"...S-Seo-jun-ssi... the crystal!" Jaemin stammered beside me.
I turned my eyes to the crystal—
—and froze as I saw it for myself.
The crystal, its former Red hue had become black, it cracked and slowly splintering aswell.
The crystal—its once vivid red hue—had turned pitch black. A deep crack splintered across its surface, branching like veins.
"Seo-jun-ssi! Take your hand off the crystal—now!" Eunseok shouted.
I jerked my hand away and stepped back from the platform just as the crystal fractured again with a sharp crack. A thick, dark liquid oozed out from within, spilling over the platform and dripping onto the floor below.
"W-What's happening?!" Jaemin stammered, staring at the spreading pool of black.
I caught a glimpse of the staff—her face drained of color, fingers flying over the control panel in vain.
[What is this?! How can an incarnation hold such power?!]
Her inner thoughts scrolled wildly across my screen, flickering and trembling as if even the system struggled to keep up.
[The power rating... it's climbing on its own—101%... 102%... it's still going!]
She was practically screaming inside her mind.
Meanwhile, the black liquid kept seeping out, dripping onto the tiles and crawling toward our feet like ink bleeding through paper.
The staff suddenly bolted for the door, nearly tripping over her own feet as she burst into the hallway. We rushed out after her.
"Mr. Won!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the murmurs of waiting hunters as she collided with a few on her way.
She stumbled, breathless, and grabbed onto the arm of a man in a dark bureau coat—clearly her superior.
"Mr. Won, please—come to the VIP room immediately! It's an emergency!" she pleaded, her words tumbling out in a frantic rush.
The three of us lingered in the corridor, all wearing the same baffled expression as we replayed what just happened.
"What... was that?" Jae Min finally asked, eyes darting to me for answers.
Eunseok, meanwhile, kept his gaze fixed on the closed door of the VIP room, deep in thought.
"Maybe it's because you're a regressor," he murmured under his breath.
I nodded, playing along with the lie I'd built so carefully. "I think so too... though, back in my timeline, the evaluation never had any issues like this," I said with forced nonchalance, as if this chaos was just another Tuesday for me.
"That black liquid's smell felt... familiar, but I kinda forgot what it is," Jae Min blurted out all of a sudden.
We're sniffing suspicious liquids now?
"Wait— you sniffed it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He quickly shook his head, flailing his hands. "No, no! It just had this stench that brushed past my nose... like..." He rubbed his chin, trying to conjure the memory.
"It smelled like ink to me," Eunseok chimed in casually.
That made my eyes twitch in surprise.
Ink?
An ink-like substance... that enveloped the crystal and spilled out when it cracked?
That's strange.
Though... was it really?
They said those crystals detect the origin of an individual's power — they don't judge or rank, they simply reveal. The crystal reflects the source.
Jae Min's ability came from a blinding light, and the crystal mirrored it perfectly.
Eunseok's power sparked and flickered, echoing the aura of his sponsor — the War Goddess Freyja.
And mine...
Mine bled ink.
Was it because I'm the author?
Was the crystal simply showing the truth?
The three of us fell into an awkward silence until the male staff member finally emerged, sweat beading down his temples as he hurried over to us.
"Uh... please excuse us, gentlemen," he began, forcing a polite smile. "Would you mind waiting in the lobby for now? The whole process is taking longer than expected because of the... sudden issue."
Mr. Won, huh?
Ah right, I remember him. He was the same guy who once rushed my evaluation, making me look like a joke in front of the other hunters taking the exam back then.
"Currently, the reading of your power, Mr. Park, is... still undetermined. The system is still calculating. I suspect there might be a malfunction with the equipment, so please—" he paused, wiping the sweat trickling from his forehead to his chin, "—do wait for further information."
"I can wait," I muttered coldly, turning my gaze away from him.
We made our way to the lobby and settled around an empty table near the window.
"An ink... why an ink, though?" Eunseok murmured, leaning back in his seat, clearly trying to piece it together.
"Is your sponsor a deity of writing? Oh—wait! Are they the type that manages paperwork and archives? Some deities are like that, right? You might be from the Olympian pantheon then, or... or the—"
He was cut off by my sigh.
"I'm not in a guild," I said flatly. "I'm just a freelancing hunter."
I watched Eunseok's mouth open, then close again, while Jae Min blinked at me, obviously holding back another flood of questions.
"Also, didn't I tell you I'm crestless?" I said, reminding them pointedly as I crossed my legs and leaned back in my seat.
"Oh, right... yeah, sure," Jae Min muttered, tone dripping with disbelief.
Eunseok just raised an eyebrow at me, unconvinced.
I swear, if anyone can hear my thoughts right now, please know I want to smack these idiots in the head.
Suddenly, the sound of boots clattering against the marble floor caught my ear. Somewhere behind me, someone shouted, "Hey, watch it!" but whoever caused the ruckus didn't stop—heavy footsteps kept closing in.
I sighed, bored and half-asleep from waiting, until—
"Seo-jun-ssi!!"
A sharp, feminine voice broke through the murmur of the lobby. I felt a hand latch onto my arm just as someone stumbled hard against my side, hitting the floor with a faint thud.
My eyes widened in surprise as I looked down.
"Miss... Nari?..." I blurted, staring at her as she clung to my arm, her eyes brimming with tears.
She looked up at me for a heartbeat—then threw her arms around me before I could even react.
"I... I thought you died...! I thought you died in that dungeon!" she sobbed, her voice muffled against my shoulder as her tears soaked into my cloak.
I froze for a moment, caught off guard by her sudden warmth and trembling. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jae Min and Eunseok staring at us, mouths half-open, clearly taken aback.
With an awkward sigh, I lifted my hand and gently patted her back.
"There, there... I'm fine, see?" I muttered, my tone softer than usual, though I shot the other two a glare to keep them from saying anything stupid.
A moment later, she was seated beside us at the table—still clinging to my arm like I might vanish again if she let go for even a second.
"How were you able to survive?" she asked softly, her eyes searching my face. The other two stayed quiet for once, all ears as they waited for my answer.
"I was saved by some higher-rank hunters," I said, lying without a flinch. "I got lucky, that's all."
She let out a shaky breath and pressed her forehead lightly against my shoulder.
"I'm just glad you're alive..." she murmured, her voice trailing into a small frown as she looked down at her hands, still holding my sleeve.
"Ilhoon told everyone you died inside the dungeon—he said you were the first one to get killed," Nari said, her voice trembling with anger. "I tried to tell the others he was the one who pushed you back, but no one would believe me..."
I let out a silent sigh. I was glad she even tried to defend me, even when she thought I was long gone. She'd always been the one patching me up whenever I got bruised or half-dead—though I'd drain half her mana every time she healed me.
"I don't know how Ilhoon will react when he sees—"
She didn't finish. Another voice cut in, rough and unwelcome.
"Hey you... Nari. The captain says we're leaving. Let's go."
A man stepped up and grabbed her arm, trying to tug her away from me.
"Go away! I will never forgive you!" she snapped, hugging my arm tighter.
He scowled, his grip tightening. "You stubborn bitch—"
"If I were you, I'd take that back. And let her go," Jae Min said, his voice suddenly cold, his gaze sharp as a blade.
The man—Ilhoon, obviously—sneered at Jae Min. "And who the hell are you? Some knight in shining armor?" he spat, before yanking at Nari again.
His eyes flicked to her arm—then trailed up. And when they landed on my face, the color drained from his. He froze, lips parting, stammering like he'd seen a ghost.
Well... in a way, he had.
"Son of a... you damn bastard! How the hell are you alive?!" Ilhoon spat, stepping back like he'd just seen death itself crawl out of the ground. His face twisted between disbelief and disgust.
"Nari. It'd be better if you go now—your captain might be waiting," I said, calm and even.
"But—" she tried, her grip tightening.
"It's fine. Go on," I murmured, giving her a small nod. She hesitated, biting her lip, then slowly let go and slipped past Ilhoon, though she paused just behind him, still glaring.
Ilhoon watched her leave, then turned back to me with a crooked grin. "Hmph... acting all calm, huh? Like you've got something new to show off..." His eyes flicked upward—right at my forehead, where the mark used to be—and his grin faltered.
"Your mark... it's gone..." His voice cracked into a giggle. Then he threw his head back and laughed, loud and mocking. "Hahaha! So you begged to them?, huh? How pathetic can you get? Crawling back to the gods like a mutt!"
I didn't flinch. Didn't answer.
Ilhoon leaned in, so close I could feel his breath on my ear. "Listen close, mutt. I don't care who's backing you now—I'm still higher than you. You got that?" He hissed, then slapped the back of my head like I was some stray dog.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Eunseok snapped, stepping forward, fists half-clenched.
Ilhoon just barked a laugh, ignoring him. "And who the hell are you two? New strays he picked up? Pfft—figures. He always did stink up any party he joined." He shoved my shoulder, then again, each push a test I didn't bother to react to.
I just looked at him—expression bland as ash.
"It's fine… let him bark all he wants—he's always been this childish," I said, my voice flat and my eyes locked onto Ilhoon's with a stare colder than the marble floor beneath our feet.
"What the hell did you just say, you little punk?" Ilhoon snarled, his face twitching as anger crawled over his features. He grabbed a fistful of my hood, jerking me forward so fast I could feel the fabric bite into my neck.
"Ilhoon! Stop that right now!" Nari's voice cracked through the tension like a whip, but he didn't even spare her a glance, his focus glued to me alone—like I was the last stain he needed to scrub out to polish his sorry pride.
Around us, the hunters milling in the lobby began to whisper among themselves, the low hiss of gossip swelling as curious eyes turned and necks craned to see what spectacle was unfolding at the center table. Some chuckled under their breath, others only stared, but none moved to intervene.
"What the hell are you even doing here, huh? You think crawling back makes you one of us again? You don't belong here, you filthy deadweight," Ilhoon spat, his words thick with scorn as he shoved me backward, harder this time, as if he wanted the impact to drive the breath out of my lungs and the spirit out of my spine.
He leaned in so close I could smell the cheap aftershave mixed with his sour breath, each word dripping spite onto my skin. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue now? I knew it—still the same spineless piece of—"
His venom was sliced clean in half.
A single voice, rough with age yet as cutting as tempered steel, sliced through the crowd's murmurs and brought a hush crashing down in its wake.
"What is all this ruckus?"
Gasps burst out like sparks in dry grass, spreading instantly through the hall. Heads snapped toward the voice that had sliced clean through Ilhoon's petty show. Hunters stumbled back, clearing a path as men in sharp suits and black tactical vests pressed forward—boots clanking, buckles and sheathed blades rattling in a metallic chorus that echoed against the marble walls.
At the very heart of that opening stood a man whose presence alone pulled every spine upright like a taut bowstring. His hair was more steel than black now, deep creases cut valleys around his mouth and eyes, but nothing in his bearing sagged with age. Those eyes—sharp, unblinking—held the entire corridor in silent command.
Ilhoon's smirk flickered across his face like a stain he thought he could pass off as pride when he glanced at me. He knew who had come—and so did I.
The man before us wasn't just some high-ranking paper pusher; he was the iron wall every hunter, no matter how seasoned or arrogant, knew better than to test.
President Lee Do-Gyun.The very backbone of the Bureau of Hunters Association.The one man in this building whose single word could drown entire careers—mine, Ilhoon's, anyone's.
In a heartbeat, Ilhoon's hand dropped from my hood like it had been burned. He bowed so low and so fast it was almost pitiful to watch. His grin returned, dripping with fake humility.
Silently, I triggered my inner monologue tap again—ten minutes had passed, and it came alive like a fresh whisper in my skull.
[It would be a pleasure to report this trash to the President himself—if I tell him this filthy muggle caused trouble, boasting inside a dungeon he didn't belong in, maybe he'll praise me for keeping order… maybe my reputation will shine even brighter in front of him…]
I almost scoffed aloud as Ilhoon straightened, turning his snake's smile on the President, words spilling from his lips like oil.
"Mr. President, sir! What an honor to see you today. Forgive the disturbance, please—I was merely disciplining a hunter who dared to mouth off inside the dungeon, spreading disrespect and lies about his status. I couldn't stand by and let him tarnish our Association's good name."
He puffed his chest as if expecting a pat on the back for kicking a stray dog.
I didn't bother moving. I just watched President Lee Do-Gyun's eyes shift from Ilhoon's groveling form to me—sharp enough to peel my bones clean.