Silent Night (2)

The room was heavy with silence. The only sound was the faint crackling of a lantern's flame, casting flickering shadows along the walls. Across the desk, Xander sat motionless, his sharp gaze locked onto Ray.

This was it. The moment everything hinged on.

Ray took a slow breath, steadying himself. "I want to form a guild."

Xander barely reacted, leaning back in his chair. "You and every other rookie who walks through that door."

Expected. Ray didn't flinch.

"Not just any guild. A sanctioned guild under the Hunter Association."

That got a reaction.

Xander's fingers, which had been tapping idly against the desk, stopped. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You know the rules. Either you climb the ranks, or you go through the guild establishment course. And considering that course takes years, I'm assuming you're here to bypass all of that."

His voice was unreadable—somewhere between amusement and annoyance.

Now.

This was the opening Ray had been waiting for.

Wordlessly, he reached into his inventory and pulled it out.

A small, glass-like sphere, swirling with light and shadow.

An Oracle.

The moment it hit the desk, Xander's entire demeanor changed.

His fingers twitched. His posture straightened.

His eyes locked onto the artifact, brows furrowing in something dangerously close to shock.

For a second, neither of them spoke. Then, finally—

"Where the hell did you get this?"

Beneath his composed exterior, Ray could feel the shift in Xander's presence. This was no longer just a conversation. This was something serious.

Something he couldn't ignore.

Ray didn't answer immediately. Instead, he let the silence stretch before calmly rolling the Oracle forward.

Xander caught it, his grip tight.

Another moment of silence. Then—

"These don't appear in normal rifts." Xander's voice was quieter now, calculating. "They're only found in… special circumstances."

His eyes flicked back up to Ray.

"Tell me where you got it."

Ray held his gaze. "In a rift that shouldn't have existed."

The air in the room seemed to shift.

Xander exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. He was thinking, processing.

That meant Ray had him.

The Oracle wasn't just a rare artifact—it was a warning system. A harbinger of something far worse. It only appeared in Special Rifts, and those rifts were directly tied to calamity-class events.

Events that could wipe out entire cities.

Or worse—humanity itself.

Ray let the tension build before speaking again.

"You know what this means."

Xander stayed quiet, running a thumb over the smooth surface of the Oracle.

Ray continued.

"An impending disaster. A rift powerful enough to cause devastation beyond anything we've seen." His voice was calm but firm. "I'm not asking for permission to form a guild just for fun. I need to be ready."

Xander's eyes flicked up again, sharper now. He was listening.

Ray pressed forward.

"You have two choices." He raised a finger. "One: you dismiss me. Ignore this. Pretend an Oracle never appeared."

Then a second.

"Two: You let me form my guild. And in exchange, I'll personally ensure the Association has eyes on the coming storm before it's too late."

He leaned back slightly.

"Either way, I'll continue getting stronger. The only question is whether I do it within the system or outside of it."

A long silence.

Then—

A smirk.

Xander leaned back, exhaling through his nose. "You really don't talk like an F-Rank."

Ray said nothing. Just waited.

Xander studied him for a few seconds longer, then sighed. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a single document.

He slid it across the desk.

"Sign this."

Ray glanced down.

A provisional guild registration form.

His fingers twitched. It was happening.

But Xander wasn't done.

"One condition." His voice was low, firm. "If I find out you lied about anything—about the rift, the Oracle, or your abilities—this deal is over. Understood?"

Ray met his gaze, unwavering.

"Understood."

He took the pen and signed.