Miles leaned lightly against the balcony railing. “Uncle Hugh,” he replied. A short silence followed. Then Hugh let out a long sigh. “And here I was starting to think you vanished completely,” the older man said. “You’ve barely shown your face lately. Usually you’re at my office three times a week looking for work.” Miles looked out over the city. “I’ve been busy,” he answered calmly. Hugh scoffed immediately. “Busy?” he repeated. “That excuse stopped sounding believable a long time ago.” His tone turned slightly more serious. “Don’t tell me you finally got yourself killed out there in the outlands.” Miles paused briefly before a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. If only you knew. “I’m still alive,” he said simply. “That’s good to hear,” Hugh replied, though suspicion still lingered in his voice. “You’ve been disappearing more often lately. I was starting to think some monster finally caught something faster than you.” Miles let out a quiet breath. “Hasn’t

For generations, the Lancelot Family had controlled industries related to hunters without actually possessing powerful awakeners of their own. While they were wealthy and influential, they lacked the military power that true guilds possessed. But Alexis changed everything. Rumors claimed that her awakened ability possessed extraordinary potential. Some even believed she could one day become an S Rank hunter. And Arthur Lancelot had apparently become obsessed with nurturing her growth. According to online reports, the chairman intended to use Alexis as the foundation for establishing the family’s very own hunter guild in the future. A true combat organization directly under the Lancelot Family. Miles immediately understood why that created problems. If Alexis succeeded, the balance of power inside the family would completely change. Her uncles, who remained unawakened despite their wealth and influence, would inevitably lose authority once an elite hunter emerged within the fam

On the other hand Halmer walked toward the black armored van and stopped beside the tinted window before lowering his head respectfully as he addressed the unseen passenger inside as young miss while informing her that every preparation had been completed and the team was ready to depart into the outlands and shortly after his words the door of the vehicle slid open revealing a young girl dressed in silver combat armor engraved with intricate blue patterns that shimmered faintly beneath the morning sunlight while a long dark cloak rested behind her shoulders and flowed gently with the wind. The moment she stepped out the surrounding atmosphere subtly shifted as every member of the raid team instinctively straightened their posture and even the hunters who had remained calm until now unconsciously revealed traces of admiration and respect within their expressions because Alexis Lancelot carried herself with a presence that naturally commanded attention without her needing to utter a s

The raid party walked for several more couple of minutes Abandoned skyscrapers were like Collapsed towers pierced through fog like broken spears. Far beneath them, old subway entrances vanished into darkness. The scout moved ahead carefully before raising a hand. He stepped onto a broken section of concrete and unfolded a digital terrain map. “We’ll be changing routes.” Several hunters frowned immediately. “The western route ahead collapsed during the last storm,” the scout explained smoothly. “We’ll take the northern pass instead. Safer terrain. Faster travel.” Most of the team accepted the explanation immediately. Miles didn’t but His eyes drifted toward the northern route. A narrow canyon passage partially hidden between steep rock formations. Something about it felt wrong instantly. Halmer stepped forward. “You’re certain?” “Yeah,” the scout replied smoothly. Ahead, one of the veteran hunters spoke up. “The northern pass? Isn’t that route unstable?” The scout answe

A few minutes later, the remaining Tunnel Crawlers finally retreated back into the darkness after losing too many of their numbers. Their screeches gradually faded deeper into the tunnels until silence slowly reclaimed the ruined station. Crawler corpses littered the highway. Silence slowly returned. Heavy breathing filled the air. Several hunters dropped against nearby walls trying to recover while others checked ammunition and injuries with shaking hands. Near the center of the station, the wounded hunter continued groaning in pain as a medic desperately tried to stop the bleeding around his shoulder. Halmer wiped monster blood from his weapon before cursing under his breath. “That was sloppier than expected.” Almost immediately, the scout stepped forward. “These creatures shouldn’t have been here,” he explained quickly. “They must’ve migrated recently.” Miles looked toward him quietly. Again, the explanation came too fast. Too smooth. It felt less like surprise and more