Then, as quietly as mist fading in the wind, Raito moved. He slipped past the officer, heading for the blocked entrance of the subway.

The wooden boards were cracked apart, dust settling around the edges. Raito stepped through, emerging into the cool night air. The city lights shimmered faintly in the distance.

Still cloaked in Shadow Phase, he walked past the guards stationed nearby. None of them noticed, their eyes never even twitched in his direction.

When he finally reached the street, he slid both hands into his pockets and walked away slowly, his boots echoing softly against the pavement.

The dungeon was gone.

The subway sealed itself again behind him.

And Raito, silent, unseen, disappeared into the night.

He kept walking down the quiet street, the hum of distant traffic echoing in the background. Then, the system's soft tone echoed in his ear:

[Shadow Phase Deactivated.]

His figure shimmered for a brief moment before becoming fully visible again. The faint traces of darkness that cloaked him scattered into the air like dust.

Raito sighed, brushing the dirt from his shoulder as he continued walking. Then, his pocket vibrated.

Riiiiing… Riiiiing…

He frowned, reaching into his coat. "What the… my phone?" He pulled it out and stared at the screen. "Wait… I took this thing into the dungeon?"

He tilted it under the streetlight, the screen had a thin crack running through it. "Tch. Looks like it got cracked in my pocket while I was fighting. But if this is all the damage… guess I got lucky."

He answered the call, putting the phone to his ear. "Who's speaking?"

"Hey! It's me, Jiro!" a familiar voice shouted through the receiver. "I've been trying to reach you! Your number kept saying unavailable! I called like a hundred times, what the hell's going on? It's already 5 p.m.!"

Raito blinked, glancing up at the orange tinged sky. "Wait… 5 p.m. already?"

"Yeah," Jiro said. "Where the hell are you? You sound out of breath. Listen, I'd like to meet you if that's possible."

Raito exhaled slowly. "Sure. Where?"

"At the mansion," Jiro replied. "But before that, I need to ask you something. Did you send a car to pick up my sister from my apartment?"

"Oh, right," Raito said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. I arranged that earlier."

"Good," Jiro said with relief. "Then I'll see you soon. I'm heading there now."

"Got it," Raito replied, ending the call.

He slid the phone back into his pocket and kept walking.

It was only then that he noticed the stares, people turning their heads as he passed by. Their expressions ranged from curiosity to alarm.

He glanced down. His shirt was torn across the chest, streaked with soot and faint traces of blue energy. His sleeves were shredded near the wrists, his boots caked with dust.

Raito gave a tired half smile. "…Guess I look like I crawled out of a warzone."

He straightened his collar, shoved his hands into his pockets, and kept walking down the road, silently blending into the crowd as the evening light dimmed.

By 6:30 p.m., Raito finally reached the front gate of Jiro's mansion. The evening sky was dim, painted with streaks of gold and violet.

The butler standing outside recognized him immediately and hurried to open the gate. The metal creaked as it swung wide, and Raito stepped through, his boots brushing against the smooth marble path.

Jiro was waiting at the entrance, hands in his pockets.

"Hey," Jiro greeted with a faint smile. "Good to see you again. Right on time too."

But then his expression shifted as he took a closer look.

"Wait, why are you dressed like that? What happened to you?" Jiro stepped forward, eyes widening. "Your clothes are torn all over… and is that blood? Don't tell me you got into a fight or went into a dungeon or something."

Raito looked down at himself, then back at Jiro. "Don't worry about my clothes. I've worn worse," he said casually. "Especially back when I was still cleaning gears."

"Always so damn calm," Jiro muttered, shaking his head. "Fine. Straight to the point then, you asked why I called you."

Raito crossed his arms. "Yeah. Let's hear it."

Jiro exhaled. "There's a new dungeon that opened recently. A Rank B Dungeon."

Raito tilted his head. "And?"

"It's classified as Rank B," Jiro continued, "but five hunters, mid levels, were sent inside five days ago… and none of them have come back out. The path leading to the gate was unstable. The higher ups are panicking. They were even considering sending in another team as a sacrifice, just to get information."

Raito's expression hardened. "And you want me to go."

"Exactly. I need someone I can trust," Jiro said. "If you want, you can take Kira along. She's been wanting to"

Raito interrupted, his tone sharp. "No need. I work better alone. She'll just slow me down."

A familiar voice echoed from the mansion doorway.

"Oh, really?"

Both men turned. Kira stepped out, arms folded, her eyes narrowing. "Did I just hear you say I'll slow you down, Raito?"

Raito froze for a second. Oh, shit. She's here already.

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "…Maybe."

"I won't deny the fact that you're strong," Kira said, folding her arms with a small smirk. "That's a fact. But still, I can't just let you go into that dungeon alone."

Raito exhaled slowly. "What happened in our last mission, if I'd gone alone, it would've been easier."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that? Oh, so you're saying I slowed you down?"

Raito shrugged, his tone calm but edged. "Maybe. But in a dungeon, no matter how strong a monster is, you'll eventually face something that can rival an S rank hunter. You expect me to fight and babysit at the same time?"

Kira stepped forward, her gaze sharp. "Don't underestimate me, Raito. It's a B rank dungeon. I can protect myself. I assure you of that."

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