The moment Kael stepped through the guild entrance, the atmosphere changed.
Several hunters turned toward him, and the conversations around the hall gradually faded as they noticed the state of his clothes. Blood covered his body, some of it his own, while the wounds from the battle were still slowly healing.
Behind him, the three rescued Hunters were immediately taken toward the treatment rooms.
Kael watched until the healers had them inside before finally turning away.
A guild official approached him.
“What happened at the abandoned camp?”
Kael looked at him.
“There was a creature there.”
“We know that much. What happened to the three Hunters?”
“They were being held inside.”
The official's expression tightened.
“By that creature?”
Kael nodded.
“How long?”
“I don't know.”
“And you found them alive?”
“Yes.”
The official glanced toward the treatment room.
“Thank goodness.”
He looked back at Kael.
“And the creature?”
“Elite Silver.”
The surrounding hunters immediately went quiet.
“Elite Silver?”
Someone whispered the words from nearby.
The official stared at Kael.
“You're certain?”
“I fought it.”
That answer created another wave of silence.
The official looked over Kael's injuries.
“You fought an Elite Silver alone?”
Kael shook his head slightly.
“I said I fought it. I didn't say it was easy.”
The official didn't know how to respond to that.
He glanced toward the destroyed condition of Kael's clothes.
“What happened during the fight?”
Kael thought for a moment.
“It used blood.”
“Blood?”
Kael nodded.
“It could control the blood around it.”
The official's expression became more serious.
“Was that how the Hunters were injured?”
“I don't know.”
Kael's answer was immediate.
“One of them was conscious when I found them. He said he had been blindfolded and didn't know what the creature was doing.”
The official nodded slowly.
“Did you kill it?”
“No.”
That answer caused several hunters nearby to look toward him.
“It escaped.”
“An Elite Silver escaped from you?”
Kael looked at the hunter who had spoken.
“It was already wounded.”
He paused.
“So was I.”
The hunter quickly looked away.
The official rubbed his chin.
“Then where is it now?”
Kael glanced toward the guild entrance.
“Somewhere in the forest.”
“You didn't pursue it?”
“Not after the Hunters needed to be brought back.”
The official nodded.
That was enough of an explanation.
Kael looked toward the treatment room again.
“Are they going to survive?”
“They're receiving treatment now. The healers believe they can.”
Kael released a quiet breath.
“Good.”
He turned to leave.
The official stopped him.
“You need treatment too.”
Kael looked down at himself.
“I'll heal.”
“That doesn't mean you should ignore the injuries.”
Kael gave him a tired look.
“I've had worse.”
The official sighed.
“You hunters always say that.”
Kael continued walking.
He made it several steps before finally stopping beside an empty bench.
The exhaustion he had ignored during the journey suddenly settled over him.
He sat down.
His breathing remained heavy.
The wounds across his body continued closing, but much more slowly now.
Kael lowered his gaze toward his palm.
The black crescent remained faintly visible beneath his skin.
The Prey Mark was still there.
Somewhere beyond the guild, the Blood Drinker was running.
Kael could still sense it.
Barely.
A distant presence.
Nothing more.
He closed his fingers.
He wasn't going after it.
Not tonight.
The fight had already taught him enough.
His mana sensing had improved.
His Mark had developed in ways he still didn't completely understand.
And Dead End had been broken.
That last part stayed in his thoughts.
The Blood Drinker hadn't simply escaped because Kael was too exhausted to stop it.
It had actually broken the connection.
Kael leaned back.
The Mark wasn't absolute.
Knowing that was probably more valuable than another victory.
The treatment room doors opened.
One of the healers stepped outside.
“The three Hunters are stable.”
Kael looked up.
“Stable?”
“They've lost a lot of blood, but we've stopped the worst of the bleeding. They'll need time.”
Kael nodded.
“Good.”
The healer looked at Kael's wounds.
“And you.”
Kael stood.
“I'll be fine.”
The healer frowned.
“You're covered in blood.”
“Most of it isn't mine.”
The healer stared at him.
Kael walked away.
Behind him, the guild had already begun filling with whispers.
An Elite Silver had been found inside an abandoned camp.
Three missing Hunters had been rescued.
A Bronze Rank hunter had fought the creature and survived.
No one knew the full story.
Kael wasn't interested in telling it.
He continued down the corridor, leaving the noise behind.
Outside the guild, the forest remained silent.
Far beyond its walls, the Blood Drinker continued moving through the darkness.
And somewhere beneath Kael's skin, the black crescent pulsed faintly.
for tonight, Kael was done fighting.
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