[A few minutes earlier]

In the sumptuous office overlooking the neon lights of the capital, a woman adjusted her silver-framed glasses. The room was a sanctuary of luxury, decorated with precious artifacts and rosewood furniture. She was seated behind her desk, her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders like a stream of silk. She wore a Chinese-style dress, a black silk qipao adorned with golden floral patterns that hugged her generous curves, highlighting a silhouette whose distracting power she knew perfectly. A light mauve veil was draped over her arms, adding a touch of mystery to her imposing appearance.

She was Seo Ye-Jin, an SS+ rank Awakened and master of the Astra Polaris guild. Ranked second among all guilds in Korea, she was seen as the second strongest in the country after Electhra.

Her violet eyes, with their piercing clarity, were fixed on a holographic report floating in front of her. The information had arrived less than twenty minutes ago. An D-rank Awakened had single-handedly cleared the tenth lower floor of the Tower of Infamy, a D-rank dungeon close to C-rank. Even more incredible, the Floor Guardian, Korgar, had been slaughtered.

"An D-rank? It’s statistically impossible. Either the Association’s evaluation system made a monumental error, or we are facing an unprecedented anomaly." She thought.

"Damn, that bitch again," she muttered between her teeth upon seeing that the information stated the Awakened was linked to her.

Seo Ye-Jin stood up slowly, the rustle of her dress the only sound in the hushed silence. She hated Electhra. Ever since she had appeared, the Astra Polaris guild had been relegated to second place, a humiliation she could not swallow. If this anomaly was at Aegis Prime, she had to act quickly. Her goal was clear: recruit this boy, no matter the means used.

"Prepare the vehicle. We are going to Aegis Prime. Right now," she ordered into her intercom in a firm voice that brooked no argument.

---

A few moments later, Aegis Prime Guild Headquarters.

The door to Electhra’s office burst open. Seo Ye-Jin entered the room with royal confidence, superbly ignoring the guards who tried to stop her in the hallway. Hae-neul, the vice-master of the Aegis guild, followed close behind, her expression tense and nervous, clearly overwhelmed by the guest’s impetuosity.

Electhra, seated behind her desk, did not even flinch. Her violet eyes rose slowly toward the intruder, a gleam of icy contempt dancing in them. Gerhman, still covered in the dried blood of his battles, was seated in the chair across from her. He did not even turn around, his posture radiating total disinterest in the commotion behind him.

"Seo Ye-Jin..." began Electhra in a voice that seemed capable of freezing the ambient air. "I do not recall inviting you to force my door. Your lack of manners is as blatant as your cheap perfume."

Seo Ye-Jin let out a melodious but warmthless laugh. She advanced to the center of the room, her mauve veil floating behind her. She ignored the insult, her violet eyes fixed on Gerhman’s silhouette.

"Oh, Electhra... Always so charming. I heard an anomaly occurred in one of your towers... An D-rank little prodigy performing miracles. I came to see for myself what it was about," she said, a smile forming on her lips.

"I fail to see how that concerns you," replied Electhra coldly, frowning.

"One cannot let such talent be wasted in a guild that treats its members like soulless subordinates."

She walked around the desk to position herself in front of Gerhman, offering him a smile she knew was irresistible to most men. She leaned slightly forward, highlighting her plunging neckline accented by the black lace of her dress.

"Let me introduce myself... Seo Ye-Jin, master of the Astra Polaris guild, SS+ rank Awakened. And you must be the famous Awakened everyone is talking about..."

Gerhman looked up at her. His cold gaze, for the first time in her life, destabilized Seo Ye-Jin. It showed no admiration, no desire, just weariness toward her.

"Your name does not interest me, and neither does your rank..." replied Gerhman in a monotone voice. "You are interrupting an important conversation to show off. It is... pathetic."

Seo Ye-Jin’s smile froze. She was not used to this kind of rejection, especially from an eighteen-year-old man at that. Electhra, for her part, let out a small satisfied laugh.

"You see, Ye-Jin? Your offer does not interest him," said Electhra with evident satisfaction.

Seo Ye-Jin straightened up, readjusting her glasses with a sharp gesture. Her expression became more serious, more predatory. She had no intention of giving up so easily.

"Very well... Let’s save the formalities for later," resumed Seo Ye-Jin, addressing Gerhman again. "I came to offer you a place at Astra Polaris. We can provide you with resources, mana, and a position that this guild could never match. What would you say to coming and training with us? You would have unlimited access to S-rank towers."

Hae-neul, who had remained in the background, stepped forward, her fists clenched. "Miss Seo Ye-Jin, you are overstepping! You cannot recruit our members right in the middle of our headquarters!"

"Silence, vice-master..." cut in Seo Ye-Jin without even looking at her. "The adults are talking."

Gerhman remained silent for a moment. He seemed to be thinking, then turned toward Electhra, completely ignoring Seo Ye-Jin’s presence as she waited for a response.

"As I asked earlier..." said Gerhman.

"Yes, Master..." replied Electhra immediately, also ignoring her rival.

"I would like to know more about the Cult of the Void," asked Gerhman.

A heavy silence fell over the office. Seo Ye-Jin frowned, surprised by the direction the conversation was taking. The Cult of the Void was not a subject one brought up lightly, especially not to a new D-rank arrival.

Electhra clasped her hands on her desk, her expression darkening. "The Cult of the Void is an organization of fanatics who worship the beings of the towers... They seek to hasten the fall of this world to please their masters. They are parasites that infiltrate guilds and corrupt everything they touch."

Seo Ye-Jin, who had no intention of giving up, went to sit in a chair and added, her tone having lost its arrogance to become more serious: "She is right, for once..."

Electhra shot a dark look at her rival. "As long as they do not get in my way, all is well. I will deal with them personally if they dare approach Aegis Prime."

"By the way, why did you ask that?" asked Electhra, intrigued.

"In the tower, I came across a few of them, they seemed to be doing something shady," explained Gerhman.

"Lately, many more people are disappearing in raid zones and Cult members are acting strangely," said Ye-Jin suddenly.

Gerhman turned his gaze toward Seo Ye-Jin. "And you... Do you have precise information on their current location or their next objectives?"

The master of Astra Polaris looked skeptical. Why was this boy so interested in fanatics? "I have reports, of course... But why should I share my information with someone who refuses my invitation?"

Gerhman stood up, his silhouette towering over the two women. The smell of blood and death emanating from his clothes suddenly seemed stronger, more suffocating.

"If you have nothing useful to tell me, then you have no more reason to stay here..." declared Gerhman before heading toward the door.

Without a backward glance, he went on his way, leaving Seo Ye-Jin petrified by the intensity of the contempt she had just endured. Electhra could not help but smile cruelly at seeing her rival so humiliated.

"You should leave now, Ye-Jin..." said Electhra in a honeyed voice. "Hae-neul will escort you to the exit before I decide to freeze your precious qipaos directly on your skin."

Seo Ye-Jin gritted her teeth, her violet eyes shining with contained rage. She adjusted her mauve veil with a furious gesture and turned toward the exit, her heels clacking violently on the marble floor.