Chương 28: The Abyss Within the Eyes

The heavy, rustic wooden doors of the massive Adventurers' Guild of the Capital swung open with a muffled groan. Kurogami Ren advanced into the interior of the main hall. His tight black attire blended perfectly with the opaque grey cloak draped over his silhouette, and the balanced weight of his brand-new, remarkably light sword at his waist guaranteed the necessary tactical mobility. The young man's imposing posture and the stark contrast of his dark garments immediately drew every eye in the room.

Because the Capital of Ithrya dictated an absolute rule where eighty percent of the population was female, the hall was packed with armored warriors, cloaked mages, and veteran archers. They broke off their conversations and began whispering actively, scanning his appearance from head to toe as he walked past. Kuro ignored the chatter and headed straight toward the central bronze bounty board. The shock was immediate when he spotted a familiar silhouette standing near the wall. There is no way it isn't her.

The face is identical... It's Aurelia, Kuro calculated, his strategist mind racing. It wouldn't be surprising if she ended up pulled into this world too. She was also killed by the Shadows back on Earth, in that distorted dimension where the world shattered and only the two of us were dragged into the forest. The goddess must have brought her to this world as well. His steps brought him directly to her. Sensing the approach, Aurelia turned her face. Kuro looked at her closely.

She did not look surprised like someone recognizing an old acquaintance; instead, she was dominated by a deep fear that was visible in her defensive posture, her hand instinctively hovering near the hilt of a catalyst fastened to her purple runic armor.

"Aurelia." She instantly took a step back, her body tensing up.

"Who... who are you?"

"You don't remember me?"

"I have never seen you in my life..." she replied, her breath caught.

"But I feel something familiar in those black eyes of yours. One can see the abyss and the emptiness within them..." The impact of those words made Kuro's tactical gears shift in a millisecond. *What does she mean, she can see the emptiness? Can she see what those things are... the shadows? Even if she doesn't remember me, I am not giving up on her. She is still beautiful, and I am still intensely attracted to her. I am just happy to talk to her again.

Shifting his approach to something practical, Kuro asked, "Do you have a party, Aurelia?"

"Yes, my party is with my sister and two of her friends."

"Are you interested in joining mine? I guarantee you an excellent fixed salary." He watched her expression harden completely beneath her purple cloak as she measured him from head to toe.

"We just met. I would never join the party of someone I have just met for the first time in my life." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Kuro felt the sting of that cold rejection in his chest, bringing a real pang of frustration. His hope that approaching her would trigger some spark of memory in her mind had been cleanly severed. Maintaining his charismatic facade intact, he simply took a step back.

"That's fine. We can talk later, then."

"I suppose so..." she answered briefly, hurriedly moving away toward the opposite side of the hall. Kuro adjusted his grey cloak and walked over to the central reception counter, stopping in front of the attendant.

"Could you tell me more about how things work here in the Capital? I would also like to register my party." The receptionist opened a large ledger and explained, "Yes, here we operate by classes and ranks. To accept the missions pinned on the board, you must be at the corresponding rank. Here in the Capital, our system is strictly divided by metals. We have the Iron Rank for village errands, Bronze for local escorts, and Silver for dangerous monsters, which is your squad's current status.

Above that, we have Low Gold and High Gold for military contracts, as well as Platinum and Diamond for the elite who deal directly with the high court." Kuro kept his dark eyes focused on the ledger as he coldly calculated the scenario. I cannot let them see that I am an assassin, nor that I possess semi-immortality and control over the shadows. The attendant continued, tapping her fingers against the pages of the catalog.

"However, we cannot evaluate your party right now; you need to be exceptionally powerful to receive an immediate power assessment. For now, you can accept all Silver and Low Gold missions without any issues. That is, unless you want to request a special evaluation to rank up faster." Sustaining her gaze with absolute calmness, Kuro answered on the spot, "I do not want the evaluation." The receptionist slid the official ledger forward and pointed to the list.

"Very well. Then fill out the forms according to the catalog of permitted classes by law in Ithrya under the jurisdiction of the Goddess Ariana. The registry accepts the roles of Warrior, Archer, Mage, Sorcerer, Alchemist, Healer, and finally, the Assistant or Support class." Kuro kept his eyes locked on the hidden footnote of the rustic page.

He knew perfectly well through his own knowledge that the Assassin class was considered an illegal designation, treated as a severe crime by the laws of the Capital's court, and ruthlessly hunted by the royal guard. With the pen in hand, he filled out the form, using the allowed facades to camouflage his squad's true identities: Kuro: Registered as a Warrior (True class: Assassin/Alchemist). Liora Ravenshade: Registered as a Warrior (True class: Elite Military Assassin).

Mireya: Registered as a Mage (True class: Molecular Alchemist). Selene Evercrest: Registered as a Mage (True class: Mage). As she stamped the documents, Kuro noticed the receptionist looking at his face, her cheeks turning noticeably red. She leaned forward across the counter.

"Do you have a wife?... I mean, not that it matters, you can have as many wives as you want here in the Capital, but it's just a routine question."

"No, I don't have one yet," Kuro replied, returning her gaze with a short corner smile. He saw her drop her eyes, whispering happily to herself, Good... then I have a chance. Before he could grab the registration keys, a group of three female adventurers approached the counter, crowding into his space. Their leader measured him with a malicious look.

"Hey, handsome, do you have a party yet? If not, you can join ours right now. We can pay you with something else if you'd like..." Maintaining his cold, unyielding leader posture, Kuro merely adjusted the light sword at his waist and shut them down without hesitation.

"No. I already have a party, and I am not abandoning them for anything in my life." The adventurers backed off, whispering in impression as the young man walked away. To calm the lingering nervousness from his sudden encounter with Aurelia, he pulled a simple, low-rank mission from the board for the outer perimeter: gathering medicinal herbs. With his new visual style, Kuro walked toward the exit of the hall, pushing the guild's grand doors open to begin the collection.