[ SIMULATION ENDED ]
[ Winner: Lin (Sector 7 Academy) ]
The holographic text hovered over the stadium, fifty feet tall and glowing gold.
A flash of blue light deposited Lin back onto the main stage. The asphalt ruins vanished, replaced by the polished steel floor of the arena.
He stood alone.
Around him, ninety-nine other students were materializing, nursing bruises and egos. Kael was there, sitting on a stretcher, a medical drone hovering over his shattered nose. He stared at the floor, refusing to look at anyone.
The stadium was dead silent. Fifty thousand people stared at the boy in the grey hoodie.
Then, the murmurs started.
"The F-Ranker won?"
"Did you see him face-tank the Hellfire?"
"It has to be a bug. His shield never broke."
Lin didn't wave to the crowd. He didn't smile. He adjusted his bone bow on his shoulder and walked toward the exit tunnel.
"Hold it right there!"
A man in a sharp suit jumped over the barrier. He wore the crimson lapel pin of the Iron Blood Guild. Following him, a dozen other recruiters surged forward like sharks smelling blood.
"I am Vok, Senior Recruiter for Iron Blood," the man announced, shoving a digital contract in Lin's face. "We are prepared to offer you a C-Rank Prospective Contract. Signing bonus of 50,000 Credits. Dormitory access. Elite training."
The crowd gasped. A C-Rank contract for an F-Rank student? It was unheard of.
Lin stopped. He looked at the contract.
"However," Vok added, his eyes narrowing, "there is a clause. You must submit to a full medical and System audit. We need to understand how your shield malfunctioned during the fight with Kael. If it's an illegal exploit, the contract is void."
Lin pushed the tablet away. "Not interested."
Vok blinked. "Excuse me? We are the number one Guild in Sector 7."
"Your 'Prodigy' just lost to me," Lin said, gesturing to Kael. "Why would I join the losers?"
Vok's face turned purple.
"Storm Vanguard!" Another recruiter shoved Vok aside. "We don't care about the glitch! We offer 60,000 Credits! But you'll be assigned to the Frontline Tank Division. With your durability, you're a perfect meat shield."
"Pass," Lin said.
"Black Tower! We want to study your magic resistance!"
They swarmed him. To them, he wasn't a person. He was a specimen. An anomaly to be dissected, patented, and exploited. They wanted to own him.
Lin scanned the crowd of recruiters. He wasn't looking for the loudest voice. He was looking for the one that offered freedom.
His eyes landed on a woman leaning against the tunnel wall, far away from the chaos.
She wore a long, tattered black coat with a silver insignia on the shoulder: A Crow perched on a Skull. She was smoking a thin cigarette, watching the circus with bored amusement.
[ Faction Identified: The Pale Crow ]
[ Reputation: Infamous / High Mortality Rate ]
The Pale Crow was a "Black-Ops" style guild. They didn't do parades. They didn't have sponsors. They took the jobs that the Iron Bloods of the world were too scared—or too "moral"—to touch. They cleared high-level anomaly zones and hunted rogue monsters.
Lin walked past Vok, past the screaming recruiters, and stopped in front of the woman.
"You're blocking the exit," Lin said.
The woman blew a ring of smoke. Her name tag read Raven.
"You caused quite a mess, kid," Raven said. Her voice was scratchy, like sandpaper. "Humiliating a Blaze family heir? Iron Blood is going to put a target on your back."
"Let them," Lin said. "Are you hiring?"
Raven laughed softly. "We aren't a nursery. The Pale Crow has a 40% casualty rate. We don't offer safety. We don't offer health insurance."
"I don't need safety," Lin said. "I need access."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"I need a Guild License that lets me enter D-Rank and C-Rank Dungeons solo. I need a warehouse to offload loot without questions. And I need the Guild to stay out of my way."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Solo access? That's against Federation regulation for anyone under B-Rank."
"I just beat an A-Rank," Lin countered. "Regulations are for people who can die."
Raven stared at him. She looked at his eyes. There was no fear there. Only a cold, calculating hunger. She had seen that look before—in the eyes of veterans who had spent too long in the Abyss.
She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her coat pocket. Not a digital tablet. Paper.
"Standard Mercenary Contract," Raven said. "We take 20% of your loot earnings as tax. In exchange, we give you the License and the stamp of protection. If Iron Blood tries to touch you, we break their fingers."
"10%," Lin said.
"15%," Raven countered. "And you have to answer one Mandatory Summons per month. If the Guild calls for a Raid, you show up."
Lin thought about it.
A raid meant a massive battlefield. Massive battlefield meant thousands of monsters.
Thousands of monsters meant... unlimited HP.
"Deal," Lin said.
Raven handed him a pen. "Sign here. Welcome to the murder of crows."
[ System Alert: Guild Affiliation Updated. ]
[ New Faction: The Pale Crow ]
[ Rank: Mercenary (Freelance) ]
[ Perk Unlocked: Dungeon Bypass (D-Rank) ]
Lin signed his name.
As he handed the paper back, Vok from Iron Blood stormed over, his face red.
"You're making a mistake!" Vok shouted. "The Pale Crow? They're scavengers! Criminals! You're throwing your future away!"
Raven stepped between Lin and Vok. She didn't draw a weapon. She just unleashed her killing intent. The air temperature dropped ten degrees.
[ Character Identified: Raven ]
[ Level: ??? (High) ]
"The kid is ours, Vok," Raven smiled, exposing sharp teeth. "Touch him, and I'll mail your head to your wife."
Vok paled and took a step back.
Raven turned to Lin. She tossed him a heavy black iron badge.
"Headquarters is in the Undercity. Don't be late for the monthly meeting." She winked. "Try not to die before then, Lin. We hate paperwork."
She vanished into the crowd.
Lin held the iron badge. It was cold and heavy.
He had what he wanted.
No auditors. No "meat shield" assignments. Just a license to kill and a market to sell.
He walked out of the stadium tunnel, leaving the lights and the cheering crowd behind.
Outside, the sun was setting over Sector 7. The neon lights of the city were flickering on.
Lin checked his Status.
[ Name: Lin ]
[ Level: 5 ]
[ HP: 3,350 ]
[ Next Objective: D-Rank Dungeon - The Skeleton Catacombs ]
Why skeletons?
Because skeletons came in armies.
And skeletons... had bones.
"I need a better bow," Lin whispered.
He hailed a hover-taxi.
"Where to?" the drone driver asked.
"Undercity," Lin said. "The Black Market."
The Academy Arc was over.
The Hunter Arc had begun.