## **Invisible Eyes**
Still digesting what Woo-Jin had said, I shut the door behind him. The weight of an invisible force pressing down on me made the air in the room feel heavier.
Woo-Jin stood with her arms folded, and I sat on my bed. He no longer grinned as he usually did. He had a grave expression.
I inquired, "How much do you know?"
Woo-Jin let out a sharp sigh. "It should be clear to you that your father left behind more than just power. Fear was the cause. and not only between adversaries. "Even the Hunter Association is wary of you," he said after he paused.
I scowled. "They have no idea what I am capable of."
"Exactly." Woo-Jin lowered his voice and leaned forward. "That is the issue. You are an unknown factor, and unknowns are dangerous in the Hunters' world. They will attempt to eradicate you if they are unable to control you.
I balled my fists up. Everything was beginning to make sense—the whispers, the wary looks, the Hunter lurking in the shadows. They weren't merely watching me. They were evaluating me.
I inhaled deeply. "Now what? They have already begun to observe. I can't really hide."
Woo-Jin grinned, but it was not visible to his eyes. "No, but the game is still playable. At least until you're strong enough to handle them according to your terms, keep your head down and stay low.
I squinted. "And if they come for me before that?"
Woo-Jin's face grew serious. "Then you survive, as any Hunter would."
## **Resurfacing Memories**
I sat quietly after Woo-Jin left, running my fingers along the edge of my father's black dagger. Something had stirred inside me the instant I touched it. A sleeping force—waiting.
I let out a slow breath. *I need to stop waiting for answers. I must locate them on my own.
I firmly grasped the dagger and directed my mana into it.
Father, what did you leave behind?
My vision blurred the instant my energy touched the weapon. Like I was being drawn into a current, my body felt weightless. My room's walls vanished, giving way to a never-ending blackness.
Then came a voice, deep, far away, and full of unadulterated strength.
* "You're not ready yet, Manjil. However, you will be.
The darkness was broken by a lightning strike, exposing a battlefield. The bodies of monsters, hunters, and other creatures I didn't even recognize were strewn all over the ground. A lone figure stood in the center of it all, his silver hair streaked with blood and his long coat flapping in the wind.
Arashi Kael.
Even though he had his back to me, I could sense his overwhelming presence. A suffocating, overwhelming power. It was similar to being in front of a storm.
He turned his head slowly enough for me to see his eyes, which were inhuman, piercing, and golden.
*Not yet.* I kept hearing his voice. *But shortly.*
I gasped and snapped back to reality as the vision broke like glass. My forehead was sweating, and my hands were shaking.
"What the hell was that?" I muttered.
## **The Onlookers Take Action**
I arrived on campus the following morning in a different frame of mind. I was no longer merely a pupil. They had broken that illusion.
I sensed it once more as I moved through the hallways—eyes on me. Not merely students chatting among themselves about my altercation with Min-Ho, but something more... purposeful.
Then I caught sight of him.
A man standing close to the academy entrance, wearing a sleek black suit. He wasn't attempting to blend in. He *wanted* me to notice him, if anything.
I halted a few steps away and met his eyes.
He smiled slightly, courteously. "Manjil Arashi, correct?"
I didn't respond.
His grin remained unwavering. "I work for a company that has shown interest in your potential. We would like to speak with you.
My muscles stiffened. "And if I say no?"
There was something disturbing in his eyes, but his face remained the same. "I'd have to insist then."
There was a tense silence between us.
I forced a smirk as I exhaled. "All right, let's see how persistent you are."
---
**Chapter 5 End**