The Strategium was already occupied.

  Aric sat at the head of the black crystal table, posture straight despite the fresh bandaging beneath his sleeve. Zane stood beside his chair, arms crossed, gaze sharp and restless. Seraphina sat with effortless poise, hands folded as if attending a formal court rather than an emergency meeting.

  Selene observed the room from across the table, fingers lightly interlaced, eyes quietly calculating.

  The Solstice twins sat together, perfectly aligned.

  Varek leaned back in his chair with visible impatience, one boot angled forward, arms folded as if daring the meeting to justify his time.

  Iris lounged slightly in her seat, attention drifting somewhere between boredom and mild curiosity.

  Tyrion remained near the wall rather than the table, silent and unreadable.

  The only empty chair belonged to Rank Ten.

  It stayed empty for several seconds.

  Then—

  The door opened.

  Kade Stratos walked in as if he had not kept nine of the most important cadets in the academy waiting.

  “Did I miss anything important?” he asked casually, dropping into his chair.

  “No,” Iris said without looking at him. “Just starting.”

  Aric inclined his head slightly.

  “Good. Then we’ll begin.”

  The room settled.

  “We need to discuss the incident at the Synapse City Auction House,” Aric said. “Specifically the intruder, the unidentified woman, and the artifact involved.”

  Varek snorted softly. “You mean the Hollowed.”

  Iris nodded once. “Yes.”

  Seraphina spoke calmly. “Confirmation?”

  Iris finally straightened slightly.

  “His eyes were completely black. No sclera. No iris. And his voice… echoed.”

  She paused.

  “And when he died, the body disintegrated. No remains.”

  Silence tightened around the table.

  “That confirms it,” she finished. “Hollowed.”

  Selene nodded once. “Consistent with recorded cases.”

  Tyrion’s quiet voice followed. “Termination without residue.”

  Kade leaned back. “So definitely not a normal attacker.”

  “Inside a secured auction house during an academy visit,” Seraphina said. “That part is what concerns me.”

  Varek glanced toward Aric. “And inconvenient.”

  Aric didn’t react.

  “The more uncertain variable,” Selene continued, “is the second individual.”

  “The woman,” Zane said.

  “Yes.”

  Seraphina’s gaze sharpened slightly. “Her combat efficiency exceeded elite guild standards.”

  Tyrion nodded once. “Execution speed was abnormal.”

  Varek added bluntly, “She bisected a Hollowed before it realized it was dead.”

  Kade whistled softly. “Impressive.”

  Aric spoke evenly. “She targeted the sphere.”

  Selene leaned forward slightly. “Which suggests prior knowledge.”

  Zane frowned. “Or coincidence.”

  Seraphina considered that. “Unlikely.”

  Iris tilted her head.

  “…Actually, it might not be.”

  Everyone looked at her.

  “She didn’t move until the Hollowed appeared,” Iris said. “And she didn’t attack anyone else. Only him.”

  Selene’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

  “Meaning she may not have been involved initially.”

  Iris nodded. “It felt like she was there by chance… and then got interested.”

  “Interested in what?” Kade asked.

  “The sphere,” Iris said. “If the Hollowed came to steal it, she might have taken it out of curiosity.”

  Varek crossed his arms tighter. “Or to prevent them from getting it.”

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  Seraphina added quietly, “Or for her own purposes.”

  Zane said, “Was she Hollowed too?”

  Varek shook his head immediately. “No.”

  Selene spoke with calm certainty. “Hollowed do not attack each other directly. Their operations rely on concealment.”

  Seraphina nodded. “No verified case of internal conflict.”

  Tyrion said quietly, “Unless control is lost.”

  No one pursued that.

  Iris shrugged. “She didn’t feel like one.”

  Varek leaned forward slightly, eyes on Aric.

  “You engaged first.”

  A statement, not a challenge.

  Aric met his gaze. “Yes.”

  “And got buried under a wall.”

  Zane’s expression hardened. “He prevented casualties.”

  Varek didn’t look at her.

  “Next time,” he said calmly to Aric, “don’t let yourself become terrain.”

  Not mocking.

  Instructional.

  Aric nodded once. “Noted.”

  Zane looked like she wanted to say more but held it back.

  For a moment, tension hovered—

  Then she shifted topics abruptly.

  “Speaking of performance,” Zane said, looking directly at Varek, “I heard your group presentation is basically done.”

  Varek’s eyes flicked to her. “It is.”

  “Of course it is,” she said lightly. “When you have people to prepare everything for you.”

  Varek’s expression didn’t change.

  “You have something to say, Warry?”

  “Yes.”

  She leaned forward slightly.

  “Monday isn’t just about the report.”

  A beat.

  “It’s about the presentation.”

  Kade straightened, suddenly interested.

  Zane continued, voice cool.

  “Let’s see who actually performs better in front of the class.”

  Varek studied her for a long second.

  “Are you proposing a competition?”

  “A bet.”

  Selene’s eyes flickered with quiet amusement.

  Seraphina closed her eyes briefly, already tired.

  “Criteria?” Varek asked.

  “Clarity. Strategy. Delivery. Faculty reaction.”

  Varek considered.

  Then nodded once.

  “Accepted.”

  Kade grinned. “Now this meeting has value.”

  Aric exhaled softly.

  “Moving on,” he said.

  His gaze shifted to Iris.

  “You mentioned something else.”

  Iris hesitated, then spoke.

  “Korin Kai.”

  Selene’s attention sharpened instantly.

  Varek didn’t move, but his focus shifted.

  “What about him?” Aric asked.

  “During the incident,” Iris said slowly, “his eyes looked… unusual.”

  “Unusual how?” Selene asked.

  “Like something was changing.”

  Kade tilted his head. “Corruption?”

  Nyara murmured, “Shock response?”

  Brynna added, “Adrenal reaction?”

  Someone said quietly—

  “Hollowed?”

  Iris shook her head. “No. Not like that. I don’t know what it was.”

  Selene spoke after a moment.

  “I observed him earlier this week. No visible abnormalities. Behavior within expected parameters.”

  A small pause.

  “However, his composure under stress exceeds what is typical for his rank.”

  Seraphina added thoughtfully, “Not panic-driven.”

  Varek finally spoke.

  “He’s in my group.”

  Everyone looked at him.

  “I saw nothing unusual.”

  His tone was matter-of-fact.

  “No instability. No arrogance. No incompetence.”

  Then he glanced toward Iris.

  “But if Rank Three noticed something…”

  A small shrug.

  “…I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  Aric nodded. “Discreetly.”

  “Obviously.”

  Tyrion spoke from the wall.

  “Unknown variables should be monitored.”

  Kade added with a faint smile,

  “Especially the interesting ones.”

  Seraphina ignored that.

  “Our priority should be preparedness,” she said. “Today demonstrated that hostile forces can reach controlled environments.”

  Selene nodded. “We should review response coordination.”

  Nyara and Brynna agreed in unison.

  Aric looked around the table.

  “Additional training. Information sharing. Faster mobilization.”

  A pause.

  “No unnecessary risks.”

  Varek smirked faintly. “Depends on your definition of unnecessary.”

  Aric didn’t engage.

  “Meeting adjourned.”

  Chairs shifted.

  No one rushed to leave, but the tension loosened just enough to breathe.

  Because now they knew:

  A Hollowed had operated openly within reach of the academy.

  Korin — East Ridge Overlook

  “Sir, do you want to continue hunting?” Han asked, still staring at the fallen Razorback as if it might get up and demand a refund.

  “No. That’s enough,” I said. “I’m in a hurry.”

  “Yes, sir. You may go. I will take care of the corpse. The payment will be transferred to your account within an hour. Whenever you wish to hunt again, please contact me.”

  Efficient service model.

  “Alright. I’m leaving.”

  I stepped back toward the portal platform, resisting the urge to look behind me. Professional hunters probably didn’t gawk at their own kills.

  Synapse Gate Plaza → Market District

  The portal spat me back into civilization with a flash of pale light.

  Before I had taken ten steps, my phone vibrated.

  Account Notification — Incoming Transfer: 18,000,000 won

  So twenty million minus commission.

  Two million for paperwork, logistics, transport, processing, permits, disposal, resale, taxes, and whatever invisible mechanisms turned a truck-sized corpse into digital currency.

  I don’t know how they moved something that large so quickly…

  …but I also don’t want to.

  Whatever system exists behind the scenes is probably expensive, efficient, and morally flexible.

  Artifact Shop

  I returned to the small shop immediately.

  The owner looked up, mildly surprised.

  “Well,” he said, raising an eyebrow, “I didn’t expect you to come back so soon. Most customers who say that never do.”

  “I have the money,” I said.

  “Clearly.”

  He reached beneath the counter and produced the blade wrapped in dark cloth.

  “Here. Your sword. Receipt included.”

  No theatrics. No sales pitch.

  Just a transaction.

  I handed over the payment. The transfer completed instantly.

  The moment the sword touched my hand, I felt it.

  Dense mana.

  Not loud power — compressed power.

  Balanced like it had been designed for precision rather than brute force.

  A tool for killing.

  Good.

  I turned and left without further conversation.

  Behind the Dorms

  The moment I stepped onto campus, I was already reaching for the wrapped blade.

  The money was spent.

  My muscles were sore.

  Which meant I had absolutely no patience left.

  I wanted to know if the sword was worth it.

  Now.

  The paved path toward the dorm entrance was crowded — cadets returning from training, conversations, laughter, the usual background noise of people who hadn’t spent the afternoon stabbing a rhinoceros the size of a truck.

  Testing a strange weapon there would attract questions.

  Questions lead to attention.

  Attention leads to paperwork.

  No.

  Behind the dorms.

  Every academy building sat on massive grounds, and the rear side of the residential complex opened into a dense stretch of unmanaged trees.

  Not a formal training zone.

  Not exactly wilderness either.

  Just land no one bothered to maintain.

  Perfect.

  I cut off the path and slipped between the buildings.

  Within a minute, the sounds of campus faded behind me.

  The terrain changed quickly — uneven soil, exposed roots, thick trunks spaced irregularly, low branches forcing you to duck if you weren’t paying attention.

  No lights.

  No benches.

  No witnesses.

  Exactly what I wanted.

  I walked deeper until the dorm walls were no longer visible through the trees.

  “Good enough.”

  I unwrapped the blade.

  Even in low light, the metal caught what little illumination filtered through the canopy.

  Short.

  Narrow.

  Balanced like it had been designed for precision rather than power.

  Then—

  Something felt… off.

  Not danger.

  Not even fear.

  Just the quiet awareness that you are no longer alone.

  My movement slowed.

  I didn’t turn immediately.

  Silent Eclipse.

  The world sharpened.

  Shadows separated into detail.

  Mana flows became visible.

  Behind a cluster of trees to my left—

  A human outline.

  Standing still.

  Watching.

  Danger Instinct remained silent.

  So not hostile.

  Good.

  Also not reassuring.

  I lowered the blade slightly but kept it ready.

  “Who’s there?”

  Leaves shifted.

  A man stepped out from behind the trunk.

  He wasn’t sneaking anymore — just walking forward like someone who had been caught somewhere mildly inconvenient rather than doing anything wrong.

  He stopped a few meters away.

  Then smiled.

  “Hello.”