The meal ended in relative calm. The staff cleared the plates quickly and silently, leaving only the faint clink of crystal glasses and the distant hum of the city beyond the windows.
Sato leaned back in his chair, savoring the lingering taste of the rich dessert.
Food like this… I'd kill anyone if I can eat it one more time, he thought, a private, almost nostalgic smile flickering in his mind.
Jens glanced at Aiza, giving her a subtle wink — barely noticeable.
"Now that everyone has eaten," Jens said, folding his hands on the table with a renewed, polite smile, "shall we revisit the contract?"
Aiza leaned slightly toward Sato, her fingers brushing his hand in a light, deliberate touch.
"It seems I was called here to help persuade you," she said softly, her voice like warm silk, eyes sparkling with practiced charm. "After all… someone as remarkable as you deserves the very best terms."
Sato felt the warmth of her hand — and something else. A subtle pressure at the edge of his mind, like invisible threads trying to slip inside his thoughts.
*They're attacking from every angle now,* he thought coldly. *Beauty, flattery, and… whatever this mental trick is.*
He kept his expression neutral, even allowing a small, almost shy smile to appear on his lips.
"Hmm. Let's see what we can change," he said calmly.
Jens nodded eagerly.
"Of course. What would you like to adjust?"
Sato tapped the table once.
"First — teams. Like I said before, I don't do group fights. I don't want to show my full strength to others. So… if possible, I'd prefer to handle raids alone. Or, if a raid is happening, temporarily bench the other hunters when I'm participating."
Jens's smile flickered for half a second.
*He's pushing too far,* Jens thought inwardly. *But Ms. Aiza will soften him.*
"I understand your preference," Jens said carefully. "But what if a raid becomes too dangerous for one person?"
"That's exactly why I'm saying this," Sato replied. "Only if I judge the raid as extremely dangerous will I accept teammates — and even then, only ones I choose myself. Is that acceptable?"
Jens exhaled slowly.
*He's not backing down… Fine. Ms. Aiza can handle this.*
"Very well," Jens said. "We can agree to that."
Sato continued without pause.
"Next — rewards. If I'm clearing raids alone, I want 35% of the profits instead of 20%. After all… I'm doing the work alone."
Jens's jaw tightened slightly, but he kept smiling.
"35% is… quite high. How about 27%?"
Sato tilted his head.
"Hmm. 27% isn't bad. Then let's also raise the mana stones from raids — not 10%, but 15% for me."
Jens's smile was starting to look strained.
*This kid… he's pushing the limits,* Jens thought.
"And one more thing," Sato added casually. "For boss items and mana stones — I won't sell them to the guild at full price. I'll give you a discount. And if you want the actual boss drops, I can discount those too."
Jens's eye twitched.
"Mr. Sato… that's a bit much, don't you think?"
Sato shrugged.
"Why? I'm still giving you a discount."
Jens forced a laugh.
"How much of a discount, exactly?"
"5%," Sato said simply.
Jens's composure cracked for a split second.
"Are you mocking me?" he asked, voice low. "Even S-rank hunters don't get terms like that."
At that moment, Aiza gently took Sato's hand again, leaning closer. Her voice was soft, almost hypnotic.
"Mr. Sato," she murmured, eyes locking with his. "Even S-rank hunters rarely get such generous terms. Perhaps… you could meet us halfway? 30% discount would be fair, don't you think?"
Sato felt it — a subtle pressure at the edges of his mind, like silk threads trying to wrap around his thoughts. His head throbbed faintly.
Then the system flashed.
[Mental attack detected.]
[Attempted hypnosis in progress.]
[Willpower and Intelligence stats too low — high risk of hypnosis.]
…
[Darkness Rune resisted hypnosis.]
[You have successfully resisted the mental attack.]
[Congratulations! Willpower +1 | Intelligence +1]
Sato's eyes sharpened.
*So that's your game,* he thought coldly.
He looked straight into Aiza's eyes, smiled — a slow, dangerous smile — and gently lifted her chin with two fingers.
"A beauty like you asks so sweetly… how could I say no?" he said softly.
Aiza's mind raced with triumph.
*Just as Guildmaster thought — even he can't resist my hypnosis.*
But Sato's smile turned colder.
"Unfortunately… no."
Aiza blinked.
"Huh…?"
Jens froze.
*What? Her hypnosis didn't work?*
Sato released her chin and leaned back.
"I'll give you 50% discount — not just on boss drops and mana stones, but on all raid profits I earn."
The room went dead silent.
Aiza stared at him in confusion.
*Wait… did it work? Or didn't it?*
Jens's smile was gone.
*He… resisted her completely?*
Sato continued, voice calm.
"And one more condition. If I ever need weapon repairs, upgrades, or custom gear… your guild will provide a master craftsman. I'll pay, of course — but I expect priority and quality."
Jens stared at him for a long moment.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Very well," he said. "We accept."
Sato smiled — thin, sharp, victorious.
Jens leaned forward slightly, his polite smile returning as if the earlier tension had never existed.
"So, Mr. Sato… since you've agreed to the contract, would you mind telling us how you managed to defeat our three A-rank hunters so easily?" he asked, voice calm but edged with curiosity.
Sato met his gaze without blinking.
"How I beat them?" he repeated flatly. "It was simple. They were just too weak."
Jens's smile twitched for a fraction of a second.
This guy is getting on my nerves, he thought inwardly.
Still, he kept his tone even.
"Mr. Sato… it might be better not to speak about your future comrades like that," Jens said. "But more importantly, I'm asking about that technique of yours."
Is he talking about Order? Sato wondered to himself.
"You mean the method I used against the undead?" Sato asked casually.
At that moment, Woo — who had been silent and simmering until now — suddenly spoke up.
"Yes, that," he said, voice tight with anger. "How did my summons just… vanish? They didn't even respond to my commands anymore. What kind of skill was that?"
Jens shot him a quick look.
"Mr. Woo, please calm down."
Woo exhaled sharply.
"Fine… sorry," he muttered.
Sato shrugged.
"It's my secret technique. I call it Order."
"Order?" Jens echoed, leaning in. "How does it work?"
"Just like the name suggests," Sato said. "I can give 11 absolute, unbreakable commands. They cannot be changed. And I used the first one against Mr. Woo's undead army."
"In other words," he continued with a small, cold smile, "I ordered every single dead summon: 'Never oppose me again.' That's why they won't come back."
Woo's face turned red.
"That… that's impossible!" he shouted, slamming a fist on the table as he stood. "How can such an ability even exist?! This isn't something you just joke about!"
Jens raised a hand.
"Mr. Woo, please sit down."
"How can I sit down?!" Woo snapped. "I'm ranked 17th among A rank hunters on the entire Continent! And he's telling me he can erase my powerful army with a single command?! This is ridiculous!"
Sato looked at him calmly.
"Do you think I'm lying? You saw it with your own eyes. Or… would you like another duel to confirm?"
Woo opened his mouth, but Jens cut in sharply.
"No, no — that won't be necessary, Mr. Sato. We believe you."
He turned to Woo with a hard stare.
"Isn't that right, Woo?"
Woo glared, breathing heavily, then stormed out of the room without another word, slamming the door behind him.
Jens sighed.
"Please ignore him. He's been… irritable ever since our last few raids didn't go well."
Sato shrugged.
"No problem."
Aiza leaned forward, her voice soft but probing.
"Mr. Sato… you said you have 11 such Orders, and you've only used one. That means you still have 10 left. Isn't that ability… incredibly powerful? You could do anything with it."
Sato's inner smile grew colder.
If only it were that simple. There are only 3 stacks left, and I already used the first one on Woo's summons. And I don't know will that command work on another undeads too. Why did I even do that? he thought.
He looked at Aiza, gently lifting her chin with two fingers — the same gesture she had used on him earlier.
"With them," he said softly, "I can do anything. I could even force you to become mine… and take over this guild as Guildmaster."
Jens and Aiza tensed instantly.
Aiza's eyes widened.
Sato released her chin and leaned back with a light laugh.
"Don't worry. I was joking. I'm not that kind of person."
The room stayed silent for a heartbeat.
Jens forced a smile.
"Of course… just a joke."
But beneath the table, his fists were clenched.
Sato's eyes remained cold.