Lies and Revelations

The night had passed in silence.

Waking with the morning, Akira put on his usual black clothing and stepped out of the guest room. Upon entering the dining room, he found Cha-Jong, Min-Ji, and Yuna already seated, waiting for him.

Min-Ji greeted him first.

"Good morning."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, yeah, thanks," Akira replied briefly.

"Come eat breakfast with us, Nii-chan!" Yuna chimed in enthusiastically, tapping the seat next to her.

Without a second thought, Akira sat down. The food was simple but hot, bringing a temporary sense of normalcy to the room.As they were finishing up, Cha-Jong leaned back some.

"What are you doing today?"

Akira placed his utensils aside and answered, his voice sharp.

"I'm seeing Sylara."

The atmosphere shifted slightly.

Cha-Jong's eyes narrowed.

"Oh?"

"What about?"

Akira's fingers tightened slightly against the table.

"She requested me due to that dungeon," Akira said as he also thought

"I will not allow her to pry out more about my life. I will end this today—be it for the better or the worse."

"Oh, I see."

Cha-Jong sighed.

"Let's go together then."

"I have some work at the guild too."

Akira didn't respond, but he didn't refuse either.

The two of them arrived at the towering guild building. The moment they stepped inside, Cha-Jong went his own way, leaving Akira alone as he walked toward Sylara's office.Standing before the heavy wooden door, Akira exhaled slowly.

Knock. Knock.

"Enter," - Came her voice from inside.

Akira pushed open the door and stepped in.

Sylara was seated at her desk, her violet eyes scanning a document, but the moment she saw him, she put it down.

"Oh, you actually came?" - She mused.

"I told you I would," Akira said flatly.

Sylara leaned back in her chair, folding her arms.

"Then let's get straight to it—"

"What's the deal?" Akira interrupted, his tone indifferent.

"I don't have much time."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop slightly.

Sylara's gaze darkened.

For a brief second, something flickered in her gaze—annoyance, maybe.

"'What's the deal?' You dare ask that?"

Her voice sharpened.

"You know damn well what this is about."

Akira's face remained blank.

"Ask again."

"I forgot."

A sharp silence settled between them.

Then—

Sylara let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"So that's how you want to play this?"

Her violet eyes gleamed, a faint glow radiating from them.

"Fine."

She sat forward, her tone turning serious.

"I want answers, Akira."

Akira's gaze didn't waver.

"About what?"

Sylara's fingers tapped against the desk, her voice low but firm.

"Why were you in that dungeon? Why did Cha-Jong tell the others to stop you at all costs? What are you?"

The air in the room grew heavy.

"How did you kill that boss monster alone when your level is only that of a high B-Rank?"

Silence.

Akira didn't respond immediately. He simply stood there, staring at her, his dark eyes deep and unreadable.

She was pressing. Prying.

And he hated it.For a brief moment, he considered just walking out. Ignoring her. Leaving things as they were.But he knew Sylara wasn't the type to let things go.Not until she had her answers.

His fingers twitched slightly.

"Should i lie? Give her just enough to satisfy her curiosity?"

"No."

"From what i know Sylara is always sharp. Too sharp."

"She is the type of person who wouldn't stop once she set her sights on something."

"And now—"

"She had set her sights on me."

So instead—

He closed his eyes for a brief second, inhaled, and then...he smirked.

"That's a lot of questions, Sylara."

His voice was calm, almost amused.

"Which one do you want me to answer first?"

Sylara's gaze narrowed.

She wasn't in the mood for games.

"All of them."

Akira made his decision.

So he chose his words carefully.

He met her gaze, his dark eyes unreadable.

"Alright," - He said smoothly, leaning slightly against the chair.

"You want answers?"

A brief pause. Then he smirked.

"Fine. I'll give them to you."

Sylara's violet eyes gleamed as she crossed her arms, waiting.

Akira tilted his head slightly before speaking.

"First question—why was I in that dungeon?"

He exhaled lightly, as if he found the whole situation frustrating.

"I saw the message Grido-san sent to Cha-Jong. I thought I could go, clear the dungeon, get some experience, and grow stronger. The rewards were a bonus."

A casual shrug.

"Maybe it was reckless of me. I'll admit that much. If you're looking for an apology—fine."

"I'm sorry for causing unnecessary trouble."

His tone was steady, not too defensive, not too indifferent. Just enough to sound believable.

Sylara narrowed her eyes slightly but said nothing.

Akira continued.

"As for the second question—why did Cha-Jong tell the others to stop me?"

His expression didn't waver.

"Maybe he was just worried. You'd have to ask him that question, not me."

A perfectly vague response.

"And lastly..."

Akira leaned forward slightly, his gaze still unwavering.

"The third and last question."

"What am I?"

For the first time, a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

"I'm just an awakened. Just like everyone else."

A pause.

"A guy who wants to grow stronger , that's all."

The room fell into silence for a moment.

"But as for how I killed that boss monster alone..."

Akira let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.

"That thing was already half-dead when I found it."

He folded his arms.

"Maybe the demonic human had exhausted it. Maybe he almost killed it before I got there. Who knows?"

A casual shrug.

"But for me?"

"It was way too easy to deal with.You saw it yourself—I barely had a scratch on me. Not even a hint of exhaustion."

He met her eyes, voice firm.

"And that's the truth, whether you like it or not."

Sylara stared at him, silent.

If anyone else had heard his reasoning, they would have believed him.

But not her.

Her fingers slowly tapped against her desk as she watched him with quiet amusement.

"Liar."

She had seen it all.

She had watched the battle from start to finish.

She had heard his conversation with the Troll King.

She had seen how he healed himself instantly, as if wounds were nothing but an inconvenience to him.

She had witnessed his true abilities.

The abilities that weren't normal.

The cold fury in his voice when he spoke about the demonic human.

Ah... how intriguing.

A slow smirk spread across her lips. Almost villainous.

She wanted to see more of him.

Her violet eyes gleamed as she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.

"Is that so?" - She murmured, her voice smooth, playful.

"You're quite the convincing liar, Shoto Akira."

Akira's gaze darkened.

"Liar?"

"Why a liar?"

His voice was calm, but his mind was racing.

"Did she catch onto something?"

Was there a mistake in my words?"

Sylara's violet eyes gleamed, her smirk widening as her presence became suffocating.

"I like how you lied so confidently a moment ago and brushed off my suspicions." 

Her words slithered through the air, pure venom.

"Let's say, for the sake of amusement, that I believe you."

She leaned forward slightly.

"But tell me, Akira Shoto—"

Her lips curled into a wicked smile.

"Can you deny the fact that you are the brat of Shiro Shoto?"