The report didn't come from the guild.
It didn't come from the system either.
It came from someone who never relied on either of them in the first place.
---
At the edge of the city, far from the hunter district and the controlled gates, a man stood alone on top of an abandoned high-rise. The wind moved around him in slow, measured currents, but his posture didn't shift. His eyes were closed—not in rest, but in perception.
He wasn't searching.
He was listening.
---
[ Hunter: ??? ]
[ Status: Active ]
[ Rank: S ]
[ Title: Boundary Walker ]
---
"…It moved again," he said quietly.
---
Behind him, a faint distortion flickered in the air—like space briefly forgetting how to stay still.
---
The man opened his eyes.
---
Golden.
---
Not glowing.
Not artificial.
---
Natural.
---
"…No," he corrected himself. "It evolved."
---
He turned slightly, looking toward the direction of the city center.
Not visually.
Not physically.
But through something deeper.
Something closer to instinct refined into perception.
---
"…That pressure," he muttered. "It wasn't human."
---
The wind shifted.
---
For a moment, the space beside him distorted.
---
Then stabilized.
---
A second figure appeared—not suddenly, but as if they had always been there and were only now being acknowledged.
---
[ Hunter: Lia Vellin ]
[ Rank: S ]
[ Status: Observer Unit ]
---
"You felt it too," she said calmly.
---
The man didn't look at her immediately.
"…Yes."
---
"…Another anomaly?"
---
He paused.
Then shook his head slightly.
"…Not exactly."
---
That made her focus sharpen slightly.
"…Explain."
---
The man looked forward again.
"…Something is interacting with the system at a level it doesn't normally allow."
---
"…A Rift Walker?" she asked.
---
"No."
---
A pause.
---
"…A candidate."
---
Silence followed.
---
Not disbelief.
Recognition.
---
Because that word—
Had weight.
---
"…One of the Eight Stars?" she asked after a moment.
---
The man exhaled slowly.
"…No."
---
"…Then what?"
---
His gaze narrowed slightly.
"…Something beneath them."
---
That—
Changed the tone immediately.
---
The wind around them stilled slightly, as if even the air was paying attention now.
---
"…That's not supposed to exist," Lia said quietly.
---
"I know."
---
Another pause.
---
Then—
The man stepped forward.
---
Not jumping.
Not flying.
Just walking—
And the space beneath him responded.
---
Each step created a faint ripple in the air, not destruction, but acknowledgment, as if the world itself was adjusting to his presence.
---
"…Where?" Lia asked.
---
He didn't answer immediately.
---
Instead, he focused again.
That same distant perception returning.
---
"…He's moving," he said.
---
"…He?"
---
"Yes."
---
A pause.
---
"…Young," he added.
---
That made Lia's eyes narrow slightly.
"…Young enough to matter?"
---
The man's expression didn't change.
"…Young enough to break the system if he keeps going."
---
Silence.
---
Then—
He turned slightly.
"…We need to observe him directly."
---
Lia hesitated.
"…That level of interference could trigger guild response."
---
"I know."
---
"…And if he's hostile?"
---
The man finally looked at her.
Golden eyes steady.
Unshaken.
"…Then we confirm it early."
---
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just clarity.
---
He raised his hand slightly.
The air in front of him split—thin, precise, controlled.
A spatial link.
Not a gate.
Not a dungeon.
Something more refined.
---
"…We're going," he said.
---
Lia exhaled softly.
"…Understood."
---
And then—
They moved.
---
---
— Meanwhile: City Hunter District —
Suho and Sera walked through the outer district, the noise of the city around them returning to normal after the last gate closure. Hunters passed by, some injured, some laughing, some discussing loot distribution from recent clears.
Normal.
Routine.
Predictable.
---
But Suho wasn't fully present.
Something lingered in his mind.
The fracture.
The figure.
The message.
---
"…You're thinking too much again," Sera said beside him.
---
"I'm not."
---
"…You are."
---
He glanced at her.
"…It's not optional."
---
That made her silent for a moment.
Then—
"…The trial?"
---
"Yes."
---
Sera folded her arms slightly as they walked.
"…Phase Four."
---
Suho nodded once.
---
"…Threshold still locked."
---
"Because you're not strong enough yet?"
---
"…No."
---
A pause.
"…Because I'm not aligned enough yet."
---
Sera frowned slightly.
"…Aligned with what?"
---
Suho didn't answer immediately.
Because he wasn't fully sure yet.
But he had a direction.
And that was enough.
---
Before Sera could press further—
Suho stopped walking.
---
"…We're being watched."
---
Her expression sharpened instantly.
"…Guild?"
---
"No."
---
"…Monster?"
---
"No."
---
A pause.
Then—
"…Something closer."
---
Sera's hand moved instinctively toward her weapon.
"…How close?"
---
Suho's gaze shifted slightly upward.
"…Above."
---
---
— Rooftop Edge —
The man stood there without hiding.
Without masking presence.
Without fear of being noticed.
Because he knew—
He already had been.
---
Suho looked directly up.
And for the first time—
Their eyes met.
Across distance.
Across space.
Across understanding.
---
[ System Alert ]
[ Unknown Authority Detected ]
[ Response: Caution Recommended ]
---
Sera noticed his expression change.
"…Suho?"
---
But he didn't respond immediately.
Because something inside him—
Recognized that presence.
Not the system.
Not the trial.
---
Something else.
---
"…Interesting," the man said softly from above.
---
Sera looked up sharply.
"…Who is that?"
---
Suho didn't answer.
Because the man above wasn't asking for permission.
He was confirming something.
---
And Suho understood that immediately.
---
The man stepped forward slightly.
Not threatening.
Not attacking.
Just—
Acknowledging.
---
"…So you're the anomaly," he said.
---
Suho's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…And you are?"
---
A faint pause.
Then—
"…Someone who remembers what the system was before it broke."
---
Silence.
---
Heavy.
---
Final.
---
Sera's expression tightened.
"…That's not normal."
---
No.
It wasn't.
---
The man tilted his head slightly.
"…You're not ready for Phase Four yet," he said calmly.
---
Suho didn't react outwardly.
But internally—
The system flickered.
---
[ Hidden Protocol Response Detected ]
---
"…But you're close," the man added.
---
A pause.
---
Then—
He smiled faintly.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
Just—
Certain.
---
"…We'll meet again, Suho."
---
And then—
He was gone.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just absent.
As if he had never been there.
---
Silence returned to the rooftop.
---
Sera exhaled slowly.
"…That was S-rank."
---
"Yes."
---
"…And he knew your name."
---
Suho looked forward.
"…Yes."
---
A pause.
---
"…So now what?" she asked.
---
Suho's gaze hardened slightly.
Not fear.
Not confusion.
---
Direction.
---
"…Now we get stronger."
---
Because whatever Phase Four was—
They were no longer alone in approaching it.