The cold air of Frosthold burned Kael's lungs as he stepped through the guild gates.
Blood from the Shadowling ambush still stained his sleeve. Drev limped beside him, armor scratched, bruised, but grinning like he enjoyed every second of it.
"Hell of a first mission," Drev said.
Kael didn't reply. His eyes were on the guild tower ahead — massive, black stone wrapped in iron glyphs. He felt it even before the system warned him.
Something's wrong.
[System Alert]
Threat Detected: Passive Hostility nearby
Emotion Sync: 42%
[Warning] Reputation fluctuations detected in Guild Halls
Kael scanned the courtyard.
Some recruits were whispering. Others avoided his gaze. Even the guards were unusually stiff — hands lingering too long near their weapons.
Too many eyes. Too much silence.
He and Drev reached the hall entrance.
The guard at the door, a woman in dark leather, stepped into their path. "Commander Valessa requests your presence."
Her tone was neutral. Too neutral.
Inside the Iron Fang main chamber, the air was colder than the snow outside.
Seven figures sat in the high chairs.
Commander Valessa Nightweaver sat at the center, her eyes unreadable. Garen Rhys stood beside her, arms crossed, expression sharp.
Kael and Drev stood before them.
Valessa didn't speak for a full minute.
Then—
"There's a bounty on your head."
Kael didn't flinch.
Drev turned sharply. "What?"
Valessa dropped a parchment onto the stone floor.
A wanted poster.
Kael's face. A large gold reward. Below it, stamped in red:
"Target: Kael Veyron — Alive Preferred. Dead Accepted."
The hall was silent.
"Someone wants you taken off the board," Garen said. "And they want it done quietly."
[System Alert]
Global Bounty Registered
➤ Unknown Source
➤ Reward: 10,000 Gold
➤ Status: Circulating in underground networks
Drev growled. "This is bullsh— He's one of us!"
Valessa raised a hand. "We don't execute members without cause. And we don't protect them blindly either."
She turned her eyes to Kael. "What did you do?"
Kael met her gaze. "I survived."
More silence.
Then a slow clap echoed behind them.
A tall man in a red cloak walked in, flanked by two armored bounty enforcers. A gold serpent brooch glinted on his chest.
Kael recognized him instantly.
Taron Vance.
Head of Frosthold's Bounty Office. And in Kael's first life, a traitor who sold military secrets to foreign kingdoms.
He's here earlier than before. Just like the others.
Taron smiled like a snake. "This boy is a threat. Not just to you — but to your entire guild. I represent higher interests. Turn him over, and the bounty will be paid with a bonus for your coffers."
Drev stepped forward. "Try it. I'll bury you right now."
Kael raised a hand. "Let me speak."
He looked straight at Valessa.
"If the guild stands for strength — then let me prove mine. Not in this hall. Not in chains."
Valessa's eyes narrowed. "What are you suggesting?"
Kael turned to Taron. "Trial by combat. One of your hunters. One of me. Public. Clean."
Taron chuckled. "You think you can survive a duel with a sanctioned bounty elite?"
"I'm not thinking," Kael replied. "I'm offering."
Valessa stood. "Granted."
⚔️ That Night — Frosthold's Arena: The Pit
Snow fell slowly over the open-air stone pit. Hundreds of spectators filled the stands. Guild members. Black market agents. Spies. All waiting to see the "mudblood upstart" die.
Kael stood shirtless in the center of the ring, sword in hand. His breath misted the cold air. Blood still clung to the cloth on his ribs.
Across from him — a figure in obsidian armor stepped into view.
Eyes hidden. Blade long and cruel.
Taron's voice rang from above. "Introducing Mirek the Ghostblade — forty-seven kills, six guild assassinations, zero losses."
The crowd roared.
Kael didn't flinch.
[System Scan Initiated]
Opponent: Mirek the Ghostblade
Rank: A-Class Assassin
Known Skills: Shadowstep, Deathmark, Veil Slash
Survival Odds: 9%
Sync Status: 43%
No retreat. No mercy. No reinforcements.
Kael took one deep breath.
He wasn't just fighting to live.
He was fighting to prove something.
That he wasn't afraid.
That he was ready.
The bell rang.
Mirek vanished.
[Skill: Shadowstep]
Kael spun left — just in time.
Steel scraped his ribs.
He ducked, slashed backward — but hit nothing.
Mirek was behind him again.
Kael blocked — barely.
The force of the hit cracked his armguard. Pain exploded in his elbow.
He's too fast.
[Emotion Sync Surge: Activated]
Emotion: Fear > Controlled Fury
Trait Boost: Instinct Overdrive (Lv.2)
Weak points identified: Throat, left ankle, unarmored rib gap
Kael dropped into a low stance, letting instinct take over.
He stopped chasing the blade.
He baited it.
Mirek came in again — blade flashing in three arcs. Kael twisted inside them, letting the final slash graze his side — then drove his elbow into Mirek's unarmored ribs.
CRACK.
The assassin gasped. Staggered.
Kael grabbed his wrist — twisted — disarmed — and slammed the hilt of his own blade into the man's jaw.
Blood sprayed.
The crowd erupted.
But Mirek wasn't finished.
He dropped a dagger from his sleeve — sliced upward.
Kael's shoulder split open.
[Warning: Blood loss increasing. Pain spike + Sync rising… 47%]
Kael stumbled — then roared and drove his knee into Mirek's chest.
They both fell.
Snow exploded around them.
Kael crawled up first — grabbed his sword — and drove it down.
Mirek tried to roll — too late.
Steel pierced his shoulder, pinning him to the stone.
Kael stood over him, blood pouring from his own wounds.
"No second chances," he whispered.
He raised the blade — ready to finish it.
"Enough!" Valessa's voice cut through the chaos.
Silence fell.
Kael froze.
Taron stood at the edge of the arena, seething.
Valessa looked at him. "Trial complete. He lives. He belongs to us."
Taron's face darkened. "You're making a mistake."
Valessa smiled coldly. "I usually do. Until someone dies. Then I learn fast."
She turned to Kael.
"Your debt is cleared. Your name is yours again. Welcome to the guild."
Later, in the guild infirmary, Drev sat beside Kael's bed, chewing on an apple like it was just another day.
"You're insane," he said.
Kael winced. "Says the guy who took a fireball to the chest yesterday."
"You're not wrong."
They both chuckled.
But behind the laughter, Kael's mind turned.
If the bounty came from someone inside the guild system… then he wasn't just a threat.
He was a target.
[System Update]
Sync: 49%
Trait Evolution Unlocked: Strategic Awakening Lv.1
➤ Begin predicting enemy tactics over time
➤ Unlock future Skill Branch: "Battle Architect"
Reputation: +15 (Guild)
New Status: Iron Fang — Ranked Operative
Next Chapter: "The First Chain"