Guild's scrutiny

Kang Ji-woo stood in the doorway of Min-jun's apartment, her breath frosting the air. Her eyes swept over the cramped studio—the single burner stove, the cracked floor tiles, the faint scorch marks on the windowsill where the corrupted core had dissolved.

"You're alive," she said flatly. "Most porters don't survive mutated hybrids."

Min-jun leaned against the wall, hands tucked into his pockets to hide the tremors. The fire affinity simmered under his skin, restless. "Luck."

"Luck doesn't heal broken arms." Her gaze lingered on his left sleeve, rolled up to reveal unmarked skin. "Or erase radiation burns."

He said nothing. The system flickered:

"[Skill: Deception (Lv. 1) - Proficiency: 9%]"

Ji-woo stepped inside, gloved fingers brushing the windowsill. "Black market core?"

"Cheap incense."

"Incense doesn't melt reinforced glass." She held up a shard warped by heat. "Celestial Dawn reported a B-Rank fire core stolen two days ago. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Min-jun's pulse spiked. The corruption in his veins flared, sharp and acidic.

"[Corruption Resistance Check: Failed]"

He clenched his jaw. "Do I look like someone who can afford B-Rank anything?"

"No." Ji-woo's breath curled into ice crystals. "You look like someone who's lying."

---

She made him sit at the rickety table while she paced, her boots leaving frost patterns on the linoleum.

"Gate #4419 was misclassified," she said. "Ironfang's scouts missed the mutation signs. Guild Master Oh wants a scapegoat. Conveniently, both porters present survived."

"Hae-won broke his leg."

"But 'you' walked out unscathed." She leaned in, cold radiating off her like a blizzard. "How?"

The fire in Min-jun's chest writhed. He focused on the system's blue text to steady himself.

"[Mental Fortitude (Lv. 2) Activated]"

"[Stress Resistance: 41%]"

"The hybrid was dying," he said. "Its core destabilized."

"Cores don't destabilize. They detonate."

"Then maybe I'm lucky twice."

Ji-woo's glove creaked as she gripped the table. "I could report you. Let the guilds dissect whatever you're hiding."

"But you won't."

"Why?"

"Because you misclassified the gate too."

The room chilled further. Frost spread across the ceiling.

"Careful, Mudeok."

"Am I wrong?" Min-jun met her glare. "Your team cleared it as E-Rank. If I'm guilty of surviving, you're guilty of incompetence."

Her glove slammed down, encasing the table in ice. "You think this is a game?"

"No." He gestured to the frozen furniture. "I think this is desperation."

---

Ji-woo left an hour later, taking the warped glass shard but no answers. Min-jun waited until her footsteps faded before collapsing against the wall.

"[Corruption Resistance Check: Critical]"

"[Fire Affinity Overload Imminent]"

His right hand ignited.

"Shit—" He lunged for the sink, plunging his arm into a bucket of stagnant water. Steam hissed. The flames died, leaving his skin red and blistered.

"[New Skill: Elemental Suppression (Lv. 1) Acquired]"

The system's warning flashed crimson:

"[Corruption Level: 57%]"

"[Recommendation: Purge Core Residue or Acquire Stabilizer (Black Market Tier-3)]"

He slumped to the floor, clutching his scorched hand. The black market's coordinates glowed in his memory—the patched-up guild jacket, the napkin maps.

A knock rattled the door again.

"Min-jun-ah?" Hae-won's voice, strained. "I need your help."

Hae-won stood in the hallway, leaning on a crutch. His left eye was swollen shut, his guild-issued jacket torn.

"They're after me," he whispered. "The ones who sold us that grenade—they think I talked to the guilds."

Blood dripped from his sleeve, sizzling where it hit the floor.

"[Blood Analysis: Contaminated (Aurora Mutation Detected)]"

Min-jun's system flared.

"[Quest Alert: Contain the Outbreak]"

"[Reward: Corruption Resistance (Lv. 2)]"

"[Failure Penalty: Death]"

Somewhere downstairs, glass shattered. Heavy footsteps climbed the stairs.

Hae-won's good eye gleamed violet. "I don't feel right."