"What the hell… part of my clothes actually burned off." He sighed in relief. "Good thing I was wearing a mask and a cap. They won't recognize me."

After he finished showering, Raito stepped out wearing only shorts, a towel draped over his head. He grabbed the remote, flopped onto the couch, and turned on the TV.

The screen lit up with a red banner:

BREAKING NEWS

A reporter's voice filled the room.

"Today, something unbelievable happened. The newly appeared dungeon—the first dungeon to appear in years—was revealed to be unlike anything we have ever seen. Our danger scale, which measures the threat level of a dungeon, failed to register its level. The reading surpassed the pinnacle of danger. It surpassed S rank. In fact, the S rank scaler itself couldn't measure it, meaning this dungeon is beyond our current system entirely."

Raito froze, staring at the screen.

The reporter continued:

"Authorities were scrambling to gather every available A rank and S rank hunter. There was even talk of summoning S rank hunters from other nations. But before any of that could begin, a mysterious man wearing a cap and a mask, along with two young men beside him, entered the dungeon."

The video switched to shaky camera footage of Raito entering with Daichi and Haruya.

"A few hours later, they came out. And the dungeon was cleared. We have no idea who this man is. But we managed to find the two young men who were with him. They might know something about this mysterious hunter."

The scene switched.

Daichi and Haruya sat on hospital beds, both looking half awake, wrapped in blankets.

"Hello," Daichi said weakly.

"Hi…" Haruya added.

Raito's face instantly twisted.

What the hell? What the hell are they doing on live TV? Oh no—shit! I forgot I left them there! Their faces are fully shown… no, no, no, no…

He sat up, towel falling off his head.

Are they going to say my name? Are they going to expose me? This is bad… this is very, very bad. I really didn't think this through…

Raito dragged his hands down his face.

"It's cleared," Raito muttered. "That dungeon has been cleared."

He picked up the spare key he kept under the doormat and unlocked the door. He stepped inside, shut the door behind him, took off his burnt clothes, and headed straight to the shower.

Are they actually going to say my name? Is this going to be a problem? Raito thought. I should've carried them with me when I flew off.

He kept watching the TV silently, eyes sharp.

Daichi and Haruya lay on their beds, half awake, confused by the sudden presence of cameras and reporters. Now, fully alert, they noticed the chaos unfolding.

Daichi pushed himself upright. Haruya followed closely, standing beside him.

"Oh dear… I'm trying to process this," Daichi muttered. "While I'm in the hospital, why is there a camera in front of me?"

The female reporter aimed her camera directly at him. "Hey! According to your license, you're Daichi, an A rank C Hunter. And you entered that dungeon. There were three of you, right?"

"Well… yeah. There were three of us," Daichi replied cautiously.

Haruya stepped closer. "We have to go, bro," he whispered.

"Right…" Daichi started, but Haruya shook his head firmly.

The reporter blocked their path. "No. You're not going anywhere. Answer our questions. People are eager to know—are you aware that the dungeon you entered surpasses anything recorded? The portal alone indicates it's above S rank, which is impossible. No hunter could have cleared it. So did you know the person who actually cleared it?"

"Well… yes. My friend," Haruya said carefully.

"And his name?" the reporter pressed.

He wouldn't want me to say it. He always works solo. He's a lowkey hunter. He'd want to keep a low profile.

"Well… I can't tell you that," Haruya finally said.

"Right," Daichi added firmly, stepping protectively beside him.

"Well, what do you mean you're not going to answer? You have to. The viewers want to know—they can't just read that. We're aware that both of you are strong. You can't be C rank Hunters. There must be a mistake. Anyone below S or A rank, if their mana isn't sufficient, their body wouldn't last in that dungeon. They would die. But the two of you survived. You stayed extremely long. At least, you should be A rank. Your assessment is due. So please, answer us—please. Answer me once again. I'm live, and the viewers want to know," the female reporter said.

"A rank? What are you trying to say?" Daichi asked, confused.

"Well… speak. I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Haruya said.

"I didn't say about the both of you alone," the reporter continued. "You need to know this—the only way a C rank could survive there is if a mage accompanied them, someone capable of maintaining a protective and suppression barrier. And I'm sure that very friend of yours—you don't want to talk about him—is not a mage, right?"

"Well… yeah. He isn't," Daichi said.

"So now, tell us. What's the name of this person? The one who cleared the dungeon. Surely you cleared it with him, right? Speak. We want to know his name," the female reporter pressed.

Haruya grabbed Daichi's arm. "Hey… I won't say it. You know he'd want to stay low profile," he whispered.

"Come back here!" the reporter shouted, trying to stop them as they opened the door.

As they stepped out, they saw a man in a suit—white hair, a scar across his face. Fruits were arranged nearby.

"Cha… Chia… isn't this… the Black Whale… Hunter Association chairman?" Daichi said, eyes widening.

"It's him in person," Haruya whispered.

"Hey… it seems you already know my name," the man said with a small smile. "I am Jinta Ryo, the chairman and leader of the Black Whale Hunter Association."

He extended his hand toward Haruya. Haruya's hand shook slightly as he accepted it.

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