Kael stepped through the massive guild gate, his pace steady despite the exhaustion still lingering in his body. The moment he crossed the entrance, the guards stationed nearby noticed him.
One of them stared for a few seconds before leaning toward the other.
"I heard he went to Black Stone Ridge alone."
The second guard looked at Kael, then glanced toward the weapon at his side.
"Alone?"
"That's what I heard."
The guard watched Kael walk farther into the guild before shaking his head.
"Wow... he actually came back alive."
The other guard lowered his voice.
"While being only Bronze Rank."
"Exactly."
They both looked at Kael again.
"Black Stone Ridge isn't a place someone at that rank should be entering alone."
"I know."
"He must be either incredibly lucky..."
The first guard paused.
"...or much stronger than his rank suggests."
Kael heard every word as he passed.
He didn't turn around.
He didn't slow down either.
The comments didn't bother him. After everything that had happened inside Black Stone Ridge, the last thing Kael wanted was to stand around listening to people discuss him.
He walked deeper into the guild.
Several hunters were already moving through the courtyard, some returning from missions while others were preparing to leave. A few noticed Kael and briefly looked in his direction, but he paid them no attention.
His clothes were still dusty from the forest.
There were dried traces of blood on parts of his clothing.
His body felt heavy.
He had spent hours fighting, travelling through the forest, exploring deeper than he had originally planned, and then making the long journey back.
He was exhausted.
Kael climbed the stairs toward his room.
The sound of his footsteps echoed through the quiet corridor. When he finally reached his door, he opened it and stepped inside.
The moment the door closed behind him, the noise of the guild disappeared.
Silence.
Kael stood there for a few seconds.
His eyes moved toward the bed.
That was all it took.
He walked over, removed his sword from his waist, and placed it carefully beside the bed. He dropped the rest of his equipment nearby before sitting down.
The mattress sank beneath his weight.
Kael leaned backward.
His muscles immediately relaxed.
He had been holding himself together through sheer focus ever since leaving the forest. Now that he was finally somewhere safe, the exhaustion he had been ignoring came crashing down all at once.
Kael stared at the ceiling.
His mind briefly returned to the fight.
The berserk beast.
Phantom Edge.
The second blood.
Blood Reinforcement.
That strange silver tint on his blade.
And finally...
Dead End.
He closed his eyes.
He would think about all of that later.
Right now, he needed sleep.
Kael turned onto his side and pulled the blanket over himself.
Within moments, his breathing became slow and steady.
The room fell completely silent.
Outside, the guild continued to move around him, hunters coming and going, conversations filling the halls, and rumors about the Bronze Rank hunter who had ventured into Black Stone Ridge beginning to spread.
But Kael heard none of it.
He was already asleep.
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