Location: Academy Perimeter – 30 Minutes Before Rina's Ambush
Jinhyuk crouched atop a surveillance tower, eyes glinting behind a pair of spectral lenses. His appearance was cloaked—face masked, body leaner now from training and leveling—but no one would recognize him.
Not yet.
His fingers tapped against a small device buzzing with mana interference readings.
> [Tracking: Demonic Signature – Class A Rogue Hunter Detected]
[Target Behavior: Pattern confirmed – Stalking Elite Students]
[Estimated Intent: Core Extraction]
Jinhyuk's lips curled.
"Got you."
---
Operation: Silent Cleansing
This wasn't a rescue mission.
This was pest control.
For the last two weeks, rogue hunters had been slipping into academy borders—testing defenses, picking off the weak, pushing boundaries.
And someone on the inside was letting them in.
Jinhyuk wasn't going to wait for the faculty to notice.
He already knew the corrupted hunter's next target: Rina Everhart.
---
> "Tch. Would've preferred someone else. But if she dies now, the balance breaks."
He moved through the trees like a shadow, steps light, senses sharp.
It wasn't sentiment.
It was calculation.
If Rina died here, it would shake the academy, expose the corruption too soon, and mess with his timeline.
Worse—he'd lose a valuable future piece.
---
The Ambush
He watched from above as the corrupted hunter struck—fast, brutal, enhanced by demonic energy.
Rina held her ground impressively.
But not enough.
> She's hesitating. Still not ready to kill when she should. Too clean.
She'll lose this fight.
Jinhyuk exhaled.
Time to act.
---
In the Blink of an Eye
He dropped down—daggers drawn, mana coiled like a viper.
Clash.
One parry. One feint. One twist of the blade.
The corrupted hunter collapsed in a pool of silence.
Jinhyuk stood between Rina and the corpse, his masked face emotionless.
She stared at him, stunned.
He said nothing.
Just nodded—once—and vanished before she could even ask.
---
Later That Night – Abandoned Warehouse
The dead hunter's body burned in a ritual circle, his corrupted mana purified and dissected.
Jinhyuk scrolled through the data on his holo-screen.
> [Name: Ha Giran – Former Guildless Assassin]
[Affiliation: Unknown – Possessed Mark of the Hollow Eye]
[Link to Academy Staff: Confirmed]
His eyes narrowed.
> "They're testing the system. Slipping killers past the gate. Which means…"
"Someone high up wants this place to fall."
---
He shut the screen, eyes dark.
"I'll let her wonder who saved her."
"She'll think it was luck."
"But I don't believe in coincidence."
---