The morning after the attack, Ji-hu sat on the broken steps of the dojo and stared at the destruction in front of him.
The yard was ruined. Cratered from lightning strikes and torn up from where the earth-affinity hunter had slammed his fists into the ground. Splintered wood lay everywhere. Blood stained the dirt in several places—his blood, Yuna's blood, the hunters' blood. The dojo itself had cracks running up one wall where Dohyun's blasts had hit.
Yuna came out with two cups of tea and sat down beside him. She handed one over and he took it without looking away from the mess.
Yuna: This can't happen again.
Ji-hu: I know.
Yuna: Next time they won't send three. They'll send more. Or they'll come when we're sleeping. Or they'll go after Hana first.
Ji-hu: What do you suggest?
Yuna: We make it official. Register the guild with the NHA.
Ji-hu finally turned to look at her.
Ji-hu: That costs money. A lot of it.
Yuna: I know. And we need at least three members.
Ji-hu: Three.
They both looked toward the tree line where Ara had sat during their conversation. The spot was empty now, just shadows and moonlight. But they both knew who they were thinking about.
Yuna: You think she'd do it?
Ji-hu: I don't know. She doesn't trust people easily.
Yuna: She trusts you.
Ji-hu: That's different.
Yuna: Is it really?
Ji-hu didn't have an answer for that.
---
Ara returned that night.
She came closer than she ever had before. Not stopping at the tree line this time, but walking all the way to the edge of the dojo itself. She sat down on a fallen piece of the broken steps, putting her about ten meters away instead of the usual thirty.
Yuna: We need to ask you something.
Ara: I don't do well with people asking me things.
Ji-hu: We want you to join the guild. Officially.
Ara stared at him for a long moment. Her face gave nothing away, as usual.
Ara: I don't join things. That's not who I am.
Ji-hu: I know. But if you join, we can register with the NHA (National Hunters Association). If we register, we get government protection. Guilds like Valiant can't just attack us without facing consequences.
Ara: You want paperwork to protect you?
Ji-hu: I want to stop looking over my shoulder every night. I want to build something that actually lasts. And I want you to be part of it.
The silence stretched between them for what felt like minutes. Ara's eyes moved from his face to the ruined yard, to the cracks in the dojo wall, to the blood still staining the ground.
Ara: I don't know how to be part of things. I've been alone for a long time. Alone is all I know.
Ji-hu: I spent three years feeling alone even when I was surrounded by people. It's not the same, but I understand what it feels like to not belong anywhere.
She looked back at him.
Ara: You're strange.
Ji-hu: You've said that before.
Ara: It keeps being true.
Another long pause. Then she nodded once.
Ara: Fine. I'll try. But if it gets boring, I'm leaving.
Ji-hu: That's fair.
Ara: And I'm not doing paperwork.
Yuna: Everyone has to do paperwork.
Ara: Then you do my share.
Yuna opened her mouth to argue, but Ji-hu caught her eye and shook his head slightly. She closed her mouth and let out a breath.
Yuna: Fine. I'll do the paperwork.
Ara: Good.
She settled back against the broken steps, and for the first time since they'd met her, she looked almost comfortable.
---
The next day, they went to the NHA for Ara's evaluation.
The building was massive, taking up an entire city block in the government district. Hunters streamed in and out constantly, wearing patches from dozens of different guilds. Ji-hu felt small walking through the doors, but Ara walked like she owned the place. Nothing seemed to faze her.
They were directed to a testing room on the third floor. Inside, a resonance crystal sat on a metal table, larger and more precise than the one Ji-hu had used months ago.
Tester: Name?
Ara: Ara.
Tester: Last name?
Ara: Just Ara.
The tester looked at her for a moment. She stared back without blinking. He decided not to push the issue.
Tester: Place your hand on the crystal, please.
Ara reached out and placed her palm flat against the surface.
The crystal exploded with light.
It wasn't a glow or a pulse. It was an explosion, white and brilliant, blazing so bright that everyone in the room had to cover their eyes. The resonance meter on the wall spiked past every limit and kept climbing until it maxed out.
Tester: That's not possible. That's not supposed to be possible.
Yuna: What does it mean?
Tester: Wait here. Don't move.
He ran out of the room.
Twenty minutes later, three senior examiners came in. They ran Ara through every test they had—different crystals, different methods, different measurements. Each time, the result was the same. Her resonance was off the charts.
Senior Examiner: Young lady, I need to ask you something important. What did you endure during the First Minute?
Ara: Nothing I want to talk about.
The examiners exchanged glances with each other.
Senior Examiner: Based on your resonance levels, your demonstrated combat capability from previous incidents, and the control you've shown during testing, we're ranking you as S-class.
Yuna: S-class? Like top tier?
Senior Examiner: The nineteenth S-rank hunter in the country. Yes.
Ara looked at Ji-hu. Her expression hadn't changed at all.
Ara: Does this mean we can register the guild now?
---
After the testing, while Yuna was handling paperwork, Ara and Ji-hu sat in a quiet corner of the NHA building.
Ji-hu: You handled that well.
Ara: I've had practice hiding things.
Ji-hu: What kind of things?
She was quiet for a moment. Then she looked at him directly.
Ara: I'm not from here. Not from this world.
Ji-hu stared at her.
Ara: My world. It's called Elysia. Similar to Earth in some ways. Different in others. The First Minute happened there too. But for us, it wasn't just monsters crossing over. Parts of our world just... vanished. Displaced. I was one of the displaced.
Ji-hu: You're from another world?
Ara: Yes.
Ji-hu: Like the ones that overlap with Earth?
Ara: Different. My world is like Earth. Cities. People. Civilizations. Not just monsters and wastelands.
Ji-hu tried to process this. Another world. With people like him. Like her.
Ji-hu: Does anyone else know?
Ara: No. And I want to keep it that way.
Ji-hu: Why tell me?
Ara: Because you asked me to stay. Because you don't want anything from me except... me. That's rare.
She looked away.
Ara: Also because hiding is exhausting. And you're the first person who made me feel like I didn't have to.
Ji-hu didn't know what to say. So he just nodded.
Ji-hu: Your secret is safe.
Ara: I know.
---
News spread fast after the evaluation.
By evening, every major guild in the region knew that a new S-rank hunter had appeared with no background, no history, and no affiliations. The offers started flooding in before they even left the building.
The first to approach was Valiant Storm. Their representative was polished and professional, dressed in the guild's formal colors. They had five S-ranks already, more than any other guild in the region. They offered Ara full benefits, private housing in their headquarters, priority on missions, and a signing bonus that made Ji-hu's eyes widen.
Next came White Tiger Guild. They were based in the northern territories and known for their martial artists and physical fighters. Their offer was less about money and more about training—access to their masters, their techniques, their private dojos.
Phoenix Dawn followed. They specialized in elemental users and promised Ara resources specifically tailored to her abilities, rare artifacts, and personal tutors.
Iron Blood was smaller but respected. They had a reputation for taking in outcasts and building them up. Their offer came as a handwritten letter from their guild master, personal and warm.
The Circle came last. They didn't say much. Just left a card with a symbol on it and a time and place to meet if she was interested.
Ara read through every offer carefully. Then she walked back to Ji-hu and Yuna.
Ara: I'm staying with you.
Yuna: What? Why? Any of those guilds could give you everything you need.
Ara: They all want something from me. They don't even know me and they already want things. You just want me to stay.
Ji-hu didn't know what to say.
Ara: Also your guild needs a name. You can't stay nameless forever.
Yuna: We haven't thought about it.
Ara: You should think faster.
---
That evening, Hana showed up at the dojo.
She walked into the yard and stopped when she saw Ara sitting on the steps. Her eyes moved from Ara to Ji-hu and back again.
Hana: You're the one from the Zone. The one who helped my brother.
Ara: I'm the one who saved his life. Multiple times now.
Hana: I heard about that. Thank you.
Ara: You don't need to thank me. I didn't do it for you.
Hana blinked at the bluntness, then looked at Ji-hu. He shrugged slightly.
Hana: You joined his guild.
Ara: Yes.
Hana: You're S-rank now.
Ara: Apparently.
Hana: And you chose this place? A broken dojo and a guild master who was D-rank until yesterday?
Ara: He asked me to stay. No one else did.
Hana didn't know what to say to that.
Later, when Ara went to check the perimeter like she always did, Hana pulled Ji-hu aside.
Hana: She's beautiful.
Ji-hu: I hadn't really noticed.
Hana: You're such a liar.
Ji-hu: Okay, maybe I noticed a little.
Hana: You like her.
Ji-hu: I don't know what I feel yet. She's just... different.
Hana: Different how?
Ji-hu: She's been alone for a long time. Fighting on her own. No one watching her back. And she still came back here to help us. To help me.
Hana: That sounds familiar.
Ji-hu: What do you mean?
Hana: You spent three years alone. Watching everyone else live their lives while you just existed. And the first chance you got to fight for something, you took it. That's who you are.
She studied him for a moment.
Hana: She reminds you of yourself.
Ji-hu: Maybe. A little.
Hana: That's not a bad thing.
She punched his arm lightly and walked back toward the dojo.
Ji-hu stood there for a while, looking at the spot where Ara had disappeared into the darkness.
She was from another world. A world called Elysia. A world like his own.
And she had chosen to stay with him.
He wasn't sure what that meant yet.
But he wanted to find out.
---
END OF CHAPTER 20 (REVISED)