Calling His Sister

At the time, the top 1% had been too busy fighting among themselves to reach an agreement. That power struggle had given others a chance to rise. "I don't care about that, Alex," Luca said. "As long as you have something to do. Just don't do it half-heartedly—give it everything you've got."

Alex smirked. "Mom, you know me. If I set my mind to something, I don't stop until I reach the top."

Luca gave him a long look, then transferred the money to his account. Without another word, she turned and left.

As soon as she was gone, Alex leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping against the armrest. 'Guess I should call Sis, then.' Luca had forbidden him from making a guild. But if Emily started it… That was a loophole. Mom technically hadn't said anything about that.

Alex didn't have many friends from college or high school—at least, not ones he stayed in contact with. Some of them had become hunters, but they'd drifted apart after graduation. What he needed was someone he could trust. Because his plan wasn't exactly legal. He was going to fake dungeon loot. That meant he needed people inside the Dungeon Association who could help manipulate information.

As the phone rang, he waited. Finally, the call connected. "Sis, you busy?" 

Heavy, ragged breathing came from the other end. "Just… say what you want."

Alex frowned. He wanted to ask what she was doing, but he knew Emily would only get annoyed. She had changed after the incident. The warmth in her voice had faded. She was colder now, blunt, and had little patience for small talk. "What hunter rank are you now?"

Emily paused. Alex never asked about things like this. It was odd. But she didn't have time to think about it.

BANG! BOOM!!! Explosions rattled through the speaker.

Alex sat up straight. "The hell are you doing, Emily? If you're busy, I can call later."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

KA-BOOM!!

Machine gun fire erupted, followed by a massive explosion. Then—static. The call cut off.

Alex stared at his phone, a frown forming. 'What the hell is she involved in?' His mind ran through scenarios, each one worse than the last. His worry grew. He was just about to call the Hunter Association to track her location when—

RING!

He answered immediately. "Sis, are you alright!?" Heavy breathing came from the other end. Then— A sigh. "I'm fine," Emily muttered. "Just some stupid cheap mission that isn't worth the damn pay."

Alex exhaled, tension easing slightly. Still, his eyes narrowed. "What rank are you now?"

"Still a two-star," she said flatly. "You do know how insanely hard it is to rank up, right?"

Alex blinked. He had heard it was difficult. But five years had passed. Emily had an S-Grade ability. She should've been at least a three-star by now. That meant something was holding her back. But now wasn't the time to press her on it. He leaned back, rubbing his temple. "Well, here's the thing—I need a guild," he said casually.

"…What?"

"I was planning to make one myself, but Mom shut that down," he continued. "You know how she is after that day." Emily didn't respond. She didn't need to. They both knew exactly what day he was talking about. "So," Alex went on, "I was thinking… you could start it instead."

Silence. Then—"You what?" Emily laughed, unable to believe what she had just heard. "You? You want to start a guild?" Her tone was filled with disbelief. "The same Alex who spent all day at home reading novels and playing games?" She expected him to laugh along with her. But he didn't. When the silence stretched, her amusement faded. "…Wait. You're not joking?"

"I am serious!" Alex said, sounding a little offended. "Why the hell would I joke about something like this?"

Emily scoffed. "And why the hell would you be serious about it?" She leaned back, shaking her head. "I know you, Alex. You've never had any ambition. You're happy wasting away at home all day. So what changed?"

Alex sighed. He explained everything—well, most of it. Of course, he carefully left out the part where he had gotten the system. There was no point bringing that up. Even in a world full of superpowers, something like a system—straight out of a novel—would just sound like bullshit. No way Emily would buy it.

"…So, who is this Faerith?" Emily's voice took on a teasing tone. "Don't tell me—you like her? I didn't know you were into older women, Alex."

Alex groaned. "I told you, it's about the artifact she's researching! I know it'll bring our family to new heights."

"Yeah, yeah…" Emily drawled. "And let me guess—that artifact you're so excited about? It hasn't produced any results yet, right?"

Alex didn't answer immediately. Emily snorted. "Thought so. Who are you trying to fool, big bro?" She leaned forward, her voice turning sharper. "There are tons of artifacts out there, all with 'huge potential,' and you know how that usually turns out." Alex opened his mouth to argue, but Emily wasn't done. "In the past, I told you to use your abilities to help with the guild. You always had excuses." Her voice hardened. "At first, I thought you were just… coping with what happened." Her words hung in the air for a moment. "But after five years, I realized—you're just lazy, Alex."

Alex frowned. "Hey, don't act like I didn't miss Dad too." 

"Hmph." Emily's tone was unreadable. "And?" She exhaled, her voice lowering. "You don't have to sugarcoat things with me like you do with Mom, Alex." There was a beat of silence. "I know you think he's already dead."

Alex sighed. "You know how my ability works." His voice was quieter now. "My brain analyzes everything based on probability. And the highest—"

"Shut it." Emily's sharp voice cut through his words. "I'm not stupid. I know." Another pause. Then, more quietly, she added, "But Dad wasn't just some random idiot. He had his ability too. He would've known if things were getting bad." Alex stayed silent. "And the other guild members? They weren't weaklings either."

She had a point. The Suzaku Guild had two three-star hunters—both with SS-rank abilities. The only real possibility was that they had entered a dungeon and gotten trapped inside. But Alex had never mentioned that theory to Emily or their mom. He was afraid they'd do something reckless.

Emily exhaled. "Whatever. Let's not talk about it." A brief silence stretched between them. 

"…I hope Dad survived, too," Alex finally said. Then, he cleared his throat. "So? What do you think about my offer?"

Emily hummed. "Well," she said, "for starters, we'll need another hunter to be the face of the guild."

Alex frowned. "What? Why?"

"Because if the Campbell Group decides to start a new guild after the Suzaku incident, we can't afford to half-ass this." Emily's tone turned serious. "If it's just me, a two-star hunter, as the strongest member, we'll get horrible publicity." She clicked her tongue. "We need someone with a big name. Otherwise, no one's gonna take us seriously."