The air inside the ramen shop had grown so heavy that even breathing felt like a physical exertion.
With the appearance of the Level 78 Knight Seo-Jun at the head of the table, the entire hum of the shop was cut off like a knife. The other customers bowed their heads over their bowls, trying to avoid the crushing aura radiating from this massive man. Hana couldn't hide the trembling of her hands as she set her teacup down on the table.
When Seo-Jun pulled out a chair and sat directly across from Haruki, the wooden chair groaned bitterly under the man's armor and massive frame.
"I watched the street camera footage," Seo-Jun said, getting straight to the point. His voice was deep, authoritative, and dominant enough to crush everyone in the room. "You and Liam's crew faced off in the middle of the city, looking ready to butcher each other."
Haruki took a quiet sip of his tea. He glanced at Hana from the corner of his eye, then back at the Knight. "It was just a minor disagreement," he said, trying to keep his voice flat.
But Seo-Jun wasn't like those low-level hunters Haruki had fooled before. The Knight's eyes narrowed; as he leaned slightly across the table, the terrifying pressure of a Level 78 descended upon Haruki's shoulders like an invisible mountain.
"Don't tell me fairy tales, kid," Seo-Jun said, his voice essentially a suppressed roar. "Liam is a cunning Level 23 snake. He just lost Kenji, his golden goose. Someone like him doesn't get into a 'minor disagreement' in the middle of the street with a Level 13 hunter. I saw the footage. He had pure killing intent in his eyes."
Seo-Jun's sharp gaze caught Haruki's torn clothes, smeared with mud and dried blood. "Besides, you look like you just crawled out of a meat grinder. You're coming with me to the Association Headquarters. I'll take your statement there."
Haruki realized he couldn't brush this man off. He took a few Yen bills from his pocket, left them on the table, gave Hana a look that clearly said Go home safely, and stood up.
The Hunters and Dungeons Association Headquarters was a colossal fortress of glass and steel towering in the very heart of the city.
The moment Haruki stepped through the automatic doors, the immense activity inside hit him in the face. Hundreds of hunters were rushing around the massive lobby; heavily armored Tanks and robed Mages patrolled in groups. As Haruki scanned his surroundings, he saw massive holographic boards scrolling with dungeon reports, party registries, and hunter license renewal notices.
Right then, that cold, earth-shattering truth echoed in Haruki's mind.
No one has a glowing golden 'Quest' tab flashing before their eyes. No one has a hidden panel floating in the air. The Association operates entirely on physical documents, reports, and bureaucracy. The System... belongs only to me.
Feeling the crushing aura emitted by the high-level hunters in the lobby, he realized once again what a weak grain of sand his own level (13) was in this vast ocean.
Seo-Jun took him up the elevator to a plain, cold office on one of the upper floors. When he closed the door, the atmosphere in the room felt just like an interrogation chamber.
"Spill it," Seo-Jun said, leaning against his desk. "What really happened in that dungeon? Is he trying to make you pay the price for Kenji going to jail? If you're hiding something, the Association can't protect you."
Haruki's mind calculated rapidly. If he told the truth, his power would be exposed. He had to stick to the I was in the wrong place at the wrong time strategy. "He made me the scapegoat, that's all," he answered expressionlessly.
Seo-Jun's eyes drifted to that strange, pale blue suture mark faintly visible through Haruki's torn collar. A flicker of suspicion crossed the Knight's eyes, but he didn't press the issue. This kid was clearly lying, and Seo-Jun knew it. "Alright," Seo-Jun said in a cold voice. "I'll add this fairy tale to the report for now. But I've got my eye on you. Let me escort you to the exit."
The two left the office and began walking down a wide, glass-walled corridor. The right side of the corridor overlooked a massive training hall separated by armored glass. Haruki's attention was drawn to incredibly fast movements inside.
Inside was a woman fighting solo against training drones. She held an exceptionally thin, long rapier. Her fighting style wasn't savage or brutish; on the contrary, it was incredibly fast, fluid, and equally lethal. It was almost like a dance. She glided through the air, using her thin blade solely for pinpoint strikes, taking down heavily armored drones in a single move by piercing right through their joints or core cavities.
Haruki froze behind the glass. He felt a deep sense of awe, coupled with a heavy pressure. He had watched her on streams hundreds of times. With her pitch-black hair, sharp eyes, and flawless technique... This was one of the most famous hunters in the country, the Level 56 "Phantom Blade" Seo-Ah.
Haruki's mind raced. The pinpoint precision I achieve with the System's 'Weak Tissue Analysis'... this woman does it entirely through decades of pure training and terrifying instinct.
At that moment, Seo-Ah brought down the last drone with a single strike. With an elegant flick of her wrist, she shook her blade in the air—as if cleaning off imaginary blood—and sheathed it. She walked out the door opening into the corridor.
"How was the training?" Seo-Jun asked with a faint smile.
"The drones are too slow," Seo-Ah said, her voice as calm and professional as a block of ice. Then, her ice-blue eyes shifted to Haruki standing next to Seo-Jun.
Haruki gave a respectful bow, tilting his head slightly. The aura of this Level 56 legend standing before him was just as breathtaking as Seo-Jun's.
Seo-Ah gave Haruki a short but piercing once-over from head to toe. Her gaze lingered on Haruki's muddy clothes for a second. Then, she took a faint, very deep breath. A slight, dangerous ripple disturbed the woman's calm, professional expression. She took a step toward him.
"This scent on you..." Seo-Ah said, narrowing her eyes. "It's not normal low-level dungeon mud. It's heavy and rusty. It carries the blood scent of a rather high-level, predatory monster. And it's very fresh."
Haruki's heartbeat involuntarily sped up by a single beat. He kept his facial muscles perfectly under control, not showing the slightest sign of panic on his face.
But there was one thing he had forgotten: The person standing in front of him was a Level 56 Assassin. Seo-Ah wasn't fooled by the flawless mask on Haruki's face. She had instantly noticed that millisecond acceleration in the kid's jugular, that micro-shift in his breathing. She knew he was lying and was currently frantically devising a plan in his mind.
Seo-Ah's sharp eyes locked onto Haruki's left shoulder, faintly visible through his torn collar. Onto the pale blue, thread-thin, flawless suture mark. She knew that no healer would ever leave such a physical, bizarre trace of magic.
Haruki's mind was blaring alarms. If I say I wasn't in a dungeon, she'll instantly know I'm lying. If I name a high-level dungeon, they'll throw me in a cell for investigation immediately. I need a perfect half-truth.
As the silence in the corridor grew heavier, Seo-Ah fixed those piercing blue eyes directly onto Haruki's. She had cornered her prey.
"Tell me," Seo-Ah said, her voice echoing in the hallway. "Which dungeon were you in today?"
Haruki froze where he stood. Seo-Jun's gaze instantly turned to him with suspicion as well. Under the crushing pressure of two legendary hunters, the only sound in the corridor was the faint hum of the air conditioner.