The Phantom Guild

Three days after his return, Kairo had his first job request since the incident.

But this wasn't from the Hunter Association.

It came through an encrypted message on a black-market hunter network called VeilNet. Only those who operated outside the law used it—rogue hunters, mercs, and guildless power-seekers.

The message was simple:

> "Looking for strong solo hunters. High pay. Low questions. Phantom Guild location: Warehouse 9, Lower Arc Tier."

Most hunters would've ignored it. Too shady. Too risky.

Kairo saw it for what it was—an opportunity.

---

Warehouse 9 was at the edge of the city's underbelly, where broken streetlights flickered and shadows ruled the alleys. By the time Kairo arrived, a few other hunters had gathered outside: mismatched armor, ragged gear, suspicious eyes.

All of them hungry for power. Just like him.

A woman with sleek black armor and crimson eyes stepped forward. Her aura was sharp—dangerous. She was at least B-rank, maybe higher.

"I'm Vexa. Leader of the Phantom Guild," she said. "If you're here, you're either desperate, reckless, or stupid."

Kairo smirked. "Or something else entirely."

Her eyes narrowed. "Name?"

"Kai."

Not Kairo. He wasn't ready to use his real name again. Not yet.

Vexa held his gaze for a beat longer, then nodded. "Fine. You'll be joining our next raid."

She turned and pulled down a tarp revealing a glowing dungeon gate embedded in the warehouse wall.

It was unstable, crackling with raw energy and death.

"This gate isn't sanctioned. The Association doesn't know it exists. We've kept it open with a stolen stabilizer."

Kairo's interest peaked. Unregistered dungeons meant unclaimed rewards. And no authorities to ask questions.

---

Inside the gate, everything changed.

The world twisted—gravity turned sideways, air hummed with Essence, and the ground beneath them was a chasm of floating platforms suspended in a glowing abyss.

It was a mirror realm, reflecting parts of the real world—but shattered and chaotic.

The team moved in formation. Kairo kept to the rear, observing.

His instincts screamed. He was being watched—not by the monsters, but by Vexa.

She knew there was something off about him.

Minutes into the descent, shadow beasts lunged from the mist—horrific creatures made of void and flame.

"Spread!" Vexa commanded. Her blade whirled with a crimson aura, slicing two beasts in half instantly.

Kairo hung back… and waited.

Then—Devour.

> [Devour Essence activated.] Absorbing Soul Fragment… Mutation achieved.

His limbs tingled. The shadow beast's agility was now his.

He leapt in and wiped out the last two enemies with terrifying speed, landing in a crouch, blood flicking from his blade.

The others stared.

Vexa tilted her head. "Not bad… for an F-rank."

He met her gaze coolly. "Who told you I was F-rank?"

---

The deeper they went, the more chaotic the terrain became. Strange rift anomalies pulsed from the walls, and whispers echoed from the fog.

Something wasn't right.

Then—

They reached a clearing. A black spire towered in the center, twisted and pulsing.

And from it… came the Warden.

It was massive, armored in obsidian shell, with eyes of molten gold. A Core Guardian.

Everyone froze.

"Scatter!" Vexa shouted.

The battle began.

Spells lit the air, steel clashed, the monster roared. But it was too powerful.

One hunter screamed as he was torn apart.

Another was flung into the abyss.

Kairo stood still, eyes glowing faintly violet.

> "You can kill it." "Do it." "Consume."

The voice of the system echoed.

He moved.

Slipping through the beast's blind side, Kairo launched himself up the spire, blade drawn. The creature turned, roaring—but too slow.

> Shadow Cloak activated.

He vanished.

Then reappeared above the beast—blade plunged through its eye.

> [Core Guardian defeated.] Essence gained: +1000 Level Up! → Lv. 12 New Skill Unlocked: Phantom Step (Lv.1)

Silence.

Even Vexa looked stunned.

"You…" she said, stepping toward him. "You're not normal."

Kairo wiped the blood from his face.

"No," he said. "I'm evolving."

---

Outside the dungeon, back in Warehouse 9, the surviving hunters gathered in shock. Vexa kept her eyes on Kairo the whole time.

"You're wasting your time with the Association," she said at last. "Stay with us. In the Phantom Guild."

Kairo considered it.

This place was freedom. Power. Chaos.

And no one questioned who you used to be.

He gave a faint smile.

"I'll stay. For now."

> He didn't know that choosing Phantom Guild would unlock a path far darker than he imagined.

> And soon… he wouldn't be the only Devourer.