The night had passed in silence.
Waking with the morning light, Akira donned his usual black attire and stepped out of the guest room. Upon entering the dining room, he found Cha-Jong, Min-Ji, and Yuna already seated, waiting for him.
Min-Ji greeted him first. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Good morning. Yeah, thanks," Akira replied briefly.
"Come eat breakfast with us, Nii-chan!" Yuna chimed in enthusiastically, tapping the seat next to her.
Without hesitation, Akira sat down. The food was simple but warm, bringing a fleeting sense of normalcy to the room. As they finished eating, Cha-Jong leaned back in his chair.
"What are your plans for today?"
Akira set his utensils aside and answered, his tone sharp. "I'm seeing Sylara."
The atmosphere shifted subtly.
Cha-Jong's eyes narrowed. "Oh? What about?"
Akira's fingers tightened slightly against the table. "She requested me because of that dungeon," he said, his thoughts racing. "I won't let her pry further into my life. I'll end this today—for better or worse."
"I see," Cha-Jong sighed. "Let's go together, then. I have some work at the guild too."
Akira didn't respond, but he didn't refuse either.
The two arrived at the towering guild building. As soon as they stepped inside, Cha-Jong went his own way, leaving Akira alone as he walked toward Sylara's office. Standing before the door, Akira exhaled slowly.
Knock. Knock.
"Enter," came her voice from within.
Akira pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Sylara was seated at her desk, her violet eyes scanning a document. The moment she saw him, she set it down. "Oh, you actually came?" she mused.
"I told you I would," Akira replied flatly.
Sylara leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "Then let's get straight to it—"
"What's the deal?" Akira interrupted, his tone indifferent. "I don't have much time."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Sylara's gaze darkened. For a brief moment, something flickered in her eyes—annoyance, perhaps "'What's the deal?' You dare ask that?" Her voice sharpened. "You know damn well what this is about."
Akira's expression remained blank. "Ask again. I forgot."
A sharp silence settled between them.
Then—
Sylara let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "So that's how you want to play this?"
Her violet eyes gleamed, a faint glow radiating from them. "Fine."
She leaned forward, her tone turning serious. "I want answers, Akira."
Akira's gaze didn't waver. "About what?"
Sylara's fingers tapped against the desk, her voice low but firm. "Why were you in that dungeon? Why did Cha-Jong tell the others to stop you at all costs? What are you?"
The air in the room grew heavy. "How did you kill that boss monster alone when your full power is only that of a high B-Rank?"
Silence.
Akira didn't respond immediately. He simply stood there, staring at her, his dark eyes deep and unreadable.
She was pressing. Prying.
And he hated it.
For a brief moment, he considered walking out. Ignoring her. Leaving things as they were. But he knew Sylara wasn't the type to let things go. Not until she had her answers. And he felt like explaining, because that dungeon wasn't just any dungeon—it was theirs. Her guild's claim, their responsibility.
His fingers twitched slightly. "Should I lie? Give her just enough to satisfy her curiosity?"
"No."From what I know, Sylara is always sharp. Too sharp. She's the type of person who won't stop once she sets her sights on something.And now—She's set her sights on me."
So instead—
He closed his eyes for a brief second, inhaled, and then... he smirked. "That's a lot of questions, Sylara."
His voice was calm, almost amused. "Which one do you want me to answer first?"
Sylara's gaze narrowed. She wasn't in the mood for games. "All of them."
Akira made his decision. He chose his words carefully.
He met her gaze, his dark eyes unreadable. "Alright," he said smoothly, leaning slightly against the chair. "You want answers?" A brief pause. Then he smirked. "Fine. I'll give them to you."
Sylara's violet eyes gleamed as she crossed her arms, waiting.
Akira tilted his head slightly before speaking. "First question—why was I in that dungeon?"
He exhaled lightly, as if he found the whole situation frustrating. "I saw the message Grido-san sent to Cha-Jong. I thought I could go, clear the dungeon, gain some experience, and grow stronger. The rewards were a bonus."
A casual shrug. "Maybe it was reckless of me. I'll admit that much. If you're looking for an apology—fine. I'm sorry for causing unnecessary trouble."
His tone was steady, not too defensive, not too indifferent. Just enough to sound believable.
Sylara narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing.
Akira continued. "As for the second question—why did Cha-Jong tell the others to stop me?"
His expression didn't waver."Maybe he was just worried. You'd have to ask him that question, not me."
A perfectly vague response. "And lastly..."
Akira leaned forward slightly, his gaze still unwavering. "The third and final question. What am I?"
For the first time, a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes. "I'm just an Awakened, like everyone else."
A pause. "A guy who wants to grow stronger. That's all." The room fell into silence for a moment. "But as for how I killed that boss monster alone..."
Akira let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "That thing was already half-dead when I found it."
He folded his arms. "Maybe the demonic human had exhausted it. Maybe he almost killed it before I got there. Who knows?"
A casual shrug. "But for me? It was way easy to deal with. You saw it yourself—I barely had a scratch on me and my torn clothes were from fighting trolls on the way to the boss.And I believe you saw me. I didn't show a hint of exhaustion. You wouldn't expect someone at my level to kill a C-rank evolved boss without suffering a single injury at all."
He met her eyes, his voice firm. "And that's the truth, whether you like it or not."
Sylara stared at him, silent.If anyone else had heard his reasoning, they would have believed him.
But not her.
Her fingers slowly tapped against her desk as she watched him with quiet amusement. "Liar."
She had seen it all.
She had watched the battle from start to finish.
She had overheard his conversation with the Troll King, and the strange part was not hearing a monster speak like a human she had encountered such monsters before but the monster showing the honor of answering Akira's questions that was an oddity.
She had seen how he healed himself instantly after the battle ended, as if wounds were nothing but an inconvenience.
She had witnessed his true abilities—abilities that weren't normal.
The cold fury in his voice when he spoke about the demonic human.
"Ah... how intriguing." A slow smirk spread across her lips, almost villainous.
She wanted to see more of him. "Yeah let's make this beyond interesting"
Her violet eyes gleamed as she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "Is that so?" she murmured, her voice smooth and playful. "You're quite the convincing liar, Shoto Akira."
Akira's gaze darkened. "Liar? Why a lair?"
His voice was calm, but his mind raced. "Did she catch onto something? Was there a mistake in my words?"
Sylara's violet eyes gleamed, her smirk widening as her presence became suffocating. "I like how you lied so confidently a moment ago and brushed off my suspicions."
Her words slithered through the air, pure venom. "Let's say, for the sake of amusement, that I believe you."
She leaned forward slightly. "But tell me, Akira Shoto—"
Her lips curled into a wicked smile. "Can you deny the fact that you are the son of Shiro Shoto?"