The portal pulsed with a chaotic, wild, and maddened energy. Red, as deep as fresh blood, it vibrated like the final breath of a dying beast on the brink of collapse.
And then, with a distorted flash and a crack in the air, Seth emerged.
His feet touched the solid ground of the return plaza. The sunlight burned his eyes. The sounds of the city... cars, drones, sirens in the distance... felt unreal after hours in that hell of stone, steel, and monsters that had nearly killed him.
But he was alive.
Still exhausted, he barely had time to think before a bolt of lightning struck from the sky with a dry thunderclap, as if the very atmosphere had torn in response to his presence.
CRAAAACK!
Thunder exploded, and light consumed the plaza.
In an instant, everyone present... Association agents, standby healers, support hunters, and even the surviving dungeon team... froze.
They froze because she had arrived.
From within the electricity and wild aura, Connie Parker, the Rank-S Hunter, shot forth.
"Seth!" was all she said before launching herself at him.
The impact of the hug was so strong that Seth staggered two steps back. The static shock surged through his entire body, but he didn't care. Her arms were wrapped around him with brutal, desperate strength, as if she were pulling him back into reality with the force of a furious goddess.
She held him as if her life depended on it. As if, for a moment, she had believed his had ended.
"You…" her voice broke, muffled against his chest, "...came back."
Seth blinked. Connie's trembling hands gripped his neck and back, as if confirming, inch by inch, muscle by muscle, that he wasn't a ghost.
Around them, the world went silent.
Seth's group… Lila, Sam, Logan, Kevin, Maria… couldn't even breathe.
No one dared say a word. No one even dared to cough. Because right there was a Rank-S Hunter… silently crying.
She wouldn't let the tears fall. Not with so many witnesses. But her eyes were glassy, and her clenched jaw betrayed the effort she was making to hold back an emotional collapse.
She held him like she had waited for a miracle.Because that was exactly what she had done.
Connie Parker waited for him for over ten hours.
Alone.
In front of a red portal.
A portal that, to any experienced hunter, meant only one thing: death.Failure.No return.Unstable rift. Collapse. Total team loss.
No one ever came out of a dungeon that turned red.But she stayed.
When the guild tried to remove her from the area, she threatened the security guards with sudden death. When the Association tried to take over, she ignored them. When the families of other hunters fell into despair, she remained impassive — her eyes locked on the portal.
But inside… she was at war.
Now, all of that exploded in the form of silence.
Connie slightly pulled her face away, but didn't let go of Seth. Her hands trembled. Her eyes… still wet.
"I…" she tried to speak, but the lump in her throat stopped her.
Seth looked at her. Dirty, exhausted, his soul in shreds. But he smiled, even if faintly. "You waited for me."
She nodded slowly, "I stayed here… didn't even go to my dungeon… the Association is furious, but here I am..." she said...
'England's Association…' Seth looked at the men in black around the portal area, there were several of them with all kinds of measuring equipment and similar things…
She took a deep breath. Her gaze hardened, not at him, but at fate itself.
"I knew you'd come out," she murmured, "Even if I had to tear hell apart with my bare hands."
His eyes narrowed. An ironic smile. "Dramatic as always."
She let out a small muffled laugh and lightly punched his chest. "Idiot. You took your time."
The group remained frozen.
Kevin muttered... "Dude... is Connie Parker... in love?"
Maria replied in an almost reverent tone, "This... is real love. I've got chills."
Sam looked at Logan and whispered, "That explains everything. That's why this guy is strong... he's clearly Rank-A or higher... She'd never look at a Rank-E, right?"
Lila, eyes wide, stammered... "His energy still feels like a Rank-E... there's no way he's Rank-A..."
Seth rested his forehead against hers. His hands touched the shoulders of the most feared woman on the continent as if they were his anchor.
"I'm fine, okay? I'm not going anywhere now," he smiled.
"I know," she replied, firm. "I felt every second you were away from me."A deep silence fell between them.
But, in that instant, something in the air shifted. The Association agents stepped back. The mana sensors began to beep.
Connie was about to lose control.
The electric energy flowing around her body became unstable, reacting to the emotional buildup. Tiny sparks of electricity jumped from her skin to the ground. The drones above trembled in the air, systems failing from interference.
But then… Seth placed his hand on her face.The aura dissipated slowly, like mist being drawn into a lighthouse.
"It's over, little thunderbolt," he whispered.
She rested her forehead against his chest one last time before reluctantly stepping back.Her expression returned to its usual self: cold, dominant, lethal.
But her eyes... still burned.
"Come. You need to rest. I'll take care of this now," she said with a smile.Seth looked back, seeing the group members still in shock.
"They... they helped me get out."
"I know," she said, not looking, "and that's why they're still alive."
The group shivered slightly.
Connie turned to the Association officers.
"He's coming with me. Now. No interrogation. No reports. No protocol."Connie's voice cut through the air like lightning. Cold, firm, irrefutable.She held Seth's hand tightly, as if daring anyone to separate them — someone would die.
But then… "That's far from happening, Connie."
The voice that echoed wasn't harsh, wasn't aggressive. It was sweet, soft as velvet.A seductive whisper that slid into everyone's ears like the scent of roses in the air.
The mana sensors froze for a moment.The approaching aura wasn't chaotic like Connie's, but elegant, refined, terrifyingly precise.
And then, she appeared.Vixen Rose.
She needed no introduction, but her mere presence said it all.
With calm, calculated steps, she crossed the space between them like a panther among lambs.
She was just over forty, but her body looked sculpted by an artist with impure intentions.
1.66 meters of pure temptation.
Generous curves, thighs toned by years of combat, full breasts framed by a daring neckline that looked more like a declaration of war.The white blouse was open to the edge of decency, tight against her body, highlighting every curve.
The black skirt clung to her hips, tracing her silhouette perfectly — short enough to be noticed, long enough to be lethal.
The black tights shimmered subtly under the light, drawing the eyes down to the high heels that clicked on the floor with commanding presence.
Her long pink hair fell in waves, framing her mature face with devastating beauty.Her tanned bronze skin gleamed like gold under the setting sun.
When she stopped in front of them, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Seth, even exhausted, felt a chill. Not of fear... but of pure pressure.This was what they called an alpha predator.
"Vixen..." Connie murmured, tense.Even she, the feared Black Mamba, faltered for a moment.
Her eyes sharpened, her breath quickened subtly.
Lila, behind Seth, swallowed hard.
"The master of the... Guild..." she whispered in disbelief.
"Black Rose," Maria finished, in shock.
Vixen Rose, the master of the Black Rose Guild from the United Kingdom—one of the most powerful independent guilds. A woman who ruled the underbelly of the Association with nothing but a smile.
Rank-S Hunter.
Diplomat.
Seductress.
A born manipulator.
For over ten years, Vixen had led her guild with velvet hands wrapped in steel. When she showed up, even leaders of larger guilds took a step back.
As for her abilities—well, Rank-S implied something extraordinary. Rumors spoke of a unique skill called "The Siren", said to make her utterly irresistible to anyone who laid eyes on her. She could dominate minds and desires with a single look. Of course, it was just a rumor...
But that's what made her so feared.
Vixen smiled—and it was as if the world held its breath just to listen.
"You know how this works, darling," she said, tilting her head slightly, her voice coated in false sweetness. "Red Gates require immediate reports. And this young man…" her eyes flicked over to Seth, gleaming with clinical, hungry interest, "...he survived one. That makes me... curious."
Seth raised an eyebrow. He already knew—she wasn't the least bit interested in the Red Gate.
Connie stepped forward, her tone ice-cold."He's not the property of the Association. And with all due respect, Vixen… don't even think about interfering. Seth is mine."
That last word came out more like a growl of ownership than any form of argument.
Vixen just laughed. A soft, melodic sound that still cut like a blade made of glass."Oh, so protective. I like that. But don't forget, my dear, you're not in America anymore. This zone is under my jurisdiction—and all gates within it... fall under me."
She then leaned forward—deliberately—and locked eyes with Seth. Her ample cleavage nearly spilled from her neckline, but her gaze... her gaze was even more dangerous than any exposed skin.
"What are you, little boy?" she asked with a faint smile. "A Rank-E who survives a Red Gate? Who makes the ice queen lose her edge? That... intrigues me."
"He doesn't owe you any answers," Connie snapped, her hand now glowing with electric power. "One more step and you'll be leaving here in ashes."
Their auras expanded, clashing mid-air like two opposing storms about to break. Lightning danced on Connie's fingers while crimson mana shimmered over Vixen's skin like a veil of fire and petals.
They were inches apart. One wrong move would end in mass destruction—and likely kill everyone nearby.
The ground beneath them began to crack.
And then... Seth finally spoke, exhausted.
"Are you two really going to fight right now? After what I just went through?" he said, clearly unimpressed. "Come on, give me a break."
Both of them turned to look at him. He raised his hands, sarcastic.
"I survived a Red Gate. If you could hold off on trying to kill each other for five minutes, I'd really appreciate it."
There was silence for a beat… and then Vixen smiled—genuinely, this time.
"Hah. I like your humor."
She turned on her heel with a slow, deliberate sway of her hips—fully aware every eye was still on her.
"But this isn't over. The Association will want answers—" she looked at him over her shoulder, "—and I will want a date."
She blew him a kiss before stepping into a sleek, black private car and disappearing.
"I want you to start compiling a full report on this man's existence. Dig up everything you can. His name is Seth. Start by looking into Hunter Connie—she seems to have some sort of connection to him."Vixen spoke to the woman standing in front of her, who was silently jotting everything down.
"Another one who's going to chase after him and end up disappointed before getting what she wants?" the secretary asked.
"Luna..." Vixen said calmly, "Could you withstand the aura of two Rank-S Hunters on the verge of a fight—without flinching—while being exhausted?"
"That would be impossible. Even for a Rank-A like me," Luna admitted.
"He's Rank-E. He endured my crimson aura and Connie's lightning... and still cracked a joke. Don't you think that's interesting? Especially her getting involved with someone like that?"
Luna just sighed internally.'Here we go again... this 40-year-old virgin is doing it all over again. Gets interested in a guy, hunts down every piece of info... finds out he's a piece of trash... and restarts the cycle...'