The morning after the High Council hearing, the world had changed for Kael.
He wasn't just the "Cleaner" anymore. He was a phenomenon.
As he walked through the corridors of the Frostfall Estate, the maids didn't look at him with disdain or pity. They stopped, bowed deeply, and whispered nervously as he passed.
"That's him... the Mad Dog."
"I heard he choked Vice-Commander Gareth with a single hand."
"Is it true he sleeps in the Empress's room?"
Kael ignored them, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt. He was getting used to the tailored suits Alfred kept putting in his wardrobe.
He entered the private dining room. Seraphina was already there, buried behind a mountain of holographic documents. She looked exhausted but focused. The "Ice Queen" was in full damage-control mode, stabilizing the guild after firing her second-in-command.
"Coffee," she mumbled without looking up, levitating a cup to her lips. "Good morning, Mad Dog."
"Morning, Boss," Kael grabbed a toast. "You look terrible."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "Half the sponsors are panicked, and the other half are doubling their investment because they liked your 'performance' yesterday. You've made us very popular, and very controversial."
She finally looked at him. Her eyes softened slightly.
"I have meetings all day. Boring administrative work. You have free time until tonight. Do not cause an international incident while I'm gone."
"No promises," Kael smirked.
He finished his breakfast quickly. He had work to do.
The Training Grounds
Kael found a secluded spot in the estate's vast gardens. It was time to claim his reward.
He pulled the [Skill Book: Mana Sense (Rank C)] from his inventory. It was a small, blue-bound book that hummed with energy.
"Learn."
The book dissolved into particles of light that rushed into his eyes.
ARGH.
Kael squeezed his eyes shut. It felt like someone had poured lemon juice and pop-rocks onto his retinas. His tear ducts burned.
[Skill Acquired: Mana Sense (Rank C)]
[Integrating new sensory input...]
[Vision Mode Updated.]
When the pain subsided, Kael opened his eyes.
The world had exploded into color.
The trees weren't just green; they had veins of faint emerald light pulsing inside them (Nature Mana). The air itself seemed thick, filled with floating motes of dust that glowed in different hues.
He looked toward the mansion. He could see a massive, blinding pillar of icy blue light shooting up into the sky from the office where Seraphina was working.
So that's what an SSS-Rank looks like, Kael thought, awestruck. She's a walking nuclear reactor.
He looked at his own hands. A faint, violet aura clung to his skin—the energy of his Scavenger System.
"This changes everything," he whispered.
With this, he couldn't be ambushed. He could see magic before it was cast. He could see...
He frowned.
He turned his head toward the estate walls, about two hundred meters away.
Among the calm, green flow of the garden's mana, he saw a distortion. A small, jagged blotch of red energy. It was hiding behind a tree, just outside the gate.
Red. The color of bloodlust. Malice.
"I'm being watched," Kael realized, his pulse quickening.
It wasn't a paparazzi. Paparazzi had curiosity (usually yellow/orange). This was pure intent to harm.
Kael checked his inventory. He needed that weapon upgrade. If assassins were already circling, his titanium chain might not be enough. He needed the Venom Coating.
He needed a Basilisk Poison Sac.
He walked back to the mansion, finding Alfred.
"Alfred," Kael asked. "Does the Frostfall Guild have a materials shop?"
"Of course, sir," Alfred replied, dusting a vase. "The 'Frostfall Exchange' is in the city center. As the Lady's aide, you have unlimited credit there."
"Excellent," Kael smiled coldly. "I'm going shopping. And I might need a ride."
The Frostfall Exchange
The guild's official store was a skyscraper of glass and steel. It was where Hunters came to buy potions, sell loot, and upgrade gear.
When the limousine pulled up and Kael stepped out, the street went silent.
People recognized him instantly. The sunglasses, the suit, the arrogant posture. The "Mad Dog".
A crowd parted like the Red Sea as he walked toward the entrance. No one dared to ask for an autograph. They looked at him with a mix of awe and terror.
He approached the front desk. The receptionist, a young woman with cat ears (a Beast-kin trait), went pale.
"M-Mr. Kael!" she squeaked. "Welcome! How can we serve the Aide today?"
"I need materials," Kael said, leaning on the counter. "Specifically, a Poison Sac from a Stone Basilisk. High quality."
The receptionist typed furiously. "Y-Yes! We have one in the vault! It's... it's very expensive, and highly regulated. Rank B toxic material."
"Put it on Seraphina's tab," Kael waved his hand. "Wrap it up. To go."
"Right away, sir!"
While he waited, Kael activated [Mana Sense].
He scanned the lobby.
Blue (Mages), Red (Warriors), Green (Healers). The colors swirled around him. Most people were just curious (Orange).
But then, he felt a prickle on the back of his neck.
He turned slowly toward the glass doors he had just entered.
Across the street, in the shadow of an alleyway, he saw it again.
That jagged, crimson aura. The same one from the estate wall.
It wasn't Gareth. The mana signature was too weak, too thin. This was a pawn. A scout.
"Here is your item, sir!" The receptionist handed him a lead-lined box. "Is... is everything okay?"
Kael took the box. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Everything is great," Kael said. "I just found a new toy to test."
He didn't go back to the limousine.
"Tell the driver to wait," Kael told the door guard. "I'm going for a walk."
He adjusted his tie and walked straight out the front door, crossing the street, heading directly toward the dark alleyway where the red aura was hiding.
The stalker saw him coming and panicked. The red aura flared and turned away, trying to run deeper into the shadows.
Oh no you don't, Kael thought.
[System Points: 350]
[Skill: Shadow Step]
Kael stepped into the shadow of a mailbox.
Whoosh.
He vanished from the busy street.
In the alleyway, the stalker—a man in a hooded cloak—was sprinting toward the fire escape.
Suddenly, a hand shot out from the shadow of a dumpster, grabbing the man by the ankle.
"Going somewhere?"
CRASH.
Kael yanked the man down. The stalker hit the wet pavement hard. Before he could scream, Kael was on top of him, the Chain-Blade deployed, the cold tip of the titanium dagger pressing against the man's eye.
"Don't scream," Kael whispered, his eyes glowing violet. "Or I'll recycle your vocal cords."
The stalker froze. He wasn't a warrior. He was just an informant.
"Who sent you?" Kael asked, pressing the blade slightly. "Gareth?"
The man shook his head frantically, terrified. "No! Not Gareth! The Eye! The Abyssal Eye!"
Kael paused. That name... he had read about it in the guild archives. A terrorist cult.
"Why is the Cult watching me?"
"Because..." the man wheezed. "Because you touched the Empress. You 'cured' her. The Master... the Master says you are interfering with the Prophecy."
Prophecy?
Kael narrowed his eyes. So Seraphina's curse isn't just an accident. Someone wants her to turn into a dragon.
"Good to know," Kael said.
"P-Please," the man begged. "I told you everything! Let me go!"
Kael looked at the man's aura. It was still red. He would attack the moment he was free.
"Sorry," Kael stood up, retracting the blade. "But I can't leave trash lying around in my city."
He placed his hand on the man's forehead.
[Skill: RECYCLE (Non-Lethal Mode)]
[Target: Mana Core.]
[Drain initiated.]
"AAAAHHH!"
The man convulsed as his mana was forcibly ripped out of his body. It wouldn't kill him, but it would leave him powerless—a normal human, unable to cast magic or use skills ever again.
[+50 System Points]
The stalker passed out.
Kael adjusted his suit jacket. He looked at the lead box in his hand containing the Basilisk poison.
"Looks like I'm going to need that upgrade sooner than I thought," he muttered.
He walked back toward the light of the street. The game had just changed. It wasn't just guild politics anymore.
He was now at war with a Cult.