Zenith’s dark-plated hands pulled back, sliding smoothly out of the shattered chests of the two assassins. The towering phantom flicked its razor-sharp talons, splattering thick, crimson blood across the pristine, manicured gravel of the Sihue Clan’s courtyard.

The two bodies slumped backward, hitting the ground with a dull, heavy thud. Dead before they even realized they had failed.

Hide stood perfectly still. His glowing blue eyes, ringed with faint violet, stared down at the two corpses and he slightly winced.

He didn’t blink or flinch. But inside his chest, a sudden, cold knot tightened.

[Human Entity (D-Rank Awakened) - Eliminated]

Experience points gained:3,000

[Human Entity (D-Rank Awakened) - Eliminated]

Experience points gained: 3,000

[Level Up]

Level: 21 → 22

Exp: 2080 / 4700

Level Up reward has been added to inventory.

The level up message stayed in his vision. After coming out of the gate Hide had leveled up once by completing two days of Daily quests and now he had leveled up again.

He had killed countless Calamity Beasts. He had bathed in their dark blood, crushed their cores, and felt nothing but the pure thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction.

But this... this was different.

This was red blood. Human blood. For a fleeting second, he questioned himself. Was this right? Had he just crossed a line he could never walk back from?

But the image of Kai’s horrific, rotting scar flashed vividly in his mind, followed quickly by the thought of Risa—completely neglected and discarded by these very people. His jaw locked.

’They drew their blades first,’ Hide told himself, burying the hesitation deep beneath. ’I am just returning the favor.’ He remained entirely silent, his face a perfectly blank mask of stoic indifference, refusing to let an ounce of his internal conflict show.

The grinding, mechanical voice of the dragon statue echoed across the courtyard once again, snapping Hide out of his thoughts.

"Commendable... Very commendable," the statue grated, its stone jaws shifting. "A flawless counter-execution."

As the voice faded, the massive, heavy wooden doors of the main estate slowly slid open with a deep rumble. Standing in the threshold was a young man.

He was dressed in loose, incredibly comfortable-looking traditional clothing, his hands shoved lazily into his pockets. He was tall, but his build was remarkably compact, lacking the bulging, intimidating muscles of an enforcer like Garret.

In fact, if Hide had looked at him with normal eyes, the young man would have seemed completely unremarkable, lacking any commanding presence at all.

But Hide didn’t look at him with normal eyes. His passive skill, True Sight, showed him what actually the person standing in front of him was.

Hide’s breath hitched slightly. Surrounding the laid-back young man wasn’t just an aura—it was a massive, suffocating pool of dense purple mana. The energy writhed and coiled around his compact frame, vaguely taking the terrifying shape of a massive serpent ready to strike.

’At least a B-Rank,’ Hide calculated internally, his eyes narrowing. ’Maybe even pseudo A-Rank. He is incredibly dangerous.’

The young man strolled forward, his posture entirely relaxed, a lazy, malice-filled smirk playing on his lips. "Well, well. You actually survived the welcoming committee," he drawled, coming to a halt a few feet away. He pulled one hand out of his pocket and extended it. "Sihue Enji. I’m Risa’s older brother."

Hide stared at the extended hand. He didn’t move a muscle. Zenith slowly dissolved and moved inside his body.

Enji chuckled, slowly lowering his hand. "Ouch. Cold. I guess the lower district trash people lack basic manners."

Hide’s face remained deadpan. "I’m Hide Volter," he replied flatly. "And I would shake your hand, but I don’t want to catch whatever broke-ass disease makes a so-called ’elite’ assassin clan use D-Rank fodder for security. Are you guys struggling to pay the electric bill, or is this really the best the Sihue bloodline can do?"

Enji’s lazy smirk froze for a fraction of a second, but the young man quickly forced the smile back onto his face. "You have a sharp tongue, Volter. Let’s see if you can keep it. Follow me."

Enji turned and led Hide through the main doors. They walked silently through a series of pristine, dimly lit wooden corridors until Enji slid open a door, gesturing for Hide to enter.

It was a small, traditional reception room. One entire wall was open, looking out into a sprawling, beautifully manicured garden filled with ancient trees, smooth stones, and a small pond with various fishes.

It looked incredibly peaceful.

But through True Sight, the garden was a glowing minefield. Hide saw thick, jagged lines of compressed mana weaving beneath the smooth stones, converging dangerously around the bases of the trees. If someone stepped off the wooden veranda, they would be instantly torn apart by dozens of hidden, lethal traps.

Before Hide could inspect the magical snares further, the door behind him slid open again.

An old man walked into the room. He was remarkably short in stature, his back slightly hunched, supporting his weight heavily on a polished wooden cane.

He looked incredibly frail, as if a strong breeze could knock him over. And yet, the moment he stepped into the room, the entire atmosphere shifted. He didn’t just feel intimidating... he felt like the center of gravity itself.

The old man slowly shuffled over to a low wooden chair opposite to where Hide was standing and lowered himself down with a soft groan.

"Ah... forgive me for sitting, young man," the old man chuckled, his voice dry and raspy like autumn leaves. "I can’t stay standing for long. Haha, old age is not easy."

He rested his hands on the top of his cane and looked up. His eyes were milky and dreamy, clouded with age. But the moment his gaze locked onto Hide, the world collapsed.

Hide’s eyes widened and a sudden, apocalyptic pressure slammed down onto his shoulders. It felt like an entire skyscraper had been dropped directly onto his chest.

The air was forcefully ripped from his lungs. His knees buckled slightly, his enhanced muscles screaming in protest, and he let out a choked, desperate rasp as his body instinctively tried to fight for a single breath of air.

And then, just as quickly as it had arrived, the crushing pressure completely vanished.

Hide stood there, his chest heaving slightly, staring at the old man in absolute shock.

The old man remained perfectly still, a serene, unbothered expression on his wrinkled face. He stared at Hide in silence for a long, heavy moment before finally speaking.

"So," the old man said quietly. "What do you want, Hide Volter?"