"Hm? Something changed."
Inside a cathedral within the royal capital, a man with disheveled hair slowly raised his head. His tired eyes settled on a massive digital board suspended in the center of the hall.
Board of Valor's Hero Parties.
The cathedral was old, built from pale stone that carried centuries of prayer within its walls. Tall stained windows filtered faint light that stretched across the marble floor in long colored bands.
The board hovered quietly in the dim hall.
It displayed the kingdom's most decorated adventurer parties. Teams that had spent decades carving their names into history through dungeon clears, monster hunts, and service to the crown.
Most of the names had not changed in years.
Many of those groups were practically institutions.
The old deacon slowly rose from his seat. His robe brushed softly across the floor as he walked toward the glowing panel.
A few worshipers were scattered across the cathedral, kneeling near the altar or whispering quiet prayers beneath the towering pillars. None of them paid attention to the old man.
"That's right…"
He stopped in front of the board and leaned closer.
"Black Knight Raiders used to be ranked forty."
His gaze shifted downward.
"Now they are forty one."
The old man frowned slightly as his eyes traveled through the list. Several numbers had shifted, pushed down as if something had forced its way upward through the ranks.
One position. Then another.
Several parties had moved.
Then his eyes stopped.
Number twenty six.
Heavenly Demon Slaying Party.
The name sat there like an unfamiliar scar.
"That's new."
He muttered under his breath.
The old deacon rubbed his chin slowly as he studied the entry.
Unless a party cleared a high level dungeon, it was impossible to leap through more than twenty ranks in a single moment. Even then, the movement would rarely be this dramatic.
His eyes moved to the activity record beneath the name.
Three days.
The party had only existed for three days.
"A new party… three days old at rank twenty six in the kingdom."
He whispered the words slowly.
"That's not only impossible."
"It's terrifying."
Even the strongest adventurer groups usually needed years of recorded achievements before they entered the upper rankings. Yet this one had appeared suddenly, as if it had been dropped into the system.
"Could it be someone from outside the kingdom playing a prank?"
The old deacon murmured, though the idea sounded weak even in his own mind.
The ranking board was connected directly to the Adventurers Guild system. It recorded only verified achievements.
False entries were impossible.
"No… that can't be it."
Without hesitation he turned and beckoned toward one of the young apprentices sweeping near the far wall.
The boy hurried over quickly.
"Yes, Deacon?"
"Go to the Adventurers Guild."
The old man's voice was calm but firm.
"Bring me the full information on the members of this team."
His eyes drifted back to the glowing name.
"We may need to take a look at them very soon."
The apprentice nodded and hurried away, his footsteps echoing faintly through the cathedral.
The old deacon remained where he stood.
His fingers rubbed slowly against his chin.
Heavenly Demon Slaying Party.
The name stirred something distant in his memory. A strange title he had once heard in stories told by wandering scholars.
A title that had always sounded absurd.
"Heavenly Demon…"
He murmured quietly.
The words felt heavy in the silent cathedral.
Meanwhile Vincent's team had already begun the journey back to Hog City.
The road stretched across the plains while the late afternoon wind rolled gently through the tall grass. Their horses moved at a steady pace, hooves pressing softly into the dirt path.
"That was a tier nine beast."
Wilder muttered from behind.
His gaze remained fixed on the back of the man riding ahead of them on a black horse.
Vincent sat calmly in the saddle as if nothing unusual had happened.
"He took it down by himself…"
Wilder still struggled to believe what he had seen.
They already knew Vincent was strong. Victoria had hinted that he was likely stronger than the tier six demon hunter who previously led their team.
But what happened inside that gate had shattered their expectations completely.
His mere presence had provoked the gate guardian. A creature that normally remained dormant until an entire raid party stepped into the dungeon.
Yet it attacked the moment Vincent appeared.
And then it died.
Killed before the fight had even truly begun.
"Normally it takes months of attempts to clear a yellow gate."
Wilder continued quietly.
"Even organized teams go in and out for weeks before they succeed."
His voice carried a faint disbelief.
"That was a red gate."
No one immediately answered.
The wind filled the silence as their horses continued forward.
"It's not just that."
Victoria finally spoke from behind them.
A bitter smile touched her lips as she stared at Vincent's back.
There was always something strange about him.
From the moment they met.
The way he accepted her without hesitation had never made sense to her. Most people reacted differently after learning about her illness.
Some pitied her.
Others avoided her completely.
Yet Vincent never showed a single trace of hesitation.
He simply allowed her to join the team.
As if her condition meant absolutely nothing.
But after witnessing his final attack inside the dungeon, a frightening thought had begun to take shape in her mind.
A possibility she did not want to believe.
'Is he one of those monsters?'
She wondered silently.
The pressure she felt from that final strike was something she had never experienced before.
It was not simply strength.
It felt older than that.
Something vast.
Something predatory.
"Hey kid."
Vincent's voice suddenly cut through the quiet.
They had already arrived at the Adventurers Guild.
Standing before the mission notice board, Vincent casually dropped the folded gate ticket onto the counter in front of the young clerk managing the desk.
"We need another gate pass."
He spoke calmly.
"This time something less troublesome."
The young man looked up with mild curiosity.
"Ah? Did you clear it?"
A faint smile formed on his face.
There was a hint of mockery in his tone.
He had warned them earlier that attempting that gate was pointless. Even with a demon hunter present, the kingdom had already classified the dungeon as a potential threat.
If it wasn't located near civilian settlements, a high ranking party would have been dispatched by now.
In his mind these people had simply wasted their time.
"Yes."
Vincent replied calmly.
"We did."
The young clerk froze.
The smile on his face disappeared slowly.
Instinctively his eyes lowered toward the ticket lying on the desk.
There it was.
The mark of a cleared gate.
The dead light seal.
His eyes widened immediately.
He looked at the paper.
Then at Vincent.
Then back at the paper again.
Several times.
His mouth opened slightly but no words came out.
That was impossible.
This was a red gate.
No one could clear a red gate in a single day.
Not even the legendary number one party in the kingdom.
The Golden Armour Party.
"You're wasting time."
Vincent's voice snapped him out of his shock.
"We have things to do."
He tapped the counter lightly.
"There should also be a state reward for clearing that gate."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Can I be paid in Blue Magnite?"
The words sounded almost casual.
In truth Vincent simply did not want the boy to think too much. If the realization fully settled in his mind, the poor clerk might completely lose his composure.
"Blue Magnite?"
The young man responded automatically.
Only instinct guided him now.
"Only the guild vice leader can authorize that…"
"Then get him."
Vincent replied immediately.
"I should get him?"
The clerk stared blankly for a moment.
The guild vice leader was a tier seven hero. One of the strongest figures in the entire city.
No one casually requested his presence.
But the young clerk slowly lowered his gaze to the gate ticket again.
The dead light seal glowed faintly on the paper.
Proof of a cleared red gate.
His throat tightened slightly.
Perhaps the person standing in front of him was someone even the vice leader should not keep waiting.