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Chapter 32 — Whispers in the Camp
Morning came with the smell of wet ash and stale meat. The hunt camp was quieter than Kael expected; the usual post-victory noise had been dulled by the heavy losses.
Tents sagged under the weight of dew, banners hung limp, and the ground was littered with broken shafts and snapped blades. The servants moved quickly, cleaning up blood and dragging away carcasses, but even they spoke in hushed tones.
Kael sat on a split log near the edge of the camp, slicing dried meat with the tip of his knife. He could feel the stares from the other hunters — not open hostility, but the kind that measured him, weighed him, and filed the information away for later.
The Hunt Master's voice carried across the clearing. "Final records posted!"
Kael didn't move, but SIDE whispered into his mind. —Three nobles withdrew their family names from the results. Two died. One vanished entirely.
He chewed the meat slowly. "Vanished?"
—Yes. Records scrubbed. Their tent emptied before dawn. Someone doesn't want questions asked.
The nobles clustered around the central post, scanning the rankings. Some glanced at Kael's name at the top, then quickly looked away. A few of the younger ones wore thin smiles that didn't reach their eyes.
Kael slipped the knife back into its sheath. He had learned something in these two days: in the world of nobility, victories were currency, but too much profit in one trade made you a target.
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That night, as the campfire shadows stretched long, a figure approached Kael's seat. A young man, sharp-jawed and well-dressed, with a crest Kael didn't recognize pinned to his shoulder.
"You fight well," the stranger said, his tone too polite to be casual. "My father… respects such skill."
Kael gave a small smile. "And what's the price for that respect?"
The man chuckled. "Merely to remember that not all in this kingdom dislike you." He gave a shallow bow and left without another word.
SIDE's voice was dry. —He's lying.
"Of course he is."
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[SYSTEM UPDATE — Post-Hunt Summary]
Level: 17
EXP Progress: 64% → Next Level at 100%
Notable Gains:
Sword Mastery (Advanced): Increased speed in chained strikes.
Perception: Greater detection of mana irregularities.
Shadow Storage: Capacity increased to 15 units.
Title Effect (Marked by Shadows): Still dormant.
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Kael lay in his tent later, the sounds of the dying camp outside. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He wasn't thinking about the nobles, or the rankings, or even the Direhorn he'd felled.
He was thinking about the man in the mist, and the way his name had been spoken — like a promise.
SIDE broke the silence. —We leave for the capital in three days.
"Good," Kael murmured. "It's time to see how deep this rabbit hole goes."
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