After refusing to answer any of the questions the black suits had for her, the A Rank suddenly moved. Before Ethan could even process what was happening, she rushed forward and grabbed his arm.

She held him tightly, like she was afraid he might disappear if she let go.

Ethan blinked, glancing down at her hand wrapped around his sleeve.

"Uh?"

He looked at her, and she looked back innocently.

’I guess she likes me now...’

He almost laughed.

’It must be my good looks,’ he joked to himself, though with his long, messy black hair and scruffy stubble that had grown over the past month, that was unlikely.

What he didn’t, and couldn’t possibly, know was that the thing inside her had taken a deep, twisted interest in him. And the dangerous promise of its power if she stayed by his side was one she planned to make the most of.

Ethan, blissfully unaware of all that, simply shrugged internally.

’Not that I’m complaining.’

He had an A Rank who was attached to him; how could he possibly reject that even if he wanted to?

’Plus she’s a mute.’

A grin tugged at the corner of his lips.

’If she gets annoying, I can just look away.’

He suppressed another laugh, but another troubling thought crept into his mind.

’If that demon comes out again, I gotta be careful.’

There was no way he could forget that layered and distorted voice, how arrogant and terrifyingly powerful she became.

But now she was just a timid woman by his side that he could use as he saw fit.

He turned back to the two black suits, posture relaxing slightly, a faintly smug expression settling onto his face as he gestured lightly with his free arm.

"So," he said casually, "we’re free to leave, right?"

The response was immediate.

"Yes."

Their attitude had flipped entirely.

"And," the taller one added quickly, "you may both clean yourselves and select a change of clothes over there."

He pointed down the corridor.

Ethan followed the direction with his eyes to a set of private showers and changing rooms.

’The Association really has thought of everything.’

"After you’re done," the shorter one continued, "you can receive your compensation on the left wing of the building and leave as you please."

A brief pause.

"If we require anything further, we will contact you through your Association-issued devices."

Ethan gave a lazy nod.

"Got it."

And just like that, the odd duo in black suits retreated hurriedly, as if putting distance between themselves and the A Rank was the smartest decision they could make.

Realistically, it probably was.

Who knew when that demon would come out again?

The corridor quieted with just the two of them, yet the A Rank still held him tightly.

Ethan glanced down again.

"You can let go now."

She hesitated before slowly releasing his arm, clearly not wanting to.

"I’m going to get cleaned up," Ethan said, gesturing toward the respective areas. "Women’s showers are over there."

He pointed, and she followed his hand with her eyes.

But before he could take a step, she reached out again, grabbing his arm lightly to get his attention.

*Make sure you wait for me.*

Ethan frowned slightly, confused.

"Yeah... sure."

He nodded and stepped away to get cleaned up.

But it was practically torture.

Hot water poured over his body, and the moment it touched his treated wounds, there was a sharp, unforgiving pain.

"Ah, fuck!"

He gritted his teeth, bracing himself against the tiled wall as the sting spread across his skin.

’I’m definitely not using soap.’

Even with his pain tolerance, that would just be stupid, as he watched the blood, grime, and filth of the gate slowly wash away. Piece by piece, it all went down the drain, leaving behind someone who looked almost normal...

Almost was the keyword there.

The clothing room was next, and Ethan took full advantage, as he did with everything in his life.

’I’m gonna make the most of this.’

Shirts, hoodies, layers, and more layers.

By the time he was done, he looked ridiculous, bulky, and overstuffed, like a walking pile of fabric. But everything he wore now was better than anything he had owned before and was all new, so he shamelessly put on as much as he could.

’Nothing beats free stuff.’

As he adjusted his sleeves, his thoughts drifted.

’Should I ditch her?’

The clingy A Rank now being attached to him like a lost puppy felt unnatural.

Most guys would love to have her obsessed with them, since she was quite attractive in the right lighting. Blonde hair, red eyes, slim figure - she was objectively visually pleasing.

But not to Ethan.

After seeing that thing inside her during that terrifying transformation, he couldn’t get that image of her out of his mind.

’Yeah... that’s the problem.’

Attraction didn’t matter, not when the person could turn into a walking nightmare.

But as soon as he stepped out of the changing room, she suddenly pounced on him. Her arms wrapped around his again, holding on like she had been waiting right outside the entire time.

Ethan looked down at her.

Then he laughed, a short, helpless chuckle.

’I don’t think I’ve got much choice here.’

He shook his head, slightly resigned, amused, and concerned all at once.

’Guess I’ve got an A Rank tagging along with me now.’

It was dangerous and would likely draw a lot of attention, but for now, he accepted it.

’What’s the worst that can happen?’

Ethan hoped he didn’t come to regret his decision as they set off together.

She remained half a step behind, fingers lightly gripping Ethan’s sleeve as if letting go would somehow cause him to vanish. Her movements were hesitant, almost timid, yet the effect she had on the surrounding people was anything but.

The corridor was wide, clean, and filled with personnel moving in every direction - medical staff, low-ranked Titled, black suits - but as soon as the pair entered, something shifted.

People would slow down and move out of the way entirely, hugging the walls.

Whispers followed them like a trailing wind.

"Is that her?"

"The weakest A Rank."

"And she’s with... wait, isn’t he an E Rank?"

"Are they together?"

It felt surreal, like they were celebrities walking through a crowd.

Ethan noticed it immediately, though his reaction was far less dignified than one might expect. He adjusted one of the multiple layers he had unabashedly stacked onto himself, his already bulky appearance now bordering on absurd.

’Okay... maybe six layers was pushing it.’

He looked like he was preparing for a trip to Antarctica, and even then, it was overkill, leaving him sweating just from walking.

Meanwhile, Elara looked... normal.

Well, as normal as an A Rank with unsettling red eyes could look.

Her grip on his sleeve tightened slightly as more eyes turned toward them, her posture shrinking even further under the attention.

’She doesn’t like this,’ Ethan noted.

Which was ironic because the attention was all on her anyway. He just happened to be the bizarre accessory attached to her, who hated the attention just as much, if not more than she did, not that he showed it.

Still, he didn’t shake her off or comment, and just kept walking.

He followed the signs through the building until he spotted the place where he could receive what had started this all: money.

’To think everything in that gate happened because I randomly decided to go into a gate to earn some money.’

Ethan didn’t dwell on it.

"That should be where we get paid," he muttered.

She nodded lightly, remaining silent as always.

This area was quieter than the rest of the base, though no less professional. Behind a counter sat a middle-aged woman with a warm, almost motherly presence. She looked up as they approached, her expression softening slightly at the sight of them.

"Ah, you must be here for gate compensation," she said kindly. "May I see your Titled IDs?"

Ethan handed his over without hesitation, and the A Rank followed a moment later, almost embarrassed as she did so. The woman scanned them, her eyes flicking between the two, though she didn’t comment on the obvious disparity between their ranks.

"As an E Rank," she began, looking at Ethan, "you were scheduled to receive one thousand dollars for this gate."

Ethan nodded.

"However, due to the anomalous nature of the gate and the level of danger involved, additional compensation has been authorised, even without any resources being extracted."

Ethan’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Oh?"

She smiled faintly.

"Everyone’s compensation for this specific gate has been doubled. Additionally, if any permanent injuries were sustained, you may apply for Titled Benefits."

Ethan’s lips curled into a grin.

’I could fake an injury in a gate and get paid for life. Sounds like a cheat code.’

Then again, his expression softened slightly.

’After what people go through in those places... they fucking deserve it.’

He eagerly accepted his payment, completely unaware of the knock-on effects of the gate they had just cleared that would come back to haunt them...