Julian gave me a knowing look and gestured ahead. "Keep walking for a bit and make sure you keep your eyes up. You’ll figure it out on your own soon enough."

The moment he said that, I just stared at him.

Fuck! Did he really have to do that?

This guy was completely unbelievable.

I decided right then I wasn’t going to ask him anything else. If I did, he’d just keep playing games.

I turned away and kept walking without another word. I didn’t even glance in his direction.

Julian didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. If anything, he looked entertained. He was still smiling, walking along as lazily as ever.

Even so, I did take his advice seriously.

I kept my eyes up as I walked, scanning the area.

Looking at what exactly? The skyscrapers, I assumed. They were mostly empty—

Before I could finish the thought, something shifted.

The skyscrapers that had been completely blank just moments before suddenly came to life. Three enormous virtual screens flickered into existence across the faces of the three towers. Each one displayed different information: dungeon missions, guild positions, and hunter rankings.

Another illusion shield. Naturally.

Why were there so many of these things around here?

I shoved the question aside and focused on the screens instead.

First, I checked the guild rankings. I was curious where the Frostburne guild stood.

***

[1] Blitzkrieg

Recent Clearance: SS+ Rank Dungeon

[2] Frostburne

Recent Clearance: S+ Rank Dungeon

[3] Tempest

Recent Clearance: S Rank Dungeon

***

It didn’t take long to find.

Second place.

It looked like we’d climbed one spot since the last time I’d checked.

That was good. Better than good, actually.

I felt a small swell of pride seeing the Frostburne guild sitting solidly in second place on the list.

After a moment, I shifted my gaze to the hunter rankings. Mostly out of curiosity.

The second I saw it, I went completely still.

My heart actually skipped a beat.

That was the moment I finally understood what Julian had been talking about. He’d told me to look up and everything would make sense.

And now it did.

I understood completely.

I turned my head slowly and looked at Allen. Then at Julian.

Allen showed no reaction at all. He just kept moving forward, his expression as blank as ever.

Julian, on the other hand, gave me a knowing smirk and said, "Told you."

These two...

***

[1] Kael Tempest — Storm Sovereign

[2] Julian Cash — Angel of Death

[3] Allen Carver — The White Reaper

[4]...

***

They were absolute monsters.

After a few seconds, I managed to calm myself down.

This was unbelievable. Incredible, even.

I’d never expected Allen to be anywhere near the top ten on the hunter rankings, let alone sitting in the top three.

Just how strong was he, really?

Then I glanced at Julian.

Who the hell was this guy?

He was ranked even higher than Allen. Did that mean he was stronger? Was he also a Master ranker, just like Allen?

And what was with that title? Angel of Death.

Allen’s title, The White Reaper, had already been intense enough.

But this?

Both of them must have done something absolutely brutal to earn names like that.

We continued walking until we reached the second skyscraper. Allen turned toward its entrance and headed inside without breaking stride.

I followed right behind him.

For whatever reason, Julian came along too.

I wasn’t entirely sure why, but I didn’t question it. He’d mentioned earlier that he wanted to ask Allen something. Maybe he just didn’t want to do it in front of me.

After walking for about a minute, we finally passed through the main entrance.

Just like before, people kept staring at us. The further we walked, the more eyes turned our way.

I did my best to ignore all of it.

After a short walk, we reached the elevators. One of them was already open, so we stepped inside without delay.

Allen pressed a button right away.

The doors started to close.

Then, suddenly, I heard a voice from outside.

"Hey, wait! Don’t close it!"

It was a kid’s voice.

I looked up and spotted a young girl running toward the elevator as fast as she could.

Julian casually reached out and stopped the doors from closing. "Come on in."

The girl hurried into the elevator just before the doors slid shut behind her.

I took a quick glance at her.

She had pink hair held back by a hairband, bright blue eyes, and a small frame. Her professional attire and confident demeanor made it easy to guess she was a journalist.

Julian flashed her a playful grin.

"Miri, what are you doing here? This place isn’t for kids."

So they knew each other. Apparently, her name was Miri.

She shot him an annoyed glare. "Shut up! I’m not a kid, you dumb piece of shit!"

She immediately turned her attention to Allen.

He stood perfectly still, staring straight ahead at the elevator doors as the cabin continued its ascent.

Without hesitation, Miri pulled a small microphone from her pocket and tapped her hairband. A holographic camera immediately materialized beside her head, hovering in the air.

Then she thrust the microphone toward Allen.

"Sir Allen, I’m a rookie journalist with News Times. Can you tell me what your next mission is?"

Allen didn’t react. He remained completely motionless, silent as ever.

Unfazed, Miri pressed on.

"Sir Allen, what do you think about your title, The White Reaper?"

"There’s a rumor that you’re planning to join the government. Is that true?"

"Are you happy with your life? And how much money do you make in a year?"

I had no idea what was happening, but Julian and I were both just standing there, watching Miri relentlessly badger Allen with questions.

Allen stayed completely silent.

Julian smirked at the scene. "I told you. He doesn’t do interviews. Never has. Not once. That perfect zero-interview streak isn’t getting broken anytime soon."

Miri spun around, clearly ready to fire back. "Shut up—wait."

She stopped mid sentence the moment her eyes landed on me.

The instant she looked at me, I felt an unsettling sense of dread. Like something was about to go sideways.

Without missing a beat, Miri rushed over and shoved the microphone directly in my face. "Sir, who are you?"

She didn’t know who I was?

I suppose that made sense. Most people in Ambrosia probably had no clue I even existed.

Unlike other high class individuals who were always giving interviews, appearing on podcasts, dominating TV screens, and flooding social media with the help of powerful PR teams, Michael had never bothered with any of that.

He simply didn’t care about public perception. Whether people knew him or what they thought of him had never been his concern.

I cleared my throat. "I’m Michael Frostburne."

Her eyes went wide the second she heard the name.

Then she said something that made my stomach sink. "Michael Frostburne? Wait, sir, are you the famous useless son of Eoin Frostburne?"

Useless.

Seriously? I was known for being useless?

Why the hell hadn’t I known the general public saw me like that? I’d scrolled through social media more than a few times and had never once stumbled across anything about myself.

I forced myself to stay calm and answered, somewhat reluctantly, "You could say that, I guess."

Miri tilted her head. "So, Sir Useless Frostburne, can you tell me what you’re doing here?"

Ouch. That one stung.

Julian jumped in immediately. "Miri, you should respect your elders. Didn’t your parents teach you that?"

She shot him a sharp look. "Shut up, idiot."

Yeah, she really didn’t like Julian.

She turned back to me without missing a beat. "So, what are you doing here?"

I hesitated for a second. "I..."

Should I actually tell her?

Whatever. Might as well.

"I’m here for some dungeon paperwork. Signing documents, that sort of thing."

Her eyes lit up with interest. "Oh, I see. Is it for your family’s Frostburne guild? Did they send you as a representative?"

I shook my head. "No, it’s not for the guild. It’s for me, actually."

She looked surprised. "For you? Wait, are you planning to clear a dungeon?"

"Not exactly," I said. "It’s just a test. I want to see how I do."

Miri’s eyes narrowed slightly. "A test? But wait, Mr. Useless, aren’t you a zero ranker?"

Fuck, why did she keep calling me that? Did she not care about my feelings at all? It was honestly getting a little insulting at this point.

I opened my mouth to respond. "Please, don’t call me useless—"

But before I could finish, Julian cut in smoothly. "Actually, Miri, my boy here isn’t a zero ranker anymore. He’s a bronze ranker now."

Miri’s face brightened instantly. "Oh, really? Congratulations, Sir Michael! You’re not useless anymore!"

Yeah... She really was something else.

I gave a weak nod. "Yeah. Thanks."

I wasn’t surprised that Julian knew my rank. Master rankers could easily sense the aura radiating from a person and determine their rank just from that.

Miri opened her mouth again, clearly gearing up for another question. "Sir Michael—"

I cut her off gently. "Hey, you don’t need to add ’Sir.’ You can just call me Michael."

***

I told her that mainly because it was an incredibly strange hearing coming from a short person.

I meant, no offense...

She looked like a kid, her height was close to 5 ’7 to 5’ 8 like those 16-17 years kids.

Wait! Now that I think about it, I don’t even know her full name nor do I know what her age is...

I mean, I don’t need to know but still...

Anyway, leaving that aside...

Julian then said, "Michael, You shouldn’t give a minor permission like that. You might regret it later, you know, just like me."

Fuck... I knew it... so, she was a minor...

I mean, it shouldn’t have been that hard for me to understand but still for a moment I thought she was a short height adult.

Anyway, leaving that aside...

Miri then pointed at Julian and said, "Michael, Ignore that piece of shit. And, tell me which dungeon will you be going in?"

Damn, she is fast... as soon as I gave her permission, she quickly dropped the sir...

Anyway, I then said, "It’s a special rank dungeon."

The moment I said it.

She quickly asked,"Wait! Are you for real?"