After sleeping for hours, Dong woke up late at night.
He stretched lazily, his joints cracking softly in the silent room.
> "Sleeping is important too," he muttered with a faint smirk. "Rest is part of recovery… just like training."
His crimson eyes dimmed as old memories surfaced.
> In my previous life… I heard rumors from some high elite soldiers of the kingdom. The Blackhorn Guild never truly celebrates in public. Those grand banquets and fireworks are all a lie.
Their real celebration happens in a hidden place… one only the members of the Blackhorn Guild know.
Dong exhaled slowly.
> "I don't want to do this," he whispered, "but I have to. I need to get inside that guild… no matter what."
He rose from the bed, pulling on his black coat. Then, with a flick of his fingers,
his hair shimmered turning pure white like moonlight. His eyes shifted from crimson to icy blue.
> "Hmm," he said with a faint smile, admiring his reflection. "White hair suits me for this kind of work."
Without hesitation, he opened his window and leapt into the night.
The cold wind rushed past as he landed silently on the palace grounds.
Two gate guards were chatting nearby, their voices low.
> "He's lucky to be alive after touching that scroll," one said.
"Yeah," the other replied. "But I still can't believe he killed that SSS-rank dragon…"
Dong heard their words but ignored them completely. He slipped past like a ghost, his steps soundless.
---
Minutes later, he reached the bustling district and entered a dimly lit hotel the kind that stayed open for those who dealt in secrets.
He took a seat at the corner table.
A tired waiter approached him, forcing a polite smile.
> "What would you like to order, sir?"
Dong's voice was calm but sharp.
> "Call your manager."
The waiter frowned.
> "Do you have something important to say? I can tell him for you."
Dong leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.
> "Golden light… at midnight tractor."
The waiter froze his eyes widened instantly. Without saying another word, he hurried toward the back room.
Dong leaned back, a faint smile playing on his lips.
> "So the code still works," he murmured. "Good.
That means the Blackhorn Guild hasn't changed their roots."
The manager entered the room almost immediately after the waiter whispered the code.
He was a tall man with a thin mustache and eyes that scanned every corner before locking onto Dong.
Without a word, he sat across from him.
> "What do you want?" the manager asked, his tone cautious yet professional.
Dong leaned back, his expression unreadable.
> "Nothing much," he said casually. "I just want a high-rank position in the Blackhorn Guild. Something like… S-rank or maybe SA-rank."
The manager's brows twitched slightly.
> "That's a bold request. Positions like those aren't given they're earned. What exactly do you have to offer?"
Dong smiled faintly and dropped his voice.
> "One hundred thousand silver coins right now… and twenty thousand gold coins after the position is confirmed."
For a moment, the manager's calm façade cracked. His heart skipped a beat, but he quickly masked it with a polite smile.
Inside, his thoughts raced:
> Why is he offering so much? Is he mad? Or dangerous? Doesn't matter… my job is to deliver.
The manager stood abruptly.
> "Wait here. I'll be back in two minutes."
Dong simply nodded.
> "Take your time."
---
A few minutes later, the manager returned, holding a small black box sealed with wax.
He opened it slowly, revealing a golden ID card engraved with the insignia of the Blackhorn Guild SA Rank.
He placed it on the table gently.
> "Here. You've got your position."
Dong nodded.
> "Good. Let me get your payment."
He stood and walked calmly to the back of the hotel. There, hidden in the shadows, he opened his infinite storage a vast space swirling with energy.
He pulled out a massive bag filled to the brim with coins, the metal glinting even in the dim light.
When he reentered the room, the weight of the bag made the floor creak.
Everyone in the hotel turned to stare murmurs rising among the guests.
> "What's going on?"
"That's a fortune…"
"We should probably leave. This looks dangerous."
Ignoring them all, Dong pushed the bag toward the manager.
> "There's probably more than what I promised," he said with a calm smile. "Consider it a bonus. I'm sure you'll be happy."
The manager tried to maintain his composure, though sweat beaded on his forehead.
> "Y-Yes… I'm very satisfied. Here's your ID. Welcome to the Blackhorn Guild, Sir SA Rank."
Dong took the golden ID card, its surface reflecting a faint glow under the candlelight.
He stood up smoothly and bowed slightly.
> "A pleasure doing business with you."
The manager forced a smile.
> "Likewise."
Outside, Dong stepped into the cold night air, the faint moonlight reflecting off the golden SA-rank ID card in his hand.
He stared at it for a moment, then chuckled quietly.
> "So this is how the Blackhorn Guild operates, huh?"
His eyes narrowed, gleaming beneath his white hair.
> "This hotel isn't just any place… it's a high-level branch of the Blackhorn Guild itself.
They keep their business clean on the surface but inside, they're as corrupt as the guild's core."
He slid the card into his sleeve.
> "They sell official guild IDs for mountains of gold… but only to the rich and dangerous.
No one outside their inner circle knows about this. Not even the Royal Council."
Dong smirked, his tone darkening.
> "That's what makes it perfect. Their greed just gave me the key to their own downfall."
He turned toward the distant horizon, where the faint sound of music and drums echoed from the city's edge the false Blackhorn celebration that everyone believed was the real one.
> "Now then… time to find their real party."
Dong walked toward the main branch of the Blackhorn Guild, the golden SA-rank card heavy in his pocket.
The building loomed before him like a fortress black stone carved with jagged runes, its gates flanked by hulking statues of horned bulls.
Everything about it felt rough and severe, as if the place itself had teeth.
A pair of guards stopped him at the gate. One glanced at his posture, the other at the card.
When Dong produced the ID and the code phrase, their reactions changed instantly their faces went pale as if they had seen a specter.
"It's a big matter," one said, swallowing. They pushed the heavy iron gate open with visible reverence.
Inside, the guild's hall stretched into shadowed corridors and cavernous rooms.
The air smelled of smoke and oiled metal.
Lanterns threw hard circles of light across banners stitched with the Blackhorn sigil, and every surface seemed carved from the same black stone.
Dong moved among the lower-ranked members those who worked the floors and did the running.
He kept his expression neutral and his voice low as he sought information.
At a small service desk, a guild member looked up, surprised.
"Where will the real party be held?" Dong asked.
The man blinked, trying to recall. "Sir… I I don't remember." He rubbed his temple, embarrassed.
"I was hit in the head during a raid on an SSA monster. My memory's fuzzy."
Dong produced the golden ID and held it up. The man's eyes widened, and he immediately dropped into a bow so deep his forehead nearly touched the floor.
"I apologize, senior! I respect you please forgive my lapse!"
The man steadied himself, then whispered, "The real celebration… it's at the back of Black Mountain.
A hidden basin carved into the stone only members of higher rank know the way."
Dong smiled, a thin, satisfied curl. "That's the place. Thank you."
"No problem, sir. Be careful," the man stammered.
Dong walked away with his head bent, feigning casual calm.
Inside, his thoughts spun like a blade.
I won't waste my time slaughtering A-rank and below, he thought.
They're expendable and their deaths mean nothing. I want faces I know: the S-ranks I recognize,
the SS officers, the executives, and above all the owner.
A cold grin touched his lips as he imagined the coming night.
Tomorrow, Blackhorn's grand festival becomes its last.