The Silver Lions Guild building stood like a fortress of glass and steel in the heart of downtown Seoul, a monolith that cast long shadows over the surrounding district. Security drones drifted overhead. Uniformed employees flowed in and out of the revolving doors like blood through the veins of a living thing. This wasn't just a guild. It was a machine—driven by coin, contracts, and corpses.
Yoon Taesung stood before it, collar turned up against the wind, a duffel bag slung over one shoulder. The faint stench of blood clung to him, hidden from the eye but familiar to those who had fought through the Rift. Passing hunters glanced at him and then quickly looked away.
The last time he stood here, he had walked away.
Now he was walking in.
The lobby opened before him like the maw of a beast. Polished obsidian floors reflected the banners above—each bearing the emblem of a roaring lion. The receptionist behind the counter glanced up, eyes trained in customer service before shifting subtly when she recognized his name.
"Name, please?" she asked, fingers already moving across the screen.
"Yoon Taesung," he replied.
A pause. She tapped a few more keys, then straightened.
"You're on record. Please wait—"
"Taesung?"
He turned at the sound of the voice.
Kang Jinho strode through the security gate in half-buttoned hunter gear, breathless and sweating like he had just come from the field. His expression lit up when he saw Taesung, grin wide with disbelief.
"Holy shit, you really came back."
Taesung nodded. "It was time."
Jinho walked up and clapped him hard on the shoulder, the kind of smack that carried history. "Damn. I thought you just ghosted us. Seong Jinhwan thought the same."
"He tried," Taesung said, voice dry.
Jinho laughed. "Come on. He's upstairs."
They moved through the gates. Jinho scanned his hunter ID, and the barrier opened with a soft chime. As they walked through the corridors, Jinho kept talking.
"There's been a lot of chatter about that team in Gangdong District. The one that got wiped."
"I heard."
"They're saying something came out of the Rift. Not a monster, something else."
"It did."
Jinho slowed slightly, his eyes flicking sideways.
"You saw it?"
Taesung didn't reply.
"Shit," Jinho muttered. "Guess that's a yes. You think it's still in there?"
"No," Taesung said. "But it knew me. Watched me."
The elevator dinged. The ride to the top was silent.
The executive floor hadn't changed. Same soft lights. Same hushed air, like noise wasn't allowed this high up. A receptionist sat at a desk near the far glass doors, scrolling through reports. He looked up, registered Jinho, and then his gaze paused on Taesung.
"Seong Jinhwan-nim is in his office," the man said. He pressed a button. The doors slid open.
Inside, Seong Jinhwan stood with his back to them, staring out the window at the skyline. His hands were behind his back. His posture still carried that unsettling calm—like the world moved in predictable patterns, and he had already mapped them all.
"You took your time," he said, not turning.
"I had business," Taesung replied.
Seong finally turned, dressed in a charcoal-gray suit with no tie. The top buttons of his shirt were undone. There was a quiet stillness in his expression, like he was assessing a weapon, not a man.
"Is that business finished?"
"For now."
Seong moved to the desk and pulled out a slim black folder. He slid it across the surface without sitting.
"Same contract as before. Provisional license, access to guild support, limited mission scope for the first month. Once you're cleared, you'll be evaluated for promotion."
Taesung picked up the folder. His name was already printed beneath a provisional classification: C-Rank Hunter.
He didn't hesitate. He took the pen Seong offered and signed.
The moment the ink dried, something changed. The room shifted. So did the tone.
"You saw something in that Rift," Seong said. "Something that made you run."
Taesung didn't look away. "It wasn't a monster. It was something else. A predator. I don't know how it got there, but it knew I didn't belong."
Seong reached behind his desk and retrieved a bottle of soju. He poured two glasses, slid one across.
"Did it follow you out?"
"No," Taesung said. "But it let me go."
"That's worse."
Taesung drank.
Seong sat. "I believe you."
"Why?"
"You don't scare easily. But something scared you."
Taesung didn't reply.
Seong opened another drawer, this one lined with encrypted USB drives. He pulled one out and tossed it across the desk.
"Your first assignment. Yeongdeungpo District. Class C Rift. Escort team. Officially, it's a clean-up operation. Unofficially..." He paused. "You're the leash."
Taesung's eyes narrowed. "Babysitting duty?"
"These aren't rookies," Seong said. "They're skilled but unstable. Think they're invincible. They need someone with edge to keep them alive—or to put them down if it goes bad."
Taesung pocketed the drive. "When?"
"Tomorrow morning. Report to Dispatch. Team briefing at six."
Jinho exhaled from the side. "You're not wasting time."
Seong glanced at him. "He came back to fight. I'm giving him something to kill."
Taesung met his gaze across the desk. "And if I kill them instead?"
"Then we'll know where you stand."
As they left the office, Jinho walked beside him, quieter now.
"You serious about this? These guys aren't pushovers."
"I'm not here to babysit," Taesung said. "I'm here to hunt."
Jinho shook his head, half-laughing. "Goddamn. You haven't changed a bit."
No, Taesung thought. I've changed.
But not in a way anyone can see.
The Silver Lions had accepted him now. He was part of the pride.
But lions only respected one thing.
Power.