Jin winced as he straightened his back. Most of his body was covered in bandages instead of clothes. Moving even an inch made his body ache in places he had forgotten about. Fortunately, he hadn't suffered any head injuries, so his face was in the clear. There were a few minor scars here and there, but nothing that could bother him in the long run.
The bed he had been assigned was far from comfortable. A lump of bed fillings kept poking his back whenever he tried to sleep. The lack of sleep, accompanied by the pain, made him feel like he could rip the head off of the person sitting in front of him.
Since the person was a fourth-ranker, he didn't have much of a choice but to keep his anger contained.
"Are you completely certain that it was a fifth-raked threat? You were not hallucinating, or weren't on any unprescribed substances, right?"
Jin looked at him with a straight face, his fist clenched under his blanket.
"For the eighth time, Mr. Gabriel… it was a fifth-ranked threat. If you can't believe my statement, please leave."
He couldn't remember the last time he had been this much aggravated. Despite being a high-ranker, Gabriel's intellect still seemed to be stuck in the lower ranks.
For the past two hours, he had been asked dozens of questions. The number of times he had been asked the same question twice or even thrice made it seem like Jin had done something extraordinary. He had surely escaped from the grasp of a fifth-ranked threat, destroyed a pincer nest completely, and run away from a ghoul nest.
It wasn't anything he hadn't done before. There weren't any overgrown crabs or man-bats in his world, but an executioner squad of an esteemed clan was no different after kidnapping their heir.
Gabriel let out an exhausted sigh and spoke as he scribbled something in his report.
"Well, your statement matches the other kids'. It does make things harder for us… me personally. Answer this last question honestly. Do you believe supervisor Elias is still alive?"
Jin lowered his gaze.
Back then, surrounded by a hundred pincers, he hadn't thought much about Elias. Being hospitalized for the past few days gave him time to think about his mistakes, as well as how he was nothing but a nuisance for Elias when Riaz showed up.
He was also reminded of the things he missed due to the pressure before.
"No."
His voice was even. He knew that there were chances that Elias might have outsmarted Riaz and would still be alive. But he also knew that it was impossible.
Gabriel frowned.
"That's… strange. The others think that Elias might still be alive. What makes you say otherwise?"
Jin caressed his hand with the one that was not covered in bandages, his gaze reflecting a hint of melancholy.
"Instincts…"
Gabriel squinted his eyes.
Jin couldn't outright tell them that it wasn't instinct, but his experience. But that experience wasn't Lian's, it was Mu Jin's. It was one of the reasons why he didn't want to be in the spotlight.
Being in the spotlight meant your every decision and opinion would be scrutinized. Decisions and opinions don't just occur to people—their experience and instincts back them. Being over a century old, Jin couldn't risk being questioned about his decisions. To normal people, he would seem nothing but an abnormal person, someone they can't understand.
The one thing humanity feared the most was being unable to understand something.
Similarly, he knew that no matter how he replied, Gabriel had already considered him different than others. His gaze never left Jin. When it did, his senses would be heightened. Jin understood it because he, too, had his guard up.
Gabriel didn't seem satisfied with the answer. However, he shook his head and closed his report file.
"That should do it. However, there's still something I can't quite digest."
Jin turned to him as Gabriel continued in a cold tone.
"You didn't deny being the one who had led the team, as everyone reported. But I don't understand why you specifically asked Conrad to assist Evelin and Celia when he was already out of the nest. It doesn't make sense to bring him back inside the nest."
Jin's face went blank. He spoke in a dull voice.
"I knew Evelin wouldn't be able to return unscathed after fighting the Queen. You already know Celia was gravely injured in the process as well. If I had not sent Conrad their way… You know what the outcome would've been."
Gabriel's fierce yet restrained gaze sent a chill down his spine.
"Hmm… I assume you must've guessed that Sam and Dean would run into something, too. Are you saying chose Evelin and Celia over Sam and Dean?"
Jin's eyes sparked with rage.
"And? What if I did choose her over the brothers?"
The next instant, an unimaginable pressure fell on Jin's entire body. A chill went down his spine as he looked back at Gabriel. The fourth-ranker didn't seem pleased by his reply in the least. The file in his hand trembled as well, as if it could feel the fearsome energy Gabriel was emitting.
He wasn't just trying to scare Jin—he was displaying his killing intent. Raising his head, Gabriel spoke in a sinister tone.
"Watch your words, rookie. You'd already be dead if not for my uniform."
Jin clenched his jaw.
He wasn't just another young challenger. It wasn't his first time facing an enemy exponentially stronger than him. The Demonic Qi in his heart responded to the killing intent. It rippled intensely, filling his body with more vitality than ever. It opposed Gabriel's will, making the pressure on his shoulder disappear.
Gabriel hid it, but he was surprised by how well Jin was handling himself, despite being exposed to his intent to kill.
Jin finally spoke.
"Is that a threat, Gabriel?"
Gabriel's gaze hardened. He raised his unoccupied hand and opened it. When he closed his fingers, flashing particles spiraled through his arm, settling inside his fist. A longsword manifested itself in Gabriel's hand out of thin air. Before he knew it, the sword was hanging over Jin's legs like a guillotine.
Knock!
Gabriel turned to the door behind him. There, Sabina was standing with a bunch of files in her hands. Her eyes fell on the blade.
"Let's go."
The two looked at each other for a few moments. Sighing deeply, Gabriel commanded the sword to vanish. Jin hated to admit it, but seeing the blade disappear, his soul returned to his body. He was in no way capable of facing a fourth-ranker, even without the bandages.
Throwing a last glance toward Jin, Gabriel left quietly.
With Gabriel gone, Jin inhaled deeply. He grimaced as the Demonic Qi subsided, the pain taking its position. It was an unpleasant feeling, but all he could do was grit his teeth as his body recovered.
As he sank into his bed, Gabriel's question rang in his head. His gaze softened as he went over his memories inside the forest, as well as what had led him to make that decision.
'I need to get stronger…'
As the warm blanket wrapped his cold body, he fell asleep.
*****
Sabina stared at Gabriel from the corner of her eye as they walked down the corridor. Now and then, a member of the guild or an employee would greet them with an amicable smile.
Gabriel clicked his tongue and spoke harshly.
"Just say it already!"
Loosening her tie, Sabina retrieved her gaze.
"The rumors are true. You've really gone insane. No wonder you're going around, picking fights with kids, injured kids no less."
A vein popped out in his neck.
"You know how to piss someone off, don't you?"
Sabina let out a faint chuckle.
"Oh, should I watch my words too?"
It was clear that Sabina was mocking him. He didn't mind, though. After all, she didn't know that Jin was no child, as far as Gabriel had seen. He had seen many challengers; he had led many of them into battle himself. Yet, he had never seen a first-ranker with a harder will than Jin's.
'And that tongue of his… Just where does he get his arrogance from?'
In his file, Gabriel had read that Jin was a mundane person from the lower districts a month ago. He didn't come from a grand clan, nor was he affiliated with a guild or a sect. There were barely any records connected to him, no matter how much he had searched. There was basically no one who could save him if he were in trouble.
From the first trial to this incident, he was a complete enigma. There were certainly other challengers in his batch who were much more remarkable than Jin. But there was something about him that made Gabriel wary of his presence.
'It doesn't matter. I'll dig deeper, then, until something useful comes out.'
Mentally categorizing Jin as a threat, he exited the facility.