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Chapter 31 — End of the Hunt
Kael stayed still, blade angled low, eyes fixed on the place where the stranger had vanished. The mist swirled lazily, as if mocking the idea that anyone had just been there.
SIDE's voice was a measured growl. —No trace. No lingering mana signature. Whoever that was… they're beyond our current tier.
Kael exhaled, tension bleeding from his stance. "Guess that makes two problems now — the beasts and him."
The distant blare of the Hunt Master's horn cut through the trees, the triple note that signaled the final phase of the nobles' hunt. Kael turned toward it, stepping over the corpse of the corrupted boar.
More beasts were breaking off now, scattering into the forest. The nobles — what was left of them — were rallying near the main camp perimeter. Their banners hung limp in the damp air, more tattered than when they'd set out.
When Kael emerged from the mist, the sudden silence was almost uncomfortable. Conversations faltered; eyes tracked him with a mix of awe and unease. His clothes were splattered with beast blood, his sword still faintly glowing from residual mana burn.
The Hunt Master, an older man with scars cutting across his jawline, stepped forward. "You're late returning."
Kael gave a lazy shrug. "Got delayed."
The man studied him for a moment, eyes narrowing, then nodded toward the central fire where carcasses were being weighed and tagged. "Let's see what you've brought in."
Kael gestured toward the Direhorn carcass he'd felled earlier, now dragged into camp by two struggling attendants. A ripple of muttering passed through the gathered hunters. No one else had claimed a kill of that caliber.
When the scores were tallied, the Hunt Master lifted his voice. "First place: Kael Cromwell. Crest awarded for highest kill value."
Sparse claps followed, polite but tight-lipped. Kael caught the sideways glances, the whispered words half-hidden behind gloved hands. It didn't bother him — but it told him exactly where he stood among them.
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[SYSTEM UPDATE — Major Hunt Complete]
+3 Levels (Lvl 14 → Lvl 17)
Skill Growth: Sword Mastery +2, Perception +1, Space Law Affinity +0.5%
Title Gained: Marked by Shadows (Unknown effect — dormant)
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That night, the camp's fires burned bright, laughter and boasts rising into the misty air. Kael sat apart, sharpening his blade in silence.
SIDE broke it first. —The stranger knew your name, Kael. That's not something we ignore.
"I'm not ignoring it," Kael murmured. "I'm waiting."
From the shadows behind him, unseen by anyone else, faint shapes moved — patient, watchful.
The hunt was over, but the game had just shifted.