The scent of roasting meat, rich and almost intoxicating, lingered in the air as Keifer Shedex sat in the velvet-lined booth of Taiki Restaurant's VVIP section. The restaurant was famous among hunters, renowned for serving premium S-Rank Beast Meats cuts so powerful, so densely packed with mystic energy, that only Awakened individuals could digest them without consequence.
For hunters, dining here wasn't just a luxury; it was a supplement. A meal could mean an increase in strength, speed, stamina, sometimes even a sudden breakthrough in a critical stat. It was no exaggeration to say that tables of meat at Taiki could change the course of a hunter's career.
Keifer sat impatiently, his expensive suit pristine, his gold watch glinting under the crystal lights. His leg tapped an erratic rhythm under the table.
Kyle Nyeku was late.
Typical.
Keifer checked the time again, a grimace pulling at the corners of his mouth. It was barely fifteen minutes, but in Keifer's mind, every second was a slight against his status. He was thirty years old, a seasoned businessman with a reputation carved from blood and negotiations. Kyle Nyeku, in contrast, was a boy. Twenty-four, green, and in over his head or so Keifer thought.
Let him come crawling.
Let him beg.
Finally, the sound of approaching footsteps pulled Keifer's attention. His assistant, Selene, gracefully ushered Kyle into the private dining area.
Kyle was casually dressed in hunter's wear simple, practical but he moved with the easy confidence of someone who didn't feel the need to impress anyone. His hair was tousled, his gait relaxed, and his smile was maddeningly calm.
Keifer's lips curled into a tight smile as he rose to greet him, the formalities stiff and brief.
They both sat down, and almost immediately, waiters presented their meals: slabs of sizzling, golden-brown S-Rank Beast Meat, the aroma so powerful it made even Keifer's irritation momentarily waver. The meat shimmered faintly, the magic within it so dense that an ordinary human would have collapsed from just inhaling its essence.
Kyle offered a casual thanks to the waiters, picked up his utensils, and began eating with the casual indifference of someone used to indulging in power.
Keifer took a moment longer, sizing up his target.
He's young. Arrogant. Easy pickings.
Keifer smirked inwardly as he dabbed his mouth with a napkin and leaned forward.
"Now, about your expedition," Keifer began smoothly, his voice thick with patronizing warmth. "I heard you're leading the Peerless Guild into the most dangerous dungeon... very ambitious. And very risky."
Kyle chewed leisurely, then wiped his mouth with a slow, deliberate grace.
"No risk, no reward," he said simply, his eyes glinting.
Keifer almost chuckled aloud. Child's words.
He pressed on, steering the conversation toward the deal he had envisioned: minimal investment, maximum return, all while keeping the Peerless Guild on a tight leash.
He spoke with practiced ease, throwing out numbers, clauses, and suggestions all designed to subtly put him in the dominant position.
And for a while, it seemed to be working.
Until Kyle tilted his head slightly, his smile sharpening ever so slightly.
"Those are... generous terms," Kyle said, his voice light, almost playful. "But you see, Mr. Shedex, the Peerless Guild isn't looking for charity. We're looking for partners. Partners who believe in our victory."
Keifer blinked, caught slightly off-guard by the steel laced behind those words.
Kyle leaned back in his chair, one arm draped casually over the seat, the very picture of relaxed power.
"If you want in, really in," he said, his tone as smooth as the finest whiskey, "then you'll need to show us a little more faith. Otherwise..."
He smiled, showing teeth.
"There are other investors lining up. It's a once-in-a-generation dungeon, after all."
Keifer stiffened.
Was he bluffing?
But the news showed that no one took him seriously, and they think he is going to his grave, is he really bluffing?, but he look so serious
He tried to read Kyle's face but the younger man's expression remained maddeningly composed.
Across the table, Selene shifted uncomfortably, sensing the tide of negotiation turning against them.
Keifer licked his lips, calculating.
He hated being backed into a corner but the potential payoff was too good to ignore. If Peerless Guild somehow conquered the dungeon... the rewards would be astronomical. Not just money, but prestige, influence, political power.
And so, with a heavy sigh that he masked with a smile, Keifer upped his offer.
Then upped it again.
And again.
Until finally, Kyle nodded with a gracious, almost magnanimous air like a king granting favor to a petitioner.
"Pleasure doing business," Kyle said, reaching out to shake his hand.
Keifer forced himself to smile as they shook.
He had invested nearly triple what he had originally intended.
As Kyle signed the preliminary agreement, Selene, pale and tight-lipped, leaned close to Keifer's ear.
"Sir..." she whispered urgently. "This is too much. You're betting the house on a coin toss. Even the top guilds haven't dared enter that dungeon yet. What if....."
Keifer cut her off with a slight, impatient wave.
"I know what I'm doing," he muttered, watching Kyle with narrowed eyes. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime."
Selene looked unconvinced, but years of working under Keifer taught her better than to argue further or she would most likely loose her job.
As Kyle rose from the table, giving them a respectful nod, Keifer sat back in his seat, swirling the wine in his glass.
This is it.
This is my gold mine.
Across the restaurant, a group of hunters roared with laughter, toasting loudly with foaming mugs of ale. The scent of S-Rank Beast Meat filled the air like the promise of victory or the warning of ruin.
Outside, the neon lights of Neonsvale City shimmered like a thousand watching eyes.
And as Keifer raised his glass in silent toast to his own ambition, somewhere deep within the twisting shadows of fate.
A coin flipped in the air.
And it had yet to land.
Back at the Peerless Guild headquarters, the atmosphere was buzzing with anticipation. The towering glass building, sleek and imposing, housed some of the most ambitious hunters of the new generation. And at its heart stood Kyle Naeko, who had just returned from his meeting at Taiki Restaurant.
He walked through the guild's marble-floored lobby, his steps unhurried, the corners of his lips curved in a small, satisfied smile.
The deal had gone even better than expected.
As Kyle pushed open the door to the strategic planning room, a sharp-eyed woman looked up from a stack of neatly organized files.
Alina, his assistant and right-hand strategist, was already waiting.
"How did it go?" she asked, setting down her tablet. Her tone was calm, but the slight quirk of her eyebrow betrayed her eagerness.
Kyle dropped into the chair across from her with an easy grace, tossing a data crystal containing the signed contracts onto the table.
"Exactly as you predicted," he said, smirking. "Keifer took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker."
Alina let out a soft chuckle, folding her arms.
"I knew it," she said, a glint of pride in her eyes.
She had spent weeks digging into Keifer Shedex's background, running meticulous reports through databases that most guilds didn't even know existed. It hadn't taken long to find the cracks.
"Keifer's biggest weakness," Alina continued, tapping her finger lightly against the table, "is that he's terrible at reading people. He doesn't know when someone's bluffing, and he takes every offer as a direct challenge to his ego. Add to that his obsession with outshining his brother Vardas..." She trailed off, a sly smile tugging at her lips. "It was almost too easy."
Kyle laughed quietly, shaking his head.
"It still feels like cheating," he said.
"There's no cheating in war or business," Alina replied firmly. "Only winners and losers."
He couldn't argue with that. Thanks to Keifer's ego and recklessness, Peerless Guild now had the funds they desperately needed not just for the expedition itself, but for new equipment, high-tier potions, and emergency escape artifacts.
Their dungeon assault, scheduled for the day after tomorrow, was finally within reach.
Alina clasped her hands behind her back, her sharp eyes softening just a little.
"Congratulations, Guildmaster," she said formally, giving him a small, respectful bow. "With this, our chances of success just doubled."
Kyle accepted her praise with a nod, but before he could respond, Alina's expression grew serious once more.
"There's... something else you should know," she said, her voice lower.
Kyle leaned forward slightly. "Go on."
Alina tapped a few keys on her tablet, and a holographic screen shimmered into the air between them.
On it was a list of guild names and member rosters.
She pointed to one name in particular: Shadow Clan.
"They've announced they'll be sending a team to join the dungeon expedition," she said.
Kyle blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Shadow Clan?" he repeated, his brow furrowing. "That's unexpected. I thought they were focused on private commissions lately."
Alina nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"Exactly. That's why it's concerning."
She swiped through the report, revealing a grim series of incidents.
"The last few expeditions they joined... every time they secured the dungeon core, the allied guild members they worked with were found dead soon after. Official reports call them 'accidents' or 'monster ambushes'... but it's too consistent to be coincidence."
Kyle leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharpening.
"You're saying... once they get what they want, they clean up loose ends."
"Exactly," Alina said. "I don't trust them. We need to be extremely cautious."
For a long moment, silence hung between them, thick with the weight of unspoken possibilities.
Finally, Kyle exhaled and stood, stretching his arms above his head.
"We don't have a choice," he said simply.
Alina looked at him, her eyes shadowed with worry.
"We need every blade we can get," Kyle continued, his voice firm. "The dungeon isn't going to conquer itself. If we go in short-handed, we're signing our own death warrants anyway."
Alina closed her eyes briefly, then nodded. She understood, even if she didn't like it.
"I'll make the arrangements," she said quietly. "But we'll keep a separate team shadowing the Shadow Clan's members at all times. No surprises."
Kyle grinned at her, his easy confidence washing away some of the tension.
"That's why you're the best, Alina."
She flushed slightly but quickly composed herself, adjusting her glasses with a sharp, professional motion.
As Kyle turned to leave the room, the holographic screen behind him shimmered, the emblem of the Shadow Clan a black crescent moon wrapped in barbed thorns spinning ominously in the air.
In two days, Peerless Guild would march into the unknown, into the depths of a dungeon no one else dared to challenge.
And somewhere in that darkness... enemies and allies alike awaited.