Chapter 58: A Fast-Track to a Heart Attack

Just as the tension in the room reached a breaking point, a sharp, digital ping echoed from Ethan’s pocket. He practically jumped out of his skin, fumbling for his phone with trembling fingers.

A bright, official notification from the Hunter’s Guild flashed across the screen, accompanied by the guild's sterile logo. It wasn't just a message; it was a high-priority alert.

[URGENT: GATE MANIFESTATION]

[Two (2) D-Rank Gates have been detected. Locations: The ruins of the Old Seongbuk Library and the subterranean tunnels of the Incheon Industrial District. All available D-Rank personnel are encouraged to mobilize.]

Ethan stared at the screen, his expression turning from panic to a look of deep, existential dread. Mapo was far from those locations—a trek across the city—but the rank was what made his stomach do a slow, nauseating flip.

"Perfect timing," Lindis remarked. She had already pulled up the same alert on her own device, her eyes gleaming with a sudden, sharp hunger for action. She looked at Ethan, a bright, predatory smile crossing her face. "Let's go beat up some monsters again today!"

Before Ethan could even open his mouth to protest, Lindis added with a casual shrug, "I've already messaged Zane and Kaela. They're on their way to bring my equipment. We can all head out together."

Ethan’s face went completely blank. He slowly lowered his phone, his voice dropping to a flat, horrified monotone.

"Umm... let's just pause for a second. Let's look at the math here," Ethan began, holding up his fingers as if explaining a simple sum to a child. "I am an E-Rank. A bottom-of-the-barrel, barely-functioning E-Rank. The gate is a D-Rank. In the world of hunter logic, that’s like sending a fluffy Pomeranian to fight a hungry grizzly bear. I am not going into a D-Rank gate. Absolutely not. No. Never."

Lindis didn't seem to hear the desperation in his voice. Instead, she leaned in, her expression softening into a persuasive, almost puppy-like sweetness that was far more dangerous than any monster. She placed a hand on his shoulder, her voice taking on a coaxing, airy quality.

"Oh, come on, Ethan! Don't be such a scaredy-cat," she teased, giving his shoulder a little shake. "Just think of it as... an advanced learning experience! A little 'fast-track' training. If you stay in E-Rank gates, you'll just be poking at goblins forever. If you want to raise your rank, you have to feel the pressure! Besides, I'm right here. I'll make sure you don't get eaten."

Ethan looked at her, then at the "Best Day Ever!" shirt he was wearing, and felt the crushing weight of his impending doom. He tried to shrink into his seat, his mind racing for any excuse—laundry, a sudden onset of a rare allergy, a spiritual retreat—but looking into Lindis's determined, innocent eyes, he knew he was already caught in her net.

Mia didn't even look up from her screen, her thumb continuing to scroll through her feed with a rhythmic, mindless grace. "What's the problem, Oppa?" she asked, her voice light and airy.

She finally glanced at him, a small, genuine smile tugging at the corners of her lips—the kind of smile that usually meant she was being supportive, yet somehow still managed to be teasing. "Don't worry about me. Just go. Go to the gate, the dungeon, or whatever it is you're calling it today. Your happiness is my happiness, after all."

Ethan stared at her, his expression a portrait of utter misery. "I am not happy with this," he muttered, his voice flat. "There is zero happiness in being 'advanced experience' in a hole filled with things that want to chew me like bubblegum."

As he spoke, Ethan’s mind drifted toward the one formal way out of his current predicament: the Hunter’s Guild Rank Up Exam.

In the world of awakened individuals, the Exam was the ultimate crucible. If a hunter felt they had outgrown their current classification, there was no better place to prove their worth. The Guild held these evaluations twice a month, strictly every fifteen days. It was a system designed for resilience; if you failed your first attempt, you weren't discarded. Instead, you were given a two-week window to train, bleed, and improve before trying again. To most, it was a ladder to fame and fortune—a chance to climb the social strata of society.

But as Ethan looked at his sister, a heavy, hollow feeling settled in his chest.

To him, the Rank Up Exam wasn't a ladder; it was a trap. The higher the rank, the more the world expected of you. The higher the rank, the further you drifted from the quiet, unremarkable life he craved. He possessed powers—strange, overwhelming, almost frightening abilities that defied the logic of his E-Rank status—but he viewed them as a curse rather than a gift.

If there were a merchant in this world who dealt in souls and destiny, Ethan would have traded every single one of his S-Rank secrets in a heartbeat. He would have given away the strength to shatter mountains just to return to the ghost of the life they had once known—a life where the only thing he had to worry about was school, and where the word 'gate' only referred to the fence in a backyard, not a portal to a nightmare.

He sighed, the sound heavy with a longing that didn't fit his youthful face. He didn't want to be a hero. He didn't want to be a legend. He just wanted to be normal.

...

Deep within the opulent heart of the Crimson Scale Guild, the atmosphere was one of disciplined silence and absolute luxury. Minjun walked a half-step behind Guild Leader Seo-Yeon, his posture a picture of professional deference.

Seo-Yeon moved with a slow, predatory grace, her attention focused on the porcelain cup in her hand. She sipped her morning coffee—though to call it coffee was a stretch; it was a pale, creamy concoction, perhaps ten percent bean and ninety percent milk, looking more like a warm latte than a wake-up call.

"Guild Leader," Minjun began, his voice smooth and measured, "the individual you expressed interest in has been flagged. According to their current movements, it appears they are heading toward a gate. Shall I dispatch a team to monitor them and provide a full report?"

Seo-Yeon paused, her gaze drifting toward the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the morning snow was falling in silent, rhythmic sheets, blurring the lines of the city.

"No," she replied, her voice a cool velvet. "Simply inform my sister. Let her tail them. I would rather her be the judge of their quality."

She took another sip of her milk-heavy coffee, her grey eyes reflecting the pale winter light. "If they fail to impress her, then continuing to pursue them would be a waste of my time. There is no point in chasing fool's gold when one is searching for a diamond."

She leaned closer to the glass, her breath fogging the pane. "Her eyes are my eyes. If they are found wanting in her sight, I shall have no further quarrel with the matter."

Minjun bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the command. "Understood, Guild Leader."

Across the city, in a starkly different environment, Hifumi was finalizing his ensemble. He stepped into a pair of crisp, tailored light blue trousers and shrugged into a matching jacket that fit him with surgical precision. He finished the look with a pair of blindingly white sneakers, looking less like a combatant and more like a man attending a high-end resort.

Kiyoko watched him from the doorway, her presence a calm, steady anchor in the room. "And where, precisely, are you venturing now?"

Hifumi tightened his cuffs, his expression one of mild boredom. "To stretch my skills and my body, of course. Even in a wasteland of a country such as this, I cannot allow my discipline to atrophy. I must continue to train with rigor, even if the gates here are measly B to D ranks at best."

Kiyoko tilted her head, her voice smooth and composed. "Then why have you not donned your gear? From where I stand, it appears you are merely going for a morning jog."

Hifumi paused, casting a look of genuine disgust at the very suggestion that he would need armor for such a trivial task. He let out a soft, condescending huff.

"Because," he replied, his voice dripping with noble disdain, "it is merely a jog for me. A D-Rank gate is a playground for the mediocre. What could possibly go wrong in a place so devoid of challenge?"

---

I have returned from the digital void! My WiFi finally decided it liked me again, which is a miracle considering how much I cursed it. 💀 I’m back in the groove now, and as you can see, I’ve spent my offline time making sure Hifumi is as insufferable as humanly possible. You're welcome.