Teri tried to break the tension with her usual upbeat chatter. "Oh, Master Ace is angry. Let's —"

Her hands flew to her chest, body stiffening under the mountain‑like pressure of my aura. Master Tang wasn't included, yet even he could read it from their expression.

"Did I get your attention now?" I asked, voice flat and devoid of emotions.

Mina, fragile in spirit, pressed her hands to her face as tears slipped between her fingers.

No one dared to speak. Every one of them understood, in that moment, that their lives rested in my hands.

"I'm usually kind and reasonable, but don't mistake that for weakness."

Master Tang was stunned. He swallowed hard before speaking. "Kid… how much of your strength have you been hiding?"

I met his stare with a serious look.

"Best if you don't ask. Just remember this. Favors get returned. Show kindness and you get the same back."

My line sounded simple, yet the message was very heavy and filled with intent.

The women lowered their eyes at once. Even Alexa started to sweat, her jaw tight as the pressure settled over them.

Once I felt satisfied, the pressure faded.

A long sighed of relief escaped from each of them soon after.

Before speaking, I tapped the table and shut my eyes. Every heartbeat and tiny sound echoed in my mind.

Truth was, I wasn't even that angry.

I just wanted them to take me seriously.

"Master Tang, my guild is still in process of getting approved, so I have no place for them yet. I would reach out once everything on my end is ready. Does that work?"

He brushed his beard and gave a slow nod.

"Yes, that works. Now…" He shifted his focus toward the others. "Please give us two some privacy."

"Yes, Master." They bowed to him, then to me, before leaving in one line.

From the corner of my eye, a few quick glances from Alexa stood out. Her worries sat plain on her face, like she feared she pushed past a line.

Instead of giving her a comforting smile, I acted like she wasn't even there. It was a tactic that would make her chase me later. Who said only women could play hard to get?

After a short wait, Master Tang pressed a small button under the table. A faint pulse spread through the gazebo, and an invisible barrier wrapped around us.

"This should stop anyone from eavesdropping," he explained.

I stayed quiet and let him go on.

"Kid, I have a special job for you. You don't have to take it, but the reward might catch your interest."

"I'm willing to listen," I replied while taking another sip of the sake.

Master Tang poured himself another drink too before speaking.

"Are you willing to take an assassination job?"

My eyebrow rose on instinct. Plenty of people took hits for a living. No reason for him to ask me unless the target was a very important and influential person.

"Master Tang, I'm not usually the violent type. Taking out someone who hasn't done anything to me just doesn't feel right."

He let out a short chuckle, clearly not believing me at all. Am I really that untrustworthy?

"Kid, listen first. There's a senator coming here in five days. That's the best shot to get rid of him."

The cup paused near my lips. A senator. Not some street thug. Not a rogue seeker. A kill like that would shake the whole country.

"Why take a risk like that? What's the reason?" I asked while watching him with a wary look.

Exhaling slowly, his explanation followed. "That senator is a puppet of Darkness. They control him, and he's now their voice in the government. He plans to push a policy that will cripple every seeker in this country."

I frowned. "What policy?"

He tapped his finger on the table, frustration showing in the small things.

"A rule that blocks seekers from going past the twentieth floor. They claim it lowers S‑rank deaths, but that's nonsense. We need the higher floors. That's where new and stronger gear comes from, and that's how seekers grow."

A brief pause came, his eyes narrowing as he weighed his words.

"And the worst part… the bosses left untouched will pile up. The longer they stay alive, the harder it will be to handle them when they finally break out of the tower."

The words sank between us for a moment. The air turned heavy, not because of drama, but because the picture he painted felt real.

"Are you really sure the towers will break in the future?"

"Kid," he met my eyes with absolute confidence. "the Order has its own research team, and all our data pointed the same direction. It's only a matter of time. The government won't act because too many officials are corrupt."

I clenched my fists slightly. This was exactly why I hated dealing with weak humans who had too much money and authority.

Monsters could be dangerous, sure, but these people… they were on another level. Some were so greedy they would sacrifice their own kind just for power.

Still, my feelings were another matter, and the mission was far too dangerous to accept.

"I'm sure the Order has people who can handle an assassination. So why me? Why risk telling me about this in the first place?"

"We do. But most of our S‑ranks are already known. If we send one of them, it could spark a full‑scale fight. We need someone new. Someone fresh. Someone the enemy has no record of. On paper, you sit at D‑rank with simple physical boosts, so no one will suspect you."

"I get the logic. But the risk on my side is massive. And does killing one senator even change anything?"

Senator or not, it was just one man, and Darkness likely had other puppets ready to push the same agenda once he dropped dead.

Even worse, it might set off a chain reaction, drawing the government's attention to the city.

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