week." She set down her fork. "Is something bothering you?"
"No. Just thinking."
"About?"
"Nothing important."
Sekar's expression hardened slightly. "Don't lie to me."
The temperature in the room dropped. Her aura leaked out—that overwhelming S-Rank pressure that made breathing difficult.
Rama met her eyes calmly. "I'm not lying. I'm just tired."
"Tired from what? Shopping?"
The accusation was subtle but clear. She didn't believe his market story. She probably hadn't believed it from the start.
"Yes," Rama said simply. "From shopping."
They stared at each other. A test of wills.
Finally, Sekar's aura retracted. She sighed and reached across the table, taking his hand.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrogate you. I just worry." Her thumb traced circles on his palm. "You're the most important person in my life. If something's wrong, I need to know so I can fix it."
Her sincerity was genuine. That was the worst part. Sekar truly loved him. Obsessively, possessively, dangerously—but it was real love.
And he was lying to her face.
"I know," Rama said softly. "But I'm fine. I promise."
"Okay." She squeezed his hand. "I believe you."
Another lie. She didn't believe him. But she was choosing to let it go.
For now.
A knock at the door interrupted the moment.
"Guild Master?" A voice called from outside. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's an urgent situation."
Sekar's expression shifted instantly from loving wife to commanding leader. "Enter."
A B-Rank Hunter named Joko stepped inside, tablet in hand. He glanced at Rama with barely concealed disdain before focusing on Sekar.
"We have a gate emergency. A-Rank gate just appeared in Tangerang. It's growing unstable. The association is requesting immediate response."
"How unstable?"
"Estimated break time: six hours. Maybe less."
Gate breaks were catastrophic events. When dungeons weren't cleared in time, monsters flooded into the real world. An A-Rank break could devastate an entire district.
Sekar stood immediately. "Assemble the A-team. Full combat loadout. I want us on-site in twenty minutes."
"Already done, ma'am."
"Good." She turned to Rama. "I'm sorry. I have to go."
"I understand."
She kissed him quickly, then paused. "Stay here. In the building. Don't go anywhere until I get back."
"Sekar—"
"Please." Her eyes were intense. "Just this once. Stay where I know you're safe."
It was phrased as a request, but the underlying command was clear.
Rama nodded. "Okay. I'll wait here."
Relief flooded her expression. "Thank you. I love you."
"Love you too."
Sekar grabbed her combat gear—a set of enchanted armor that materialized from her inventory—and rushed out with Joko.
Rama sat alone in her office, listening to the building mobilize. Hunters rushing to assembly points. Vehicles departing. The organized chaos of a major guild response.
He waited ten minutes to make sure Sekar was truly gone.
Then he pulled up the System interface.
[DAILY QUEST REWARDS: +1 ALL STATS, RANDOM SKILL BOOK ACQUIRED]
[NEW ITEM: SKILL BOOK - SHADOW STEP (RANK B)]
[LEARN SKILL? YES/NO]
Rama selected YES.
Knowledge flooded his mind. How to move through shadows. How to teleport short distances. An assassin's skill, not a tank's.
But the System didn't care about traditional class restrictions.
He stood and activated the skill experimentally.
One moment he was by the desk. The next, he stood across the room, having moved through the shadow cast by a bookshelf.
[SHADOW STEP - RANK B]
[COST: 30 MP]
[COOLDOWN: 10 seconds]
[EFFECT: Teleport up to 15 meters to any shadow within line of sight]
Powerful. Versatile. Perfect for escaping dangerous situations.
Or for getting places he shouldn't be.
Rama checked the Player Network communicator.
Three messages waiting.
[SARI: New dungeon discovered. B-Rank. Unmapped. Interested?]
[ADI: Anyone want to party up for the weekly challenge dungeon?]
[BUDI: Warning - Ascended player spotted near Bekasi. Avoid the area.]
The network was active. Players helping players.
Rama typed a response to Sari.
[RAMA: Where and when?]
The reply came instantly.
[SARI: Tonight. 11 PM. Old industrial district near the port. Bring stealth gear. This one's going to be fun.]
Rama checked the time. 12:43 PM. Sekar would be gone for hours dealing with the A-Rank gate. He had a window.
But he'd promised to stay in the building.
He looked at the office door. Then at the window overlooking Jakarta's skyline.
The promise had been to stay in the building. He hadn't promised to stay in the office.
Rama activated Presence Concealment and slipped out.
ETERNAL BOND GUILD - TRAINING FACILITIES - 1:15 PM
The guild's training floor was on the fifteenth level—a massive space with reinforced walls, combat dummies, and private training rooms.
Only three people were present. Most Hunters had deployed with Sekar or were on other assignments.
Rama entered one of the private rooms and locked the door.
Time to experiment.
He pulled up his full status.
[PLAYER STATUS]
Name: Rama Kusuma
Level: 17
Class: Vanguard (Evolving)
Title: Solo Conqueror
STATS:
Strength: 46 (+1)
Agility: 36 (+1)
Vitality: 111 (+1)
Intelligence: 36 (+1 +5)
Mana: 56 (+1)
Skills:
[Provoke - Rank D]
[Steel Body - Rank C]
[Last Stand - Rank E]
[Phantom Strike - Rank C]
[Quick Recovery - Rank D]
[Presence Concealment - Rank B]
[Shadow Step - Rank B]
[Silent Communication - Rank C]
Available Stat Points: 5
Available Skill Points: 1
His growth was exponential. In two days, he'd surpassed years of normal training.
Rama allocated three points to Strength, two to Agility.
Then he started testing his skills.
[Steel Body] turned his skin metallic-gray, hardening it to the point where a practice sword couldn't scratch him.
[Phantom Strike] allowed him to attack with illusory afterimages, making it seem like he was striking from multiple angles simultaneously.
[Shadow Step] let him teleport around the room in rapid succession.
For twenty minutes, Rama pushed himself, combining skills, testing limits, learning what his transformed body could do.
He was fast. Incredibly fast. His punches could dent the reinforced training dummies. His defense could probably tank hits from B-Rank monsters.
And he was only level 17.
What would he be at level 50? Level 100?
The thought was intoxicating.
A notification appeared.
[HIDDEN QUEST PROGRESS: DOUBLE LIFE - DAY 1/30 COMPLETE]
[CURRENT SUCCESS RATE: 87%]
[WARNING: Your wife's suspicion level is rising. Maintain better cover or risk discovery.]
The System was tracking how well he lied. How convincing his performance was.
Eighty-seven percent. Not perfect, but passing.
Rama dismissed the screens and left the training room.
He needed to get back to Sekar's office before anyone noticed he'd left.
SEKAR'S OFFICE - 2:30 PM
Rama had just settled back at the conference table when his phone rang.
Sekar's name flashed on the screen.
He answered. "Hey. How's it going?"
"The gate's stabilizing. We managed to clear the first three floors quickly. Should be done in another hour." She paused. "Are you still in my office?"
"Yes."
"Good. I was worried you'd get bored and leave."
"I promised I'd stay."
"I know. Thank you for keeping your promises." Her voice softened. "I'll be home by five. We can have dinner together. Just us."
"Sounds perfect."
"I love you, Rama."
"Love you too."
She hung up.
Rama set down the phone and stared at his hands—hands that could now crush stone, move at blinding speed, channel skills that shouldn't exist.
He was becoming powerful.
And every day, the lie grew bigger.
But there was no turning back now.
The System had chosen him. The Players had welcomed him. And somewhere out there, challenges waited that would push him beyond anything the world had ever seen.
He just had to survive thirty days without his yandere S-Rank wife discovering the truth.
How hard could it be?
[NEW NOTIFICATION]
[WARNING: PLAYER "SHADOW KILLER" HAS ENTERED JAKARTA]
[CLASSIFICATION: ASCENDED - HOSTILE]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[RECOMMENDATION: AVOID CONTACT]
Rama stared at the notification.
Apparently, very hard.