Morning hit hard.
Sunlight blasted through the window—
Right into Kaizen's face.
"…Tch."
He turned his head slightly, eyes still closed.
A pause.
Then—
He opened them.
Fully awake.
He sat up in one smooth motion.
No sluggishness.
No hesitation.
Like a switch flipped.
"…Guess I'm up."
From downstairs—
Noise.
Voices.
The smell of food.
Normal life.
Kaizen stood, stretching lightly.
Bones cracking.
Muscles loosening.
Then he walked straight to the bathroom.
The mirror reflected him.
Messy black hair.
Sharp silver eyes.
That same lazy expression…
But today—
There was something sharper behind it.
Something awake.
Water roared.
Steam filled the room fast.
Kaizen stepped into the shower—
Hot water crashing over him like rain.
Dripping.
Hissing.
Sliding down his body.
For a split second—
The steam shimmered.
Light bent.
And behind him—
A silhouette.
Radiant.
Massive.
Not human.
Gone.
Kaizen didn't react.
"…Yeah. Definitely awake now."
He stepped out.
Grabbed a towel.
Dried off quickly.
No wasted motion.
Toothbrush.
Sharp, fast movements.
Eyes locked on the mirror.
Focused.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Water echoed in the sink.
For just a moment—
His reflection lagged.
A fraction of a second behind.
And his eyes—
Glowed gold.
Like two miniature suns.
Then—
Normal again.
He rinsed.
Spit.
"…Annoying."
Clothes went on fast.
Black shirt.
Dark pants.
Long coat sliding over his shoulders.
The fabric settled perfectly—
Like it belonged to something far beyond a "guild master."
He adjusted the collar.
Checked himself once.
Perfect.
He stepped out—
And froze.
"…Breaking news!"
The TV volume was loud.
Urgent.
Different.
Kaizen's eyes shifted.
On screen—
A guild building.
Familiar.
Star Killer Guild.
"…Five elite members have mysteriously disappeared overnight—"
Images flashed rapidly.
Faces.
Smirks.
Confident eyes.
The same five.
"…No dungeon activity… no battle traces… no bodies found—"
The camera cut—
To a furious man surrounded by reporters.
The Guild Master.
Sweating.
Angry.
Shaken.
"MY MEN DON'T JUST VANISH!"
"…Authorities suspect interference from an unknown high-level entity…"
"…Possibly beyond S-Rank…"
Silence.
Kaizen stood there.
Watching.
Still.
His mother spoke softly,
"That's terrifying…"
His sister whispered,
"They just… disappeared?"
His father scoffed,
"Idiots probably messed with the wrong person."
Kaizen turned away.
"…Yeah."
He grabbed his shoes.
Slipped them on.
"I'm heading out."
"Eat properly!"
"…I will."
The door shut.
The city felt different.
Alive—
But tense.
Hunters filled the streets.
More than usual.
Clusters of them whispering.
Watching.
"…Five people just gone…"
"No mana trace at all…"
"That's not natural…"
Kaizen walked through them.
Unnoticed.
Untouched.
But as he passed—
A few hunters shivered.
For no reason.
"…Did you feel that?"
"Yeah… what was that?"
Kaizen didn't stop.
Ahead—
Eclipse Dominion.
Standing quietly like always.
Nothing special.
Nothing threatening.
He pushed the doors open.
"GUILD MASTER!"
Energy exploded inside.
Voices everywhere.
Movement.
Life.
All 24 members.
Training.
Arguing.
Laughing.
Alive.
"Morning!"
"You're actually early?!"
"Did something happen?!"
Kaizen raised a hand slightly.
"…Relax."
A guy smirked,
"What, no paperwork today?"
Another laughed,
"Or did it finally beat you?"
Kaizen exhaled slowly.
"…Don't remind me."
Laughter broke out.
Loud.
Easy.
But beneath it—
Kaizen's eyes moved.
Watching everyone.
Counting.
Checking.
All 24.
Safe.
A tiny shift in his expression.
Almost… relief.
"…Carry on."
He walked past them.
Upstairs.
Each step echoed.
Slow.
Controlled.
The hallway stretched long.
Bright.
Quiet.
He reached his office.
Hand on the door.
Pause.
Then—
He opened it.
Perfect.
Clean.
Untouched.
No blood.
No damage.
No evidence.
Kaizen stepped inside.
Closed the door.
Click.
Silence.
He sat down.
Picked up a pen.
Another document.
Same routine.
Then—
GLITCH
The air warped.
A translucent system window slammed into existence.
Violent.
Unstable.
"WARNING: UNIDENTIFIABLE POWER DETECTED"
"SCANNING—"
"ERROR"
"ERROR"
"ERROR"
The screen flickered wildly.
Like it was breaking just by existing near him.
Kaizen didn't even look up.
He kept writing.
Calm.
Unbothered.
"…You're persistent."
The system froze.
Like it heard him.
Like it understood.
For a split second—
Something else looked through it.
Not the system.
Something behind it.
Watching him.
Kaizen stopped writing.
Just for a moment.
His eyes lifted.
Cold.
Ancient.
Endless.
"…If you're going to watch—"
A faint golden glow flickered in his pupils.
"…at least don't be boring."
CRACK
The system window shattered.
Gone.
Silence.
Kaizen leaned back.
Spun the pen again.
Same lazy motion.
"…What a hassle."
Far beyond the world—
Beyond the system—
Beyond existence—
Something moved.
"…Confirmed."
"…The anomaly has awareness."
"…This is no longer a variable…"
A pause.
"…This is a threat."
Back in the office—
Kaizen closed his eyes.
Relaxed.
Like none of it mattered.
But outside—
The world had already begun to shift.