Silence fell over the room.
Raijin stared at the Guild Master in surprise,
as if he had seen or heard something completely unexpected.
Zenn's words still echoed in his ears.
A strange atmosphere hung in the room,
as though the silence and heaviness themselves demanded an answer to the question.
Raijin spoke again in a shaky voice.
"Master… what are you saying?
I don't understand."
Zenn's gaze was no longer light as before. A strange depth gleamed in his eyes.
His elbows rested on the table, fingers interlocked and held in front of his mouth.
Zenn showed no surprise at Raijin's reaction.
It was as if he had known this question was coming.
He looked at Raijin and exhaled softly.
"I'm saying," Zenn replied in a calm but heavy voice,
"Who are you?"
…
A few minutes earlier—
Pointing toward the sofa in the middle of the room, Zenn said,
"Let's sit and talk."
Raijin sat down on the sofa without hesitation.
The room fell completely silent.
A few moments later, Raijin's voice broke through the quiet, echoing across the space.
"So, Master," he asked,
"why did you call me here?"
Zenn remained perfectly still.
He stared intently into Raijin's eyes, as though trying to uncover whatever secrets lay hidden within them.
After a few moments, Zenn ignored Raijin's question and turned his gaze to Emi.
Emi stood nearby, waiting patiently as if anticipating the start of the real conversation.
But then Zenn's voice reached her.
"Emi, can you step outside for a little while?"
Emi felt a brief moment of unease, but she nodded.
"Okay, Master. Call me if you need anything."
The usual calm in her eyes had vanished.
She slowly walked toward the door.
Click…
The sound of the door closing echoed through the room.
Zenn took a deep breath.
He glanced around the room, confirming no one else remained.
Once he was certain only he and Raijin were present,
he slowly turned to Raijin and said,
"Now let's get to the point."
He continued,
"Raijin… who exactly are you?"
Raijin was startled.
Confusion and surprise flooded his face instantly.
He hesitated before replying,
"Guild Master… what are you trying to say?
Please explain it clearly."
Zenn looked at him and asked again,
"Who are you…
and where did this sword come from?"
Raijin answered immediately,
"I got this sword from a nearby blacksmith shop.
We made a deal, and in exchange, I took the sword."
"What kind of deal?" Zenn asked.
Raijin replied clearly,
"Whenever I need arrows, spears, shields, or armor,
I'll buy them from that shop. And if possible, I'll tell my friends—or anyone I know—to buy from there too."
Zenn stayed silent for a moment.
"Okay," he said.
"Let me see that sword."
Without thinking, Raijin extended the sword toward him.
Thud—!
A loud crash resounded.
Dust clouds suddenly filled the entire room.
Nothing was clearly visible anymore.
Soft petals floated in the air, slowly blending with the dust as they drifted downward.
Raijin's back slammed against the wall behind him.
One leg forward, one back.
Both arms positioned forward and back, slightly raised and lowered—his entire body locked in a fighting stance.
The sofa in front of him…
the one he had been sitting on moments ago…
was now split cleanly in two.
The door burst open.
"Master!" Emi rushed inside.
She saw—
Zenn holding a black sword.
The sofa where Raijin had been sitting, now cut in half.
And Raijin pressed flat against the far wall, standing in a combat-ready posture.
"What… what happened here?" Emi asked, voice trembling with panic.
A few moments earlier—
The instant Raijin handed the sword to Zenn,
Zenn drew it from its sheath and struck at Raijin without any warning.
The attack was so fast that ordinary eyes could barely follow it.
"Nothing happened," Zenn said calmly.
"Emi, can you arrange to have this place cleaned up?"
Emi glanced at the ruined sofa,
then at Raijin.
It was written all over her face—
This is definitely not "nothing."
But she said nothing.
"Mr. Raijin," Zenn said, handing the sword back,
"I apologize for my behavior.
Let's continue our talk in the other room."
Raijin, still completely caught off guard by the attack,
had sweat clearly beading on his forehead.
Going into another room with the man who had just tried to strike him felt utterly unacceptable.
After a moment of thought, Raijin nodded and followed him to the other room.
This room was entirely different from the previous one.
A square table stood in the center, surrounded by chairs.
It looked exactly like a meeting room.
Raijin and Zenn each pulled out a chair and sat facing each other.
Without holding back, Raijin spoke.
"Master," he said, voice laced with suppressed anger,
"why did you do that?
Did you intend to kill me?"
Zenn shook his head slightly.
"But you're not dead."
Raijin, who had been holding back his anger until now,
let his voice rise this time.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Zenn replied calmly,
"You still don't understand."
He looked directly at Raijin and continued,
"When I asked who you were,
you said you didn't understand the question—
so I needed to confirm my suspicion one final time."
"Confirm what?" Raijin asked.
"This," Zenn said,
"that who you are now…
is not really you.
And who you once were…
no longer exists."
Raijin fell silent,
as though struggling to process the words.
The events of the past four days flashed through his mind—
Toto Saurus,
unconsciousness,
empty memories,
and that strange warning.
Zenn went on,
"First—
you survived my attack.
A normal adventurer wouldn't have stood a chance.
Even an A- or B-rank would have been gravely injured."
"Second—
you killed seven Toto Saurus single-handedly.
Handling even one requires a B-rank.
Seven would demand an entire team."
"Third—
their armor is harder than stone,
yet you sliced through them like paper."
"And finally,"
Zenn's voice grew even heavier,
"you were completely healed in just three days."
Raijin clutched his head and sat quietly in the chair.
Zenn watched his condition.
"Don't burden yourself too much," he said.
"There's no need to answer right now."
"When you've fully recovered, then give me your answer."
He stood up.
"Go home for today.
Come back tomorrow—
I have some work for you."
Raijin rose without a word.
His steps faltered slightly.
The door closed.
The room fell silent once more, with only Zenn remaining—
and in that silence, a single question echoed endlessly…
Who is Raijin, after all?
.
.
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Thank You For Reading This Chaptar.
Author: Mohammed Zaid Saifi