Chapter 10 — The Man Who Walked Out
Silence fell over the mountain.
Four hundred hunters.
Three S-ranks.
Dozens of support staff.
All of them stared at the man who had just walked out of a double dungeon alone.
Lucas Dilihavia stood at the entrance of the gate, the dungeon core resting loosely in his hand.
His crimson eyes slowly swept across the gathered hunters.
Not judging.
Not analyzing.
Just… looking.
But strangely—
Almost no one registered in his senses.
It wasn't arrogance.
It wasn't pride.
It was simply reality.
Lucas could barely feel their auras.
Hundreds of hunters stood before him, yet their presence felt like faint ripples in a massive ocean.
Only a few sparks stood out.
The three S-rank hunters.
Their auras were visible.
Strong.
Bright.
But even those…
Lucas subconsciously compared them to the power now sleeping within his body.
And the difference felt… noticeable.
"…Huh."
He tilted his head slightly.
Inside his mind, Arcadrim chuckled lazily.
"Careful, boy. If you start measuring everyone like that, you'll get bored quickly."
Lucas ignored him.
His eyes eventually settled on one person.
Elvanor August.
The Ice Saint.
She stood slightly ahead of the others, her long silver-white hair moving gently in the mountain wind.
Her gaze was locked on him.
Not hostile.
Not cautious.
Just… searching.
Lucas walked toward her.
Slowly.
Calmly.
Four hundred hunters instinctively parted to make a path.
No one said a word.
The three S-ranks watched closely.
Even they couldn't fully understand what they were sensing from him.
It was strange.
His presence didn't feel overwhelming.
It didn't crush the air.
But the space around him felt… stable.
Like gravity itself followed him.
Lucas eventually stopped in front of Elvanor.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Lucas raised the dungeon core slightly.
"…Here."
Elvanor blinked.
He placed it in her hands.
The glowing crystal pulsed softly.
Proof that the dungeon had been cleared.
But before she could say anything—
Lucas swayed.
His vision blurred suddenly.
"…Oh."
The next moment—
His body collapsed forward.
Elvanor reacted instantly.
Her arms moved.
She caught him.
Lucas's head landed directly against her chest.
Right between her breasts.
The world's strongest Ice Saint froze.
Her face turned bright red.
"…!"
Four hundred hunters stared.
Complete silence.
Leon Hartmann coughed awkwardly.
"…Well."
Ragnar Holt scratched his bald head.
"…He looks comfortable."
Elvanor's brain stopped working for several seconds.
Lucas lay completely unconscious in her arms.
His breathing was steady.
Peaceful.
Elvanor swallowed slowly.
Her arms tightened slightly around him.
And strangely…
Something about the moment felt right.
Like the world had quietly aligned into a shape it was meant to take.
Her cheeks remained red.
But she didn't move.
---
A few hours later.
Lucas woke up.
He blinked slowly.
White ceiling.
Soft lighting.
The quiet hum of medical equipment.
"…Hospital."
His voice came out low.
Lucas sat up.
His body felt… light.
Recovered.
Better than before.
He stepped out of the bed.
A simple patient shirt covered his torso.
Lucas stretched slightly.
His muscles moved smoothly beneath the thin cloth.
"…Still weird."
He walked toward the mirror on the wall.
Then removed the hospital shirt.
Lucas stared at his reflection.
And paused.
"…Damn."
His body looked ridiculous.
Every muscle was refined to absurd perfection.
Not bulky.
Not exaggerated.
Just perfectly built.
Even he had to admit—
"…That's expensive looking."
Lucas flexed his arm slightly.
Muscle fibers shifted smoothly beneath flawless skin.
The door suddenly opened.
A nurse stepped inside.
She froze.
Her eyes widened.
Her entire face turned red.
Lucas stood shirtless in front of the mirror.
The nurse looked like someone had just rebooted her brain.
"G–Good morning, sir!"
Her voice came out squeaky.
Lucas turned.
"…Morning."
The nurse struggled to maintain eye contact.
"U–Your family is here to see you!"
Her eyes briefly drifted back to his chest.
Then quickly looked away again.
"…Should I put the shirt back on?"
The nurse's brain visibly malfunctioned.
"Y–YES!"
"…Right."
Lucas grabbed the shirt.
The nurse stepped aside quickly.
Two figures rushed inside the room.
"LUCAS!"
Sarah.
Anya.
They both ran straight toward him.
Sarah stopped suddenly in front of him.
Then blinked.
"…Why are you taller?"
Lucas looked down.
He hadn't noticed earlier.
But yes—
He was now significantly taller.
Sarah used to be slightly taller than him.
Now her head barely reached his upper chest.
Anya looked equally shocked.
"…What the hell happened to you?"
Sarah didn't wait for answers.
She hugged him.
Tightly.
Hard.
Her arms wrapped around his torso.
Anya joined from the other side.
Both sisters clung to him like he might disappear again.
"You idiot!"
"You absolute idiot!"
Sarah's voice broke.
"You scared us half to death!"
Anya punched his arm.
"You stupid brother!"
Lucas hugged them both back.
His eyes stung slightly.
"…Sorry."
His voice came out softer.
"I didn't plan on dying either."
They stayed like that for a while.
Just holding each other.
Eventually the crying stopped.
Sarah wiped her eyes.
Then smirked slightly.
"So."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"So?"
Sarah leaned back slightly.
"That very fine lady who came to deliver the news."
Anya's eyes lit up instantly.
"Oh yeah."
Sarah grinned.
"She was extremely pretty."
Lucas sighed.
"…Elvanor."
Anya nodded rapidly.
"Yeah that one!"
Sarah leaned closer.
"Explain."
Lucas shrugged.
"She's just repaying a favor."
Sarah narrowed her eyes.
"What favor?"
Lucas answered casually.
"I saved her life."
Silence.
Anya blinked.
"…You what?"
Lucas scratched his head.
"It was situational."
Sarah studied his face.
Then sighed.
"…Nothing between you two?"
Lucas shook his head.
"Nope."
Anya had moved closer.
Her finger traced one of his abdominal muscles.
"…Damn."
Lucas looked down.
"…What are you doing?"
Anya shrugged.
"Scientific curiosity."
Before Lucas could reply—
The door opened again.
Two men in black suits entered.
One carried the presence of an A-rank hunter.
The other a B-rank.
Lucas immediately noticed the third figure walking behind them.
An elderly man.
Calm eyes.
Sharp presence.
Chairman Jui.
Retired leader of the Hunter Association.
Also—
The last son of the world's first Hunter.
The room grew quiet.
Chairman Jui smiled gently.
"Lucas Dilihavia."
Lucas nodded.
"That's me."
Chairman Jui gestured politely.
"May we speak privately?"
Sarah and Anya exchanged looks.
Then stepped outside.
The door closed.
Lucas sat down casually on the hospital bed.
"What do you want?"
Chairman Jui studied him carefully.
Then spoke.
"The dungeon you cleared."
Lucas nodded.
"S5 Double Dungeon."
Lucas blinked.
"…Sounds expensive."
Chairman Jui continued.
"That level of dungeon…"
His gaze sharpened.
"Can only be cleared solo by Mythic Rank hunters."
Silence filled the room.
Lucas waited.
Chairman Jui smiled.
"Which means one thing."
"You are now the sixth Mythic Rank hunter in human history."
The A-rank guard behind him nodded respectfully.
Chairman Jui added calmly.
"And the youngest."
Lucas tilted his head slightly.
"…Oh."
Chairman Jui raised an eyebrow.
"That's your reaction?"
Lucas shrugged.
"I mean… cool."
Chairman Jui laughed.
"You're interesting."
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"One question."
Lucas nodded.
"How did an E-rank hunter become Mythic Rank overnight?"
Lucas looked at him.
Then asked calmly.
"…Do I need to answer that?"
Chairman Jui paused.
Then shook his head.
"No."
Lucas nodded once.
"Good."
Chairman Jui burst out laughing.
"HAHA!"
He slapped his knee as he stood up.
"When you start looking for guilds to join…"
He looked back at Lucas.
"…Consider mine."
Lucas didn't respond.
Chairman Jui didn't seem bothered.
He walked toward the door.
"Rest well, young Mythic."
Then he left.
A moment later—
The door opened again.
Sarah walked in.
Anya followed.
And behind them—
Elvanor August.
She had changed clothes.
A fitted black coat.
Elegant white blouse.
Long silver hair tied neatly behind her shoulders.
She had clearly dressed carefully.
Specifically.
Lucas noticed immediately.
His crimson eyes studied her quietly.
Elvanor looked slightly nervous.
Which was extremely rare for the Ice Saint.
She stepped forward slowly.
"…Lucas."
Lucas leaned back slightly on the bed.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"…You dressed up."
Elvanor's cheeks turned faintly red.
The end.....