Denver leaned closer to the screen, squinting at the endless gallery of photos.
Scroll.
Another pose.
Scroll.
Another one.
Some were clearly taken during official clan events, Zen standing proudly with other members of the clan, robes half open, dramatic lighting highlighting his muscles like he was in some sort of magazine shoot.
Others were… far worse.
One had him standing on a balcony, wind blowing through his spiky hair while he looked off into the distance like a model.
Another had him flexing while several people in the background held banners.
Denver's eye twitched.
"…Is this guy a fighter or a celebrity?" she muttered.
She scrolled further down until she found the comment section and immediately regretted it.
"MASTER ZEN IS SO HOT!!!"
"If he crushed me with his power I would thank him."
"The strongest and the most handsome master of the Zen Clan!"
Denver slowly leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling again.
"…crazy people."
Denver exited the site with an annoyed click and continued searching for other pages that might contain actual information, then he typed again.
"Master Zen Zen Clan profile."
New tabs opened articles, forums, clan records. She clicked through them one by one.
For several minutes the only sound inside the dorm was the quiet tapping of her keyboard and the faint hum of the laptop fan. But the deeper she searched, the more irritated she became.
Most of the articles talked about the same things.
'Master Zen of the Zen Clan.'
'A prodigy among gift users.'
'A rising figure among the elite clans.'
Some mentioned battles he had won, some mentioned his influence within the Zen Clan, and some… still somehow included photos.
Denver's eye twitched again.
After searching for a while, she finally slammed the laptop shut with a loud clack.
"Ugh… useless."
She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. All the information she managed to gather wasn't that important, just the basics.
Zen was a model, apparently a very famous one at that. At the same time, he was also a Gift User, and not just any gift user. He was a Master of the Zen Clan, which meant he was considered one of the strongest members within the clan.
On top of that, he was somewhat of a celebrity. Yet despite that, he rarely showed himself to the public.
"…"
Denver stared at the closed laptop.
"That's it?"
She expected something more, some secret weakness, some scandal, or anything useful. But all she got was surface level information that everyone already knew.
Her fingers tapped the desk slowly, then her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…If he's that famous…"
She muttered quietly.
"Then there should be fight records somewhere."
Her gaze slowly drifted back to the laptop. A slow grin formed on her face.
"Oh… now that might be interesting."
She opened the laptop again, for a moment the room was quiet again. But the image of his face refused to leave her mind. That arrogant smirk. The way he looked down on her.
"That bastard…"
It didn't take her long to find a video.
After a few quick searches, she opened one of the clips. The screen loaded, revealing a shaky recording of a busy street that had suddenly turned into the center of attention.
In the middle of the road stood a single man.
Zen.
He looked completely calm, almost out of place in the tense situation unfolding around him. His posture was relaxed, his shoulders loose, as if he were simply taking a casual stroll rather than confronting armed criminals.
Across from him stood three men.
From the way they dressed and moved, it was obvious they were burglars. One of them held a small child tightly by the arm, using the kid as a shield. The boy struggled weakly while the man kept a firm grip on him. The other two raised their guns, aiming them directly at Zen.
A small crowd had gathered around the scene. People stood at a distance, watching with their phones raised, murmuring among themselves like spectators watching a street performance rather than a dangerous standoff.
Suddenly, someone near the person recording shouted loudly toward the screen.
"GO! Beat their asses, Master Zen!"
Zen slowly turned his head toward the direction of the voice. Even through the low quality of the video, the annoyance on his face was obvious. His eyebrows lowered slightly as his lips moved, quietly muttering something under his breath.
Then he took a step forward.
Just one step.
But that single movement was enough to make all three burglars flinch. They instinctively stepped back.
"D-don't come any closer!" one of them shouted, his voice shaking as he pointed his gun toward the boy. "O-or I'll shoot!"
Zen stopped walking.
For a moment, the street fell silent.
When the burglars realized that Zen had actually stopped, their fear slowly faded. The tension in their shoulders loosened, and arrogant smiles began to spread across their faces.
One of them chuckled.
"Haha…"
Soon all three of them were laughing.
"That's right!" one of them sneered. "Be a good boy… or else!"
Zen looked at them without saying a word.
Then he raised his hand and casually ran it through his hair, slicking it back with a smooth motion. His expression hardened, his eyes growing cold.
When he finally spoke, his voice carried a quiet chill.
"You talk a lot… you rats."
The moment the words left his mouth, something strange happened. The shadows beneath the three burglars began to ripple.
At first it was subtle like a disturbance in still water. But in the next instant, the darkness surged forward violently.
The shadows shot upward and wrapped around the burglars' bodies like living chains. Their arms were pinned to their sides, their legs were locked in place. The guns slipped from their hands and clattered onto the pavement.
The men struggled, but the shadowy bindings tightened instantly, completely immobilizing them.
It had taken less than a second to subdue them.
The entire street went silent. Then the person recording the video whispered in disbelief.
"…Damn."
A short pause followed.
"That was hella fast."
Denver sat in her chair, completely dumbfounded. Everything had happened far too quickly for her mind to process.
"What… just happened?"
She leaned forward and replayed the video.
Then again.
And again.
Each time she watched it more carefully than before, her eyes scanning every frame. Her expression slowly changed as she focused on the moment Zen moved.
Her eyes widened. The precision… the speed… the control. It was unbelievable.
The shadows had moved instantly, wrapping around the burglars before they even had time to react. There was no wasted motion, no hesitation. It was clean, effortless and almost terrifying.
Denver leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen in stunned silence.
"This guy… is a monster."
After a moment, she slowly closed her laptop with a soft click.
A faint sigh escaped her lips.
For a brief moment, the thought of revenge crossed her mind again the plan she had been stubbornly holding onto since earlier.
But now after seeing that video, she quietly shook her head.
"No wonder Agent Kael warned me."
She rested her elbow on the desk and rubbed her temple.
"Yeah… that would've been a really dumb move."
Just then...
Knock. Knock.
Denver blinked and turned her head toward the door.
"Denver?"
It was Agent Kael's voice.
She sighed softly and rubbed her face before pushing herself up from the chair.
When she opened the door, Kael was standing in the hallway. The white lights of the facility reflected off the sterile walls behind him. He was still covered in bandages from earlier, though he stood straight as always, his posture calm and disciplined.
But something about him seemed… slightly uneasy.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Denver leaned her shoulder against the doorframe and crossed her arms.
"Well, I'm more alright than you are."
Kael looked at her for a moment. Then, almost imperceptibly, a small smile appeared on his face. It was so faint that most people would have missed it.
He raised his hand, revealing a small plastic bag.
"I got you some snacks."
Denver narrowed her eyes immediately, suspicion written all over her face.
"Uh… did you drink something weird or something?" she said slowly. "You're acting strange."
Agent Kael had never behaved like this before, not when they first met, and not at any other time. He had always been serious, distant, and completely focused on work.
Seeing him like this felt… wrong. Denver couldn't understand it. It was almost as if she was talking to a different person.
"Nothing special," Kael replied after a short pause. "I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. I'm not really a fan of hitting young girls."
Denver's expression twisted in confusion.
"That makes it even weirder."
"I… asked Dr. Kiara for advice," he admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "She said young people these days like snacks. Especially the trendy ones."
He lifted the bag slightly.
"So I thought you might like some."
Denver stared at him, stunned.
She had always thought Agent Kael was nothing more than a cold, work obsessed agent someone who only cared about missions and orders.
But right now…
He looked almost… kind.
"So…" Kael said quietly. "Do you accept my apology gift?"
Denver hesitated for a moment before shrugging.
"Well… if you're giving them for free, I guess I'll take them."
She grabbed the bag.
"Thanks."
Kael let out a quiet sigh of relief. He handed over the snacks and turned around, ready to leave. Denver watched his back as he walked down the hallway.
Then suddenly...
She stepped outside the room.
"Agent Kael!"
Kael stopped and turned around to face her. His hands were tucked inside his coat pockets, probably because of the cold air in the hallway.
"Yes?"
Denver hesitated.
"Hey… uh… wouldn't it be kind of a waste if you just left?"
Kael didn't respond. The hallway just fell into silence.
Denver scratched the back of her head and looked down at the floor, clearly embarrassed.
"What I mean is…"
She shifted awkwardly.
"Since you're already here… why don't we just eat the snacks together?"
Her voice grew quieter toward the end of the sentence.
Her face had turned slightly red.