CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: THE HUNTER’S NEXT PLAY

Most people would have hesitated, asked for details, negotiated terms. Yomi’s response was immediate and unwavering.

"Agreed."

The speed of his acceptance actually shocked Helena. She had expected at least some discussion about the nature of the favor, some attempt to establish boundaries or limitations. Instead, he had committed himself without a moment’s consideration.

"You don’t want to know what I might ask of you?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

Yomi’s gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her suddenly aware of how alone they were in her office. When he spoke, his voice carried undertones that made her skin prickle with unease.

"It’s human nature to use others for value," he said, his storm-gray eyes boring into hers with disturbing directness. "Just as I will be using you for your connections, you will use me for whatever purpose suits your needs."

The casual acknowledgment of mutual exploitation, delivered with such matter-of-fact certainty, gave Helena a glimpse of something far more complex than she had initially assumed. This wasn’t naive acceptance, it was the calculated pragmatism of someone who understood power dynamics on a level that most people never reached.

"I see," she said slowly, reassessing him once again. "Then we have an understanding."

"We do," Yomi confirmed, and something in his slight smile suggested that he found their arrangement more amusing than concerning.

Helena found herself wondering, not for the first time that day, exactly what kind of person she had just agreed to do business with.

As they concluded their business, Mira approached with the final components of Yomi’s registration. Her hands still trembled slightly as she handed him two items, a metal identification plate and a small crystalline card that gleamed with embedded enchantments.

"Your G-class adventurer plate," she said, her voice steadier than it had been during the evaluation. "Always carry this for identification and guild access. And this," she held up the crystal card, "is your adventurer’s money card. The payment from your material sales has been deposited directly. You can access funds at any guild branch or affiliated merchant."

Yomi examined both items with interest. The identification plate was simple but sturdy, engraved with his name and rank in clear script. The money card, however, seemed to pulse with a faint magical energy that suggested sophisticated enchantment work.

[Guild financial system detected,] the System noted. [Recommend maintaining this account for legitimate transactions.]

"Thank you," Yomi said simply, securing both items in his travel pack.

As they prepared to leave, Yomi found himself satisfied with the day’s progress. Official guild credentials provided legitimate identification, while the material sales had established both financial independence and valuable connections.

More importantly, Helena Voss’s interest suggested pathways into the academy that wouldn’t require the complex political maneuvering he had initially anticipated.

****

As they walked back toward the Scholar’s Rest, Kira pressed close to Yomi’s side, overwhelmed by the day’s events but clearly proud of his accomplishments. The little beast girl had watched everything with wide eyes, understanding little of the politics involved but recognizing that Yomi had once again proven himself capable of achieving the impossible.

Lirien moved with newfound confidence, her renewed guild credentials gleaming in her hand. The transfer process had been routine, her C-class rank remained valid, requiring only updated documentation for the capital branch. But what truly energized her wasn’t the bureaucratic validation; it was the growing mystery of the man walking beside them.

Each revelation about Yomi only deepened her fascination. The way he had dismantled Gareth with techniques she had never seen, the casual production of materials that shouldn’t exist, his negotiations with Helena that spoke of understanding power dynamics on levels she was only beginning to grasp. She found herself stealing glances at his profile, wondering what other secrets lay beneath that calm exterior.

Who are you really? she thought, anticipation building at the prospect of discovering more about this enigmatic man who had transformed her life so completely.

Aeloria walked behind them, her own renewed credentials clutched tightly in her hand, but her expression was troubled rather than pleased. The transfer had been as routine as Lirien’s, her C-class mage rank required only paperwork updates. But unlike her friend’s excitement, Aeloria felt only growing confusion and suspicion.

When did he collect those materials? The question gnawed at her as she replayed their dungeon experience. They had been fighting for their lives, fleeing in panic, barely escaping with their skin intact. When exactly had Yomi found time to harvest scales from a Leviathan? To carefully extract essence crystals from an Abyssal Ravager?

She remembered their frantic escape from the collapsing rift, the way the portal had forced them through just as reality began tearing apart around them. There had been no time for looting, no opportunity for the kind of careful harvesting required to obtain materials of that quality.

Yet somehow, Yomi had produced them as casually as if pulling spare coins from his pocket. The implications unsettled her more with each passing moment. Either he possessed capabilities so far beyond what she had witnessed that her understanding of him was completely wrong, or there were aspects of their dungeon expedition that he had concealed from everyone.

What else isn’t he telling us? she wondered, watching the way Lirien hung on his every word with growing unease. Her friend was clearly falling under his influence, but Aeloria couldn’t shake the feeling that they were all dancing to a tune whose melody they couldn’t hear.

"Tomorrow," Yomi said as the academy’s spires came into view, "we explore educational opportunities."

His tone carried the quiet satisfaction of a predator that had successfully positioned itself for the next phase of the hunt. The academy awaited, with its secrets and its hidden threats, and Yomi was now perfectly positioned to enter its halls as a legitimate student rather than an intruder.

Behind them, the Adventurers Guild buzzed with excited conversation about the mysterious group that had arrived with dungeon boss materials and defeated a veteran B-class warrior without breaking a sweat.

The hunt was entering a new phase, and all the pieces were falling perfectly into place.