In Jinwoo's evaluation room...
Jinwoo smiled faintly. "It better not be what I'm thinking." He muttered, placing his hand gently on the orb. "I'd better let him know I'm here."
The S-ranks were still in shock with Minho's power when another monstrous aura came in.
The commotion outside died down as the air grew cold. People muttered questions between themselves.
"What is this power?"
"Is there someone else with them there?"
"This… this is beyond S-rank, right?"
Jinchul had already ran inside to check it out. This was not what he expected, but he was most likely the only person with the easiest tell to what was happening. "Is the second mysterious S-rank—no, this is on par with Hunter Minho. That person at the train station… are they here as well? Is it… Did Hunter Liu Zhigang know about him all along? Tch."
The S-ranks themselves were in total confusion.
"Who else is here that is able to challenge the Breaker's aura?" Ma Dongwook muttered.
Baek Yoonho clenched his fists tightly. He felt like a cub in the midst of these auras. What if he was standing in their presence.
Choi Jong-In, Lim Tae-Gyu and Cha Hae-In had already started walking towards the evaluation room Jinwoo was taken to.
"That man…" Choi murmured, playing back Jinwoo's entrance in his head.
Inside Minho's evaluation room...
Liu Zhigang and Chairman Go Gun-Hee were taken by surprise by this new power.
"Hm?" Minho raised a brow. A sudden annoyance creeping up his skin, not because the person's aura rivaled his, but because of the aura itself. It felt familiar yet new to him. To his surprise, it was the least of all he expected.
[The Shadow Monarch's Presence has been felt!]
The Shadow Monarch? Ashburn? Here in the evaluation center? He turned to the door and was about to walk when a new screen came up, blinking.
[Reminder: Reach Level 90!]
Then another.
[Pop-up Quest 2: Avoid a fight with the Shadow Monarch as much as possible!]
The "Avoid" was in a brighter red, compared to the rest of the message. Liu Zhigang quickly left, telling Chairman Go he would look at what was happening.
Minho gritted his teeth. Again with these Monarchs that the system is so afraid of. Another quest to not engage in combat. What sort of monsters were they even? He clenched his fists until his fingers went white, then withdrew his power. "I'd like to leave now."
"Huh?" Chairman Go barely made out what Minho said.
"I'm leaving." Minho raised his voice a little, walking towards the door.
"But we haven't even ann—"
"I have something to do, Mr. Chairman."
Go Gun-Hee sighed. "Very well then. Let me walk you out." He fell into step behind Minho.
Immediately before they stepped out, Jinchul came in. "Hunter Minho, Chairman Go,"
"Did you find where this is coming from?" Chairman Go asked hastily.
"The presence at the train station I mentioned sometime ago," Jinchul started.
"The second S-rank?" Chairman Go asked, eyes widened in shock to the turn out of things.
"Yes, but no." Jinchul replied. "I don't know if I mistook the reading at the station or if he just got stronger. But he is in fact a National Level Hunter, just like Hunter Minho here."
Chairman Go was left speechless.
Minho on the other hand tried making sense of what Jinchul had just said. "He's a human?"
"Of… of course he is. Why that of all questions?" Jinchul asked.
Minho didn't reply, his mind elsewhere. 'A human Monarch… A human Monarch… the Shadow Monarch is human? Though the Frost Monarch looked human, his skin tone was off…' he was in the middle of thought when the system screen flashed again.
[Pop-up Quest 2: Avoid a fight with the Shadow Monarch as much as possible!]
He clenched his fists tightly and dismissed. "Excuse me, I'll be taking my leave." He said to Jinchul who was standing by the door, his voice calm but laced with annoyance.
Jinchul slowly stepped out of the way, letting Minho walk out. He exchanged a glance with the Chairman who nodded, as if to assure him everything was fine.
Minho found Dongwook and Yoonho outside but didn't even render their attempts to start a conversation. He saw the room Jinwoo was in, the door slightly agape. Liu Zhigang's head was blocking the face, so he just walked past. "Attend to him... Be careful though." He said to Jinchul and Go Gun-Hee who were behind him.
Inside Jinwoo's evaluation room...
Jinwoo was left a little surprised. He didn't expect things to go this way. The aura he felt had also disappeared.
"Hunter Sung Jinwoo, huh? I knew I wasn't mistaking. But you seemed to surprise me beyond expectations." Liu Zhigang spoke.
Cha's eyes were fixated on Jinwoo. 'He also doesn't smell bad, just like Hunter Minho.'
Just as he was about to say something, he felt a small flicker of that same presence. Liu Zhigang blocked his view to the door. He bent his head just in time to catch a glimpse of Minho's black jacket, but before he could do anything, Jinchul came in with Chairman Go.
Outside...
Minho walked to the automated glass doors, the moment the door opened, he moved with a speed that made it look like he glitched to the back of the crowd.
"Wasn't someone coming out just now? Where are they." Someone asked.
Minho glanced over his shoulder at the building. He had to leave according to the system. The path he followed was unnecessarily long and empty. People barely used it as a normal road because of how long it was.
He was walking, eyes fixed on the ground when a sudden wave of mana hit him. He slowly raised his head to find two pulsing shadow figures in front of him in the distance.
A knight with a sword and an Ant?