The next morning, the Kalmas farm was drenched in golden sunlight, looking every bit the picture of rural peace.
Dew clung to spiderwebs strung between fence posts, and the air smelled of rich earth and blooming herbs.
It was a scene of such profound tranquility that it seemed to exist in a different dimension from the chaos of the previous day.
This illusion was the first thing to crack for Sarah and Lara Xin as their sleek, black luxury sedan pulled onto the dirt road leading to the farmhouse.
Sarah, who had been mentally rehearsing her 'concerned Guild Master' speech, frowned. "Stop the car, Lara."
Lara brought the vehicle to a smooth halt. "What is it, Mother?"
"Don't you feel that?" Sarah's eyes, usually sharp with ambition, were now narrowed with pure, unadulterated concentration.
She rolled down her window, extending a hand as if testing the air.
Lara followed suit, her own S-rank senses reaching out. At first, she felt nothing but the gentle morning breeze.
Then, she felt it—a hum, a vibration so subtle it was less a sound and more a pressure on the soul.
It was the feeling of power restrained, of a colossal energy field operating on a frequency most hunters couldn't even perceive.
"What the..." Lara breathed, her eyes widening. "A barrier."
Not just any barrier.
This was no simple alarm ward or rudimentary mana shield common to hunter estates. This was something else entirely. It was woven with a complexity that made Lara's head spin.
Layers of interlocking energy patterns—some for detection, others for deflection, a few she couldn't even begin to identify—formed a perfect dome over the entire Kalmas property.
It was invisible to the naked eye, but to their heightened senses, it shimmered like a heat haze, a masterpiece of occult engineering.
"It's not trying to block us," Sarah murmured, her voice laced with awe and suspicion.
"It's... observing. The moment we crossed its perimeter, it read us. Our rank, our aura signature, probably our intent. It transmitted that data straight to the house. It's a courtesy. A warning. And a show of unbelievable force."
"Who... who could create something like this?" Lara asked, a knot of tension forming in her stomach. Her theory of a lone prodigy vigilante was crumbling by the second.
"This isn't the work of a teenager, no matter how gifted. This is the work of a master. Several masters."
The two women sat in stunned silence for a long moment, the idyllic farm scene before them now seeming like a carefully constructed front.
Sarah's mind raced, her earlier plan completely scrapped. "The boy... Yuhon. He's powerful, yes. But this can't be his doing."
She gestured vaguely at the imperceptible field around them. "This is legacy. This is generational power. We were fools. We were so focused on the fascinating new sprout, we didn't think to question what kind of tree it fell from."
Lara nodded slowly, her professional hunter instincts overriding her personal curiosity. "So, the question is no longer 'Who is Yuhon Kalmas?' The question is 'Who are Zerkon and Aoqi Kalmas?'"
"Precisely," Sarah said, a slow, calculating smile replacing her look of shock.
"This just became infinitely more interesting. Our friendly visit just turned into a reconnaissance mission. Tread carefully, daughter. We are not visiting a simple farm family. We are walking into the territory of someone who can erect a barrier that would make my own guild's defenses look like child's play. And they know we're here."
With a new sense of wariness, Lara guided the car the rest of the way to the farmhouse. As they stepped out, the barrier's hum was a constant, quiet reminder of their hosts' hidden nature.
The front door opened before they could even knock.
Aoqi Kalmas stood there, wiping her hands on a checkered apron. She offered a gentle, welcoming smile that didn't quite reach her calmly assessing eyes.
"Good morning. Can I help you?"
Sarah instantly shifted into her Guild Master persona, her expression one of warm concern.
"Mrs. Kalmas? Good morning. I am Guild Master Sarah Xin, and this is my daughter, Lara. We're with the Crimson Phoenix guild. We heard about the terrible incident at the school yesterday and wanted to check on your son, Yuhon. We hope he's recovering alright."
Aoqi's smile remained placid. "How kind of you to come all this way. Please, come in. Yuhon is just fine, a little tired perhaps. The excitement was a bit much for him."
She stepped aside, ushering them into a cozy, if somewhat rustic, living room.
From the kitchen doorway, a mountain of a man appeared. Zerkon Kalmas had a smudge of flour on his cheek and was holding a wooden spoon like a scepter.
"Visitors! Wonderful! Aoqi, are we being social? I love being social!" he boomed, his voice echoing in the small space.
"Zerkon, inside voice," Aoqi chided softly.
"This is Guild Master Xin and her daughter. They've come to check on Yuhon."
Zerkon's eyes lit up. "The Guild Master! An honor! We're just simple farmers, we don't get many important visitors. Except for the tax man. He's important, but not very fun. Would you like some tea? I just baked some cookies! A new recipe—Oatmeal Raisin with a hint of... well, I'm not sure what that hint is, but it's bold!"
Lara watched the exchange, her hunter's eyes trying to pierce the facade.
Zerkon seemed the epitome of a jovial, simple farmer. Aoqi was the picture of a serene housewife. But that barrier... it screamed otherwise. The dissonance was jarring.
"That would be lovely, thank you," Sarah said, taking a seat on a well-worn sofa, her posture perfect.
Yuhon chose that moment to come down the stairs, yawning. He stopped short when he saw the visitors. "O-oh. Hello."
"Yuhon!" Sarah said, her voice dripping with maternal concern. "We were so worried. How are you feeling, dear?"
"Um. Fine. Just... tired," Yuhon said, echoing his mother's words.
He looked genuinely nervous, which Lara now saw as a brilliant act. He knows we know about the Fox, but he has to pretend he doesn't know we know, she thought, her mind beginning to tie itself in knots.
Zerkon re-emerged with a tray laden with a teapot, cups, and a plate of alarmingly dark, lumpy cookies.
"Here we are! The Kalmas Family Special! Dig in!"
There was an awkward moment of silence as everyone took a cookie. Sarah took a small, polite bite.
Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. It was, inexplicably, the most delicious cookie she had ever tasted. The flavor was complex, layered, and utterly perfect.
"Zerkon is quite the baker," Aoqi said conversationally, sipping her tea.
"It's a hobby he picked up in his youth. He used to be a game designer, you know. Very stressful. Baking was his therapy."
"A man of many talents," Sarah said, recovering her composure. "It's a surprising skill set. Game designer and master baker."
Zerkon laughed, a sound like rolling thunder.
"Oh, you have to have a lot of skills when you live out here! Fix the tractor, patch the roof, negotiate with stubborn chickens... and bake cookies to appease the wife!" He winked at Aoqi, who simply smiled.
Sarah decided to test the waters. "It must be so peaceful out here. So safe. It's a blessing, especially after such a scare. You must have excellent security to feel so at ease."
Aoqi's smile didn't flicker. "Oh, the countryside is its own security. Everyone knows everyone. And the wildlife is generally polite. We did install a very good alarm system, though. A friend in the city recommended it. Very high-tech. It lets us know anytime someone comes up the drive."
She took a sip of tea. "It notified us the moment you arrived."
The message was delivered with the gentle grace of a falling feather, but its meaning was as hard as steel.
We know you're here. We know you felt the barrier. And we're telling you it's just an "alarm system."
Lara almost choked on her cookie. The sheer audacity of the understatement was breathtaking.
Sarah, however, was a master of this game. "How prudent. One can never be too careful, even in the countryside."
She turned her attention back to Yuhon. "And you, Yuhon. The news said the Grinning Fox was there. Did you see him? He's quite the topic of conversation."
Yuhon shifted uncomfortably. "N-no. I was, uh, unconscious. I heard the alarms and some shouting, but that's it. I woke up when the Guild arrived."
"A pity," Sarah said, her eyes boring into him.
"I hear he's quite impressive. And so young. It makes one wonder about his upbringing. Who his teachers might be."
She let the statement hang in the air. Zerkon, apparently oblivious, clapped Yuhon on the back.
"Teachers? Oh, we taught him everything he knows! How to plant corn, how to milk a goat—though we don't have a goat, theoretical knowledge only—how to avoid stepping in... well, you know. Farm stuff!"
The conversation continued like this for another twenty minutes, a delicate dance of veiled probes and expertly deflected answers.
The Kalmas family presented an impenetrable wall of rustic charm and feigned simplicity, all while the immense power of the barrier hummed silently around them, a testament to their true nature.
Finally, Sarah stood.
"Well, we've taken up enough of your time. Thank you for the tea and the... remarkable cookies. We're just glad Yuhon is safe."
"It was our pleasure," Aoqi said, seeing them to the door. "Do come again."
As the Xins walked back to their car, the weight of the barrier feeling heavier with every step, they didn't speak until the doors were closed and the engine was running.
Lara let out a long, slow breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Well?"
Sarah stared back at the peaceful-looking farmhouse, her expression a mixture of frustration and immense curiosity.
"They're not just hiding him," she said finally.
"They are the secret. Every single one of them. 'Game designer and developer,' my foot. Zerkon Kalmas moves like a man who has never lost a fight in his life, and Aoqi's calm isn't serenity, it's the absolute certainty of overwhelming power. They're not his teachers, Lara. They're his commanders."
She shook her head, a genuine laugh escaping her. "The Grinning Fox isn't a vigilante. He's a princeling. And we just had tea with the king and queen of whatever hidden kingdom this is."