The entire grand hall was still completely losing its collective mind, the overlapping shouts and gasps from the nobles creating a deafening wall of noise.

Hajin remained perfectly still, keeping his expression neutral while his mind raced a mile a minute.

’Why is he doing all this?’ he thought, his eyes fixed on the King’s completely relaxed and confident face.

He didn’t care about politics, and he knew the King was a seasoned, ruthless ruler who didn’t do things just out of the kindness of his heart. Handing a commoner a noble title and a piece of land wasn’t a reward; it was a massive, calculated political earthquake.

Even though the Great Families themselves weren’t present tonight, since it would take days for them to travel to the capital, the news would reach them immediately. It directly challenged their established hierarchy and threw Hajin right into the center of the kingdom’s power struggles.

His thoughts drifted back to the night before, when he, the Captain, and Helen had delivered their report to the royal council.

He remembered the exact moment the Captain had placed the Beast King’s core on the table. He remembered the silence, the sheer terror radiating from the council members, and then... the King’s smile.

It had been a dark, thoroughly unnerving smile. To the rest of the council, it had probably looked like a warm, welcoming expression of approval from a proud ruler. But to Hajin, who had spent years fighting for his life in the slums and dealing with predators, it had felt exactly like a massive beast bearing its fangs at trapped prey.

A cold shiver ran down his spine just thinking about it.

’Was it all in my head?’ he wondered, his brow furrowing slightly as he stared at the King. ’I hadn’t slept in three days. My core was completely burned out from the Goddess Resonance and I was basically running on fumes. Maybe I just hallucinated the creepy vibe.’

He wanted to believe that. He wanted to believe that he was just being paranoid and that the King genuinely wanted to reward him for clearing that gate.

But his gut was telling him otherwise. His instincts were screaming that the smiling old man standing right in front of him was dangerous.

’Just thinking about it is annoying,’ he thought, closing his eyes for a second. ’This is exactly why I didn’t want to get close to nobility. Fuck.’

"Silence," the King commanded, his voice cutting through the chaotic hall effortlessly.

The shouting immediately died down with Duke Vahn looking physically ill, clutching his chest while staring at the floor.

"The decree is final," the King stated, his voice carrying over the crowd, leaving absolutely zero room for debate. "I invite all of you to enjoy the party, the food, and the music. The crown is celebrating tonight."

He then turned his attention back to Hajin, his expression softening into a grandfatherly smile. "As for your reward, Lord Hajin. Come with me. I will take you to the Royal Vault right now."

Juna immediately stepped forward, her tail swaying as she moved to follow with Loccy and Vella falling into step right behind her.

The King raised a single hand, stopping them.

"Only the one receiving the reward is permitted to enter the vault," he said smoothly, his gaze shifting to the girls. "You will wait here."

Juna’s ears pinned back, a low growl rumbling in her chest. "We go where he goes—"

"It’s fine," Hajin interrupted, giving her a reassuring nod. Arguing with the King in the middle of his own palace was a terrible idea. "Stay here and enjoy the food. Loccy, don’t eat all the chocolate before I get back."

"I make no promises," she muttered, though she reluctantly stepped back.

"Lead the way, Your Majesty," he said, looking at the girls and winking while smiling, reassuring them everything will be ok.

The King gave another warm smile and turned toward the side doors. "Excellent. Follow me."

They walked out, leaving the crowded, noisy hall behind them and the immediate silence of the corridors was jarring.

Hajin walked a half-step behind the King as they descended deeper into the palace, the carpets eventually giving way to bare floors.

’Just the two of us now,’ he thought, his eyes tracking the back of the King’s robes.

His instincts flared again, sharper this time. The creeping sensation of being led into a trap settled heavily over his shoulders.

Whatever was waiting for him in the Royal Vault, it wasn’t just a reward.

The deeper they went, the colder it got. The mana lamps thinned out, leaving long shadows stretching across the bare floor.

Hajin kept his hands in his pockets, but his body was coiled tight. His passive Danger Sense wasn’t just tingling anymore, it was practically vibrating. He silently mapped every blind corner and archway they passed. If this went south, he needed an exit route.

"You are very quiet, Lord Hajin," the King said, his voice echoing as he continued walking without turning around.

"Just taking in the sights, Your Majesty," he replied evenly. "The palace is bigger than I thought."

"It was built as a fortress, not just a residence," the King chuckled. "There are secrets buried in these walls even I haven’t uncovered."

Hajin said nothing, his eyes narrowing slightly.

They reached the end of the corridor, stopping at a massive steel door embedded into the bedrock. It had no handle or hinges, just incredibly dense, glowing blue runes covering the entire surface.

’That’s a lot of mana,’ he thought and realized, forcing that door would probably vaporize anyone trying.

"This is the Royal Vault," the King announced, pressing his bare hand against the center of the runes.

The blue runes flared gold, followed by a deep, mechanical grinding sound as the mana locked onto the King’s signature. Seconds later the massive door groaned open, releasing a wave of stale, magic-dense air.

"After you," he said, stepping aside.

Hajin hesitated for a split second before stepping through.

The moment he walked in, the ceiling lamps flared to life to reveal a massive room. Rows of glass cases, weapon racks, and display pedestals stretched out endlessly alongside rusted swords dripping with killing intent, glowing crystals the size of his head, and shelves of ancient skill books. The sheer wealth and power in the room was staggering.

As the door slowly ground shut behind him with a clank, Hajin glanced back, noting the King hadn’t locked it from the inside.

"Impressive, isn’t it?" the King asked, walking past him down the main aisle. "Take your time, you may choose any three items."

Hajin started walking down a row of weapon racks, pretending to browse while keeping his focus entirely on the old man.

"You fought a Beast King," the King said casually, "and according to the Captain, you did so without their help, just you and your girls."

"They’re very skilled," he said, picking up a silver dagger and inspecting the edge.

"Indeed, to command such powerful people is a rare talent," the King nodded thoughtfully, "but to possess the personal strength to sever a compressed demonic core is something else entirely."

The King stopped walking and turned to look directly at him, the grandfatherly smile completely gone, replaced by a sharp, calculating stare that felt like it was trying to dissect him.

"You are an anomaly, Hajin," he said softly, dropping the formal title, "you possess a power that defies the very laws of mana."

Hajin stopped browsing and slowly turned to face the King, not reaching for any weapon, though his mana began circulating silently.

"I’m just a guy who got lucky with his awakening," he said, his face entirely blank.

"Luck," the King let out a short, dry laugh, "no, I know exactly what kind of power you possess because I have seen it once before."

Hajin’s eyes narrowed.

Seeing the boy’s muscles tense and feeling the silent spike of mana circulating through his body, the King let out another warm laugh and raised both hands defensively.

"Calm down, boy," he chuckled, the sharp stare vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. "I have no bad intentions toward you, quite the opposite in fact."

Hajin didn’t relax his posture. "Then what do you want?"

"I brought you down here because I want to offer you a deal," he said smoothly, gesturing to the massive vault around them.

Hajin stared at the old man, his eyes darting briefly to the treasures before locking back onto the King’s smiling face.

"A deal?"