The night air was cool on their skin as they stepped out of the tunnel. Moonlight spilled over the cracked pavement, catching on the last glints of monster dust that clung to their boots.
Nayeon stumbled, legs shaking. She dropped to the ground, chest heaving as her sword dissolved into motes of light.
"Hey…" Jaehyuk said, looking down at her. "The ground's filthy."
"Ha… ha…" Nayeon managed a ragged laugh, cheeks flushed. Her voice wavered. "Are you… a monster? A demon? Or one of those...those things in disguise? There's no way a low-status, low rank hunter could be that strong…"
Jaehyuk tilted his head, the faint afterglow of the console still ghosting across his eyes. He sounded flat when he spoke. "What does status have to do with power? Whether you're some Regime-backed elite or a street-level hunter, I'd break your skull just the same if I wanted to. And if I did…" He stepped closer, voice dropping until it was a calm, dangerous murmur. "What could you possibly do about it?"
A chill ran down her spine. The calm in his tone felt worse than any promise of violence.
Then he turned away as if bored. "You're exhausted. Rest."
Nayeon forced a laugh between breaths. "Ha...so this is goodbye? Thank you for helping. I'll join a guild so I don't do something stupid again."
She tried to stand and nearly faltered.
Jaehyuk watched her quietly. Her aura, weak and uneven, still pulsed with potential. The console hadn't lied. She had something raw in her.
If she joins a weak guild, she'll be dead weight. Her skill could grow, if someone bothered to steer it. Why would I bother? He closed his eyes and exhaled. After a beat, he made a decision that sounded more like calculation than charity. "Join my guild instead."
Nayeon blinked. "...You don't even have a guild."
"Will it kill me to make one now?" he said, unimpressed.
She fought a smile that might have been nerves or disbelief. "You're serious?"
"I don't joke about efficiency," he replied coolly. "You're useful, Han Nayeon. You'll earn Soulmarks faster with me, and your brother will get treatment sooner. That's the point."
She opened her mouth, closed it, then nodded. For a second she saw something unexpected behind his coldness a sliver of purpose.
"…Fine," she muttered. "But if you ever threaten to crush my skull again, I'm out."
Jaehyuk's mouth lifted, almost a smile. Almost. "Then don't give me a reason."
The Guild Registration Bureau stood tall at the center of Sector 6, its steel pillars glowing faintly beneath the digital banners of the Regime. Dozens of hunters passed through its glass doors every hour some boasting of cleared raids, others begging for new contracts.
Jaehyuk and Nayeon stood before the marble counter, a glowing interface projected above them as the clerk scrolled through their data.
"I'm sorry," the recipient said after a moment, her voice professional but detached. "But you won't be able to have your guild officially recognized unless you have at least six registered members."
Nayeon blinked. "Wait, what? We just cleared a dungeon together! Doesn't that prove we're qualified?"
The clerk shook her head, lowering her tone slightly as if out of pity. "I understand your frustration, miss. But the Regime Guild Law is strict. If I approve an incomplete guild registration, I'll lose my license. It's punishable under Article 27."
Nayeon's voice rose. "That's ridiculous! Two capable hunters aren't enough? Then how do you expect new guilds to even start?"
"Nayeon," Jaehyuk interrupted quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. His voice carried that same calm gravity that silenced rooms. "It's okay."
"But we need a guild!" she shot back, looking at him desperately.
Jaehyuk turned to the clerk, his gaze sharp. "How much time can you give us to find members?"
The woman hesitated. "About… a week, sir. After that, your application will be voided."
"Understood."
Without another word, Jaehyuk turned and walked out. Nayeon followed, still fuming.
"Unbelievable…" she muttered, her voice dripping with frustration. "Why can't two people count as a guild? It's like they want us to fail. She was lying...I know she was. Just because we're low status, they're looking down on us!"
Jaehyuk didn't stop walking. His expression stayed unreadable as the city lights reflected in his dark eyes. "Nayeon, don't you have faith in me? I can find twenty members within a week if I want to."
She laughed dryly, tapping his shoulder. "Pfft, come on now, Hyuk. You know we're the lowest of the low. Who'd want to join us? Even desperate hunters would rather crawl into high-status guilds than risk their lives with a no-name duo."
"You should go home," Jaehyuk said, pulling out his worn-out phone and scrolling through dungeon postings. "Get something to eat."
"What about you?" she asked, pausing. "Where are you staying? Do you… have a place of your own?"
"No," he replied bluntly. "I'm still at the inn near Sector 5. It's cheap and quiet."
Nayeon frowned. "Then what now?"
"I'll check for available dungeons, maybe a public party slot. We need more Soulmarks if we're going to fund the guild."
"Like… a public raid?"
He nodded. "Exactly."
There was a brief silence. The kind that sits between familiarity and distance.
"Alright," Nayeon said finally. "Just don't overdo it, okay?"
Jaehyuk didn't respond. He simply waved a hand dismissively as she turned away.
That night, Nayeon walked home under the dim streetlights. The world outside the city's heart was silent broken neon signs flickered against cracked walls, and the air reeked faintly of rust and rain.
When she reached her door, she stopped. The house was small, old, and quiet. The empty chair by the window reminded her of why she fought, why she risked her life for Soulmarks and dungeons.
For the first time in months, she smiled faintly.
Meeting Jaehyuk—no, Hyuk—had made her forget the weight she carried.
But as she looked into that empty space, the silence returned.
And the faint echo of his words lingered in her mind:
> "Don't you have faith in me?"