I was guided through a corridor that wasn't shown on the campus map by the man in the black suit.
Silence and dim lights, no cameras, no students.
I said in a flat tone, "You've been watching me."
He nodded politely. "Obviously. For those with... high-risk ancestry, it's standard practice.
"You call it that? "High-risk?"
Without turning around, he declared, "You're the son of Kael Arashi." "Someone in this field is either lying or already dead if that name doesn't make them sit up straight."
A sleek metallic door hissed open as we came to a stop in front of it. There was a tiny, sterile room with a white panel wall that most likely served as a scanner and surveillance array, a table, and two chairs.
"Sit, please," he said.
I remained upright. "You never disclosed your partner to me."
A third voice interrupted.
"He is affiliated with the Veil Division."
The room's temperature appeared to drop. I saw her when I turned to face the voice.
A woman with long black hair in a braid, a white blazer, and eyes so keen they seemed to pierce flesh. Even though I didn't recognize her, her presence told me everything I needed to know.
S-Rank.
Perhaps more.
She went on, drawing nearer, "The Veil Division deals with system errors, hidden dungeons, and classified anomalies. and sometimes people like you."
I crossed my arms. "People like me?"
S-Rank potential that is not registered. Mana flow that is disconnected from the system. inherited authority from a hunter who *shouldn't* have had a successor.
I furrowed my brow. "You're using a lot of fancy words."
The black-clad man moved aside. Here, she was the true authority.
Her smile was thin. "All right. Let's simplify this. An A-Rank Hunter's mana-enhanced strike was blocked by you. Redirected it without causing any backlash after catching it in midair. It's not instinct alone. That's *design.*.
Her eyes met mine as she leaned forward.
"You didn't get that power from the System, did you?"
I didn't answer.
She took a seat on the other side of the table. "We think that your father had access to something that was even older than the System—something that was broken and unadulterated. And we think he gave you a bit of it."
"And what if he did?" "I said." "What do you want?"
Her face remained unchanged. "We wish to put you to the test."
I grinned. "You do, of course."
They led me to a large, deserted, mana-reactive alloy-reinforced underground testing facility. I instantly recognized the man standing at the far end.
Dong-Su Baek.
A Rank-S Hunter who is known for being a sadist in battle and has the speed of a beast. As if this were just another warm-up, he was stretching idly.
"You're kidding," I whispered.
The woman said, half-smiling, "He volunteered." "Aim to avoid dying. This isn't a spar.
Dong-Su smiled and cracked his knuckles. "Get moving, child. We'll see what the Storm's brat is capable of.
Between us and the onlookers, they dropped a mana barrier. The mana in the room thickened, crackling with repressed energy, and I could feel the air changing.
He disappeared as soon as the countdown reached zero.
My gut cried out.
Just as a gauntlet with claws scraped past my cheek, I twisted. He moved like a blur, inhumanly fast.
However, I wasn't merely responding; I was making calculations.
He attacked me once more, this time from above, intending to use extreme force to pin me.
A shockwave rippled through the chamber as I raised both arms in an X-block.
*He's putting my stamina to the test. not yet attempting to kill.
For a moment, my vision became blurry. My arms hurt. But like coals being stoked into flame, something sprang up inside of me once more.
Around my forearms, lightning crackled.
Dong-Su narrowed his eyes and stepped back. "That's not normal mana, what the hell?"
He was correct.
Mana wasn't involved.
It was something else.
System Override: [«Wrath of the Storm Monarch»] - In part activated
For the first time since I touched the dagger, a translucent window opened up before me.
> [Notice: Incompatible System Found] > [Starting the Override Protocol…] > [«Storm Monarch's Wrath» - Dormant State Resonating] > Temporarily Enhanced Physical Parameters > [73% Mana Compatibility] > [Stabilizing…]
DongSu blinked. "What is that window…?"
I was on the move already.
I had never pushed my body to move as quickly as it did. Before he could back away, my fist struck his shoulder. With a sickening crunch, he crashed into the barrier wall as he flew back.
Coughing hard, he slid down.
However, he chuckled.
He spat blood on the ground and said, "You're the real deal." "Kael's child is a true monster."
After flickering, the barrier fell. The woman intervened, her eyes shining with curiosity rather than worry or fear. Curiosity only.
She whispered, "You didn't activate a normal Hunter system." "That window... doesn't match anything the architect built."
Despite the weariness tugging at my limbs, I stood tall. "Because it's not the Architect's System."
Her gaze grew piercing. "So whose?"
I waited for a long moment before responding.
"My dad's."
When I returned to my room later that evening, I looked at my reflection.
I could still feel the slight but genuine sensation of lightning beneath my skin. The words were etched in my mind, but the system window had dimmed.
The wrath of the storm monarch
A heading. A curse. A present.
I was unaware at the time.
However, it was evident that I wasn't the only person curious about my father's legacy.
I felt that presence once more.
It wasn't hiding this time, though.
I noticed a figure on the rooftop across the street as I turned to face my window. Shrouded in darkness, squatting like a predator.
His eyes were visible to me, but not his face.
They had the hunger and focus of a beast.
Then he was gone.
And I was aware.
Surviving was no longer the only goal.
The game was on.
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**Chapter 6 End**