Awakened: SSS Ranked Soul king-Chapter 167: Athen

"Beast hunting? You're new here, I forgot," Eric said, a coy smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he glanced sideways at Guilliman.

They moved without urgency through the winding streets of Kong Shi, their steps unhurried, almost lazy, as though neither had anywhere important to be. The city around them breathed with a strange rhythm, a blend of quiet tension and hardened routine. Buildings loomed tall and close, their shadows stretching across the stone pathways like watchful sentinels. Vendors shouted half-heartedly from the roadside, warriors passed in silence, and somewhere in the distance, the echo of clashing steel rang faintly before fading into the background noise of life within the stronghold.

It had only been a few days since the two met, yet something about their interactions felt… natural. Not warm, not friendly in the conventional sense, but grounded in mutual understanding. They had shared fragments of themselves, carefully chosen pieces that revealed enough without exposing too much.

Guilliman had spoken of war, not in grand heroic tales, but in blunt, matter-of-fact recollections. Campaigns that stretched endlessly. Battles where victory meant survival, nothing more.

Eric, on the other hand, had spoken of the streets. Of drifting from place to place, surviving however he could, and eventually carving a path through beast hunting. His tone carried no pride, only familiarity, as if hardship had long since become his default state.

Between them, there was no need for exaggeration. No need to impress.

They simply understood.

"The beasts around the wall have largely been exterminated," Eric continued, his voice lowering slightly as they turned into a narrower street. "What's left isn't worth the effort. Weak, scattered, barely enough to keep a beginner alive."

He paused briefly, stepping over a cracked section of stone before continuing.

"Most of the real hordes we deal with now come from one of five places."

Guilliman's gaze shifted, his attention sharpening slightly.

The stronghold itself was a marvel. A massive fortress that stretched for miles in every direction, its walls towering high enough to challenge the horizon. It wasn't just a defensive structure, it was a declaration of dominance. Of control. Of humanity's refusal to be erased.

And the people within it… were monsters in their own right.

Powerful. Ruthless. Disciplined.

It took entire clusters of beasts, organized and relentless, to even begin threatening the stronghold. And even then, the outcome rarely favored the creatures outside.

"The Dark Pit," Eric said, raising a finger. "Wind Devil Valley. Slug Cave. Heaven's Forest. And the Evil Forest."

Each name carried weight. Not just labels, but warnings.

"All five are controlled by Great Abomination Emperors," he added, his tone flattening slightly. "Not just powerful beasts. Rulers. Entities that hold entire ecosystems under their command."

Guilliman said nothing, but the faint tightening of his brow showed he understood.

"One doesn't just walk into those territories and come back stronger," Eric continued. "You enter, you hunt, you survive… or you don't come back at all."

A brief silence followed as they walked.

"Most times," Eric went on, "we have to wait for a stronghold-sanctioned clearing. Organized expeditions. Large groups. Controlled risk."

He let out a soft scoff.

"Controlled," he repeated, as if the word itself was amusing.

"Beast hunting is hard."

That was the truth most people didn't understand.

From the outside, Kong Shi looked like a place of opportunity. A fortress where strength could be gained, where the weak could rise through effort and determination.

But reality was far less forgiving.

Growth here demanded risk. Real risk.

Either you joined the horde defenses, standing against waves of beasts that could tear you apart in seconds, or you ventured far beyond safety, into territories where even seasoned hunters hesitated to tread.

There was no easy path.

"Sounds like an obstacle," Guilliman said finally, his voice calm but thoughtful.

He wasn't afraid. That much was clear.

The beast territories didn't intimidate him, not in the way they might others. War had carved something into him that dulled fear into calculation.

But he understood what Eric wasn't saying outright.

The real danger wasn't just the beasts.

It was the system.

The stronghold itself.

No one wanted unsanctioned power to rise.

No one wanted individuals growing outside their control.

"Yes…" Eric replied, a slow smirk forming on his face.

But this time, instead of continuing forward, he abruptly reached out and grabbed Guilliman's arm.

Before he could react, Eric pulled him sharply to the side and straight through the door of a nearby building.

The sudden movement would have startled most.

Guilliman, however, did not panic.

His instincts kicked in immediately. His eyes moved, scanning the environment with practiced efficiency, noting every detail in a fraction of a second.

The interior was dimly lit, the air carrying a faint scent of dust and something older. The space was quiet, almost unnaturally so, with only a single figure seated behind a worn wooden counter.

No guards. No crowd.

Just silence.

"Master Blaze… long time no see," the receptionist said, her voice smooth as she looked up at them.

Her eyes settled on Eric with clear recognition.

Eric Blaze.

"Miss Linda, always a pleasure," Eric replied easily, stepping forward with a relaxed confidence that contrasted sharply with the secrecy of the place.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small card, placing it gently on the table.

A license.

The moment it touched the surface, the receptionist's smile widened slightly.

There was no surprise in her expression.

Word had spread.

The old man at the licensing house had finally stopped blocking Eric's progress. For someone like him, that was no small matter.

It meant access.

It meant opportunity.

It meant he could move forward again.

And more importantly, it meant he could return here without restriction.

"Drop yours too," Eric said, nudging Guilliman lightly, his tone casual but carrying an underlying intent.

Guilliman glanced at him briefly before reaching into his own belongings.

There was a faint smile on his lips now.

Shady.

That was the only word for it.

But at this point, he expected nothing less from Eric.

Without hesitation, he placed his own license beside Eric's.

The receptionist's gaze flickered between the two cards before she nodded.

"Welcome to Athen," she said, gesturing toward a door off to the side.

Athen.

An illegal organization.

Hidden in plain sight within the heart of Kong Shi, it operated beneath the notice, or perhaps the tolerance, of the stronghold's administration. It dealt in everything the system tried to suppress. Illegal materials. Forbidden beast parts. Unsanctioned expeditions.

Power, in its rawest and most unregulated form.

Its network spread far, threading through the city like unseen veins. In many ways, it stood in quiet opposition to the leadership, undermining control while pretending not to exist.

"This," Eric said as they moved toward the door, his voice dropping slightly, "is the only way we get to truly grow stronger."

He pushed the door open.

What lay beyond was a stark contrast to the silence above.

A vast underground chamber stretched out before them, alive with movement and energy. Dozens of people moved about with purpose, some sharpening weapons, others negotiating in hushed but intense voices. Crates filled with unknown contents were stacked along the walls, and the air buzzed with tension, ambition, and danger.

Plans were being made.

Deals were being struck. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Lives were being gambled.

All of it happening right beneath the nose of the stronghold's administration.

Guilliman stepped forward slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took it all in.

Yes.

This was where real growth happened.

Not in controlled environments.

Not under watchful eyes.

But here… in the shadows.