A handsome young man stood gazing at the rooftop where Rosaline waited. His long golden hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and his purple eyes gleamed with a mysterious light. Today, he wore his signature white armor, a vibrant red cloak fluttering behind him in the wind.
The Royal Knight: Zenis Raha.
[I had to head up here for a better view of the area anyway,] Zenis said into his phone, waving a hand to greet his former comrade-in-arms. [It's been a long time, Hermit.]
Rosaline remained silent for a moment before replying through the line, "If you're coming up, hurry up."
Beside Zenis stood another young man, waving enthusiastically.
In a flash, both of them leaped onto the building where Rosaline stood.
"Not even a proper hello? Just like the old days?" Zenis remarked as he landed on the rooftop.
Rosaline didn't answer. Instead, she scanned their surroundings before firing back a question. "Is there any satellite broadcasting or anything of the sort?"
"There's no broadcast, nothing," Zenis shrugged. "No cameramen, no hidden filming, and definitely no paparazzi. You can search for me yourself if you want."
With that, he winked with his inky amethyst eyes and raised his hands in mock surrender.
Rosaline kept her gaze steady on him for a beat before shifting her eyes to the young man standing behind Zenis, who was burdened by a massive backpack stuffed with gear.
"…I… I'm Ivan Graham!" The young man, seemingly around 17 or 18 years old, introduced himself nervously. Despite his imposing, muscular build, his youthful face was dusted with freckles. Both his eyes and hair were golden-brown, partially hidden behind thick lenses and black rectangular frames.
He was bundled up in multiple layers of clothing as if it were the height of winter. "You're… you're really 'The Hermit,' aren't you?"
Rosaline nodded.
"I'm… Ivan. I… uh," The young man stammered. "I've seen the broadcasts of you and Mr. Zenis fighting together as partners. I was so inspired by it."
Rosaline remained stoic, her previous question still left unanswered. "Camera?"
"Oh… actually, I do have a camcorder," Ivan admitted, pulling a small, handheld camera from his pocket. "I need it to collect dungeon data. Aside from that, I don't have any others. If anything else could record, it would just be this phone."
Rosaline maintained her calm demeanor before asking, "Graham… "How many years have you been a hunter?"
"About a year," Ivan said, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "B-but I've watched you and Mr. Zenis fight since the beginning."
"…I see," Rosaline responded, her voice almost devoid of emotion. "Welcome to hell on earth."
Ivan's jaw dropped involuntarily.
"Hey, hey. Don't go scaring the rookie before we even start," Zenis said with a smile.
"…I'm only speaking the truth," Rosaline countered. "You should know that better than anyone, shouldn't you?"
Zenis leaned in, whispering into Rosaline's ear. "Still as talkative as ever, 'partner.' Eight years without a word, and your pessimism hasn't changed a bit."
Rosaline found the comment almost laughable in its irony. She let out a mocking smirk beneath her mask.
"'Ex-partner,' Mr.Zenis," Rosaline whispered back. "Is it that you missed me… or rather, did you miss my 'special skills' so much that you had old man Drake call me in?"
"You're too suspicious, Hermit," he scoffed before pulling back. "But yes, I truly did miss you."
Rosaline's eyes widened at his bluntness. She glanced left and right, quickly spotting a cameraman hidden on the neighboring building.
'Is this "S-Rank Hunter Power Couple" shipping nonsense still going on?' she sighed, realizing he hadn't changed his ways at all.
"We agreed: no broadcasting, no recording, anything involving me," Rosaline warned. "And this is a 'Danger Zone.'"
"First of all… I'm an idol. It's impossible not to have paparazzi tailing me," Zenis explained. "Second, they won't follow us into the dungeon. Third, they're hunters too… but don't worry. I'll tell them to head back by myself."
Rosaline turned to Zenis, her voice sharp and authoritative. "They aren't on the mission roster. Don't make me hunt them down myself, Zenis."
"They're leaving…" Zenis said. But as Rosaline turned back toward the edge of the building, he whispered softly, "What a waste. I thought you'd have more of a mind for this than that."
Rosaline heard him, but she chose to remain silent. The mission at hand was more important. She was here on orders and wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Eight years ago, when Rosaline was still with the Knight of Dawn Guild, she and Zenis were partners—close enough that she had actually harbored a crush on him for a time.
Zenis was a handsome hunter with a great physique and exceptional skills. His white armor made him look like a knight of justice. With such a heroic and cool image, he was scouted to be an 'Idol Hunter,' taking on modeling and commercial work for various brands.
However, in the heat of battle or within a dungeon, it wasn't just his image that made him famous.
It was because of… 'The Hermit' and the skills she used to support him.
Back then, they were one of the strongest hunter duos for years. But as Zenis grew into a famous idol, he was under constant surveillance by cameras wherever he went... a reality that made Rosaline feel suffocated.
What Rosaline found most unbearable was how Zenis, his fans, and the news outlets tried to unmask her—just for the sake of fame and entertainment. And it didn't just happen once or twice.
'I didn't answer his chats or take his calls, yet he still found a way to drag me back to his side,' Rosaline told herself, letting out a silent sigh.
"Now that the trip down memory lane is over, let's talk business," Rosaline said, turning to Ivan. "Graham, you have an Analysis and Appraisal skill, right? Check these flowers for us. I did a quick scan—they only have stamen. I'm not sure if that's significant."
"O-oh, yes!" Ivan replied, quickly gathering nearby flowers to inspect.
"And did your skill manifest naturally, or did you consume crystals during your training?" Rosaline asked.
Ivan stiffened instantly, his voice hesitant.
"Uh... I was trained by the Association and consumed monster crystals. I don't have an 'Inventory' like natural-born hunters, but my Analysis and Appraisal skills are top-tier. And… I can use Heal and Shield too, though I only gained those a few days ago. Also… this is my first time exploring a newly formed dungeon."
Hunters created through Association training must follow strict criteria. They are appraised and allocated crystals to gain skills suited to their abilities. These hunters have strength and skill but face limitations—the most significant being the lack of an 'Inventory,' unlike Rosaline or Zenis. Because of this, they are often looked down upon as useless, especially those without combat or high-level support skills.
"This kid was 'utterly' useless when I picked him up," Zenis remarked. "The trash at the guild said he'd die in this dungeon and that I'd be cursed with bad luck."
Rosaline had already guessed Ivan was a crystal-user, given the massive pack he was hauling. Yet, one question still nagged at her.
"And you… what did you bet on?" Rosaline asked flatly, knowing his personality all too well.
"That this kid will come out in one piece," Zenis answered. "And that I'll be lucky."
"You chose me just to win a bet?"
"Why not? I want to crush the egos of those pieces of trash. You know the type—the ones who spend their days looking down on others, having jobs but refusing to actually work?" Zenis asked casually, as if he were talking about going to the bathroom, not exploring a dungeon!
Rosaline felt an overwhelming urge to hurl her high-rank hunter badge at his face and follow it up with a double-leg dropkick before turning around and heading off to pick up her brother from the university right then and there.
'You bastard!!! How on earth did I ever have a crush on someone like him?!' the hunter screamed in her mind.
After a moment to compose herself, she got back to work. She sent Zenis to deal with the paparazzi who were secretly streaming the team's assembly on some streaming channel.
"For now, we're just scouting the perimeter. We'll do a serious investigation of the dungeon tomorrow morning," Rosaline stated, sitting on the rooftop floor.
"Wait, we aren't going in now?" Ivan asked while munching on an energy bar.
"It's almost dark. We don't know what's out there. Especially with a newly formed dungeon, we have to be careful," the hunter explained. "I'm going to check the surrounding impact to see if there's anything else. You coming, Zenis?"
"Sure. We might as well spend the night on this rooftop," Zenis decided.
"What about reinforcements?" Rosaline asked.
"They'll be here, but probably after we report on 'The Bloom,'" Zenis answered.
"And the barrier? When will they set it up?" Rosaline inquired.
"A barrier?" Ivan asked curiously.
"Better safe than sorry," Zenis summarized. "It's pollen. If the wind carries it, it might affect ordinary people or other living things, right?"
"You're right. I didn't think of that," Ivan admitted, still feeling the adrenaline.
"Stay here for now. Analyze the compounds in those flowers and send the data to Zenis," Rosaline ordered as she stood up. She summoned her amber-tipped wooden staff and immediately leaped from the rooftop toward the ground.
"You heard her. I'm counting on you," Zenis said before jumping down after Rosaline.
…
…
Rosaline and Zenis wove through the field of white flowers in the evening light. The sun dipped below the horizon, the last rays of the day fading as the thick clouds partially cleared.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me about Ivan?" Rosaline asked. "The kid looks incredibly weak to me… At the very least, I need a full profile on my teammates to assess the situation."
"This field... it feels like paradise, doesn't it?" Zenis said, ignoring her question. He watched the petals drifting into the sky. "Righteous people go to heaven, after all."
"With your attitude, I highly doubt you'll be seeing the inside of any 'paradise' like everyone else," Rosaline snapped flatly. "Besides, we have no idea what this field of flowers actually is."
"You... always such a pessimist," Zenis smirked.
"Being a pessimist is my job," Rosaline retorted. "While you charge out to strike down enemies with confidence, I'm the one who has to think ahead—whether it's the flowers I gave Ivan to analyze or even a scout mission like this."
"Hmph. At least a third-rate support like you still has a brain," Zenis said condescendingly.
"…Don't change the subject. I asked about Ivan," Rosaline pressed.
Zenis fell silent for a moment. "It's nothing important. The kid is just... my lackey."
Rosaline stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face him.
"I may not have concrete proof… but that boy wasn't trained by the Hunter Association, was he? Zenis… that kid… he's an 'Unregistered' Hunter, isn't he?"