Erithal – North Wing Hospital – Two Hours Later
The sky was overcast, blanketed in ash-grey clouds, the kind that threatened rain but rarely delivered. Ryu moved through the hospital's marble halls, his boots echoing louder than they should have. People stared as he passed—nurses froze, guards tensed, and patients whispered.
They all knew who he was.
The survivor.
The cursed one.
He ignored them.
Every step toward the high-security recovery wing made his chest feel heavier, not with pain—but with dread. His wounds had closed. His body was knitting itself together again, slowly, painfully. But nothing would heal the fracture in his soul.
Not until he saw her.
Room 314.
He hesitated at the door.
Hand trembling, he pressed it open.
The soft chime of the monitoring crystal met his ears first—steady, rhythmic.
And then he saw her.
His mother.
Alive.
Eyes open.
Her once-pale skin had regained a trace of colour. The long, jagged scar across her chest is now just a thin, silver line.
She was sitting up, frail but aware, her dark hair streaked with silver strands, her eyes—his eyes—watching him.
"…Ryu?" She said, her voice a hoarse whisper.
He didn't move at first.
For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating again.
But then she smiled.
And everything inside him broke.
"Mom," he whispered, knees hitting the floor beside her bed. "You're awake…"
She reached out, fingers brushing his cheek. "You're hurt."
"I've been worse," he said, laughing weakly through tears. "Much worse."
"Your eyes… they're glowing."
"I know. It's… a long story."
He gripped her hand tightly, as if letting go would make her vanish.
"I thought I lost you," he said. "They said you might never wake up. They said the dungeon venom had spread too deep. But you're here. You're really—"
She pulled his hand gently toward her heart. "You protected me. Even when you were alone. You've always been strong, Ryu."
His breath caught in his throat.
"No," he whispered. "I wasn't strong. I was too weak. I couldn't save them. Miyuki. Cole. Lina. Dain. They all died. They all died because I wasn't strong enough."
Tears spilt freely down his face now. "I already lost them, Mom. I can't lose you too. I won't. I swear, I'll protect you. Whatever it takes. No matter what I have to become."
She stroked his hair like she used to when he was a boy. "Then you'll have to live, Ryu. Not just survive. Live. Like they would've wanted."
He buried his face in her lap, silent sobs wracking his body, his heart cracking open under the weight of everything he had held inside since that godforsaken dungeon.
For the first time since he emerged, Ryu felt something close to peace.
But it didn't last.
RING.
The crystal communication shard embedded in his belt pulsed and vibrated.
He stood slowly, wiping his face, his jaw tightening.
The voice that emerged was cold and clipped.
"Ryu. This is Commander Serika. You're required at the Guild's Rank Examination Centre. Now. No delays. This isn't a request."
He clenched the shard.
"…Understood."
His mother looked up at him, concern darkening her features. "Are they still afraid of you?"
"They should be," he said softly. "But this isn't fear. It's politics."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"I'll come back soon. I promise."
"Don't lose yourself, Ryu."
He nodded.
But he wasn't sure if he could keep that promise.
Not anymore.
Erithal Guild Complex – Rank Examination Centre
The main arena of the Rank Examination Centre was a coliseum-sized chamber, buried beneath the city like an underground fortress. Blue-tinted mana crystals lined the walls, their light humming with containment wards and detection runes.
Ryu entered through the south gate, flanked by four guards in reinforced silver armour.
Waiting for him was a panel of Guild officials, rank examiners, and representatives from the Royal Mage's Circle.
Marren stood off to the side, arms folded.
Serika was in the observation booth above.
The air was thick with tension.
As Ryu stepped into the centre of the platform, the exam overseer, a stern man with a mechanical arm named Instructor Vallis, addressed him.
"Ryu. Due to your unique circumstances, this will not be a standard evaluation. You are to demonstrate your full combat capabilities, magical aptitude, and mental stability. You may hold back only if it jeopardises the structural integrity of the building."
"I don't hold back anymore," Ryu said calmly.
A ripple of unease moved through the crowd.
"Begin when ready," Vallis said, gesturing to the far gate.
With a deafening clank, the steel portcullis rose.
Out stepped his opponent.
A Rank-A simulation construct—Titan Class.
Towering at ten feet tall, layered in obsidian armour, it wielded dual mana-axes and emitted anti-magic fields from its chest core.
"Let's see what the 'survivor' can do," Vallis muttered.
Ryu rolled his shoulders.
His regeneration flared beneath his skin, veins glowing red as bone surged under his forearms.
The crowd backed away instinctively.
Then he moved.
Not like a man.
Like a predator.
Clang!
The construct swung its axe—he ducked, slid beneath its legs, and slammed a bone blade into the joint.
CRACK.
The entire lower limb was shattered.
The construct roared with mechanical fury, turning—
But Ryu was already above it, midair, using the shards of its broken leg as leverage.
He slammed both hands into its chest.
BOOM.
Blood magic detonated, cracking the core.
Mana spilt out like oil.
The arena shook.
When the dust settled, the Titan Class was in ruins.
Ryu stood in its centre, panting, arms bleeding.
Not because he lost control.
But because it wasn't enough.
The silence that followed was deafening.
"Unstable… but lethal," whispered one examiner.
"No spell incantations. No visible casting," said another. "He's using his body like a weaponised artefact."
"He shouldn't be alive," someone muttered. "No E-rank becomes this."
Serika spoke into the comm-crystal from above.
"Vallis. Proceed to phase two."
The instructor looked wary. "Commander… he just annihilated a Titan."
"I said phase two."
The next gate opened.
Three figures emerged—simulated copies of Miyuki, Cole, and Dain.
Ryu froze.
"What is this?" he growled.
"Emotional stability test," Vallis said coldly. "These are illusions. Ghost projections made from residual memory echoes. We want to see if you can stay composed."
Ryu's entire body shook.
The Miyuki illusion stepped forward.
"Ryu," she whispered, her voice perfectly mimicking hers.
His breath hitched.
"Why did you live?" the Cole illusion said, voice full of hate.
"Was it worth it?" Dain asked," "Watching us die?"
Ryu's fists clenched.
"Stop it."
"You let us die."
"You killed us."
"I SAID STOP IT!"
BOOM.
An eruption of crimson mana exploded around him.
Bone spears shot in every direction. The arena cracked.
One of the examiners screamed, the warding shield breaking under the pressure.
The illusions flickered, then vanished.
Ryu collapsed to his knees, gasping.
His heart thundered like a war drum.
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
Above, in the booth, Serika's hands tightened into fists.
Vallis hesitated, then stepped forward.
"Final assessment," he said cautiously. "Based on raw power, tactical efficiency, and unique skillset…"
He looked toward the crowd, eyes narrowed.
"…I hereby assign Ryu the provisional rank of S-Class."
Gasps erupted around the room.
Even Marren's jaw clenched.
Ryu didn't celebrate.
He didn't even lift his head.
He simply whispered,
"…Too late."
Guild Rooftop—One Hour Later
Serika found him there.
Staring at the city below, cloak fluttering, blood still crusted on his arms.
"You were holding back in there," she said.
He didn't answer.
"They wanted to see if you'd lose control. But you didn't. Not completely."
"They used her face," he said quietly. "Do you know how sick that is?"
"They needed to be sure you weren't corrupted."
He turned to her slowly.
His eyes glowed again—amber fire ringed in red.
"You still think I'm a danger."
"I think you're not the same boy who joined the Guild six months ago."
"I'm not."
She looked away. "Miyuki was my cousin."
He blinked.
"…What?"
"She didn't want anyone to know. Said she wanted to earn her name, not rely on mine."
Ryu's lips parted, breath sharp in his lungs.
"She talked about you sometimes. Said you had more heart than all of us put together."
"She died in my arms," he said. "And I still hear her voice."
Serika stepped beside him. "I approved your new rank. But that doesn't mean the higher-ups trust you."
"I don't care."
"You should," she said. "Because now they'll send you where they don't send anyone else. Where they hope you'll disappear."
He smirked bitterly.
"Let them."
She handed him a scroll.
"Corruption spike detected. Beneath the ruins of the Black Grave Dungeon. A new dungeon node is forming. We want you to go back."
He took the scroll.
Unrolled it.
Read it in silence.
Then looked up.
"I was going anyway."
Serika turned to leave.
But paused.
"Ryu," she said softly. "You said you're the sword they left behind. Just remember—swords break too."
He looked at her.
"No," he whispered.
"I'm already broke."