After Rosaline led Liese and the survivors out of the dungeon, the first to rush toward them wasn't the press, but the "Beethoven Group," along with Association officials and medical teams. Liese and the wounded were immediately whisked away for treatment.
"Big Sis Hermit!" The trainee Hunters ran toward her, weapons still in hand. Their faces turned pale when they saw the blood splattered on Rosaline's neck and hands. Despite the chaos, Rosaline refused to remove her mask in public.
"...I thought you all went home already," Rosaline said, her voice laced with surprise.
"Sis... how could we just leave you behind?!" Beethoven shouted. His face was ghostly white, and his pink eyes trembled with emotion.
Rosaline let out a long breath, a faint smile tugging at her lips beneath the mask. "I'll be out of the hospital in no time. I'll see you for our lesson next week."
"If you're not better, just rest," Jason interjected. "We'll handle our parents."
"Please come back to teach us soon," Medina added softly, while Caleb nodded in support.
"Yeah," Rosaline promised. "I get it."
Rosaline was ordered to stay in the hospital for several days, but because she was still in her probation period at her corporate job, she frequently snuck out to go to the office.
No getting sick, no leave, no absences, and no being late! These were the iron rules for the first three months of her probation.
The events at The Nest dominated the news for days.
Survivors were interviewed, and the media unanimously praised Regen for his "masterful" handling of the crisis.
There was no mention of the Association's secret experiment with Caliburn, and even worse—no one gave Rosaline a shred of credit. Whether it was because her name wasn't officially on the mission log or for other, more complicated reasons, she remained a ghost.
In truth, ever since the tragedy three years ago, the Association had kept Rosaline under a microscope, blocking her access to classified intel.
That was why she had been blind to the danger in The Nest. The only reason she found out was through her students, whose parents were major financial backers of the Association.
Rosaline glared at her phone screen, watching Regen's rank climb from 13th to 9th.
"Three years later... I thought you'd learn something. But in the end, you're still the same... piece of trash."
Adding insult to injury, the parents cut her pay for putting the children at risk. No matter how much the kids begged, they refused to listen.
Beethoven and the others called to apologize profusely, but Rosaline didn't blame them. She felt it was only fair.
"Rose! You're late! How long are you going to sleep?!" Leslie's voice thundered from downstairs.
Rosaline bolted upright. She had snuck back from the hospital the night before and was still exhausted. She glanced at her alarm—five minutes until her shift started!
"Leslie! Why didn't you wake me sooner?!" She grabbed her coat and skirt, leaped out of the second-story window, and began sprinting across the rooftops.
"[Movement Skill: Shadow's Speed]" Her body became a blur of motion as she frantically pulled her blazer over her pink bear-patterned pajamas.
This was her secret ultimate move—the only way a "retired" Hunter could avoid being late for a 9-to-5!
In just 4 minutes and 45 seconds, Rosalyn arrived at the front of the company. She had only 15 seconds left to run up on her own two feet for the facial scan.
And the office was on the 3rd floor
'Oh no!' Rosalyn screamed inwardly before summoning every ounce of her physical strength to dash up the emergency stairs.
She lunged toward the facial scanner in the final three seconds, and...
[Face Scan Successful: 09:00 AM]
"...T-Thank god," she wheezed. She turned toward the restroom to change, only to freeze.
Standing right there, stirring a cup of coffee with a wide grin, was her Boss—the son of the company's owner.
"Rosaline? Late today?" he asked cheerfully, his eyes drifting down to her bare pajamas peeking out from under her blazer. "Overslept?"
"I'm so sorry," Rosaline muttered, her brain screaming in embarrassment. She had spent her life as a Hunter; she had zero experience in corporate politics or making excuses.
"Go on, go change," he said with a chuckle. "Don't let it happen again."
After a frantic change into her office attire and a quick application of makeup, Rosaline sat at her desk, wanting to crawl into a hole and die.
"Rosaline, come sit over here!" her boss called out, patting the chair next to him.
The news screen showed a young woman sitting next to a man who looked like he stepped straight out of an action movie. He had long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and wore shimmering white armor with a red cape draped over his shoulders.
[Today, we have a very special guest, the High-Rank Hunter, Zenis Raha,] the anchor announced with a bright, cheerful voice. [Better known to us all as 'The Royal Knight.' Welcome, Mr. Raha. Are you excited to be here today?]
[I'm always excited, especially regarding my recent discovery,] Zenis replied before gesturing toward his open palm.
A pale green crystal began to glow in his hand.
[This is a Healing Crystal. I found it in a cave on Rockford Island—a Jewel Dungeon that appeared only a few weeks ago. It's a miraculous stone with healing properties, and the Hunter Association officially confirmed its power just three days ago. These crystals can be found from the 200th floor downwards, and there are no De-vons present in that area. Many brokers are already fighting for concessions from the Association.]
Jewel Dungeon is the name of a mine formed by natural equations, containing otherworldly objects created by a mysterious force whose origin remains unknown to this day. It manifests like any typical dungeon—such as 'The Nest'—and within it lie various gems, ores, and even priceless artifacts.
...Yes... 'Caliburn,' or the 'Star of Chaos,' is also one such artifact, though its power far exceeds that of common ones."
[Mr. Zenis, is it wise to reveal such Association secrets?] the anchor asked.
Zenis crossed his arms, striking a heroic pose.
[Healing Crystals possess restorative and medical properties. I believe that the right to medical care should belong to everyone. It shouldn't be monopolized by any single individual; everyone in the world deserves access to basic life-saving rights, rather than just being a means for certain wealthy elites to profit off their backs.]
Is he really chasing clout like this? Rosaline thought bitterly. She had always been annoyed by him—his vanity, his arrogance, and so much more. Yet, she had to admit one thing: most of what he did was for the greater good (even if it usually came with his own personal interests attached)
Racist gentleman she defined him.
Then, she heard it—the sound of her boss slurping his drink. She knew exactly what was coming.
No… Don't say it.
"I like this. This looks very interesting," the boss said.
I knew it.
"Our company can't miss this boat," he added, turning to her. "This project is all yours, Rosaline."
NOOOOOOOOO! Rosaline screamed internally. I know I was late, but you can't just dump this on me! You jerk!!
But those weren't words she could say out loud.
"I'll get right on it... sir," she replied, her heart sinking into the abyss of corporate despair.