Step…
Step…
Kaede emerged from the portal, squinting slightly as the swirling cascade of colors faded around her. The magic dispersed like mist, revealing the hard texture of concrete beneath her boots.
Her shield was still gripped in one hand. She glanced up, blinking at the sudden shift in light, and paused.
Dozens of eyes were locked on her. Whispers filled the plaza.
'Everyone's staring. Is there something on my face?' she thought. She took another cautious step forward. 'Is my aura leaking or something? I don't want to accidentally kill someone. That'd be... annoying.'
Then she frowned. 'Wait… why did I think that?'
A tall figure moved into her path. She recognized him instantly, Goto Ryuji, face unreadable as ever.
"Were you the one who defeated the boss?" he asked directly, his tone sharp and devoid of pleasantries.
Before Kaede could respond, Kanae stepped in, placing herself between them.
"Maybe give her a moment to breathe, Goto," she said firmly. "We just spent two days clearing an A-Rank Red Gate."
Several of the returning hunters behind them murmured in agreement, their exhaustion evident.
"I need a bath," Akari muttered, dragging her feet as she leaned heavily on Kenzo. "Kenzo, take me home. I'll pay you. If money's not enough, I'll..."
"Find your own way home," Kenzo interrupted, stepping away. Akari collapsed to the pavement with a dramatic yelp.
Korra gave a slow nod of agreement, saying nothing. Her silence said enough, she was too drained for anything else.
Goto's eyes swept over the group, lingering for a beat too long on Kaede before he finally relented.
"Very well," he said. "I expect a report on my desk by tomorrow afternoon." He turned and walked away without another word.
Kanae gently placed a hand on Kaede's shoulder. "Come on. Let's get some rest."
"I'm not tired," Kaede replied automatically. But then, with a spark of realization, she reached into her inventory and pulled out a neatly folded bundle of clothes.
"Oh, Sis, maybe you can give these to the hunters who came with us."
Kanae raised an eyebrow. "What are they?"
"They're armor, kind of," Kaede said. "Well, clothes with special abilities. I found them in the dungeon. They're called Blue Fur Equipment. Each one's a full set. I have a bunch."
Kanae examined the bundle with mild curiosity, then nodded. "Alright, I'll hand them out… but only to members of the Sword Guild. If the others want one, they'll have to join."
Kaede blinked. "But Korra's not part of the Sword Guild."
Kanae didn't answer. She simply turned and walked off with the bundle in her arms, leaving Kaede standing there, puzzled.
---
"Have we obtained the reports from the hunters? I want to know exactly what happened inside that dungeon," said a middle-aged man with thick black hair, a sharply groomed mustache, and a narrow goatee. His voice was calm but carried the weight of authority.
This was Matsumoto Shigeo, current Chairman of the Japanese Hunter Association.
Across from him, seated neatly in a leather office chair, a young man in a fitted suit and silver-framed glasses handed over a folder of documents.
"We've spoken to most of the hunters, including the S-Rankers, Akari and Kenzo," he said. "They all gave consistent statements."
Matsumoto opened the folder, flipping through its contents. A photograph of a girl, Kaede, was clipped next to a preliminary profile.
His eyes narrowed. "A reawakening… to S-Rank, no less."
The young man nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Yes, sir. And notably, there was only one casualty in the raid, an A-Rank mage. The rest of the team returned with minimal injuries. According to multiple sources, none of the hunters were harmed while Kaede was near them. The few injuries occurred while she confronted the dungeon boss alone, and they had to fight the minions by themselves."
"A near-perfect raid… of an S-Rank dungeon. One with minions on par with S ranks." Matsumoto exhaled through his nose and leaned back. "What are the odds we can bring her into the Association?"
The young man didn't hesitate. "Unlikely. Her sister, Kanae, is already a high-ranking member of the Sword Guild. Given their bond, it's almost certain she'll follow her sister's lead."
"So she's Sword Guild-bound," Matsumoto muttered.
"Most likely," the young man confirmed.
Matsumoto gave a small, knowing smirk. "Well, whether she's on paper or not, we'll consider her ours. As long as Goto doesn't screw this up."
He tapped the folder with two fingers. "He's already lost his shot at clearing an S-Rank dungeon. I'm sure that's eating at him."
The young man allowed himself a slight smile. "Shall I update the records?"
"Yes. Bump the ratings of the last two dungeons to high-A Rank. Let Goto handle those. If he clears them, he'll get enough credit to stop whining for a while."
"Understood." The young man handed over a second file.
Matsumoto raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? What's this? Another reawakening?"
The assistant adjusted his glasses again. "Possibly. This one's a bit more… unusual. According to witness reports, the girl, Korra, was fatally wounded during the battle. But then, a unique monster, detailed on the left here, approached her corpse and… merged with it."
Matsumoto frowned, scanning the sketch and accompanying data. "Merged?"
"That's what the hunters said. Moments later, she revived. No reported change in personality, but her magical and physical power spiked dramatically... consistent with an S-Rank."
"Has she been brought in for testing?"
"Yes, this morning. Though we're not sure what to test for. It could be latent summoner abilities finally manifesting. Some kind of self-preservation instinct."
Matsumoto raised an eyebrow. "You think she wasn't dead?"
"Perhaps not completely. It's possible her magic was trying to protect her… We've heard of stranger phenomena tied to reawakenings."
The chairman lit a cigarette, the tip flaring orange as he took a drag. "It says here she's not affiliated with any guild."
"Correct," the young man confirmed. "I've already initiated steps to bring her into the Association."
"Good. Keep at it." Matsumoto turned back to Kaede's file, a glint of ambition in his eyes. "As for the other one, we won't waste time. Schedule her rank evaluation immediately. With her on the books, Japan's S-Rank count rises again."
He leaned back, smoke curling upward toward the ceiling.
"At this rate, we'll have the highest concentration of S-Ranks in the world… and I want everyone to know it."
---
"It feels like so long ago that I reawakened," Kaede murmured as her armor shimmered and vanished from her body, dissolving into her storage space with a soft flicker of light.
Kanae, lounging nearby, raised an eyebrow. "You've got a storage space too? Damn. I wish I could reawaken too."
Kaede laughed lightly. "oh yeah? You're already S Rank. What would you reawaken Into? SS rank? Is that a thing? If it is then maybe I'll reawaken again."
"You do realize your reawakening was just yesterday, right?" Kanae flopped onto the couch with a dramatic sigh. "A red dungeon will do that to you."
"Hey, take off your armor before lying down! You're going to get dirt all over the place," Kaede scolded, frowning.
Kanae rolled onto her side, eyes shut, a lazy grin spreading across her face. "It's my house. I can do whatever I want."
Kaede pouted, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm going to take a bath. A long one."
She turned and started heading upstairs.
"It's the third door on the left…" Kanae called, cracking one eye open.
"I know where it is, sis. I've been here before!" Kaede yelled over her shoulder, stomping the rest of the way in mock annoyance.
Kanae chuckled softly as she nestled into the cushions. "Thought you'd forgotten."
---
Steam curled around Kaede's face as she slid into the warm bath, the gentle sound of running water lapping against the edge of the tub. She exhaled slowly, sinking deeper until the heat wrapped around her body like a blanket.
"I can't believe it's only been a day…" she whispered to herself, eyes staring at the ceiling as memories bubbled to the surface.
"Hashida-san, Shinji-san, Yama-san, Shiro-san…" Her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."
The water rippled as she shifted, her expression turning somber.
'If only I'd been stronger back then...' Her thoughts grew heavy. 'If I had reawakened even a day earlier...'
Her fists clenched beneath the surface. 'I'll find that bastard…'
Kaede suddenly blinked, rising slightly from the water.
"Wait… did they ever catch him?"
She sighed, brushing wet strands of hair from her face. "I'll probably need to speak with Vivi about that… She's still in my party, right? I wonder if anything changed."
With a flick of her fingers, she brought up the hunter party system.
---
[Hunter Party Menu]
Name: [Unnamed]
Members:
Maple – Level 69 – Leader
Vivi Hachibana – Level 11
---
Kaede raised an eyebrow. "Whoa… Vivi's been busy. She must've been running lower-ranked dungeons all day."
She selected Vivi's profile for a closer look.
---
Name: Vivi Hachibana
Level: 11
Job Class: None^
HP: 1200 / 1370
MP: 370 / 480
Status: Exhaustion (Weak)
Attributes:
STR: 29
VIT: 20
AGI: 26
DEX: 29
INT: 48
Physical Damage Resistance: 10%
Equipment:
— None
— None
— Salamander's Scales (+15 to fire abilities)
Skills:
— Fire Generation
— Fire Reinforcement
SP (Party Leader Use Only): 11
---
"She even learned a new skill…" Kaede smiled softly to herself. "At least I was able to save Vivi. And now she's getting stronger."
She leaned back in the water, letting the warmth soothe the weight in her chest.
"She has eleven stat points, and only I can distribute them?" Kaede tilted her head, brows slightly furrowed. "Must be a safety measure. Let's see…"
She tapped on Vivi's status screen and hummed thoughtfully. "Her Vitality's kinda low. Yeah, let's fix that."
---
Vit: 20 → 31
---
"I don't want her to die, so this is insurance," Kaede giggled to herself. "Maybe she'll become the flaming fortress."
She leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, letting the water rise to her chin. "Speaking of changes… I got a ton of skills since yesterday. Or, well… what was yesterday. It's been three days now, technically. Thanks, red dungeon."
Kaede brought up her own status window with a flick of her fingers.
---
[STATUS – MAPLE]
Name: Maple
Level: 69
HP: 102,700 / 102,700
MP: 7,340 / 7,340
Attributes:
STR: 481
VIT: 41,587
AGI: 473
DEX: 289
INT: 491
PER: 271
SP: 202
Physical Damage Resistance: 3400%
Equipment:
— None
— None
— None
Skills:
Event Horizon Hydra, Devour, Pierce Guard, Bomb Eater, Counter, Quick Change, Indomitable Guardian, Shield Attack, Sidestep Deflect, Meditation, Taunt, Inspire, HP Boost (S), MP Boost (S), Heavy Body, Green's Grace, Great Shield Mastery X, Cover Move X, Cover, Absolute Defense, Moral Turpitude, Sheep Eater, Hydra Eater, Gamma Eater, Giant Killing, Fortress, Martyr's Devotion, Saturating Chaos, Pandemonium, Heaven's Throne, Nether Nexus, Crystallization, Twisted Resurrection, Machine God, Lure of the Deep, Bug Urn Curse, Zone Freeze, Cataclysmic Eruption, Unbreakable Shield, Earth Wielding X, Apex of Authority, Glow of Deliverance, Dark Rebirth, Lava Burst, Magma Infusion, Stoneguard Hide, Molten Core, Volcanic Breath, Commander's Authority, Commander's Decree, Strength Boost (S), Vitality Boost (S), Agility Boost (S), Dexterity Boost (S), Predator's Instincts (LV1), Speed Up (LV7), Predator's Dominion, Authority of Reduction
---
Kaede blinked several times. "I… have a lot of skills." She sank deeper into the bath, letting bubbles tickle her cheeks as they formed around her mouth and nose.
"There's too many. Way too many."
She closed her eyes, trying to process the enormity of her power, how fast it had all changed. But then she opened them again with a sigh.
"And yet it's not enough. I'm still just a new S-Rank. I've got a long way to go if I want to catch up to the others."
Her thoughts drifted back to the battle, the blood, the aftermath. "Although…"
She frowned.
"Big sis and the other S-Ranks… they looked hurt. And they didn't even fight the boss, or his generals, or his army."
Kaede fell silent for a moment, the only sound being the gentle ripple of water in the tub.
"…I'm probably overthinking it," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.