"Why?"
"Because the public criticized the Hunter Association for their irresponsible neglect of D and E grade dungeons. Those dungeons were ignored until they eventually exploded. Now the Hunter Association is paying independent hunters and small guilds to clear those dungeons before they become disasters."
Kael thought about it and nodded.
"That's good, at least no more damage caused by dungeons exploding to restore."
The Guild Master sighed. "Yeah, it's good for them, but not for us. Restoration requests used to come in frequently for you, and the guild had a stable income because of it. But what's the point of worrying about it now? We are already part of the Watcher's Guild. Whatever we earn, they will definitely take a percentage of it, even if it is a small one."
After exchanging a few more words, Kael ended the call and found another inn where he could sleep for the night. Luckily, no dungeon suddenly opened at the entrance this time, and he was able to sleep peacefully.
The next day, Kael spent most of his time resting and watching documentaries about Ezekiel.
None of the recordings showed Ezekiel using his actual ability. It was always his dagger that stole the spotlight. No wonder the living weapon had developed a bit of arrogance. Its owner had clearly spoiled it.
While watching footage of Ezekiel's recent dungeon exploration with Hunter Allyson, the silver coin in Kael's fingers tickled his skin.
He lifted it closer to his lips and whispered, "Lix, is that dagger the same species as you?"
Kael got his answer after he felt a slight humming coming from the coin.
It was.
Kael looked at the silver coin with complicated emotions. He had never once considered that Lix might be a living weapon. He had always viewed it as the manifestation of his gift.
Because back when Zach forced Kael to give him his gift, Kael relinquished it and Lix went to Zach.
But passing the gift to Zach had not worked. Kael still came back to life with Lix by his side.
That was when Kael discovered that he could not willingly pass his gift to another person.
And he also can't die. Does this mean he will only grow old but not die?
The thought sent goosebumps across Kael's skin.
He quickly dismissed it.
He had already learned his lesson in the past. When he first discovered that he had survived while his companions died at Zach's hands, he blamed Lix for everything.
He blamed the elixir for his suffering.
And that had not ended well.
The rest of that story was something Kael did not want to remember.
Kael closed the documentaries and went to take a shower. He planned to visit his nephew's grave.
He vaguely remembered that the other high school students who entered the dungeon with Kyle had been buried in the same cemetery.
That was his only way to identify them.
When he rewound time at the location where they died, he could only see their faces, not their identities.
He had already visited Kyle's school and confirmed that the other students were not from the same school.
Kyle's classmates and teachers also said they had never seen the other students Kyle had been spending time with.
His last option was to search the cemetery and look for the familiar faces he had seen that day.
Within fifteen minutes, Kael was ready to leave.
He got into his car and drove toward his nephew's grave. The journey took almost four hours, and it was already early afternoon when he arrived.
He bought a small bouquet of flowers and planned to place it on Kyle's grave.
He stepped out of the car and began walking up the hill.
However, when he was about one hundred meters away, he noticed five people standing in front of Kyle's grave.
One of them had brown hair that glistened under the afternoon sun.
Kael's fingers tightened around the bouquet. His breathing became irregular as he stared at the man with the brown hair who stood with his back toward him.
Even after seven years, Kael would never forget that man's back.
Kael slowly calmed himself and studied Zach and the people with him.
They were hunters.
From the Watcher's Guild?
Why were they here?
Kael waited for thirty more minutes before they finally left.
Even after they disappeared from sight, Kael waited another thirty minutes to make sure they had truly gone.
He spent a full hour leaning silently against a large tree on the hill.
Finally, he stood up without making a sound and walked toward his nephew's grave.
A fresh bouquet of flowers had already been placed in front of Kyle's name.
Kael did not put down the bouquet he was holding.
Instead, he activated the silver coin and created a golden dome around himself and the grave.
Within the dome, the figures of the people who had been there earlier appeared again.
"Did it succeed, sir?" one of the men with grayish black hair asked. His hair was neatly combed upward, exposing his wide forehead.
"No," Zach replied.
He gritted his teeth as he continued speaking.
"Fuck. Kael handed his gift of immortality, that 'Athanasia' to me. I held it in my hands before he died. But right after we burned his body to ashes, Athanasia disappeared. That fucking Nun told us that it might have been passed on to his relative who was also a hunter."
"However, his sister is not a hunter. We also checked his distant relatives, and none of them were hunters except him. After waiting several years, his sister's son finally awakened as a hunter."
Zach's expression twisted in frustration.
"We already had the opportunity. As long as that child turned seventeen, the gift should have manifested, and we could kill him and take it. But why?! Why did that boy not have the gift?! Why did he not know anything when I confronted him in the dungeon?!"
Zach's breathing became ragged as he struggled to calm his anger.
"Do you think killing that child was a waste, sir? We gained nothing after all that preparation."
Zach sneered.
"No. I would rather kill every relative of Kael who awakens as a hunter than let even one of them live and risk losing Athanasia again."
Kael immediately canceled his ability.
He stood frozen like a statue.
His vision blurred, and a loud ringing filled his ears. His hands trembled violently.
His heart pounded faster and faster.
It was not enough.
For Zach, it had never been enough.
Not only had he killed Kael and his companions. He had also murdered Kael's innocent nephew.
Unforgivable.
The silver coin in Kael's fingers reacted violently to his overwhelming emotions. It burst into golden particles of light and forcibly merged into his body.
The air around Kael became tense. A deadly aura spread outward.
A loud boom thundered. Everything in the cemetery exploded.
Except for Kyle's grave, which stood untouched before him, everything around Kael turned into black ash.
The hill where the massive tree once stood had been reduced to bare soil covered with soot.
But Kael noticed none of it.
He also failed to notice that the B class rank displayed in his holographic hunter profile had disappeared.
In its place, bold red letters now declared his true rank.
S Class.
…
It took an hour before Kael gradually calmed down.
His eyes were empty.
The vibration of his smartwatch finally caught his attention.
It was a message from the Guild Master.
"Clyde, are you still resting? Tomorrow, after you finish the job I gave you earlier, come to the office. We will go to the Watcher's Guild together. That S class hunter Ezekiel wants all of us there, especially you. From the beginning, he never hid his intention to recruit you. Do not let him succeed, okay?"
Kael let out a sarcastic laugh.
"These siblings really do not know how to leave me alone," Kael muttered coldly.
"I stayed quiet and kept a low profile, yet you still came looking for trouble. If this is what you want, then fine. I will make sure you repay everything."
Kael's ruthless gaze fell upon his nephew's grave.
"You dragged innocent people down because of your greed. Surely you will not mind if I use your precious S class brother against you, right?"
Kael turned on his heel and left. The bouquet was still in his hand. Every step he took, golden ray of light spread, restoring everything from what it looked like before.