The sub-inspector exited the carriage, leaving behind an uneasy silence.
Jin and Jay remained quiet, their eyes fixed on Luke—who, for the first time, appeared truly angry. Not that Jin could fully grasp what Luke was feeling, but the shift in his demeanor was impossible to ignore.
In the shadow of his turbulent heart, Luke finally spoke, his teeth clenched in a bitter grin.
"Golden spoon of love, you said? Love... for me? What would you know? If you were in my place, you'd be the one hunted by your own comrades."
With those words, spoken to no one in particular, he stepped out of the carriage.
Jin and Jay exchanged a glance, then followed.
As Jin stepped outside, a wave of cold winds struck him.
He had seen this place before.
It was here that he had died—slain by his own sister, possessed by an abyssal creature. And it was here that he was reborn.
Now, the scene was both familiar and changed.
The monsters were gone. The shattered wall remained, but the rubble had been mostly cleared. Multiple layers of spiritual barriers now blanketed the area, rippling in the air like a translucent shroud, muting the sunlight and casting everything in a dim gloom.
Police officials and volunteer workers moved with purpose. The ground was busy—beasts and hand-pulled carriages transported debris, restoring order.
Most of those present were non-Awakened, yet here and there, Awakened individuals worked among them—rare, but unmistakable.
It was without a doubt the fallen distict of Sataras.
***
After a long-winded introduction to the job, Inspector Nana finally divided them into small groups—each containing two members.
Their mission was simple on paper: to find out the monsters hiding beyond the reach of searching eyes—creatures lurking in shadows, evading conventional detection.
But in truth, the assignment was fraught with danger. Especially for fresh recruits, barely past their initiation, and now being sent into unpredictable territory on their very first day.
It was unfair.
But so was the world.
The Military Police were severely understaffed, and the law strictly forbade ordinary citizens from involving themselves in supernatural affairs. With no better options, this was the best they could manage.
Still, Jin found the two-person group arrangement particularly risky. He had no intentions of dying—again.
'If the situation demands it… I suppose sacrificing the other might be acceptable.'
He had finally seen some tactical merit in this setup. After all, they'd be working alone. No witnesses. So he accepted it without protest—though he silently hoped to be paired with Luke. That would guarantee safety without the need for sacrifice.
And, of course, would spare him the trouble that came with post-operation scrutiny.
Like if someone used a mind-reading Art during the investigation. That would be a problem.
Still, he had an ace up his sleeve: Albedo.
Then he remembered the caveat.
'Ah… right. He can't kill. That's a bigger problem.'
Luke was certainly strong—perhaps the strongest among everyone present.
But his inability to kill was a fatal weakness.
In that case, Jin would have preferred the ponytailed guy—quick, quiet, and hopefully less problematic.
But as his invincible fate demanded.
The names were called out, and he was paired with the same deaf girl he had encountered before.
The worst possible partner, as far as he was concerned.
And thus began their partnership.
***
Their task for the day was simple. They were assigned to a nearby district connected to the fallen one.
It was a residential area, packed with flat complexes covering every inch of land.
And that's what made it so difficult to search.
Although the entire district had been evacuated, the sheer number of buildings made it nearly impossible to detect a lurking threat—especially when those threats were apex predators, masters of concealment.
The two of them had been given rod-like tools that would release red smoke when pressed at the base. It was their only way to signal the discovery of a monster—and perhaps their last hope of rescue.
But the worst part of the job wasn't the danger.
It was the walking.
They had been walking for nearly an hour now.
Yet still, not a word had passed between them.
Jin didn't see the point of speaking. As far as he was concerned, her presence was entirely pointless.
And as for her… well, she couldn't even hold a conversation. So she simply followed him in silence, trailing behind like a shadow.
Jin walked slightly faster than her, so she often had to jog a few steps to catch up.
Then, after a short while, she suddenly picked up her pace—running slightly ahead—and gently tapped him on the shoulder.
Having no real reason to ignore her, Jin turned around, meeting her gaze with his expressionless crimson eyes. The look startled her.
"What is it?" Jin asked.
She hesitated for a second, then moved her hands in purposeful gestures—probably using sign language. Jin, of course, didn't understand a thing.
"You want something?" he asked.
The sub-inspector had mentioned her name earlier, but Jin couldn't recall it.
The deaf girl quickly pulled a small notebook from her bag and scribbled something down. She flipped it around to show him.
In neat handwriting, written in Orashil—the official language of the Empire—it said:
"Hello, I am Violet Rotfang. Could you please walk a bit slower?"
'Rotfang… a family name.'
Commoners in the Empire didn't possess family names. Surnames were earned—granted only after performing a deed great enough to be etched into history. It was a way of honoring one's ancestors, allowing descendants to link their own identity to a legacy.
Only a select few families held the privilege of a surname.
But Rotfang—Jin had never heard of it before.
Not that it was surprising, given his pathetic knowledge of the human world.
Still, he knew the names of all the great families. And Rotfang was certainly not among them.
Perhaps it was not an ancient bloodline, but a newly acknowledged house.
There were also families that had acquired surnames through heavy donations to ORDER. After all, even powerful organizations needed funding to operate.
That much he had learned from a recent book he'd read.
A book filled with pointed questions and unsettling truths about ORDER. Jin still wondered how it had even been approved for publication.
But now wasn't the time for such thoughts.
Jin looked at the note for a moment, then turned away without a word.
But this time, his pace was just a bit slower—enough for her to walk beside him.
Noticing the subtle change, her beautiful face lit up with a gentle smile. Her confidence grew. For the first time, she felt like she could try talking to him without fear.
She had been hesitating all this time. His cold, crimson stare had intimidated her earlier.
Besides, she was never very good at socializing. Without the ability to speak, starting conversations was hard. And that made her afraid of connecting with people.
Even though she liked talking.
But most avoided her. Called her strange. Everyone—except her brother.
He, too, had a cold demeanor. Just like Jin.
Maybe that's what gave her a little courage.
She sped up, walked past him slightly, and quickly wrote something again.
"What's your name?"
"Jin."
"Where are you from?"
"Human World."
"How old are you?"
"Thirty-five."
"Do you have siblings?"
"One."
"Brother or sister?"
"Sister."
"Do you like coffee or tea?"
"Tea."
"Oh! I like coffee. But I drink tea too. I love the rich aroma and herbal taste."
"Ah-ha."
"Have you ever been outside Biharaj?"
"I'm from outside."
"Oh, really? I want to see the outside world someday. Can you tell me about it?"
"Sure."
And thus, their strange, one-sided conversation began.
With every question she asked, her heart warmed a little more. And Jin answered each one without complaint—he had nothing better to do.
Although some of his answers were strange, she didn't mind—as long as he talked to her.
Despite playing along with her quiet game of questions, Jin didn't let his guard down. He continued scanning every corner, every shadow, every narrow alley. His sharp eyes missed nothing.
And then—he stopped.
She suddenly stopped, wanting to ask, "What's wrong?" But in that moment, her inability to speak hit her hard.
There was no time to write her question—Jin was already moving toward a nearby building, the signal flare gripped tightly in his hand, ready to fire at any moment.
And just like that, she understood the reason behind Jin's sudden change in behavior.
***
During her flurry of questions, something shifted in Jin's mind—a subtle, sinking darkness. A sudden chill crept through his spine, crawling beneath his skin like ice-coated fingers.
It was faint, but unmistakable. A sensation eerily close to spiritual intuition…Only weaker, duller, distant—like a whisper from something ancient and dead.
In his current Deep Sleep state, he couldn't access his spiritual energy. He couldn't circulate it, couldn't manipulate it. Right now, he was little more than a regular human.
But not completely ordinary.
Something unnatural still stirred within him.
Among the residual abilities that lingered was spiritual intuition—a priceless ability that warned of danger before it struck.
And right now, it was screaming.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Something was here.
Something wrong.
But Jin didn't run. He stepped forward—not out of bravery, nor recklessness, and certainly not to impress the girl trailing behind him. In truth, every nerve in his body screamed for him to turn back and flee.
But he couldn't—not yet.
He had to fire the signal flare.
Above them, the fractured ceiling of the building sagged ominously. Blocking him from firing.
Besides… if the creature attacked, he still had her to use as a distraction.
So, he took another step.
And that's when the shadow moved.
It slithered within the ruin like spilled ink.
The darkness deepened, twisted—and then shaped itself. Into something unnatural. Something vile. Its form sharpened in the gloom—a silhouette of hunger and hate.
A monster.
Jin didn't hesitate.
He raised the flare, aimed it skyward, and slammed the trigger.
A burst of red smoke roared into the air.
At the same time, the creature lunged.
Its jaws stretched open—far too wide, far too fast—an abyss of jagged teeth coming straight for him, eager to devour Jin whole in a single, nightmarish gulp.