Hudson River Gateway Exit - 3:00 PM
The afternoon sunlight felt harsh against Alex's eyes as the Iron Wolf Guild emerged from the dungeon portal. The familiar weight of his camera gear seemed heavier now, each step echoing with the memory of what had just happened below ground.
Marcus winced as he adjusted the makeshift bandage around his left arm, the white cloth already showing spots of red. His usually confident demeanor had cracked, replaced by something Alex had never seen before—uncertainty.
"You..." Marcus started, then stopped, his dark eyes studying Alex's face. "You're really F-rank?"
The question hung in the air like smoke. Sarah Kim shook ice crystals from her auburn hair, her pale blue eyes darting between Marcus and Alex. Tom Rodriguez kept checking his sensor readings, the small device in his hand beeping erratically. Lisa Zhang stood slightly apart, her healing magic still glowing faintly around her fingertips.
"I mean, what we just saw..." Sarah's voice trailed off. She gestured vaguely toward the dungeon entrance. "That technique—"
"Was impossible," Tom finished, his Hispanic accent thick with confusion. "My sensors are still going crazy. The energy readings from Alex during that moment..." He shook his head. "F-rank Awakened don't produce those kinds of signatures."
Alex felt his hands trembling and shoved them deep into his jacket pockets. The rusted rebar he'd wielded like a sword was long discarded, but he could still feel the phantom weight of it in his grip. The memory of perfect movement, of knowing exactly where to strike, made his stomach churn.
"I don't know what happened," Alex said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I really don't. One second I was cornered, the next..." He swallowed hard. "It felt like someone else was moving my body."
Marcus stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Alex, that wasn't just any technique. That was my Lightning Slash. Exactly my technique. Down to the smallest detail." His expression was a mixture of awe and concern. "I've been perfecting that move for three years, and you just... copied it perfectly."
"That's impossible," Sarah interjected. "Skill mimicry is an S-rank ability. There are maybe five people in the world who can—"
"Keep your voices down," Marcus cut her off sharply, glancing around the exit area. A few other Awakened were milling about, some from rival guilds. "We don't talk about this here."
The group fell silent. Alex noticed how the other Awakened looked at him—or rather, how they didn't. To them, he was still just the camera guy, invisible and insignificant. If only they knew.
Lisa finally spoke up, her voice gentle but firm. "Whatever happened down there, Alex saved our lives. That Tunnel Worm would have killed Marcus if not for him."
"A D-rank boss in a 2-star dungeon," Tom muttered, still staring at his readings. "That's a classification error that could have gotten us all killed. The DMB is going to have questions."
Marcus straightened, his leadership instincts kicking in. "Here's what we tell them: the boss was an anomaly, we handled it as a team, end of story. Alex's camera malfunctioned during the fight, so there's no footage of the final moments."
"But the gear analysis—" Tom started.
"Will show standard team combat patterns," Marcus said firmly. "Alex, you were behind me when I made the killing blow. That's our story."
Alex looked at Marcus with growing respect and confusion. "Why are you protecting me?"
Marcus was quiet for a long moment, his gaze thoughtful. "Because five years ago, when the first dungeons appeared, I was nobody. Just another immigrant kid from Hong Kong trying to make it in New York. When I awakened, people gave me a chance to prove myself." He met Alex's eyes. "Everyone deserves that chance."
The sound of approaching boots made them all turn. Three DMB agents in their distinctive black uniforms were walking toward them, clipboards and scanning devices in hand.
"Iron Wolf Guild?" the lead agent called out. "We need your post-dungeon debrief."
"Showtime," Marcus murmured under his breath, then louder: "Of course, Agent. Standard sweep, minor injuries, target eliminated."
As the agents began their routine questioning, Alex felt a strange tingling sensation behind his eyes. For just a moment, translucent text seemed to flicker at the edge of his vision:
[Data archive secure... maintaining cover protocols...]
He blinked hard, and the text vanished. The agents were focused on Marcus's account of the dive, their scanners showing normal readings for everyone except the faint residual energy from Tom's enhanced senses.
Alex Chen, F-rank camera operator, was completely invisible to their instruments.
Just the way it should be.