Mara paced the Guild lobby, her face twisted with frustration as she checked the clock for the fifth time.
"Where the hell is he?" she muttered, scanning the entrance doors again. Several Guild members gave her a wide berth, recognizing the dangerous glint in her eyes.
Juna leaned against the wall nearby, scrolling through her phone with mild interest. "Relax. He'll show up."
"Relax?" Mara snapped. "This was his chance to prove himself useful, and he's nowhere to be found. I knew we couldn't trust a slum rat."
As the words left her mouth, the lobby fell silent. The Guildmaster had arrived, her sharp heels making no sound as she crossed the room. Despite her small stature, everyone straightened up, conversations dying mid-sentence.
"Good morning," she said, her voice cutting through the silence. Her eyes scanned the gathered Hunters, taking inventory. "Is everyone ready?"
Heads nodded around the room. The Guildmaster continued her survey, brow furrowing slightly.
"Where's Fin Carver?" she asked.
Mara stepped forward. "Missing, ma'am. Hasn't shown up."
The Guildmaster's lips pressed into a thin line. She sighed, a small sound that somehow carried disappointment.
"I see. That's unfortunate." She turned to address the group. "For those who haven't heard, a new unranked dungeon has appeared a few miles north of the city. The Guild Council has approved an initial exploration, with each Guild sending only five members."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Unranked dungeons were rare—and dangerous.
"All team members must be A-rank or higher," she continued. "Fortunately, our best just returned from their missions." Her eyes lingered on four Hunters standing near the back—serious-faced men and women with scars that told stories of battles won.
Juna pushed off from the wall. "You wanted Fin to go too? He's just F-rank."
The Guildmaster's expression remained neutral. "I had my reasons. But since he's not here, we'll proceed without him." She nodded to the four A-ranked Hunters. "Gather your gear. We leave in thirty minutes."
As she turned to leave, Mara couldn't help herself. "Ma'am, I told you he wasn't reliable. Slum rats never—"
"Enough," the Guildmaster cut her off. "We don't have time for this."
Mara's mouth snapped shut, her face flushing red.
---
Meanwhile, in the slums, Fin walked alongside Meg, carrying her single bag of belongings.
Meg couldn't stop staring at him. "You look like a different person," she said, reaching out to touch his sleeve. "This suit probably costs more than our whole house."
He laughed. "Yeah, well, things changed fast."
"And you smell good too," she added, sniffing the air around him dramatically. "Like, actually good. Not just 'less bad than usual' good."
"Haha, sniffing me is weird but thanks."
She punched his arm lightly. "You know what I mean. Last time I saw you, you smelled like you'd been sleeping in a trash pile."
"I was sleeping in a trash pile," he reminded her.
Her smile faded a bit. "I was really worried, you know. After you left, I kept thinking you'd end up dead in some alley."
His expression grew serious. "Almost did, a couple times. Being a Hunter isn't easy."
"But you made it," she said, her voice soft with pride. "You actually did it. Made enough money to come back for me."
He nodded. "I promised, didn't I?"
They walked in silence for a moment, the slums gradually giving way to slightly better neighborhoods. Her eyes widened at each new sight—clean streets, intact windows, shops with fresh food displayed out front.
"So, can you use that power of yours properly now?" she asked suddenly.
"Sort of. I have grown stronger, more than I ever expected."
"That sounds awesome! Did you fight any big monsters?"
"Yeah. One big enough to almost end me."
"But you beat it, right? That's how you got all this money?"
He nodded. "Beat it, got paid and bought a house. Which is where we're heading now."
Meg stopped walking, grabbing his arm. Her eyes were suddenly wet. "A real house? With walls that don't leak and a roof that stays up?"
"Yeah," he said, smiling at her reaction. "Two stories. Three bedrooms. Running water that's actually clean."
A tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. "Don't mess with me, Fin."
"I'm not. It's all real." He reached out, squeezing her shoulder. "No more slums, Meg. We're done with that life."
She tried to smile, but her lip trembled. "I kept telling myself you'd come back. Every day. But then days turned into weeks, and I started thinking maybe you'd forgotten about me."
"Hey," he said, voice low and serious. "You're my family. The only one I've got. Nothing in this world could make me forget that."
She nodded, fighting back more tears. "I'm just so happy," she whispered. "And I'm so proud of you."
They continued walking, the city's towers growing closer. Meg kept glancing at him, like she couldn't believe he was really there.
"So," she said finally, her voice lighter. "This Hunter thing pays pretty well, huh?"
He grinned. "You have no idea."
The buildings grew taller as they walked, concrete and glass replacing the crumbling shacks of the slums. Meg couldn't stop staring, her head tilted back to take in the towering structures.
"They're so big," she whispered, gripping Fin's arm. "I've never been this deep in the city before."
He smiled, guiding her through the busy streets. "Wait till you see our house."
People bustled past them, some in suits, some in casual clothes, but all clean and well-fed. No one was fighting over scraps or huddled in doorways. Meg noticed this too, her eyes wide as she took it all in.
"Everyone looks so... normal," she said.
"This is normal here," he replied. "No one's starving or desperate...well, almost no one."
They turned down a quieter street lined with houses, each with a small yard and clean walls. He stopped in front of theirs.
"We're here," he said, pulling out his key.
Meg froze, staring at the building. "This? This is ours?"
"Yep. All paid for."
She shook her head in disbelief. "But it's huge!"
Fin laughed, remembering his own reaction. "That's what I said too." He unlocked the door and pushed it open. "After you."
Meg stepped inside, her mouth falling open. She moved slowly from room to room, touching everything—the couch, the kitchen counter, the clean walls. In one of the bedrooms, she sat on the bed, bouncing slightly.
"This is really ours?" she asked again, voice small.
"Really ours," he confirmed, setting her bag down. "You can pick any bedroom you want."
"I've never had my own room before."
"Well, now you do."
She grinned, falling back on the bed. "This is amazing! And look at you in that fancy suit. My Fin, the big-shot Hunter!"
"Not exactly big-shot yet," he said, sitting beside her. "Still F-rank, lowest of the low."
"But you killed a monster and made all this money, right? Sounds pretty big-shot to me."
He smiled. "Got lucky, that's all."
They talked for a while—him telling her about the Guild, the dungeon, the monster he'd killed. She listened intently, asking questions about his power and how the Guild worked. He explained about ranks and missions, about Juna and Mara.
"So this Juna person bought you all these nice clothes?" Meg asked, eyeing his suit.
"Yeah. Says I have potential."
"Well, duh. I could've told her that."
He laughed, then reached into his pocket as he remembered something. "Oh, I got you this." He pulled out a new phone—sleek and black, just like his. "So we can always reach each other."
Her eyes widened. "For me? Really?"
"Really." He handed it over. "Already put my number in it."
She took it carefully, like it might break. "This is the best day ever."
He smiled, watching her examine the phone. Then he glanced at his own device, checking the time—and froze. The screen showed fifteen missed calls from the Guild, the last one just twenty minutes ago.
"Shit," he muttered, jumping to his feet.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"The Guild. I was supposed to be there this morning." He quickly dialed Mara's number, but it went straight to voicemail. "Dammit."
"Are you in trouble?" Her voice was worried.
"Maybe." He pocketed the phone. "I need to go. Right now."
"I'll come with you—"
"No," he cut her off. "Stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can." He headed for the door. "There's food in the fridge. Make yourself at home."
"But—"
"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Just need to sort this out."
He didn't wait for a response, rushing out the door and breaking into a run as soon as he hit the street. His new shoes slapped against the pavement as he wove between pedestrians, cursing under his breath.
The Guild wasn't far, but every second felt too long. He should have checked his phone earlier. Stupid. After all Mara's warnings about reliability, he'd gone and proven her right so soon.
When the Guild building came into view, he sprinted the final stretch, bursting through the doors and skidding to a halt in the lobby. A few Hunters looked up, surprised by his entrance.
"Where's Mara?" he gasped, trying to catch his breath.
One of the Hunters, a tall woman with frowned at him. "Gone. Left about an hour ago."
"Gone where?"
"New dungeon exploration. North of the city."
Fin's stomach dropped. "When will they be back?"
The woman shrugged. "Could be days. Unranked dungeons are unpredictable."
He ran a hand through his hair, panic rising. "I was supposed to be with them, wasn't I?"
"Don't know about that," she said, looking him up and down. "You're just F-rank."
He nodded, too distressed to be offended. "Right. Thanks."
He walked back outside, his mind racing. He'd messed up big time. They probably wanted him there, and he failed to show up. After everything they did for him—the money, the trust, the opportunity.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, hoping it was Mara, but instead saw a message from Meg: "Everything ok?"
He texted back: "Not sure. Missed an important mission. Might have just ruined everything."
Her reply came quickly: "What are you going to do?"
He stared at the screen, then at the Guild building.
"Go after them obviously. Be back soon."