Days passed after Ji-hu's revelation, each one carrying the weight of what he had shared.
The mood at the dojo was heavy but determined. They couldn't control what might come through the Convergence. They couldn't stop the Eternal Hunt if Kaelthar ever decided to look toward Earth. But they could control how ready they were.
Yuna gathered everyone around the table one morning.
Yuna: It's time for the NHA reevaluation. We need to know where everyone stands before we can officially register the guild.
Minjun: FINALLY! I've been waiting forever to show off how strong I am!
Soojin: You've been showing off every day. This is just official.
Minjun: THAT'S DIFFERENT!
Ji-hu: She's right. We need real ranks.
Ara: Let's go.
---
The NHA building felt different this time.
When they walked through the doors, staff members stopped to stare. Whispers followed them down hallways. Officials who had never given them a second glance now nodded respectfully as they passed.
Ji-hu's name had spread. The man who vanished. The man who returned from another world. The man who defeated two S-ranks without breaking a sweat.
They were led to the testing wing. Minjun went first, bouncing with barely contained energy.
The examiners put him through a series of tests. Mass manipulation. Control. Precision. Power output. Minjun surprised them all. A year of obsessive training had paid off.
Examiner: B-rank. Solid B-rank with room to grow.
Minjun: I TOLD YOU! I TOLD EVERYONE!
Soojin: You told us many times. We heard you.
Minjun: BUT NOW IT'S OFFICIAL!
Soojin just shook her head, but she was smiling.
---
Yuna was next. Her telekinesis had grown sharper over the years, refined by running the shop and training whenever she could find time. The examiners watched as she lifted massive weights, manipulated multiple objects at once, demonstrated control that impressed even the senior testers.
Examiner: B-rank. High B-rank. Close to A.
Yuna: That's more than I expected.
Ji-hu: You earned it.
Yuna: We'll see.
---
Ara stepped up.
The resonance crystal reacted immediately, blazing bright the moment her hand touched it. The examiners ran their tests, recalibrated, ran them again. Same result every time.
Examiner: Still S-rank. Maybe stronger than before.
Ara: I haven't been training.
Examiner: Some people don't need to. They just... grow.
Ara said nothing. But her eyes flicked toward Ji-hu for just a moment.
---
Then it was Ji-hu's turn.
The room grew quiet. Everyone wanted to see this. The whispers had spread. The man from another world. The one who fought for a year in a place where S-rank monsters were low-level.
He placed his hand on the resonance crystal.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then it screamed.
Light flooded the room, blinding and white, pouring from the crystal like it was trying to escape. The meters on the wall spiked past every limit. Alarms blared. Red lights flashed.
Examiner: WHAT'S HAPPENING?!
Another Examiner: The meters can't handle it! They're maxing out!
Ji-hu pulled his hand back. The light died. The alarms stopped. But the damage was done. Every reading was off the scale.
Senior examiners rushed in. They recalibrated the equipment. Checked the crystal. Tested it on others to make sure it was working. Then they brought Ji-hu back.
Same result. Every time.
Senior Examiner: We don't have a category for this. S-rank is our highest classification. But you're... more.
Minjun: So what does that mean? Is he like super S-rank?
Senior Examiner: We'll have to create a new classification. Something beyond S.
The examiners huddled together, discussing in hushed tones. Finally, the senior examiner turned back to them.
Senior Examiner: For now, we're calling it Exodus rank. You're the first in history, Ji-hu.
Ji-hu: Exodus.
Senior Examiner: It means beyond. Above. A new tier for a new kind of threat.
Ji-hu didn't respond. He already knew he was different. A year in Nethrar had changed him in ways tests couldn't measure.
---
The news broke within hours.
By the time they left the NHA building, reporters were everywhere. Cameras flashed. Microphones were shoved toward their faces. Voices shouted over each other.
Reporter: Ji-hu! Is it true you spent a year in another world?
Reporter: Some are saying you just went into hiding and made this up! Any comment?
Reporter: The government is calling you their new weapon! What do you say to that?
Reporter: There are rumors the NHA fabricated the Exodus rank to project power! To make other countries wary!
Ji-hu walked through them without a word. His face showed nothing. Ara flanked him on one side, Yuna on the other. Minjun glared at reporters. Soojin held his hand and kept her head down.
Reporter: Are you the Chosen One? Some people are calling you that!
Ji-hu kept walking.
The headlines the next day were a war zone. Some called him a liar who ran away and fabricated a story to cover his disappearance. Some called him the Chosen One, destined to save humanity from something. Political analysts claimed the NHA had created the Exodus rank as a propaganda tool, a way to make other countries think twice before challenging them.
Ji-hu didn't care about any of it.
He never had.
---
Back at the dojo, they finally did what they had come for.
NHA Official: Guild name?
Yuna: Shield Bearers.
Official: Approved. Congratulations. You're officially registered.
The official handed over a certificate with the NHA seal. Yuna took it like it was the most precious thing in the world. She stared at it for a long moment, her eyes glistening.
Yuna: We did it.
Minjun: WE'RE REAL! WE'RE ACTUALLY REAL!
Soojin: We've always been real, oppa.
Minjun: YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!
Soojin: I know. I'm happy too.
Ara: Shield Bearers.
Ji-hu: Yeah.
Ara: I like it.
---
That night, Ji-hu sat alone on the dojo steps.
The city hummed around him. Lights flickered in the distance. Somewhere out there, reporters were still arguing about him. Politicians were still spinning narratives. Other countries were probably updating their threat assessments.
He didn't care.
Ara sat down beside him without a word. Close enough to feel her presence. Not touching. Just there.
They sat in silence for a long time.
Then Ji-hu felt it. A flicker. A pulse. Far in the distance, barely noticeable.
A Convergence opening. Small. Brief. Probably unnoticed by anyone else.
But he felt it.
And somewhere on the other side, something felt him too.
Ara: What is it?
Ji-hu: Nothing. Probably nothing.
Ara: You're lying.
Ji-hu: I know.
She didn't push. Just stayed beside him.
The night stretched on. The city hummed. The Convergence closed.
But something was watching now. Something was waiting.
And Ji-hu knew, with a certainty that sat heavy in his chest, that it was only a matter of time.
---
END OF CHAPTER 36