If Theo wanted to deliver judgment, then he had to stand before the guilty.
He stared at himself in the mirror.
A black suit. A long black coat. Damp hair falling over his forehead. And behind it all, a pair of eyes colder and sharper than they had been the night before.
Theo's gaze gleamed with something dangerous.
Yes, rage still burned inside him. Vengeance still lived in his chest like a furnace that would never truly die. But beneath all of it, he was still a detective.
And a detective did not act blindly.
Even if revenge was what drove him forward, Theo understood one thing clearly.
Judgment had to be delivered fairly.
But with Enzo's guilt already laid bare by both evidence and the System, Theo already knew how this would end.
It was over for him.
Without bothering to dry his hair, Theo stepped out of his room and left the apartment. His stride was calm, steady, almost casual, but every step carried quiet confidence.
A confidence born from the Absolute Skills now resting in his hands.
When he reached the street, his eyes drifted toward the apartment building behind him.
For three years, he and Lara had lived there together after their marriage.
Every wall.
Every hallway.
Every quiet corner of that place carried traces of her.
Memories.
Laughter.
Ordinary days that now felt impossibly far away.
Theo stood there for a few seconds, gazing at the building in silence, before drawing in a slow breath.
Those memories would remain.
But Lara would not.
He lowered his gaze, adjusted the deerstalker hat on his head, and raised a hand to hail a cab.
He owned a car, but driving himself would only slow him down.
If he wanted to find Enzo Vhal, he needed efficiency.
And as one of the best detectives in the country, finding a mere D-Rank Hunter was hardly difficult.
...
Thirty minutes later, Theo arrived at the southern outskirts of Cindrel City.
As he stepped out of the cab, he lifted his head and looked toward the Floating Island hanging above the district.
Compared to the massive islands looming over central Cindrel, this one was smaller. Even so, it was still large enough to cast a long shadow over the surrounding streets.
Its presence alone was enough to make people stop and stare.
Theo had seen the islands his entire life, yet they still inspired the same strange sense of awe.
It was nearly eleven in the morning, close to lunchtime, but the area remained crowded.
Most of the people gathered there were Hunters, many of them waiting to enter the portal that would send them up to the island above. Others stood nearby in small groups, checking their gear, exchanging information, or simply watching the line crawl forward.
Theo's eyes shifted toward the sign above the entrance zone.
Floating Island #004
D-Rank
What had once been an open parking lot had long since been converted into an official access point. One of the nearby buildings had been taken over by the Hunters Association and transformed into a monitoring station. Around it, shops, exchange counters, and supply stalls had risen to serve the endless stream of hunters entering and leaving the area.
The place was alive with movement.
Busy enough that the smells of metal, dust, sweat, food, and mana all seemed to mix together in the air.
Theo also noticed a separate line nearby.
Ordinary civilians.
People trying their luck.
People hoping to enter the island, survive the tutorial, and return as Hunters.
His expression darkened.
To some, this place was opportunity.
To others, it was a slaughterhouse dressed up as a ladder to success.
At the center of the old parking lot, the portal twisted in silence.
A swirling black-and-blue circle hovered above the marked platform, its surface churning like liquid space. Two Association Hunters stood guard at either side while several technicians monitored rows of computers surrounding the platform.
Theo took everything in with a single sweep of his eyes before walking toward the Hunter line.
The moment he did, he began drawing attention.
Several Hunters glanced his way.
Some looked confused.
Others looked openly amused.
Theo ignored them and continued forward.
Then the man standing in front of him turned around.
He wore a tight black combat suit that clung to his frame like a second skin, the kind of gear favored by hunters who enjoyed showing off both their bodies and their rank.
The man looked Theo up and down before smirking.
"Hey," he said. "I think you're in the wrong line."
He jerked a thumb toward the civilian line off to the side.
"You don't have any mana signature. If you're here to awaken, go line up over there."
Theo glanced toward where the man was pointing, then shook his head.
"I'm good here."
The man blinked in surprise. A frown slowly formed on his face as snickers rose from the other Hunters nearby.
"You're good here?" he repeated. "Are you stupid? Did you hit your head or something? This line is for Hunters only. Trash like you belongs over there."
Clearly, he was offended.
It was rare for ordinary people to stand their ground in front of Hunters, and Theo's refusal to obey had bruised his pride.
"I said I'm good here," Theo repeated, his voice lower this time.
He wasn't here for the man in front of him.
He was here for Enzo, who was currently inside the Floating Island.
He had no interest in wasting words on someone just trying to restore his ego.
Theo knew the man wasn't speaking out of concern.
He simply hated the sight of a normal person standing among them.
Hunter supremacy had long since seeped into society.
It was the same poison that had led to his wife's death.
"Haha! This guy can't even make a non-Hunter move!"
"Yeah. Pathetic."
"Come on, man! You're embarrassing us Hunters!"
As the laughter and mockery spread behind him, the man in front of Theo took a deep breath. His face turned red with anger and humiliation.
"You," the Hunter spat, "learn your place, you worthless piece of trash!"
Red aura burst from his body as he raised his hand to strike.
Theo's eyes narrowed, his coat fluttering from the pressure.
He hadn't expected the man to resort to violence so quickly.
Just because he stood in their line?
Just because they couldn't sense mana from him?
Who said mana was what defined a Hunter?
Wait... am I even a Hunter?
The moment the thought crossed his mind, the world slowed.
The man's hand descended.
And then the System spoke.
Caution. The Host is under threat.
Target Identified: Riv Lours.
Hostile intent confirmed.
Charges detected: criminal intimidation, attempted assault, verbal abuse.
Judgment authorized.
Riv Lours is now subject to restraint and punishment.
Theo's eyes flickered.
So this is how it works.
Then let's test it.
His Skills activated with a single thought.
Absolute Authority.
Absolute Restraint.
A force unlike anything anyone there had ever felt descended upon Riv.
His hand stopped inches away from Theo's face.
Riv's eyes widened.
He couldn't move.
Not even a finger.
Only his eyes remained free.
W-What is happening?!
Then he saw them.
White chains.
At first, they coiled around his raised arm.
Then his shoulders.
His chest.
His legs.
Until his entire body was bound in gleaming restraints.
And the man standing before him had changed.
A moment ago, Theo had looked like nothing more than an ordinary detective in a black coat.
Now he looked like a being that did not belong to this world.
His entire body was wrapped in divine white light.
And floating above him was a massive pair of Scales of Judgment.
What... what the hell is this?!
Riv's heart pounded so violently it felt as if it would burst from his chest.