Chapter 200: [LIGHTHEADED]

’I can’t catch a break. I can’t catch a fucking break.’

That was the only thing echoing in Eli’s mind as he stepped out of the sleek black car, legs stiff, palms clammy, eyes dragging upward toward the towering structure before him.

The Hunter Association building.

Cold glass. Steel edges.

The symbol of the most powerful organization on Aerth rising like a monument to his misery.

Eli swallowed hard.

He stood there for a second too long—dazed, exhausted, absolutely done with the universe—before one of the suited men behind him cleared his throat.

“Mr. Elione Noa Ahn. This way.”

Right.

’Fantastic. Kidnapped again, but make it formal.’

Eli didn’t know why he opened the door of his condo earlier.

He deeply regretted that choice. Because the moment the door swung open, two tall, intimidating men in black suits had filled his doorway like looming shadows.

They didn’t threaten him.

They didn’t raise their voices.

But the weight of their presence alone said everything.

Representatives of the Hunter’s Association.

Midas Ryu’s representatives.

And apparently—according to their unnervingly calm explanation—Eli was being summoned for a “sudden meeting.”

He wasn’t asked.

He wasn’t given a choice.

He was simply escorted out of his condo and into their vehicle. A vehicle with a closed partition, tinted windows, and a door that locked suspiciously quickly once he was inside.

Eli sank into his seat then, stiff and confused.

He wasn’t even allowed to crack the window.

’I can’t believe they aren’t even letting me talk to them or ask them questions, but then again it’s probably because they also don’t know.’

At least… they didn’t notice Wormy.

That was his biggest fear as he was practically shoved into the backseat.

But Wormy seemed to understand. The tiny serpent wound tightly around Eli’s wrist like a cool, glowing bracelet and stayed absolutely still.

No wriggling.

No hissing.

No sudden “O…ri…on.”

Just quiet.

Obedient.

Eli could feel the faint weight of Wormy’s little head resting against his skin, its calm presence anchoring him as the car drove in unsettling silence.

And now—standing here, staring up at the entrance—Eli felt Wormy give the smallest reassuring squeeze around his wrist.

Almost like saying “I’m here.”

Eli sighed through his nose.

“Well,” he whispered under his breath, “at least one of us is handling this better than I am.”

The men in suits stepped forward.

“We’re expected inside. Please follow.”

Eli took a step.

Then another.

His heart hammered in his chest—not from danger, but from the sheer pressure of what awaited him inside.

A meeting.

Not just with Kairo.

Not just with Caelen.

Not just with guild leaders.

But with every S-Class hunter in Korenea.

The strongest people on the continent.

And Midas Ryu.

Founder of the Hunter Association.

This was serious, and Eli knew what the topic is going to be about.

The automatic doors opened with a soft hiss.

Eli walked inside.

And the moment Eli stepped inside the Hunter Association building, the atmosphere nearly knocked the breath out of him.

’Well this is…’

Chaos.

Controlled chaos… but chaos nonetheless.

Hunters in uniform rushed across the gleaming marble lobby, boots pounding in tight, urgent rhythms. Papers rustled.

Electronic tablets beeped.

Staff members spoke rapidly into their earpieces, voices sharp and clipped.

The air felt charged—like the entire building was holding its breath.

It felt like stepping into the core of a beehive during a fire drill.

Eli blinked rapidly, overwhelmed.

’What the hell is going on?’

He barely had a chance to get a proper look around—

“There you are.”

Eli stiffened so fast he nearly jolted backward.

Lawrence—Midas Ryu’s impeccably dressed executive assistant—approached with his usual smooth, elegant stride, the soft click of his polished shoes almost too calm for this chaotic space.

His silver-rimmed glasses caught the lobby lights sharply, reflecting more glare than actual eyes for a moment.

But what finally made Eli freeze wasn’t Lawrence’s presence.

It was the expression on his face.

Lawrence looked at him in a way that was… strange. Not judgmental. Not irritated.

Confused.

Like someone had handed him a mug and told him to drink it, only to realize halfway through that it was full of glitter glue.

Offended confusion.

Eli stared back, stomach dropping.

“…What?” he whispered under his breath. “Why is he looking at me like that?”

Lawrence blinked once—just once—and the neutral, strict professionalism slipped back over his features like a mask.

Still. Eli had seen it.

And now he was even more lost.

“Mr. Elione,” Lawrence said, voice perfectly polite again, “you’re early. Not everyone has arrived yet.”

Eli cleared his throat. “Right. Early. Yes. Um.”

His voice cracked on the “um.”

He wanted to say, ’Early? Buddy, I didn’t have a choice. I was taken here.’

But he bit his tongue.

He could feel Wormy under his sleeve—coiled snugly against his wrist—give him the tiniest squeeze.

A small, comforting pressure.

Like a nervous little pat-pat.

He realized Wormy could probably feel how fast his pulse was racing.

’What a good boy.’

Lawrence clasped his hands neatly, posture prim and perfect. “I’ll bring you to the meeting room. They’ll begin once all S-Class hunters are present.”

Eli’s stomach twisted into a painful knot.

“All… S-Class hunters?” he echoed weakly. “As in all?”

Lawrence nodded as if that was perfectly normal. “Yes. Along with their Guild Masters, Vice-Captains, and those currently in Korenea.”

Eli stared at him.

Great.

Amazing.

Perfect.

Exactly what he needed.

A full S-Class assembly. Less than twenty-four hours after surviving an SS-Class dungeon. No sleep. No mental recovery. No peace.

Of course.

They couldn’t have done this another day? Maybe next week? Next month? After he stopped feeling like he’d been emotionally blendered?

But no.

’Of course this had to happen right now.’

More than anything, though—Eli wanted to know one thing the most.

His throat felt tight as he swallowed. “R-Right. Um—Lawrence?”

“Yes?” Lawrence raised a brow, elegant and polite as always.

Eli hesitated. His palms were getting sweaty. Wormy squeezed tighter around his wrist beneath his sleeve.

Then the words tumbled out of him before he could stop them.

“Why am I here? I mean—I know why I was called, but… no one told me anything specific and I’m… nervous.”

Lawrence paused.

And for a moment—just a moment—his expression softened. Barely noticeable unless one was desperately searching for comfort, which Eli was.

“Don’t worry,” Lawrence said gently, voice almost soothing. “It’s nothing hostile. The Association simply wants to discuss the recent SS-Class dungeon incident.”

Eli inhaled shakily.

“Right. The dungeon.”

He still remembered—

The feeling of drowning under the phantom’s illusionary grip.

The crushing pressure of water.

Being under the Octopus’ control.

Being pulled under the water by the phantoms.

The twisting walls.

The sheltering scales.

The lab.

The picture.

And a man’s voice whispering “my Orion—”

Eli squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the memories back down where they couldn’t suffocate him.

Lawrence continued walking, adjusting his glasses with a practiced motion. “And… Mr. Kairo made it clear that you were the primary reason they survived.”

Eli stopped.

Dead in his tracks.

His legs locked like someone flipped a switch.

“What?” he whispered, barely audible.

Lawrence looked back at him calmly. “That you were instrumental in the dungeon. Those were his exact words. And his vice-captain supported the statement.”

Eli’s mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

Kairo?

’AS IN THE KAIRO I KNOW?’

The cold, terrifying, blunt S-Class who looked at him like he was an inconvenience?

Mr. “I will glare you into oblivion.”

The one who thought he was too weak to do anything?

That Kairo?

Saying he saved them?

Eli’s brain short-circuited so violently he could practically hear static.

He stood there silently, blinking, stunned, mouth slightly parted like someone had taken out his last functioning brain cell and replaced it with a loose USB stick.

Lawrence regarded him with mild confusion. “…Is something wrong?”

Eli shook his head weakly.

“N-No. I just—uh—wow. That’s… wow.”

He had no idea what to feel.

Flattered?

Flustered?

Confused?

Embarrassed?

All of the above?

Mostly the last one.

Wormy nuzzled against his wrist from under the sleeve as if asking him: “Are you okay?”

Eli took a deep breath, trying to calm the chaos swirling in his chest.

“That… that can’t be right,” Eli muttered, his voice cracking around the edges. “I mean—I didn’t—I just—”

Lawrence tilted his head in that calm, professional way he always did. “I assure you, that’s what he told everyone involved in the report.”

Eli just stared at him.

Then stared past him.

Then stared at absolutely nothing.

His brain was doing that thing—shutting off in self-defense, like a computer refusing to process a file too large.

Kairo.

Credited him.

’Kairo. Credited. ME? He actually said it out loud? In front of people???’

Wormy wiggled frantically under his sleeve, reacting to the sudden spike in Eli’s emotions. Its little tail flicked rapidly against Eli’s wrist—like the world’s smallest cheerleader experiencing secondhand shock.

Lawrence continued, completely unfazed. “If anything, Mr. Kairo credited you more than Mr. Caelen and his team—who, admittedly, had a very questionable method of entering the dungeon—which is why Sir Midas is intrigued.”

Eli felt his stomach drop.

Then rise.

Then drop again.

He genuinely wasn’t sure if he wanted to pass out or throw up or lie face down on the marble floor for dramatic effect.

This was too much.

Too much in one day.

’Why… why would he say that? He hates everything that breathes. He hates ME. Did the serpent hit his head? Did he get brain damage? Am I hallucinating??’

Lawrence cleared his throat politely and turned toward the elevator, extending a graceful hand.

“Shall we?”

Eli swallowed hard.

His palms were sweating so badly Wormy tightened its coil as if trying not to slip off.

He followed.

One step.

Another.

The elevator doors gleamed ahead of him, impossibly bright under the association’s lights.

My heart is beating so loud… I need to calm down. Calm down. CALM DOWN. Breathe. Don’t faint. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of Lawrence of all people—

But his pulse only quickened.

Joining the S-Class meeting wasn’t the scary part.

Kairo speaking on his behalf was.

And Caelen being Caelen was.

And Midas Ryu being interested in him was.

And the fact that an SS-Class monster was currently hidden under his sweater while he was being escorted into the most secure building in Korenea was—

’Nope. Not thinking about that. If I think about that, I will throw myself out of a window.’

Eli rubbed his face once, let out a shaky exhale, and stepped into the elevator beside Lawrence.

The doors began to close.

His heart kept racing.

He had no idea what was waiting upstairs.

But he had a terrible feeling he wasn’t ready.

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