Shadow and Leon continued walking side by side, their conversation flowing naturally as they moved through the busy streets. Shadow listened closely, quietly absorbing every detail Leon shared about this world. There were still too many gaps in his understanding, but piece by piece, things were starting to make sense.
Just as Leon was about to continue, he suddenly stopped.
Shadow glanced at him. "Why did he stop?"
Leon gestured forward with his chin. "I came here to register at the guild as a hunter. If I can complete a few quests, the pay should be pretty good."
Shadow shifted his gaze toward the building ahead, then back at Leon. "Aren't you a little too weak for that?"
Leon frowned slightly, but he didn't take offense. Instead, he answered calmly, as if he had already expected that kind of question.
"Guilds don't just hand out dangerous missions. There are all kinds of quests—hunting beasts, gathering plants, collecting materials, even escorting people."
Shadow said nothing, letting him continue.
"You can also sell demonic monsters and their cores, along with body parts," Leon added. "All of it is valuable. Potions, weapons… a lot of things are made from them."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"And dungeons are classified based on the strength of the monsters inside. So unless you're reckless, you won't end up somewhere beyond your level."
Shadow nodded slowly. "Sounds… profitable."
"It is," Leon replied without hesitation.
A short silence followed.
Then Shadow spoke again.
"Alright," he said. "Let's register together."
Leon raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard. "What's your rank anyway? You were carrying magical beasts like it was nothing."
"Rank F," Shadow answered casually.
Leon stopped walking completely this time.
"You're kidding," he said, staring at him. "How does a rank F kill a magical beast of the same level alone? Magical beasts are way stronger than humans at the same rank."
Shadow remained calm, as if the question itself wasn't worth much thought.
"Power matters," he said. "But it's not everything. Sometimes, you just need to be smarter than your opponent."
Leon studied him for a moment, trying to make sense of it.
Then he let out a quiet sigh.
There was no point overthinking it without seeing it himself.
They resumed walking and soon arrived at a large building. Above the entrance, a name was carved clearly into the stone.
Stormwatch.
Leon stepped forward without hesitation, and Shadow followed.
Inside, the guild was lively.
Hunters moved in and out constantly, some carrying weapons, others returning from missions with visible exhaustion—or pride. At the same time, civilians approached the counters, placing requests or negotiating rewards.
The atmosphere was busy, yet organized.
As the two of them walked in, a few people turned their heads.
Leon, with his long white hair flowing down his back and his striking blue eyes, naturally drew attention. His appearance was sharp and refined—someone people would notice at a glance.
But beside him…
Shadow was something else entirely.
His long, wild black hair flowed all the way down to his ankles, moving with a subtle life of its own. His gray eyes were deep and unreadable, the kind that pulled people in without them realizing it. Every feature of his face was sharp, perfectly defined—as if carved rather than born.
If Leon drew attention…
Shadow held it.
Effortlessly.
Without trying.
Without even looking at anyone—
People simply couldn't look away.
'If staring is a skill, they're very talented.' Shadow thought.
When they reached the counter, the young woman behind it froze mid-conversation with another hunter, her eyes locking onto the two of them.
"How can I help you?" she asked, trying to maintain composure.
The hunter she had been speaking to slowly facepalmed.
"Yeah… I'll come back later," he muttered, already walking away.
"Sorry for interrupting," Leon said politely. "We'd like to register as hunters."
The woman blinked, then forced herself to focus.
'My poor heart… sending faces like these into danger should be illegal,' she thought.
"You're sure about this?" she asked. "Not many people your age register as hunters. It's dangerous… and death is common."
"We're aware," Leon replied calmly.
She hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
"In the end, it's your decision. You'll need to be evaluated first to confirm your rank."
"Sure," Leon said.
She handed them two forms. "Fill these out, then head to that room for evaluation."
After finishing the forms, the two of them made their way to the evaluation room.
Inside, a middle-aged man stood waiting.
"Hello, we came for evaluation," Leon said.
The man looked them up and down.
'Another pair of young fools dreaming big before reality crushes them,' he thought.
"Place your hand on the crystal and inject your mana," he said, gesturing toward a black sphere beside him.
Leon stepped forward first.
He placed his hand on the crystal and sent a small amount of mana into it.
The sphere began shifting colors rapidly before stabilizing.
**Rank F Mage — Dual Element: Water & Fire**
The man's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"That's… rare. A dual elemental awakener."
Leon simply stepped aside.
Shadow moved forward.
He placed his hand on the crystal and released his mana.
The sphere reacted again—colors shifting, faster this time… then slower…
It took longer than Leon's.
"Is it thinking, or just judging me silently?" Shadow added.
"If it's broken, just say so. He can understand rejection." Leon said to the man.
But eventually, it stopped.
**Rank F Mage — Dual Element: Water & Fire**
The man frowned.
"There might be an error…" he muttered. "Try again another day."
"No need," Shadow said calmly.
He raised both hands.
Water gathered in one.
Fire ignited in the other.
For a moment—
Silence.
Leon's eyes widened.
The evaluator stared in disbelief.
"How… how is this possible?" the man muttered. "Two dual elemental users in one day? We don't even see one in years…"
He looked between them, confused.
"Are you brothers? No… even then, this isn't normal…"
"Life is full of surprises," Shadow replied.
Leon remained silent, still processing what he had just seen.
The man eventually exhaled and handed them both badges.
"Welcome to Stormwatch. You're now officially members."
Both Shadow and Leon looked at their badges, each lost in their own thoughts.
The man noticed weird fluctuating in the crystal "Weird fluctuation…It should stabilize…"
"It isn't stabilizing." Shadow replied in a deadpan tone before both him and Leon left the evaluation room.
"Let's look for quests," Shadow said. "We finished faster than expected."
Leon nodded. "Yeah… might as well."
They turned and left the room.
The door closed behind them.
…
Silence filled the space.
The evaluator let out a slow breath and glanced at the crystal.
Then—
A sharp crack echoed.
"What—?"
The surface of the crystal split.
Another crack followed.
And another.
Before the man could react—
The entire crystal ball shattered violently into hundreds of pieces, fragments scattering across the floor.
The man stumbled back in shock.
"What the hell just happened…?"