It was honestly crazy to think there was a massive chamber hidden under that rundown tavern. I mean—sure, I was shocked at first, but I recovered faster than I expected.
Maybe that was just where I was at now. One day in, and I had already seen enough weird stuff to fry anyone's sense of normal.
"Hey, snap out of it. Follow me," Lily said, already striding forward like it was just another day.
I quickly picked up my pace, trailing behind her. As we walked through the corridor, I noticed something strange—there were a lot of doors down here.
Not just random storage rooms either. These looked solid, deliberate. Like each one led to its own important mystery.
I didn't ask, but my mind was already spinning with assumptions. Secret archives? Hidden labs? Dungeon cells?
Whatever this place was… it definitely wasn't just some basement.
"Hey, Lily. How's it going? And uh… who's this guy?"
"Oh, fantastic," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I have no idea who he is. I'm just taking him to the captain for a little investigation."
"Investigation? …Right. Never mind."
She stopped mid-step and turned slightly. "Hey Lukas, could you do me a favor? I came in here out of nowhere and there's no one managing the tavern right now. Can you cover for a few minutes?"
"Yeah, sure," Lukas replied with a shrug.
"And don't forget to take payments. If anyone starts a commotion—you know the drill. Beat their ass."
Lukas didn't say anything. He just gave her an awkward, slightly terrified smile.
This girl was totally a maniac, wasn't she?
One second we were walking, the next she halted in front of a random door like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"Hello, Captain. Are you free?" she asked, casually knocking.
A deep voice answered from inside, "Yes. Come in."
We stepped into the room. Not too big, not too small—just the kind of space you'd expect someone important to use without trying too hard.
Bookshelves lined the walls, packed with titles I couldn't name. A few strange-looking objects sat on nearby stands—stuff I had no clue about. Probably magical, probably expensive, definitely out of my league.
At the far end of the room, right at the center, sat a sturdy wooden desk. And behind it, in a modest chair, was a man who looked like he was in his forties. He wore a dark grey coat made from a light fabric, paired with pale grey trousers. His hair—short and sharp—was silver-grey, matching his overall aesthetic like it had been planned.
He didn't look imposing at first glance, but there was something about him. Not the icy silence of Sir Kane—no, this man radiated a different kind of presence, like a strong flame.
And the most interesting part—he had the same badge on his coat, right over his chest. At first, it looked yellowish and slightly shiny… but as I looked closer, I was certain—it was gold.
"So, what's the problem, Lily? And who's this guy?" the man in the chair asked, giving me a brief glance.
"I don't know who he is, but you need to see this," Lily replied.
"Show him," she added, shooting me a serious look.
Was she telling me to show the badge? I thought so.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out the badge, and held it out to the man in front of me.
As he saw the badge, there was no shock in his eyes like there had been with Lily—just a curious look. He turned to me and asked,
"Where did you get that?"
"It was given to me… by someone," I replied hesitantly.
Should I say Sir Kane's name?
I wasn't sure if I could trust these people yet. If they weren't related to the Olfun cult, revealing his name might make things worse. Then again, staying quiet could be just as dangerous. I didn't know if telling them the truth would help or harm me.
"'By someone'? Do you know him? Do you know his name? Are you even aware of the badge's background? Or did you steal it?"
He fired off the questions one after another, his gaze sharpening into something colder.
And yet, despite that coldness, something stirred in the air around me—tightening. My heartbeat quickened. My mind was racing.
A part of me wanted to hide everything…
But another part whispered: Tell them.
After everything I had encountered, Sir Kane had told me to follow the path. This must have been part of his prediction, right? I didn't hesitate and shared the entire scenario with them. After hearing the story of what happened just a few hours ago, the man opened his mouth to speak.
"So you're—" he began, but Lily cut him off with a sharp exclamation.
"Damn those Oculis! What are they thinking? Do they believe we'll just let this slide?"
Her outburst caught everyone off guard. The captain cleared his throat with a quiet "ahem."
Lily quickly realized her mistake. "Oh, my bad."
"So you're saying Sir Kane gave you this and told you to come here? I think I understand your situation," he said, nodding slightly. "And… I'm sorry for your loss."
I gave a cautious smile in return.
"Things moved too quickly. And if Sir Kane wants you involved, then what can I do?" he continued. "Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Captain Grey. This is the Olfun Cult, Solang Valley branch."
Grey? The color of his pupils matched that exact shade. His parents hadn't even tried to give him a difficult name—or maybe it was a code name. That was likely. An organization like this had to use code names.
"Lily, take Marc to the Ascension Hall," Captain Grey said, rising from his chair. The wooden legs scraped against the stone floor with a rough creak. As he moved toward the door, he added, "I need to report something to the main branch."
Lily glanced at him, hesitant. "What about the badge?" she asked, her voice low but edged with concern.
Captain Grey paused, one hand on the doorframe. He didn't turn back.
"What? It's his. We can't do anything about it," he muttered, more to the hallway than to us.
With that, he vanished into the corridor, his boots echoing against the stone until even that sound faded into silence.
After our brief exchange with Captain Grey, we began walking deeper into the facility—toward a place that already sounded like it had answers: the Ascension Hall.
"Hey…" I broke the silence, keeping pace beside her. "Can you explain the background of this badge?"
She glanced at me, her eyes briefly scanning the badge in my hand before meeting mine.
"As you saw, I have a badge too—just like you and the Captain. But each of us carries a different color. It marks our place in the hierarchy of the Olfun Cult."
Even as she spoke, my thoughts wandered, chasing half-formed ideas.
But… her explanation made sense. Too much sense. And if my assumptions about the color were right—
"I think you've guessed it," she continued, her tone steady, almost resigned.
"The hierarchy flows like this: metal, bronze, silver... then gold—what the Captain carries. And above even that, there are rarer ranks: platinum and diamond."
"I don't know why you possess a silver badge, especially since you're not even a Serial 1 yet."
"So… that means I'm your superior?" I asked, genuinely curious, holding up the badge as if it might answer the question for me.
Lily shot me a cold glance—sharp enough to slice through steel.
Yeah… probably shouldn't have said that.
"Hmm," she said flatly. "From the badge's perspective, yes. But don't get the wrong idea."
She stopped walking and turned to face me fully.
"You're not even a Serial 1 Sage yet. You should focus on surviving. Right now, you're being targeted by forces you can't even begin to comprehend."
Her voice had lost its calm edge; it was laced with something colder. Not fear—warning.
"Even the Oculis wouldn't dare make a move now that the higher-ups are aware of the situation… but that doesn't mean you're safe."
A silence settled between us for a few seconds as we stepped into a vast circular hall. The air shifted subtly—colder, denser. This must have been the Ascension Hall.
But why were we here?
I had a feeling I'd get my answer soon.
"Come here," Lily said, her voice echoing faintly as she pointed toward the center of the room.
There, resting on an elevated platform, was a crystalline globe—faintly glowing, pulsing with a soft, inner light. It looked alive.
I walked toward her, each step echoing softly against the marble floor.
"Show me your hands," she said.
I hesitated for a moment, then gently extended them.
Without another word, she took my wrists and guided my hands toward the glowing globe at the center. Her touch was firm but careful, as if what came next required precision.
Before I could react, she moved.
In a blur of motion, a blade appeared in her hand—and just as quickly, she sliced across my palm and pressed it against the globe.
I gasped, instinctively pulling my hand back to inspect the wound… but there was nothing.
No blood. No pain. Not even a mark.
It was as if the cut had never happened—despite how swiftly, how deliberately, she had moved.
Even stranger… I hadn't felt a thing.