CHAPTER 28: [ONE WAY OR ANOTHER]

’I’m exhausted.’

Kairo exhaled slowly through his nose, barely reacting as his team continued to chatter on about the dungeon tears. Their voices blurred together into background noise.

All he wanted to do was leave.

Get back home.

Collapse face-first into his bed and shut his eyes for at least two days.

This was the first time in a long while he’d felt fatigue this heavy. S-Class raids? Easy. He’d cleared two, sometimes three in a day, and walked away with only minor strain.

But this?

This battle had gnawed at something deeper.

Not just his stamina. But his focus.

His edge.

And the number of times he could’ve been seriously injured—or worse—if not for that—

’He hasn’t said anything.’

Kairo blinked out of his haze.

Something was off.

He shrugged off the weight of Mel and Mio’s arms slung lazily over his shoulders, pushing them away without a word. Both hunters blinked at him in confusion, but Kairo ignored them as he turned on his heel.

His gaze swept the perimeter once.

Twice.

Then he froze.

"...He’s gone."

"Who?" Mio asked, confused. "Who’s he?"

"The guy I was carrying earlier." Kairo’s voice dropped. "He’s not here."

Even he hadn’t noticed the exact moment the guy vanished. No sound. No shift in weight. Nothing. And that unsettled him more than he let on.

"Wait... wait," Mel grabbed Kairo’s arm, eyes widening. "The pretty lady you were carrying earlier—is that the he you’re talking about?!"

Kairo didn’t even dignify that with a full glance. Just gave him a side-eye...

And nodded.

Mio and Mel both reeled back, utterly gobsmacked.

"HE’S A GUY?!" they exclaimed at the same time.

Zaira burst into laughter on cue, practically doubling over.

"HAHAHA! You two seriously didn’t know?!"

Mio and Mel turned to glare at her, equally betrayed.

"You knew?" Mio asked, mouth half-open.

Zaira was still laughing, holding her ribs. "Obviously! Did you not see how he kept frowning every time you called him ’lady’? He’s pretty, sure, but it’s so obvious he’s a man!"

"I—I just thought he was one of those masc-fem girls!" Mel flailed dramatically.

"Why does it matter? You’re pan," Mio grumbled, crossing his arms.

"It does matter! I kept calling him lady!" Mel said, scandalized.

"And I flirted with him," Mio muttered, looking like he’d been personally wronged. "I’m straight!"

Zaira’s laugh just grew louder. "God, you two are such idiots."

’All of you are idiots.’ Kairo rubbed a hand through his hair, sighing again.

They weren’t even acknowledging the real problem.

The guy had vanished.

Just up and left without a sound—after everything.

And none of them even noticed.

While Mio and Mel continued their meltdown and Zaira wiped tears from her eyes, Kairo’s voice cut sharply through the chaos.

"Mio."

Instantly, Mio stood up straighter. "Yes?"

Zaira and Mel turned toward him, sensing the shift.

"I need you to find as much information about him as you can," Kairo said, crossing his arms over his chest. "No matter how little."

Mio’s brows arched high. "Are you... actually interested in him? That’s rare."

"Well, he did save my life earlier," Zaira chimed in, casual but sincere.

"I saved your life," Mio corrected, pointing at himself.

Zaira tilted her head. "You wouldn’t have pulled me out of the way if it weren’t for him."

"Oh, yeah," Mel added. "He was giving Kai instructions, too. Is he a hunter? What’s his ability?"

"He can sense danger," Kairo replied. "Anticipate it. He somehow knows my techniques—my entire skillset—and can predict the best way to apply them in combat. Every call he made was spot-on."

Their eyes widened.

"Damn," Zaira muttered. "That’s impressive. I didn’t even feel anything strong from him. No aura spike, or anything like that. But that’s... rare support skill level."

Kairo nodded slightly.

What he didn’t say was that Eli had also saved him—twice. That kind of intervention in a live raid was nothing short of surgical.

Kairo didn’t normally see potential in people. He didn’t have the patience. Or the interest.

But there was something about that guy—

"Just find what you can," Kairo ordered, eyes lifting upward. "I’m sure Samantha will be interested in him too once the footage is released."

A soft red glint hovered above them, blinking.

The Association drone.

Still recording.

It had been there since the start of the battle. It had seen everything. Every shout. Every order. Every assist. Every save.

Soon, the footage would be in the system archives, and then in the news.

"Ugh, but you know what this means, right?" Mio groaned, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. "There’s going to be another meeting of all the S-Class hunters. I really hate going to those."

"Ha. Being an S-Class really isn’t that great," Mel chimed in with a smirk, clearly enjoying the moment a bit too much.

Mio narrowed his eyes at him in annoyance, but he didn’t argue. He couldn’t. As much as he complained, Mel had a point.

Because yeah—there would be a meeting.

Another closed-room session filled with top-tier Hunters, urgent protocols, and frustrated guild heads.

And all of it because today, even with one of their strongest—Kairo

—on the field, two ogres had nearly pushed them to their limit.

It was more than just a difficult raid. It was a sign.

A warning.

The Hunter’s Association would try to spin it, of course. Say they had it under control. That the rising tears were manageable. That it wasn’t like the first dungeon explosion—that chaos was behind them.

But that was a lie.

Because it’s already been over a week.

And the tears were still worsening. Stronger monsters. Unpredictable mutations. Increasing casualties.

And today?

Today proved that even the top-ranked couldn’t handle it alone anymore.

"All we have to do is show up and listen to the head of the Association talk," Kairo said coolly, cutting through their thoughts. "That’s it."

He turned then, walking forward without waiting for their response. His voice was flat. Done.

"Now let’s head back to the guild and report to Samantha. I want to wrap this up as soon as I can and go home."

"You must really be tired, Kai," Zaira said, falling into step behind him.

He didn’t reply.

He didn’t need to.

The exhaustion in his posture spoke louder than words. Shoulders tense. Movements slower. His steps were heavy—not from injury, but from sheer mental weight.

He was tired.

Really tired.

But even now, his responsibilities came first.

So he moved forward, and the others followed without question.

Still...

As they walked, his mind strayed.

Back to him.

The guy who’d helped him survive today. The one who’d vanished without a word.

Slipped away like a shadow.

And yet, Kairo remembered his voice clearly. His warnings. His timing. The way he’d spoken with certainty, predicting attacks before they even came.

It wasn’t luck.

It was instinct. Precision.

And whoever he was—he wasn’t ordinary.

But no matter.

Kairo wasn’t concerned.

Someone with skills like that wouldn’t stay hidden for long. And if they did?

Kairo had his ways.

Even without a name...

He would find him.

One way or another.