The heavy doors of the Adventurer Guild closed behind the two cloaked strangers, and for a few seconds no one moved.
Then the noise returned all at once.
Adventurers began talking loudly, chairs scraped across the wooden floor, and several people immediately started speculating about what had just happened.
"Who were those people?"
"Did you see the emblem they had?"
"They were definitely strong…"
Alex exhaled slowly, realizing only now how tense his body had been.
"Well," he muttered, "that was uncomfortable."
Kael didn't laugh. His eyes were still fixed on the closed guild doors.
"Yes," he said quietly. "It was."
Bren walked over, his heavy boots thudding against the wooden floor.
"What was that about?" he asked.
Alex shrugged lightly.
"They asked questions."
Bren frowned.
"Didn't look like simple curiosity to me."
Kael spoke before Alex could answer.
"They're part of an organization that investigates unusual power growth."
Bren crossed his arms.
"That sounds like trouble."
"It usually is," Kael replied.
The older adventurer glanced between the two of them.
"You hiding something I should know about?"
Alex forced a small smile.
"Just lucky lately."
Bren stared at him for a moment longer, clearly unconvinced. But after a few seconds he sighed.
"Well, whatever it is… keep it outside my guild hall next time."
"I'll try," Alex said.
Bren grunted and walked back toward the other hunters, who immediately started bombarding him with questions.
The tension in the room slowly faded.
Adventurers returned to their drinks, and the guild resumed its normal rhythm. But Alex could still feel the faint pressure in the back of his mind.
The system flickered again.
Warning
External Observation Risk: Elevated
Recommendation: Exercise Caution
Alex frowned slightly.
"Great," he muttered under his breath.
Kael glanced at him.
"The system again?"
Alex blinked.
"You noticed?"
Kael shrugged.
"You always look like you're reading invisible text."
Alex chuckled quietly.
"I guess I need to work on that."
The two of them walked toward an empty table near the corner of the guild hall. Alex sat down heavily in the chair.
The day's battles were finally catching up with him. Fighting an ogre had taken far more energy than he realized. Kael sat across from him.
"You handled those two well," Kael said.
"Did I?" Alex replied.
"I mostly just stood there."
"Sometimes that's the best option."
Alex leaned back in the chair, staring at the wooden ceiling beams.
"What do you think they wanted?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. Instead, he folded his arms and studied Alex carefully.
"They suspect something," he finally said.
Alex sighed.
"That's what I was afraid of."
"But suspicion isn't proof," Kael continued.
"And organizations like theirs usually need proof before they act."
Alex nodded slowly.
"That's good… I think."
"For now," Kael added.
Alex sat quietly for a moment. Then he asked the question that had been bothering him since the strangers appeared.
"What kind of organization investigates things like that?"
Kael's expression grew more serious.
"The kind that believes certain powers should not exist."
Alex immediately thought about the title of his system. The System That Shouldn't Exist.
"That sounds ominous," he said.
"It can be," Kael replied.
Alex rubbed his temples.
"So basically… if they figure out what I have…"
"They will either try to control it," Kael said calmly. "Or destroy it."
Alex stared at him.
"Well."
"That's comforting."
Kael actually smiled faintly.
"Welcome to the complicated part of power."
Before Alex could respond, the guild doors opened again. But this time it wasn't cloaked investigators entering. It was a young messenger boy from the town. He rushed inside, breathing heavily.
"Adventurers!" he shouted.
The room immediately grew quiet again. Bren stood up.
"What is it?"
The boy pointed nervously toward the forest outside the town.
"There's… there's another monster!"
Several adventurers groaned.
"What now?"
The boy swallowed.
"Scouts saw it near the eastern road."
Bren frowned.
"What kind of monster?"
The boy hesitated. Then he said the word that made several experienced adventurers go pale.
"A troll."
The guild hall erupted into shocked murmurs.
Alex slowly leaned back in his chair.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Because if an ogre had been dangerous…
A troll was something far worse.