"Aye, oldy, give me money," Erlen said playfully, leaning back in the chair like he owned the place.
Rimon raised an eyebrow, his wrinkled face breaking into a half-smile. "How much, big shot?" he replied, chuckling softly while sipping his tea.
Erlen thought for a moment, tapping his chin with exaggerated seriousness. "Hmm… one billion dollars?!"
Rimon laughed, the sound echoing across the wide, silent office. "Okay, anything else?" he asked, humoring him.
"Yes," Erlen said, his tone turning serious, eyes narrowing. "I want that forbidden sword."
The air grew tense for a moment. Even Rimon's playful demeanor faded. The "forbidden sword" wasn't something you asked for casually — it was the very same blade that had driven an A-rank hunter insane.
Rimon leaned back, eyes closing briefly. "I'll see if it's possible…" he muttered. Then, after a brief pause, he tilted his head and said, "By any chance, you don't know any type of techniques, do you?"
Erlen blinked. "No?"
"Thought so," Rimon said with a smirk. "Well then, come with me."
They walked through the long steel corridors beneath the base — the air grew colder with every step, the walls lined with blue lights that pulsed softly like veins of energy. The silence between them was heavy but not uncomfortable. After a few minutes, Rimon stopped in front of a thick, reinforced door guarded by two elite hunters.
The guards saluted and stepped aside as the heavy doors opened with a hiss. Inside was a room dimly lit by a single beam of white light. At the center stood a glass case — inside it, three ancient books rested upon black stone pedestals. The air was thick with mana, and Erlen could feel the weight of the knowledge trapped within them.
"Okay…" Rimon began, rubbing his hands together, "which one do you want?"
"All of them," Erlen said instantly, eyes glinting with desire.
Rimon laughed. "You can choose only one, greedy brat."
Erlen sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Fine… tell me what kind of books they are."
Rimon pointed at the first. "That one's called Asura's Avatar. It lets the user concentrate mana to form a gigantic avatar of themselves. The attacks performed by it are ten times stronger than the original user's. But it's a dangerous technique — the backlash can tear you apart if your mana control isn't perfect."
He then pointed to the second. "This one's Void's Punch Series. It has a total of nine attacks, each more powerful than the last. Every punch bypasses defense completely — meaning even a single hit can obliterate your opponent. Only one person in history mastered all nine… and he vanished."
Finally, Rimon looked toward the third book. His expression darkened. "And this one," he said slowly, "we found it in a village that was completely slaughtered by a ghost. No survivors. The book itself was sealed in a talisman, but even then… the moment we brought it here, three researchers went mad trying to decipher it."
Erlen's curiosity only deepened. He could feel something calling him from that book, a strange whispering deep in his chest — like it already knew him.
"I'll take the third one," he said confidently.
Rimon sighed and rubbed his temples. "If you say so… Alright, come with me. For now, you can stay with my niece."
"Wait, what?" Erlen asked, confused.
But before he could say more, Rimon had already started walking away.
---
They reached a tall penthouse overlooking the city. Neon lights from below flickered through the glass windows. Even before they entered, they could hear someone yelling from inside.
"AHHHH, DIE, DIE, WHY IS MY CONTROLLER NOT WORKING?! AHHHHHHH!"
The sound of something smashing echoed through the hallway.
Rimon sighed, shaking his head. "Every damn day…" He opened the door, revealing a living room in chaos — snacks scattered across the sofa, game controllers lying broken on the floor, and a massive TV showing a paused fighting game screen.
A girl stood there, holding another controller like she was about to throw it too.
"Oh, hi unc— who's this?" she said, lowering the controller slightly.
"It's my ally," Rimon said with a mischievous grin. "He'll be staying with you for now, so please adjust."
Before she could respond, Rimon quickly excused himself, leaving Erlen standing awkwardly in the doorway.
The girl turned toward him, blinking. "...Well, this is unexpected."
Erlen didn't know what to say. His cheeks were faintly red. She was stunning — long brunette hair that flowed down to her knees, bright green eyes that shimmered like jade, long lashes, and pale skin that seemed to glow under the warm light of the room. She was shorter than him, around five-eight, but her presence filled the room.
"Say something, handsome," she teased, tilting her head. "And why is your hair so long? Here, let me cut it."
Before he could react, she grabbed his wrist and pushed him onto a chair. She ran off and came back with a pair of scissors, humming softly as she snipped through his long strands.
Erlen sat there, unsure what was happening. No one had been this close to him in years. The last time someone touched his hair… he could barely remember.
Her movements were gentle yet confident — she brushed his bangs to the side and smiled. "All done now, Mr. Handsome."
When he looked in the mirror, even he was surprised. His hair, now trimmed to neck length, made his features stand out — sharp jawline, deep black eyes that seemed to hide a storm within, and that faint smirk that came naturally to him.
"What's your name?" she asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Erlen," he replied simply.
She smiled, extending her hand playfully. "Nice to meet you, Erlen. I'm Leora ."
He shook her hand, feeling that same strange spark in his chest — not the mana kind this time, but something else entirely.
For the first time since entering the chamber of eternity… Erlen felt human again.