For now, no one in Underworld had managed to connect the unranked studio, Genesis, to Kaito or the Ren family. That was no accident. It was the result of Kia's quiet but decisive intervention—an operation executed with surgical precision.
Kia had erased every visible thread that could have tied the in-game name Genesis to Kaito's real-world identity. Server logs had been doctored, communication histories rewritten, and account registration details replaced with convincingly mundane fabrications. Even deep-trace data—buried in seldom-accessed corners of the system—had been scrubbed clean or overwritten with misleading false trails.
Every piece of personal information that could have raised suspicion was now gone, smothered beneath layers of fabricated records designed to misdirect even the most determined investigators. In its place, she had left a carefully curated web of inconsistencies—just enough noise to make any serious probe conclude that Genesis was just a newly formed unranked studio and "Raen" was nothing more than an unusually skilled, independent player with no notable affiliations.
It was the kind of cover that didn't just hide the truth—it actively discouraged anyone from digging deeper.
Thanks to her work, even an organization as resourceful as Underworld would find themselves staring into a dead end, with no idea that the unassuming Genesis guild leader was the heir of the Ren family.
And that was precisely why Grim shade could speak so casually about Raen, dismissing him as nothing more than a talented, but ultimately irrelevant, independent player.
Under normal circumstances, an incident like Nightshade Vale's defeat would have prompted Underworld to send someone to personally investigate—or even quietly "test" the target's strength through a direct confrontation. But now was not a normal time.
The assassination of the Velthorn Family's core members had sent shockwaves rippling through Silvercrest City. The strike had been surgical and absolute, removing not just the heads of the family, but stripping away their footholds overnight. No one knew for certain who had orchestrated it, but everyone knew the Kaelas Family was watching.
The Kaelas were not the sort of rulers to turn a blind eye when something happened within their territory—especially something that so blatantly disrupted the balance of power. As a Silver Grade household with more than a decade of unchallenged authority over Silvercrest, their reach was vast. Even the smallest disturbance was noted, logged, and analyzed. The Velthorn incident had been anything but small.
Now, every major organization in the city understood the unspoken truth: any movement that could be construed as suspicious would be scrutinized under the Kaelas' all-seeing eyes.
That included Underworld.
Even though Underworld's influence and power extended far beyond Silvercrest, they were not foolish enough to provoke a Silver Grade household in their own domain without cause. Dispatching operatives into the city to investigate Raen—someone they still believed to be unimportant—would only risk drawing unwanted attention from the Kaelas.
At best, it would be seen as meddling in local affairs. At worst, it could be interpreted as challenging the Kaelas Family's authority.
And right now, with tensions high after the Velthorn purge, the Kaelas were far too sensitive to tolerate such provocations.
So Underworld would wait.
For the time being, their approach could only be verbal—quiet conversations, indirect questions, and discreet offers of recruitment through safe channels. Anything more would be deemed too risky for a figure they still considered to be of negligible strategic value.
An unranked organization, after all, was not worth the trouble of risking political friction with a Silver Grade power.
That was the prevailing opinion among Underworld's mid-level leadership. In their eyes, Genesis was just a small, unranked studio from a nameless background. Even if Raen had some skill, it was nothing that couldn't be replicated or surpassed by dozens of other operatives already under their wing.
But beneath that surface dismissal was a quiet note of caution. Grim shade, at least, had seen enough to suspect that there was more to Raen than met the eye. And though Underworld's official stance was to keep their distance for now, he made a silent note to himself: if an opportunity arose to learn more without rousing the Kaelas' suspicion, he would take it.
Because in the world of power, one simple truth had always held: the most dangerous threats were the ones everyone else dismissed.
"What hidden strength? It was nothing but dumb luck. I don't know where he got it from, but that flame of his was unbelievably powerful—it destroyed my equipment mid-battle and even slashed the durability of my Silver Weapons in half. If it weren't for that flame, he wouldn't have had a chance to kill me," Nightshade Vale said with open disdain.
"Flame? One that could destroy equipment… and even Silver Weapons couldn't withstand it?" Grim shade's eyes narrowed with interest. "Swordsmen don't have any skill like that. It must have come from special equipment. But if even Silver Weapons couldn't endure it, we're talking about something far beyond ordinary. That kind of power suggests an exceptionally high-quality item—possibly Dark-Gold rank at least. But even Dark-Gold wouldn't be that destructive. The odds are… it's Epic rank."
"Epic rank?!" Nightshade Vale's eyes widened in shock. "That's impossible. I haven't even heard of anyone obtaining a Dark-Gold item yet—and you're saying an independent player like him could have an Epic?"
"What's so surprising? Glory is full of mysteries. Even at this early stage, it's not impossible for someone to stumble upon an Epic. Within Underworld, there are already a few who've secured Dark-Gold gear, though this would be my first time hearing of an Epic. Still, it's only my speculation for now—it needs proper investigation."
A faint smile tugged at Grim shade's lips. If this lead proved true, even as a mere possibility, it would earn him a reward from the higher-ups. And if he could confirm it, his own standing within Underworld would soar.
"I've relayed everything Underworld wanted you to know," Grim shade said, rising from his seat. "I'll look into this flame myself. If it really is Epic rank, and Raen hands it over, then with his skillset, he might just qualify to become an outer member of Underworld. Until then, avoid causing him trouble—you may be colleagues sooner than you think." He chuckled and strode out of the bar.
"Damn it!" Nightshade Vale slammed his fist into the table, bottles toppling and shattering on the floor in a spray of glass.
…..
The Black Market – The Moonlit Glaive
Inside a private room, "Mr. Raen, here are the forging materials you requested," Selvera said with a warm smile, bringing up the transaction list on her interface. "Due to limited bag space, I've only brought the rare and precious ones. The total comes to 43 Gold Coins."
The combined value of the materials was just over 37 Gold, but Selvera had originally planned to quote 50 Gold for the lot. Since this was their first direct transaction, however, she decided to earn a little less this time—an investment in building trust.
Truthfully, she hadn't even possessed enough Gold Coins to purchase all these materials initially. But fortune had favored her. Her earlier deal with Kaito, selling the Echochore Emberplate Forging Designs, had turned into a windfall. Not only had she earned more than a hundred Gold Coins in profit, but she had also recovered all the Credits she had spent acquiring those designs in the first place.
Better yet, her stockpile was far from depleted. She still held several Echochore Emberplate Forging Designs in reserve. If she chose to sell them all, she stood to earn dozens more Gold Coins and hundreds of thousands of Credits—enough to keep her business thriving for quite some time.