As Shun was meeting his grandmother after nine years, Rakina was at the school, cleaning and sharpening her blade. She had just finished a routine patrol in the Restricted Zone.
It was one of the most basic duties for a student here.
The rising tide of beasts and monsters grew stronger by the day. If left unchecked, chaos would follow.
Normally, maintaining one's blade was done at a weapon station in the city, but the school offered the same service for a cheaper price without reducing the blade's quality.
When she finished, Rakina looked at her sword, quietly appreciating her own masterpiece.
Her eyes and face appeared emotionless and cold, yet there was a faint glint of satisfaction.
As she admired her work, she noticed a crowd passing by. She ignored them and continued cleaning the blade with a cloth before storing it in her inventory.
She turned to leave—only to find a group of people blocking her path. At the front stood a young man with blond hair, wearing light armor.
"You must be Rakina." He introduced himself politely with a smile, extending his hand. "Hello, I'm Jace."
Rakina studied his expression for a moment before accepting his handshake. "Hello. I'm Rakina."
Then she let go.
"I've heard a lot about you, Ms. Rakina! I heard you took down a boss no different from the first boss humanity ever defeated!" He sounded impressed.
"It wasn't me alone. I simply helped as much as I could." Her voice was humble and gentle.
Yet, some in the crowd mistook her humility for arrogance. Whispers slithered through the air.
Don't get ahead of yourself.
She's just a damn witch. I bet her magic is trash, like any other mage.
I bet she sacrifices children. Isn't that what witches do in fairy tales?
Rakina had long learned to treat such voices as white noise.
"That's still amazing!" Jace insisted.
"Thank you." Rakina bowed slightly, then straightened. "Is there a reason for you to be here, Hero?"
"Please, just call me Jace." He awkwardly scratched his cheek, looking away, slightly flustered.
"No. It would be dishonorable for me to call a chosen person by their mere name."
Jace hesitated. It was clear he felt troubled by such formality, but then his expression eased as if he had made up his mind.
He sighed in resignation. "Very well. Do as you wish."
Rakina was about to speak, but he interrupted her, forcing her to swallow her words.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but my goal here is to find brave warriors to help me conquer the Tower.
"Would you join my party?"
Rakina paused to think, then replied, "Why didn't you ask professional hunters, or those with military backgrounds, instead of a high school student who just happens to be good with magic?
"There are many unknown dangers inside a newly emerged Tower, yet you chose a high schooler.
"Dear Hero, I don't mean to belittle you, but please, take time to re-learn the basics and ground rules of conquering a Tower.
"A Tower must never be underestimated. It cannot be conquered with mere battle spirit and camaraderie."
Her words were calm and gentle, yet somehow they cut sharply, almost mocking one's intelligence.
The crowd went silent. Her response was unexpected.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. Thank you for the offer. I appreciate it."
Rakina walked gracefully toward the entrance.
The people parted instinctively, like the sea opening a path.
When she was gone, the crowd turned their attention to Jace. His face flushed with humiliation and shame.
Isn't he supposed to be a seasoned hunter? Why did she treat him like a newbie?
'But… she's also right.' Jace clenched his fist, enduring the sting of her words.
---
Rakina didn't return to her class immediately. Instead, she made her way toward Class Z—a place for outcasts, anomalies, and failures.
She had once been in this class, until her mastery of magic allowed her to ascend to a higher class.
While walking through the room, she recognized some familiar faces.
Among them was Elias.
They had talked occasionally before, but never enough to be called friends.
After moving up in class, she'd nearly forgotten about him—until last night.
She wanted to talk to him about what had happened. Too many questions lingered in her mind.
Caught in thought, she didn't notice the curious stares around her.
A genius from an upper class visiting a room full of outcasts—it was bound to attract attention. Whispers followed her steps.
Rakina entered Class Z and surveyed the room.
The walls' paint was peeling. The tables were scarred with scratches, marks, and strange doodles. The chairs' legs were corroding with rust.
Then she saw the figure she was looking for.
Messy black hair fell over his face, partially covering his silver eyes that still peeked through the strands.
His build was average—not too skinny, not too bulky. Yet this was the same boy who killed a monster with a single swing of his arm.
Rakina walked over and sat in front of him.
Elias paused, his eyes flicking up to meet hers.
They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before he simply returned to eating, as if she didn't exist.
Silence followed. Yet somehow, it wasn't awkward—almost like a quiet understanding only the two of them knew.
Elias finished his meal and packed up his lunch box. Then he finally spoke.
"Why are you here? I told you our encounter was too soon. You should've understood what that meant.
"We shouldn't be meeting right now."
"Why? What exactly is going on? Why don't you want to see me?"
Elias sighed and turned his head slightly to the left.
Beyond the classroom walls, people were watching like animals at the zoo.
"I despise attention."
"Just ignore them."
"That's not the issue." He shook his head. "They'll just start meaningless chatter about my relationship with you and disturb my peaceful life."
"Oh…" Rakina fell into a brief thought. "Would you do anything to get it back?"
Elias nodded.
Then, without warning, Rakina stood up and slapped the soul out of him. His head jerked sideways from the force.
The slap echoed crisply through the room.
The crowd gasped all at once.
"You scumbag cheater! How many women have you slept with today?!"
"..." Elias.
The crowd began murmuring frantically.
Rakina turned toward them with cold eyes.
They froze, shrieked quietly, then dispersed. The crowd vanished within seconds.
Rakina sat back down as if nothing had happened. Though her face remained calm, Elias faintly sensed she had enjoyed that.
"It's solved."
Elias rubbed his cheek, now marked with a red palm print. "What do you want to know, woman?"
Rakina looked displeased. She pointed at herself. "I have a name. It's Rakina von Morgenstern."
"I see. So what do you want, Morgen?"
"Rakina is fine," she corrected softly, then shifted back to the topic.
"Tell me what happened last night. Why are there cults believing in real Outer Gods? Isn't that supposed to be impossible? What is The Else, and who is Ordinal?"
Upon hearing those questions, Elias stayed silent. He didn't move, as if he hadn't heard her at all.
Rakina frowned, finding his reaction odd. Then she remembered a saying from the witch community: Everything has a price, and the free ones are the most expensive.
She sighed softly and asked, "What do you want in return?"
"Each question has a price. I determine it according to its value. The more valuable, the higher the cost."
"Who are you?" Rakina tested the waters.
"Three hearts of True Lords, please." Elias held out his hand.
Rakina almost twitched.
True Lords were at the pinnacle of the world. Rumors said they could split mountains, perform feats beyond mortal limits, and live for centuries.
They were the hunters who had reached the maximum level. And there were only three of them in the entire world.
"Are you playing with me?" she asked, studying his expression.
He wasn't.
That made her even more curious—Who is Elias?
But whether she knew or not wouldn't change her current situation.
"What's your price for the source of tonight's event? What caused it?"
"That's two questions."
Rakina's gaze sharpened.
Silence stretched for a moment before Elias continued, "Anything equal in value to your blade."
"You're kidding. I cleared a high-rank Rift to get it. I almost died." Her brows furrowed slightly in displeasure at the steep cost.
"It's up to you." Elias' voice was indifferent.
Rakina was at a loss for words. She pondered quietly.
"You'll tell me the whole truth?"
"I am a man of my word. It would taint my reputation as a go—" he coughed awkwardly, "as a good and reliable human being."
Rakina stared at him for a moment before opening her inventory to browse through it.
Anything equal to my blade's value… she murmured inwardly, over and over.
But she couldn't find anything comparable.
"Struggling, aren't we?" Elias said suddenly, rising to his feet. He clasped his hands behind his back.
"What makes the difference between a rock and a diamond is belief."
Rakina wasn't sure where he was going with this, but she dismissed the panel and listened.
"Your blade would mean nothing if given to a monkey—it would just be a fancy stick. But to someone who understands its worth, it's priceless."
"So, what will be your price?" Elias turned slightly toward her.
Rakina thought for a moment.
She stood and glanced around the classroom. Her eyes landed on the wall clock.
She dragged a table beneath it, climbed up, and reached for the clock.
Got it, she thought, hopping back down.
"This is equal to my blade."
"A wall clock?" Elias raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. It can hurt you really bad."
Elias stared at her… then at the clock.
"…It does tick with ominous inevitability." He accepted it solemnly. "Accepted."