Ryo leaned back in his chair, eyeing the second intruder who remained silent, glaring back at him. He casually crossed his arms. "What's your name?" Ryo asked, his voice calm but demanding.

  The intruder didn't respond, keeping his defiant gaze fixed on Ryo.

  Ryo's patience started to wear thin. With a swift motion, he slapped the intruder across the face. The sound of the impact echoed in the room. Still, the man remained silent, lips pressed together.

  Ryo sighed, shaking his head. He raised his hand and slapped the man again, harder this time.

  The intruder winced but remained quiet for a moment, before his resolve finally cracked. "We were just sent to get you, alright?" he spat, voice full of frustration. "Nothing personal, just business."

  Ryo leaned in closer, eyes narrowing. "Who sent you?"

  The man hesitated, sweat beading on his forehead. "We don’t know, we were just told to take you down. That’s all." He glanced nervously toward his partner, still trapped in the corner.

  Ryo raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "A bunch of A-rank intruders sent for me? Seems like you're in over your heads."

  The system piped up, almost too casually:

  System: "A-rank, huh? Guess someone’s got too much time on their hands."

  Ryo smirked at the system’s response but quickly returned his attention to the intruder. "You made a mistake coming here."

  The intruder shifted uncomfortably, but before he could reply, Ryo gestured to the first one, who was still lying on the ground. "I suggest you start talking before you end up just like your friend."

  Ryo's patience was wearing thin. He leaned in closer, his voice icy and calm. "My patience is thin, so let me ask you one last question." He slowly raised Caelgula, placing the cold tip of the trident against the intruder's chin, lifting his face with it. His voice was steady, but deadly. "Are you with the organization?"

  The intruder scoffed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Ryo didn’t flinch. Instead, he snapped his wrist, a blur of motion so swift it was almost imperceptible.

  With a single slash of Caelgula, both intruders were hit. Before they could even scream, their bodies were already encased in ice, frozen in place.

  Ryo watched them, expression unchanging, as the two men crumbled into lifeless statues, frozen solid. The trident’s tip gleamed in the dim light, its work complete.

  Ryo picked up his phone, dialing Elira's number. The moment she answered, her teasing voice echoed through the receiver. "Oh, fancy making the first move. Are you gonna invite me on a date?"

  Ryo, unfazed, responded coolly, "No, I have three A-rank intruders here who want to kidnap me."

  There was a pause before Elira’s voice shot through the line, filled with alarm. "Are you okay? What did you do to them?"

  Ryo answered with calm indifference, "I killed them."

  Elira's tone shifted, a mixture of surprise and awe. "Ohh… You don’t really seem like a B-rank."

  Ryo grinned slightly at the compliment. "Thanks for the compliment."

  Elira’s voice softened, her concern still evident. "Wait for me. I’m calling in some available hunters."

  She hung up quickly, and Ryo set his phone down, Caelgula returning to its fork form as he continued calmly with his breakfast. The peacefulness of his morning contrasted sharply with the violence he’d just dealt with, a reminder of his deadly capabilities hiding behind a casual demeanor.

  Forty minutes later, a team of skilled hunters and support staff arrived. They swept through Ryo’s apartment with brisk efficiency, clearing the bodies and beginning repairs. The once-ruined space slowly started returning to normal.

  Elira stood by the window, arms crossed as she watched the team work. Ryo leaned against the counter, sipping coffee—finally.

  “So,” he said casually, “do you know the name of this organization?”

  Elira shook her head slightly. “No. They keep it hidden. But…” She paused, brows furrowing in thought. “I’ve heard whispers. They’re targeting powerful hunters—extracting their energy somehow. Trying to summon something.” Her tone turned cold and analytical. “Whatever it is, it's not human.”

  Ryo stared at her for a moment, then smiled.

  “You’re beautiful when you’re serious.”

  Elira blinked and turned to him, blankly at first. Then, just as the red in her cheeks began to bloom, she quickly looked away.

  “D-Don’t flirt during a crime scene, idiot.”

  Ryo just smirked, sipping his coffee again like nothing happened.

  As the repairs continued, Elira leaned casually against the wall, arms folded. She glanced at Ryo, who had just finished his coffee and was stretching a bit.

  “Oh,” she suddenly said, as if remembering something, “there’s a contest next week. In Seoul Bay District—a pretty big one.”

  Ryo raised an eyebrow. “Contest?”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Yeah.” She smirked. “Only open to D to A-rank hunters. Winners get a promotion opportunity and a fat reward—like, 2,000,000 credits.” She gave him a smug look. “Sounds tempting, huh?”

  Ryo ran a hand through his hair, thinking. “Hmph… I’ll think about it.”

  Then, without warning, he casually pulled off his shirt, revealing his well-toned frame.

  “W-What are you doing?!” Elira blurted, eyes wide. “Are you… d-doing that now? Are you gonna request me to…?”

  Ryo glanced back nonchalantly. “No. I’m going for a jog.”

  He walked off like nothing happened, heading down the stairs.

  [SYSTEM LOG]

  User Status: Confident. Chest: 10/10. Shame: 0/10. Bragging rights pending.

  Elira stood frozen, flustered, as several staff and hunters passing by gave her the look.

  One staffer leaned in and whispered with a grin, “Don’t worry, Manager Elira… we won’t spread what we saw... or what we think we saw.”

  Another patted her shoulder. “You’re doing amazing, sweetie.”

  Elira’s face turned beet red as she spun around, hiding her face behind her clipboard.

  The city air was crisp as Ryo jogged along the quiet streets of Brightport. His breath came out in soft clouds, his pace steady and fluid like a trained runner. The early morning sun reflected faintly off the distant skyscrapers.

  [SYSTEM LOG: Jogging detected. Burning calories… dramatically.]

  After a few peaceful minutes, the familiar chime of the system echoed in his head.

  [SYSTEM]: Btw, I forgot to ask you this earlier… but why haven’t you used the cards you received as a reward when you were trapped?

  Ryo didn’t break his stride. “Good question. But here’s one for you too—why are you acting like this? All talkative and cheeky, when back inside that space, you were just a cold system voice… and I was in there for twenty thousand years.”

  The system paused.

  [SYSTEM]: I… don’t know either. I can’t believe it myself, honestly. Maybe my creator made me this way. Y’know, upgraded personality patch or something? Weirdly self-aware, huh?

  Ryo sighed, wiping sweat from his brow as he picked up the pace slightly.

  “…I’ll think about it.”

  [SYSTEM]: The card? Or the contest?

  Ryo smirked.

  “Both.”

  [SYSTEM]: Multitasking protagonist. I like it.

  As Ryo jogged deeper into the waking streets of Brightport, his brows furrowed slightly. His breath came in steady rhythms, but his thoughts raced faster than his feet.

  "Those cards..." he muttered under his breath, eyes scanning ahead while his mind wandered. "Each one had a picture… a description… and numbers. Strange numbers. Like stats or ranks? Maybe conditions? I don’t even know what triggers them yet."

  His legs moved instinctively now, his body trained. But his mind was running scenarios.

  "If I just activate one carelessly, I might draw something I can’t control. Or worse—summon something I can’t send back."

  He clenched his fist mid-sprint, the memory of being trapped for 20,000 years still lingering in his bones.

  "No. I need to be careful. Until I understand them, those cards stay sealed."

  The wind rushed past as he picked up speed.

  And from deep within, the system chimed with a suspiciously chipper voice:

  [SYSTEM]: Wow. You’re thinking seriously for once. Proud of you, buddy. Just don’t accidentally summon a dragon while jogging, okay?

  Ryo rolled his eyes.

  “Noted.”

  Ryo sat on the grassy slope, the city skyline stretching in the distance, clouds drifting lazily above. His breathing had steadied, but his body still thrummed with energy—like he could sprint a hundred more laps if he wanted.

  Then a familiar, cocky voice broke the peaceful silence.

  "Oh? It’s you, pretty boy."

  Ryo turned his head slightly.

  Raze plopped down beside him, leaning back on his hands with a grin. “Fancy meeting you out here, huh?”

  Ryo raised an eyebrow. “…You stalking me now?”

  Raze shrugged, clearly unbothered. “Nah. I just thought this spot screamed 'main character brooding zone' and boom—here you are.”

  He smirked, then added with a wink, “Besides, I gotta look cool when people see us together. Gotta keep the mysterious scary aura, y’know? It’s part of my brand.”

  Ryo stared at him blankly, then chuckled under his breath. “Hmph. Weird guy.”

  “But I can handle it,” he added, eyes drifting back to the sky.

  [SYSTEM]: New friend acquired! Warning: May come with dramatic one-liners and unrequested bromance. Proceed with mild amusement.

  Ryo smirked.

  Yep. Things were definitely getting weirder—but maybe not in a bad way.

  Raze stretched, eyes closed, enjoying the breeze. “Y’know, sometimes I wonder if all this fighting is worth it. Like… why not just open a ramen stand, grow a beard, and live in peace?”

  Ryo nodded. “With a secret weapon under the counter in case someone orders without paying?”

  Raze’s eyes snapped open. “Exactly! Bro, are you reading my mind?!”

  Ryo smirked. “Nah. I just think like a guy who’s been betrayed by a coupon scam.”

  They both burst out laughing.

  Raze leaned forward, intrigued. “Okay okay, what’s your go-to revenge plan?”

  Ryo tilted his head thoughtfully. “Hmm. Step one: act clueless. Step two: ice spike through the bathtub drain when they’re not expecting it.”

  Raze blinked, then grinned. “You’re dark, bro. I like it.”

  Ryo shrugged. “You started the ramen stand talk.”

  [SYSTEM]: Congratulations. You have unlocked “Chaotic Bromance” route. Expect shared trauma, trust issues, and weirdly synchronized combat moves.

  Raze burst out laughing again. “Did your system just roast us?!”

  Ryo deadpanned, “It has a personality problem. I’m working on it.”

  Raze leaned back, chuckling. “That system of yours is wild, man. Mine just nags me when I’m low on calories.”

  Before Ryo could retort, a BOOM suddenly echoed in the distance. The air trembled. Then a sharp chime hit both of their ears, followed by a flashing red alert:

  [SYSTEM ALERT – LOCATION: Sunpetal Elementary School, Brightport South District]

  S-RANK GATE DETECTED. Dimensional Rift Expanding. Civilian Zone – Emergency Evacuation Initiated.

  Raze's grin vanished instantly. He shot to his feet, fists clenched.

  “Sunpetal... That’s my little sister’s school.”

  He took one step forward, and flames flared from under his shoes. His voice dropped, sharp and full of resolve.

  “I’ve gotta go. Now.”

  In a flash, he was already sprinting—each step scorching the grass as he vanished toward the city’s southern edge.

  [SYSTEM]: Alert: Big Brother Mode. Activated. Threat Level: DO NOT STAND IN HIS WAY.

  Ryo stood up, brushing off his pants. “An S-Rank gate… near a school full of kids?”

  He sighed and looked toward the horizon. “Guess my break’s over.”