Ren followed Joseph into the examination room and immediately had to blink twice. Calling it a "room" was misleading—it was closer to a warehouse. The space stretched wide enough to park several aircraft, the ceiling lost in a haze of industrial lights. Every wall had the dull, dense gleam of forged titanium, seamless panels catching the light in a way that said you could hit this with a tank round and it would just scuff the paint.
A voice carried across the empty space. "Hello there, Mr. Suspicious Guy."
Ren turned toward it and saw her.
A beautiful woman was walking his way, her steps unhurried but deliberate. She wore a high-collared, sleeveless black dress that seemed to dissolve into a trailing veil of living shadow. The inky haze followed her like ink dispersing in water, fading and reforming with every step. Her hair was a deep black with violet undertones, smooth as silk but never completely still—tendrils at the ends curled and twisted as if they had their own will.
Either she was a person, or Ren's eyesight had decided to develop a glitch filter. She stood in the full light of the room, yet still looked like a bad Photoshop job. Her hair moved on its own, her presence bent the edges of his vision, and her eyes carried the kind of warning that said: look too long and you'll probably die under mysterious circumstances.
She smiled, slow and knowing. "I'm Veyra Mornveil. Class: Shadow Queen of Null Domain. Myth Rank. Guild Master of the Darkness Guild."
Ren decided to start with humor, even if it killed him. "I'm Ren Hector. The naked guy who crashed in front of the Hunter Bureau building."
Her laughter came sharp and sudden. "Hah! I like you already, Naked Boy."
"Likewise," Ren replied, offering the faintest grin.
A deep voice cut in from across the room. "Ahem. I hope I'm not interrupting your… youthful conversation."
Ren turned to see a man who looked like he had been built to make other men feel underwhelming. He was easily three meters tall, wearing a suit that looked like it cost more than Ren's entire apartment back on Earth—furniture included. He had the kind of presence that made you instinctively check whether your life insurance payments were up to date.
"I'm Evan Roman," the man said, stepping forward with a faint smile. "Director of the Qintara Hunter Bureau. My rank is classified. My job is ensuring this nation survives what walks through our Gates. Welcome to Qintara, Mr. Hector. I'll decide later if you stay."
Half a joke, half a threat. Ren returned the smile without blinking. "And I'll make sure I'm more valuable than you expect."
Evan's smile deepened by a fraction. He gave a single nod. "Your confidence is commendable."
Before Ren could reply, the door at the far end swung open. Two figures stepped inside, and Ren's first thought was Wow. Is that a cultivator from a xianxia novel?
The first man looked like he had walked straight out of an ancient scroll painting. Flowing white-and-silver Daoist robes draped over him, embroidered with stormcloud and lightning motifs that shifted subtly in the light, as if the silk itself carried weather. His long black hair was streaked with silver and tied into a high crown knot secured by a jade ornament. His eyes were a deep, clear gray—steady, unreadable.
He approached with measured grace, then cupped his fist in greeting, the classic salute Ren had only ever seen in dramas. "Good day to you, Mr. Hector. I am Lu Changcheng, Daoist Tribulation Transcendent. Myth Rank. Guild Master of the Dao Guild. I walk the path of fate and tribulation. When the balance is broken, I restore it. When storms rise, I silence them."
Ren recognized the rhythm of the introduction immediately. He also knew enough from xianxia tropes to gamble on a cultural bridge. He smiled faintly. "Does that mean you're one step away from becoming an Immortal, Master Lu?"
Lu Changcheng raised an eyebrow, surprise flickering across his usually calm face. "It seems you know the way of the Dao, friend. How surprising."
"I wish I did," Ren said with an easy shrug. "Please, call me Ren, Master Lu. I've long admired the Daoist path, but unfortunately my class isn't related to it. I wish you fortune rivaling heaven itself in your journey toward immortality."
Lu's expression softened. "Hah. You may call me Changcheng. Brother Ren, from now on you are my brother. Whoever wishes to harm you will have to pass through me first." He laughed heartily and clapped Ren on the back hard enough to jolt his ribs.
Ren matched the laugh, even if he was internally calculating whether that pat had just rearranged a few vertebrae. "Then I won't stand on ceremony, Brother Lu."
The two of them exchanged a nod that sealed the unspoken, fast-track friendship born out of mutual theatrics.
From the sidelines, Veyra and Evan watched them like they'd just witnessed two people form an unbreakable alliance in under ten minutes—possibly over nothing more than polite flattery and mutual eccentricity.
Joseph, standing near the wall, said nothing at all. His expression didn't change, but Ren could almost hear the silent judgment: Congratulations, you've found the one Myth Rank guy here who might adopt you if you play your cards right.