The next morning, the office felt different. Vincent noticed it immediately—the way his coworkers glanced at him, then quickly looked away when he caught their eyes. There was a low buzz of conversation that died whenever he passed by.
He didn’t care.
His phone vibrated just as he sat down at his desk. A message from an unknown number.
“We saw what you did. Let’s talk.”
Vincent stared at the screen for a moment before deleting the message. He logged into his computer and got back to work. It wasn’t his problem.
The day dragged on, the usual monotony stretching into the afternoon. Every now and then, he caught snippets of conversation about the gate incident in the park last night. About how some random guy had taken down three monsters before any of the raiding teams could arrive.
He didn’t react. He just kept typing.
That evening, as Vincent walked home, he felt it again—eyes on him. He ignored it at first, continuing through the park, but the feeling didn’t go away. After a few minutes, he stopped.
“Are you going to keep following me, or do you want to say something?” he asked, his voice flat.
A figure stepped out from behind a tree. A woman, tall and athletic, dressed in sleek black combat gear. There was an intensity in her gaze, the kind that made it clear she wasn’t someone you’d want to mess with.
“You’re the guy from the park last night,” she said, crossing her arms. “The unregistered C-rank.”
Vincent didn’t respond. He just looked at her, expressionless.
She tilted her head, studying him like he was some sort of puzzle. “You’re good. Better than you should be. Why haven’t you joined a guild?”
“I’m not interested,” Vincent said, turning to walk away.
“You should be.” She stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “You could make something of yourself. You could go far with those skills. I’m Nina from Horizon Guild. I’d like to recruit you.”
Vincent shrugged. “I’m fine where I am.”
The woman blinked, clearly taken aback by his indifference. “Most people would kill for the opportunity you have. You don’t want to be strong? Make a name for yourself?”
He looked past her, eyes distant. “What’s the point?”
For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, the woman let out a frustrated breath and stepped aside. “You’ll regret wasting your potential,” she muttered as Vincent walked past.
He didn’t respond.
