"What offer?" Yoo asked.
Instructor Han studied him. The silence stretched—not uncomfortable, but assessing. Like she was recalculating every assumption she'd made about the child standing before her.
Finally, she gestured to the surrounding Gold-ranks.
"Clear the floor. Maintain perimeter. I'll handle this personally."
The thirty-two hunters exchanged glances but obeyed. They withdrew toward the factory's edges—still visible, still ready, but no longer crowding.
Giving the illusion of privacy.
Han removed her mask.
Yoo expected someone older. Battle-worn features. Scars marking years of survival.
Instead: a woman barely past thirty. Attractive in the sharp way of predators—high cheekbones, dark eyes that missed nothing, lips set in perpetual calculation. Three thin scars traced geometric patterns across her left cheek. Ritual markings? Combat wounds?
"You're younger than I expected," Yoo said.
"Diamond rank at thirty-one. Youngest in the eastern districts." No pride in her voice. Just fact. "I didn't achieve it by being stupid."
She walked toward the center of the factory floor. Gestured for Yoo to follow.
"Let's talk honestly. No games. No manipulation."
Says the woman who just threatened extraction and faked a hostage video.
But Yoo followed. What choice did he have?
They stopped beneath a partially collapsed skylight. Moonlight streamed through broken glass, painting silver patterns on rust-stained concrete.
"Your father is alive," Han said. "We don't have him. We never did. But we know who does."
Yoo's heart rate spiked. "Who?"
"An entity called Vraxian the Boundless. Primordial-class being from the Chaos series. He collects specimens—strong fighters with interesting abilities—and keeps them in a personal realm."
She met his eyes.
"Your father was taken six hours ago. Dimensional rift opened directly in your quarters. Grabbed him. Left no trace."
Six hours.
The timeline matched. Jae-sung should've returned from patrol at 16:00. When he didn't, Ji-hye checked—
"How do you know this?"
"Because we've been watching." Han's expression didn't change. "Not just you. Every anomaly child in the district. Every unusual hunter. Every potential asset. That's our faction's purpose—identify and catalog threats and opportunities."
She pulled out a small device—palm-sized, sleek black metal. Tapped it twice.
A holographic projection appeared between them. Not Jae-sung this time. Something else:
A map.
Overlaid with hundreds of glowing points. Each labeled with names, ranks, classifications.
Yoo spotted his own marker immediately:
[Yoo Seung-yoon - Iron 19 - EXTREME ANOMALY]
Nearby: [Seo-yeon - Bronze 6 - PRODIGY]
[Min-jun - Silver 22 - STANDARD]
[Mira - Silver 20 - ABOVE AVERAGE]
Dozens more. Hundreds across the entire district.
"We track everyone with potential," Han said. "Monitor growth rates. Document abilities. Predict threats. When your father disappeared, our surveillance caught the dimensional signature. We know where he went. How to reach it. What you'll face."
The map zoomed in on a specific location—dead zone outside Busan where the Entity battle left reality scarred.
"This is the anchor point. Dimensional barriers are thin there. With proper equipment and Gold-rank minimum power, you can force entry into Vraxian's realm."
Gold-rank minimum.
Yoo was Iron 19.
The gap between Iron and Gold was vast. Normally took years to bridge.
"I'm not strong enough," Yoo said flatly.
"Not yet." Han dismissed the hologram. "But we can accelerate your growth. Six months to Gold-rank with our resources. Specialized cores. Enhanced training. Access to techniques normally restricted to guild elites."
"In exchange for what?"
"One month of cooperation. Non-invasive study. We scan you, test you, document your anomalous characteristics. You submit to our research protocols. After thirty days, we give you everything—father's exact location, entry procedures, survival techniques. Plus enough resources to reach Gold 30."
She extended her hand.
"Deal?"
Yoo stared at the offered hand.
Every instinct screams trap.
But—
"What happened to my father inside Vraxian's realm?" he asked. "What does this entity do to specimens?"
Han's expression darkened. "Time flows differently there. Months outside equal years inside. Vraxian forces captives to fight in gladiatorial arenas. Entertainment for himself and other Primordials. The strong survive and grow stronger. The weak..." She trailed off. "Let's just say recovery rates are low."
Dad's been there six hours. Inside, he's experienced...
"How long?"
"Approximately five months subjective time. By the time you reach Gold-rank and attempt rescue, he'll have been there over a year."
Yoo's stomach dropped.
A year. Fighting for his life. Being broken and reformed repeatedly.
"Why help me at all?" Yoo demanded. "Why not just extract my abilities and move on?"
"Because extraction is inefficient," Han said. "Survival rate is forty-three percent. Retained capability averages eight percent of original. We'd get weak copies of whatever makes you special."
She gestured at him—encompassing all of him with one sweep.
"But cooperation? You grow stronger with our help. We document everything. Learn how anomalies function. When you inevitably reach heights beyond current projections, we'll have complete understanding of the process."
"You're betting on me."
"We're investing in you. There's a difference."
Han lowered her hand. The offer still stood, but she wasn't pressuring.
"Your father is suffering as we speak. Every day you delay is another week of hell for him. Accept our help, grow strong enough to matter, save him. Or refuse—try to do it alone—and fail."
She's right.
I'm Iron 19. Even if I found the anchor point, dimensional transit would kill me. If I survived transit, Vraxian's realm would crush me. And I have ZERO chance against Primordial-class entities.
I need power. Fast.
And they're offering the only path that makes sense.
But—
"One condition," Yoo said. "You tell me exactly what you're testing for. No vague 'research protocols.' I want full transparency about what you're measuring and why."
Han considered. "That's reasonable. We can provide detailed test parameters before each session. Informed consent. Unusual for our operations, but acceptable given circumstances."
"And you swear—actually swear on whatever hunter oath you hold—that the information about my father is accurate. Not fabricated. Not another manipulation."
"I swear on my Diamond core," Han said immediately. "May I lose all cultivation and fall to Bronze if I've lied about Vraxian or your father's location. Satisfied?"
Diamond core oath. Serious. Breaking it would cripple her permanently.
She's telling the truth.
Yoo took her hand.
"One month. Full cooperation with documented research. Then you give me everything—location, equipment, techniques, resources. And we're done. No further obligations."
"Agreed." Han's grip was iron-strong but controlled. "Welcome to the Crucible Initiative. You've made the smart choice."
They shook once.
Released.
"Follow me," Han said. "We'll start with baseline measurements. Nothing invasive today—just dimensional energy sensitivity testing. Get you familiar with our facilities."
She walked toward a side door Yoo hadn't noticed before.
He followed—past the watching Gold-ranks, past equipment that looked scientific and vaguely threatening, through corridors that smelled of antiseptic.
I'm walking into the beast's mouth willingly.
Trading freedom for power.
Cooperation for information I desperately need.
But what choice did he have?
Dad was suffering. Every moment wasted was another week of torture.
I'll play their game. Submit to their tests. Learn everything they offer.
And in one month, I'll be strong enough to storm Vraxian's realm.
If I die... then I would have done my best.
They reached another door—reinforced, with digital locks and warning signs.
[DIMENSIONAL TESTING LAB - AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY]
[CAUTION: REALITY DISTORTION HAZARD]
Han pressed her palm to the scanner. The door hissed open.
"After you," she said.
Yoo stepped through.
Into the facility where his transformation would begin.
Where he'd be studied, documented, and fundamentally changed.
The door sealed behind him with a sound like a prison cell closing.
No going back now.
Meanwhile - Outside the Factory
In the shadows three hundred meters away, a figure watched through advanced optical equipment.
Not human. Not entirely.
Its form shifted subtly—sometimes solid, sometimes translucent, sometimes simply there without clear definition.
It had observed the entire negotiation. Heard every word through spatial manipulation that folded sound across distance.
And it was fascinated.
"The boy accepted," it murmured to itself. "Walked into their trap knowing it was a trap. Desperation makes humans so delightfully predictable."
It adjusted the observation equipment. Prepared to track Yoo's movement through the facility.
"But will he survive what comes next? The dimensional testing is more dangerous than they admit. Forty-one percent mortality rate among anomalies. And if something... unexpected... were to interfere during the process..."
The figure's form rippled with what might have been amusement.
"Let's see how this specimen handles true pressure. After all—"
Its eyes glowed silver and gold in the darkness.
"—the best entertainment comes from watching potential burn bright before it dies."
The figure melted into shadows.
Following Yoo into the facility.
Unseen. Unknown. Waiting for the perfect moment to adjust the upcoming test.
To see what would break the boy.
Or forge him into something unprecedented.
Either outcome would be delightful.
Inside - Isolation Chamber
Yoo stood in the center of a white room. Three meters cubed. Padded examination table. Sensor arrays at each corner.
And so much equipment.
Medical scanners. Holographic displays. Devices whose purpose he couldn't identify.
"Lie on the table," Han's voice came through speakers. She watched from an observation room behind one-way glass. "We're going to flood this chamber with dimensional energy. Your body will react. We measure how."
Yoo complied.
The table adjusted automatically to his weight. Surprisingly comfortable.
This is it. First test. First step toward Gold-rank.
First step toward Dad.
He closed his eyes.
Felt the energy saturation beginning—subtle at first, then increasingly present.
The tingling started.
Then the pressure.
Then something else entirely—
—something wrong.
The dimensional energy felt... tainted.
Like drinking water mixed with blood.
"Akasha?" Yoo thought desperately. "What's happening?"
"Analysis..." Akasha's voice seemed strained. "Energy signature contains foreign component. Not standard dimensional energy. Something is—"
The sensors overhead exploded with alerts.
Han's voice, suddenly panicked: "ABORT TEST! SHUT IT DOWN! Something's contaminating the—"
Reality cracked.
And through the crack—
—it entered.