The jagged mountain passes slowly flattened out as the deep, suffocating violet of midnight gave way to the crisp, golden light of morning. Dawn had fully passed by the time the powerful strides of Mochi's warhorse brought us across the familiar thresholds of Caria. The morning sun hit the tattered fabric of my crimson trench coat, warming the pale, translucent skin beneath my hood as the bustling, civilized sounds of the city replaced the grim, misty silence of the lawless borderlands.
As we rode through the outer districts, I closed my single green eye behind the Leech's Hollow Mask and mentally assessed the internal matrix of my spatial inventory ring.
The storage grid was flashing a faint, amber warning. My physical capacity was almost completely maxed out, pushed to the absolute brink of its structural limits. I calculated the precise mathematical weight distribution currently anchored to my mana core:
[Inventory Ring 24.8kg/25kg]
[Death Chant Shotgun 5kg]
[Death Chant Tommy Gun 6kg]
[Tear Gas (x37) 9.8kg]
[Laulif Head 4kg]
With my current gear totaling exactly 23.8 kg, my 25 kg limit leaves me with exactly 0.2 kg of remaining spatial storage space. And If the canisters are slightly heavier or if I factor in the leather-bound map of Balka and the ancestral logs resting in my physical purse, the threshold is even tighter.
Regardless of the decimal variables, my inventory was structurally choked. I had just enough room to pull off a fast trade, but absolutely no space to pick up additional spoils or ammunition without physically encumbering my one-armed frame.
Beneath my ribs, the heretical, accelerated demonic life gave a quiet, heavy thrum… a demanding reminder that my internal resources were being consumed by the day. I needed to liquidate this S-rank asset immediately, clear out my inventory, and claim the massive bounty payout to finalize my retirement fund before my two-month deadline expired.
Mochi pulled the reins, bringing the warhorse to a smooth, elegant halt right outside the grand stone pillars of the regional headquarters. He dismounted first, turning back to offer his hand with the unwavering, protective respect of a loyal knight.
"We've made it back, Bounty Hunter, let's turn in the serpent's head and close the book on the Bloom Syndicate." Mochi said smoothly, his golden feline ears twitching as he scanned the secure plaza.
We arrived at the massive stone perimeter of the city walls. Standing guard at the main checkpoint was the local gatekeeper, Luscious, who smirked the moment his eyes locked onto Mochi's warhorse and my crimson trench coat pressed tightly behind him.
"Well, well, look at these two lovebirds, back from a romantic morning ride, are we? Anyways, rules are rules… toll and status cards, please."
I ignored his teasing comment entirely behind the cold, rigid lines of my Leech's Hollow Mask. To keep my true identity completely buried from the common public and the low-level city arrays, my official registry token was heavily encrypted. When I handed over my piece of silver along with the enchanted parchment, the magical ink displayed a single, high-clearance designation:
Status Card
Name: Bounty Hunter
Rank: Gold
Magic Power: S-rank
Magic Mastery: S-rank
Swordsmanship: A-rank
Marksmanship: A-rank
Battle IQ: D-rank
Job Occupation: Bounty Hunter (S-rank) Luminous Knight (S-rank: 7th place)
Affiliation: LKBA (Branch 1)
Mochi, who privately knew the complex truth… that I was once Eirene Rynd, the disgraced noble reincarnate who had forged herself into a legendary leader… didn't bat an eye or show a single trace of suspicion. He maintained his flawless, professional knightly composure, smoothly slipping his own official Luminous Knight status card to the gatekeeper alongside mine.
Luscious ran the cards through the verification crystal, the blue light chiming in approval.
"All clean. Welcome back to Caria, hunters," he said, waving us through the iron portcullis.
The moment the gates closed behind us, Mochi adjusted the reins, his golden feline ears twitching as he looked back at my silent, hooded silhouette.
"Bounty Hunter, let's head straight to the bureau before the morning rush sets in."
We navigated the horse through the waking city streets, bypassing the crowded commercial sectors and heading straight into the highly secure 4th District. This was the aristocratic and military hub of the city, dominated by the sprawling, pristine white-stone architecture of the Luminous Knight Bureau Association.
As we pulled up to the grand marble steps of the headquarters, my core gave a heavy, expectant thrum. The 4 kg severed head of Laulif Flower was waiting inside my near-capacity spatial inventory ring, ready to be traded for an immense fortune. My three-month countdown was ticking, my accelerated demonic pregnancy was drawing more mana by the day, but as we walked through the bureau's high-arched doors, my ultimate retirement fund was finally within arm's reach.
The grand oak doors of the Luminous Knight Bureau Association stood wide open, letting the crisp morning air circulate through the polished marble foyer. We dismounted smoothly, and Mochi led his warhorse over to a nearby iron hitching post, securely leasing the reins with a practiced knight's knot.
With a final adjustment of my heavy hood and the tattered collar of my crimson trench coat, I marched up the stone steps alongside Mochi, stepping into the familiar, high-ceilinged hall. The bureau was still exactly the same… smelling faintly of old parchment, wax seals, and expensive brass polish.
We walked straight toward the high-ranking registrar desk, where a familiar, sharply dressed woman was meticulously organizing the day's early intake ledgers. It was Sydney Popov. She looked up from her paperwork, her eyes scanning Mochi's gleaming armor before settling on the menacing, calcified lines of my Leech's Hollow Mask.
She sighed, tapping her quill against the desk.
"Well, the two of you... what is it you want this early in the morning?"
I didn't waste a single second on pleasantries. Focusing my mana on the amber warning grid of my spatial inventory ring, I activated the retrieval array.
POP.
With a sudden distortion in the air, the heavy, 4 kg severed head of Laulif Flower materialized out of thin air directly above her pristine desk. It dropped with a wet, heavy THUD right onto her neat stacks of requisition forms. Because the execution had been fresh, dark, syrupy syndicate blood immediately pooled outward, staining her official ledgers and rapidly dripping over the edge of the mahogany wood.
"Ugh...!"
Sydney shrieked, instantly jumping back from her chair, her face contorted in a mix of profound shock and absolute disgust. She looked down at the dark stains rapidly ruining the fabric of her tailored uniform.
"The blood is all over my dress! Look at this mess!"
She glared up at me, pointing an angry, trembling finger at my spatial ring.
"If you have to submit a high-tier bounty to my desk, you bring it in a proper burlap bag like a civilized hunter! Not just drop it raw out of some fancy artifact on your fingers! Gross!"
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her professional composure while completely avoiding the sight of Laulif's frozen blue eyes staring up at the ceiling. She grabbed a nearby cloth to frantically dab at her skirt before striking a loud brass bell on her desk.
"That's it, this is far above my pay grade. Let's contact Chief Anton immediately."