The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Lady Rielle is Back

Ares was walking toward Ji Won’s apartment when someone suddenly called out to him.

"Tae Ho!"

Ares turned his head.

Ji Won was standing several meters away, apparently having just returned from another hunt. His clothes were slightly worn from the dungeon, but unlike before, he no longer looked exhausted or injured, and there was a noticeable confidence in the way he carried himself now.

The moment he saw Ares, Ji Won immediately ran toward him.

"Tae Ho."

He stopped in front of Ares with a smile.

"It’s been a while. How have you been?"

Ares looked at him for a moment.

"It hasn’t been that long."

He glanced at the equipment Ji Won was carrying.

"Anyway, did you hunt today?"

"Yeah."

Ji Won nodded proudly.

"I’ve been solo hunting inside D-rank dungeons for the past few days."

Ares raised an eyebrow.

"Solo?"

"Yes."

Ji Won smiled.

"And during those few days, I’ve earned about 2.4 million won."

Ares looked at him.

"Whoa."

He gave a small laugh.

"That’s quite a lot. Seems like you’ve finally gotten used to the ring I gave you."

Ji Won immediately looked down at the Crimson Oath Ring around his finger.

"More than gotten used to it."

He clenched his fist.

"My speed has increased considerably, but my strength has improved even more. Before, I had to be extremely careful whenever I fought monsters in a D-rank dungeon, but now I can deal with most of them without having to struggle nearly as much."

Ares nodded.

"I see. Good for you."

Ji Won smiled.

"It’s all thanks to you, Tae Ho."

He looked at Ares for a moment before suddenly asking,

"By the way, have you eaten yet?"

"No."

Ares shook his head.

"I just got here, so I haven’t eaten anything yet."

"Then that’s perfect."

Ji Won’s expression immediately brightened.

"Let’s eat outside."

Ares considered it for a moment.

"Sure."

Before leaving, however, Ares stopped.

"Wait a moment."

Ji Won looked at him.

"What?"

"I can’t exactly go outside dressed like this."

Ares glanced down at his current clothes before walking toward the apartment.

He entered the room briefly and returned a few minutes later wearing ordinary Korean clothing. The outfit was simple enough to blend into the streets, although the quality of the clothes made it obvious that they weren’t exactly cheap.

Ares handed another set of clothes to Ji Won.

"Here."

Ji Won stared at them.

"For me?"

"Yes. Your clothes look like you’ve just crawled out of a dungeon."

Ji Won looked down at himself.

"...That’s probably accurate."

He laughed awkwardly before accepting the clothes.

"Thanks."

"Go change."

"Alright."

Ji Won quickly went inside.

After a short while, he returned wearing the clothes Ares had given him, looking considerably less like an E-rank dungeon hunter and more like an ordinary young man spending an evening in the city.

Ares glanced at him.

"That’s actually better than before."

Ji Won smiled.

"Then let’s go."

The two left the apartment together and began walking down the street.

"Wait."

Ji Won suddenly raised a hand.

Ares looked at him.

"What is it?"

"I know a place."

Ji Won smiled as he adjusted the strap of his bag.

"There’s a restaurant not too far from here, near the Apex Guild. It’s usually busy in the evening, but the food is really good, and the portions are generous enough that you don’t feel like you’re wasting money."

"The Apex Guild?"

"Yeah."

Ji Won nodded.

"The restaurant is popular with Awakeners because it’s close to the guild, so they serve a lot of meals that are filling without being ridiculously expensive. The grilled meat is especially good, and they also have several Korean dishes that are perfect after a long day of hunting."

Ares considered it for a moment.

"Sounds fine."

"Then let’s go."

They continued walking through the evening streets, gradually moving toward the busier district surrounding the Apex Guild. The farther they went, the more Awakeners appeared among the pedestrians, many still wearing parts of their dungeon equipment while others had already changed into ordinary clothes.

After walking for several minutes, Ji Won suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, Tae Ho."

"Hm?"

"While you were away, someone came looking for you at the apartment."

Ares glanced at him.

"Someone?"

"Yeah. His name was... what was it again? oh it’s Jun Ho."

Ares stopped for half a second.

"Really?"

Ji Won nodded.

"He seemed to be around our age, although he acted like he was quite familiar with you. Is he related to you?"

"Ah."

Ares continued walking.

"He’s like a father to me."

Ji Won blinked.

"Father?"

Ares immediately realized how strange that sounded.

"Ah, no. I mean Hyung Jun Ho. He’s like family to me."

"I see."

Ji Won nodded slowly.

"That makes more sense."

Ares smiled faintly.

"Remember when I told you someone bought me a phone?"

"Yeah."

"That was him."

"Oh."

Ji Won suddenly understood.

"So that’s why."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"He gave me his number and told me that if you came back, I should let him know."

Ares glanced at the number.

"Don’t worry. I’ll message him later."

"Alright."

They continued walking.

A few more minutes passed before the Apex Guild finally came into view.

The building was enormous, occupying an entire corner of the district with a large emblem displayed above its main entrance. Several Awakeners were entering and leaving the building, while others gathered outside in small groups, discussing dungeon raids and recent Gate activity.

Across from it stood the restaurant Ji Won had mentioned.

It was considerably larger than Ares had expected.

The restaurant occupied several floors, with large glass windows covering the front and warm light spilling onto the street. Through the windows, Ares could see numerous customers seated at tables, most of them eating with friends or fellow Awakeners.

The sound of conversation drifted faintly outside whenever the entrance opened.

"Here we are."

Ji Won pointed toward the restaurant.

"This place gets crowded because of the Apex Guild, but the food is worth it."

Ares looked through the window.

Inside, several groups of Awakeners were talking about their recent hunts.

"I heard the Gate opened near the northern district."

"Really? What rank?"

"C-rank."

"Then the guild will probably send a raid team tomorrow."

At another table, several young Awakeners were discussing their earnings.

"We made almost three million today."

"Seriously? That’s quite a lot."

Near the counter, a few exhausted hunters were simply eating in silence, their weapons placed beside their chairs while they recovered from another day in the dungeons.

The atmosphere was lively without becoming excessively noisy.

Ji Won opened the door.

"Let’s go upstairs."

They entered the restaurant and made their way to the second floor.

The upper floor was slightly quieter than the first, although it was still busy enough that nearly every table was occupied. The interior was clean and modern, with wooden tables arranged beside large windows overlooking the street below.

Ji Won found an empty table near the window.

"Here."

They sat down.

A moment later, a waiter approached with two menus.

"Welcome. Are you ready to order?"

Ji Won opened his menu.

"Yes, Please wait a moment."

He looked toward Ares.

"What do you want?"

Ares scanned the menu.

There were far more dishes than he expected.

"What do you recommend?"

Ji Won smiled.

"Since it’s your first time here, I’d recommend the samgyeopsal.

Ji Won pointed toward the menu.

"They grill it right at the table, and it comes with lettuce, garlic, kimchi, and several side dishes. We can also order doenjang-jjigae and steamed egg."

Ares nodded.

"Alright then let’s take it."

Ji Won looked at the waiter.

"Two servings of samgyeopsal, one doenjang-jjigae, one steamed egg, and two bowls of rice."

"Anything to drink?"

"Two soft drinks."

The waiter nodded and left.

A few minutes later, the food began arriving.

The samgyeopsal was brought out on a hot grill positioned in the center of the table, the thick slices of pork beginning to sizzle almost immediately. Plates of kimchi, seasoned vegetables, garlic, lettuce, and other side dishes were arranged around it, while the steaming doenjang-jjigae released a rich aroma from its small pot.

The steamed egg was placed beside the soup, soft and slightly puffed from the heat.

Ares looked at the table.

"That’s quite a lot."

Ji Won laughed.

"I told you. The portions here are good."

They began grilling the meat.

The restaurant remained lively around them, with conversations continuing at the surrounding tables as Awakeners discussed dungeon rankings, monster materials, guild recruitment, and the occasional complaint about difficult hunting jobs.

Ares quietly listened for a while.

There was something strangely ordinary about it.

People fought monsters during the day.

Then they came here, ate dinner, complained about work, and talked about money.

It almost felt like a normal society.

Ji Won placed a piece of grilled pork onto Ares’s plate.

"Try it."

Ares picked it up with his chopsticks.

After tasting it, he nodded.

"Not bad."

"I told you."

Ji Won smiled.

They continued eating for a while before Ji Won finally began talking about the days Ares had been away.

"By the way, I should tell you what happened while you were gone."

Ares looked at him.

"Go ahead."

Ji Won took another bite before continuing.

"After you left, I went back to the D-rank dungeon almost every day."

Ares listened quietly.

"At first, I was still cautious, but the more I used the ring, the more natural my strength became. I stopped thinking about every movement and started relying on my body instead."

He clenched his fist slightly.

"My speed improved first."

Then he smiled.

"But my strength caught up quickly."

Ares nodded.

"That’s good."

"I also started hunting more often."

Ji Won continued.

"I can clear the weaker sections of a D-rank dungeon without much trouble now, although I still avoid the deeper areas unless I’m certain I can handle them."

He glanced at the ring around his finger.

"Before I met you, I couldn’t even imagine doing that."

Ares took another bite of the pork.

The conversation continued for several minutes.

Ji Won talked about the dungeons he had entered while Ares was away, explaining how the Crimson Oath Ring had gradually changed the way he fought.

At first, he had struggled to control the sudden increase in his strength.

Now, however, things were different.

He had become considerably faster, his physical strength had improved, and even his reactions had sharpened enough that D-rank monsters were no longer a serious threat to him.

Ares listened quietly while eating.

Then—

"AAAAAH!"

A scream suddenly came from outside.

Several voices followed immediately afterward.

"Run!"

"Get out of the way!"

"It’s a Dungeon Collapse!"

The conversations inside the restaurant stopped.

Chairs scraped against the floor as several customers stood up at once.

People near the windows turned toward the street.

Then another scream echoed from outside.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant changed almost instantly.

Ares placed his chopsticks down.

"What is happening?"

Ji Won’s expression changed.

"That..."

He immediately stood.

"That’s probably a Dungeon Collapse."

Ares looked toward the window.

A large crowd was already moving through the street.

People were running in every direction, some carrying bags, others dragging family members along while several Awakeners rushed toward the source of the disturbance.

"What should we do?"

Ji Won’s face had become serious.

"We need to get outside and see what’s happening."

The two quickly left the restaurant.

The moment they stepped onto the street, the scale of the disturbance became obvious.

People were fleeing from several blocks away.

Some were screaming.

Others were calling the police or trying to contact their families.

The sound of emergency sirens was already approaching from multiple directions.

Ji Won grabbed Ares by the arm.

"Come on."

They moved with the crowd until they reached a position where they could see the source of the commotion.

A Gate had ruptured.

The blue surface that had once remained contained within its designated area had fractured completely, spilling a violent wave of mana into the surrounding streets.

And something was coming through.

An orc.

Then another.

Then another.

Within moments, more than twenty enormous creatures had emerged from the collapsed Gate.

Their bodies were covered in rough green skin and crude armor, while large axes and clubs were clutched in their hands.

Ji Won’s expression became pale.

"Orcs... does that mean it’s a C-Rank gate?"

He swallowed.

"Those are C-Rank monsters."

The orcs roared and charged into the street.

Seven Awakeners were already fighting them.

They had apparently been nearby when the collapse occurred and had rushed to the scene before the emergency response teams arrived.

One shield-bearing Awakener was barely holding back two orcs at once.

Another fighter was desperately attacking from the side while a mage continuously launched spells into the horde.

An archer fired one arrow after another from the rear.

The remaining Awakeners were doing everything they could to prevent the creatures from reaching the civilians.

But there were simply too many.

One orc swung its massive axe.

BOOOOOOM!

The shield-bearing Awakener was thrown backward.

"ARGH!"

He crashed into the side of a vehicle.

Another orc immediately rushed toward him.

A mage intercepted it.

"Flame Burst!"

BOOM!

The spell struck the orc’s chest.

It staggered.

But it didn’t fall.

The mage’s expression changed.

"Why isn’t it going down?!"

"Keep them away from the civilians!"

An archer shouted from behind him.

"There’s too many!"

Another orc emerged from the broken Gate.

Then another.

Then another.

Ji Won stared at the scene.

"More are still coming..."

Ares watched silently.

The seven Awakeners were already reaching their limits.

Even if they managed to hold the existing orcs back, the next wave would overwhelm them.

Ji Won clenched his fists.

"What should we do?"

Ares looked at him.

Ji Won’s voice became strained.

"Those are C-Rank monsters. At my current state, I can’t fight even one of them."

He looked toward the distant street.

"The emergency teams should be here soon."

Another orc broke through the Awakeners’ formation.

"Move!"

A civilian screamed.

The creature raised its axe.

The nearest Awakener rushed toward it.

"Get behind me!"

CLANG!

The axe struck his weapon.

His arms immediately began trembling from the impact.

He gritted his teeth.

"Someone help me!"

Two more orcs approached.

The Awakener’s expression changed.

"Dammit..."

Ji Won looked toward Ares.

"Let’s just wait for the reinforcements, although i wanted to help I’m not confident i can fight one head on."

Ares remained silent.

He watched another group of civilians stumble through the street.

A young child was being carried by his mother.

An elderly man had fallen behind the crowd.

Several people were too frightened to move.

Ares’ expression remained calm.

"Stay right here."

Ji Won immediately looked at him.

"What?"

Ares turned toward him.

"Don’t leave this place."

Ji Won’s eyes widened.

"Tae Ho..."

Ares took one step forward.

"Wait."

Ji Won grabbed his sleeve.

"Don’t tell me you’re planning to fight those things."

Ares looked back at him.

"Don’t worry."

"How can I not worry?! They’re C-Rank!"

Ares smiled faintly.

"I’ll be fine."

Ji Won stared at him.

There was something strange about the way he said it.

Not confidence.

Certainty.

Before Ji Won could say anything else, Ares stepped away.

Then his appearance began to change.

His hair lengthened first.

The dark and silver-white strands flowed downward, gradually becoming a smooth black that fell naturally down his back. His facial features softened, losing their youthful masculine sharpness and transforming into the elegant appearance of a young woman.

His eyes changed next.

The familiar color disappeared.

A vivid crimson replaced it.

His body followed.

His frame became more feminine, forming an elegant figure beneath the clothing that was simultaneously changing around him.

In its place appeared a fitted black dress that followed the shape of his body without being excessively elaborate. The skirt reached his thighs, while a long slit ran along one side of his leg, giving the otherwise elegant dress a distinctly daring appearance.

Black heels formed beneath his feet.

Ares calmly brushed a strand of newly transformed black hair away from his face.

For a moment, Ji Won could only stare.

"W-what the? H-How did you...?"

He couldn’t even finish the sentence.

The person standing in front of him was no longer the young man he had been speaking with moments earlier.

A beautiful young woman now stood there.

Yet the presence remained unmistakably the same.

Ares looked at Ji Won.

"Stay here."

Ji Won’s mouth opened.

"Tae Ho, wait—"

Ares had already turned away.

He stepped forward.

Then he ran.

The black heels struck the pavement with rapid, precise movements as his figure accelerated toward the battlefield.

Ji Won remained frozen for several seconds.

"...What the hell?"

Ahead of him, another orc emerged from the collapsed Gate.

The seven Awakeners struggled to contain the horde.

Civilians continued fleeing.

And the crimson-eyed woman in the black dress was already moving directly toward the monsters.

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