Lev blinked once, the corner of his mouth tugging upward as if amused. “I must look pitiful to you, huh?” He tilted his head to the side.

“You looked sloppy.” Uno’s reply came blunt and uncolored yet his grip on Lev’s arm lingered just a moment longer than needed before releasing.

Lev’s eyes dropped briefly to the delayed movement, amusement flickering across his face as if savoring the hesitation, before he finally pulled free and let a sly smile curve his lips. “Guess you were watching me pretty closely.”

Uno didn’t respond, only turned his gaze away with his jaw tightening.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he muttered at last. “I just don’t need Matthew breathing down my neck because his vice captain fights like some untrained street brawler.”

Lev chuckled softly, eyes glinting with amusement. “Oh? Is that really it?”

Uno’s eyes narrowed with a glint of annoyance. “Matthew doesn’t want sloppy examinees under him. If you keep fighting like that, it reflects badly on him. That’s all. Don’t you want to pass the exam?”

Lev blinked, then a low, knowing chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Right. Of course. But….” He took a step closer to Uno, the space between them shrinking to an uncomfortable intimacy. “Isn’t this considered special treatment?” He stepped in again, so close now that his smirk hovered just below Uno’s line of sight like a direct challenge. “Wouldn’t it be unfair to other examinees?”

Uno didn’t flinch, but the line between his brows deepened into a tight knot. The air stretched thin and taut, a silent beat passing between them. Then, Uno exhaled slowly. “If they complain, I’ll train them too.”

Lev’s smile widened, mischief dancing in his expression like firelight. “How noble.”

Uno just frowned harder. “Meet me at the plaza this weekend. Don’t waste my time.”

With that, Uno turned and left, his broad shoulders cutting cleanly through the air of the corridor.

Lev’s eyes followed Uno until his figure disappeared around the corner. His lips curved into a slow, amused smile. A glint of something unreadable flashed across his face.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.”

***

The factory floor echoed with noise, from the grind of metal against metal to the rattle of conveyor belts and the steady hiss of compressed air. Fluorescent lights washed the space in a pale glow that glared off steel and glass. Arthur adjusted his safety goggles and shifted the clipboard in his hand, doing his best to look like nothing more than a tired industrial worker, rather than a centuries-old hydra in disguise.

“Arthur, the line two valve’s acting up again,” one of the operators called over the din.

“On it,” Arthur said immediately, stepping closer.

By the time break rolled around, his nerves were already stretched thin, humming like a frayed wire. The cafeteria down the block was their usual haunt, with its sticky floors, plastic trays, and the smell of grease clinging to everything like a second skin. He slid into a seat with his coworkers, forcing himself to laugh at their complaints about supervisors and overtime.

Jun grumbled, stabbing his fried rice with exaggerated misery. “If my boss hovers over me again, I swear I’ll staple myself to the chair just to spite him.”

The table snorted. Mina didn’t even look up from peeling the wrapper off her straw. “You say that every week, Jun. And every week, you’re still chairless and spineless.”

Jun scowled, jabbing harder at his food. “One of these days, you’ll see.”

Arthur chuckled into his coffee.

“Anyways…” Mina leaned on her elbow. “Arthur, you ever gonna join us for a night out? You’re like, what, allergic to fun?”

Arthur raised a skeptical brow. “Fun is expensive. And exhausting. And usually loud.”

Jun smirked. “What, you got a secret family to feed or something?”

Arthur sighed, a dramatic sound of resignation. “Worse. I’ve got a child to take care of.

Mina blinked, surprised. “Wait… you have a kid?”

Arthur stirred his coffee like he was trying to rearrange his past. “Yeah. A spoiled one.”

Jun whistled. “Man, and here I thought you were just stingy. Didn’t know you had actual dad duties.”

Arthur muttered into his cup, the words low. “If only he acted his age…”

They chuckled and went back to their food. Arthur smiled faintly. If only they knew his so-called ‘child’ was a smug, ancient Leviathan currently masquerading as an examinee at the Hunter Association. Right now, he was just thankful nothing had happened there yet, aside from the fact that Lev had been assigned as the vice captain of his team.

The chatter at the table carried on, Mina complaining about her supervisor while Jun loudly calculated his overtime pay. Arthur half-listened, nodding when appropriate, but his focus had started to drift. A cold shiver, not from the air conditioning, ran down his spine.

Something pricked at the edge of his senses.

It wasn’t the sharp, acrid signature of a dungeon monster he knew that smell of rot and hunger by heart. This was… diluted. Softer. Almost human, but threaded with something profoundly wrong. Like a poison in a familiar drink. The presence was a discordant chord in the city’s melody, and it made the hydra in him stir.

Arthur set his coffee down a little too quickly, the plastic cup hitting the table with a sharp thud that earned him a curious glance from Mina.

“You good? You look like you just remembered you left the stove on,” she teased.

Arthur forced a laugh. “Yeah. Just… factory brain. Happens.”

But his hand had tightened around the cup, knuckles white. The presence moved outside, a faint brush against his awareness, like a shadow slipping past the window. It wasn’t a monster, not fully. But it wasn’t human either. The sensation left his skin crawling.

He leaned back in his chair, schooling his face into something bored while every instinct screamed otherwise.

Finishing his coffee, Arthur stood abruptly, chair screeching. “Bathroom.”

“Uh-huh. Sure,” she said, sipping her soda. “Try not to get lost.”

Arthur waved her off, already moving. Outside, the midday air was damp with the smell of oil and asphalt. Delivery trucks rumbled past the street, a car horn blared somewhere distant. Normal. Entirely, painfully normal.

But the presence was still there. Lingering.

Arthur’s gaze swept the commercial strip from the rundown diner, the smoke shop to the alley where dumpsters overflowed with cardboard. He caught nothing unusual. Nothing that explained why his instincts were screaming.

Hydras didn’t spook easy. Centuries of blood and battle had carved the fear out of him. Yet whatever he felt now wasn’t just strange, it was wrong. It mimicked a dungeon monster’s presence, but was tangled with something else, something human. Like a discordant note buried in a familiar song.

It mimicked a dungeon monster’s presence but was tangled with something else, something human. Like a discordant note buried in a familiar song.

Arthur’s jaw tightened. His cover here didn’t allow him to dig deeper. He exhaled through his nose, shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, and turned back inside.

His coworkers were still laughing about something when he sat back down. Mina glanced at him.

“Bathroom line long?”

Arthur managed a shrug. “Yeah. Real horror story in there.”

They groaned in sympathy and carried on. Arthur picked up his cup again, but his appetite was gone. The only thing on his mind now was how fast he could get home and tell Lev what he just felt.

***

Night had fallen when Arthur shoved the door open with his shoulder, work bag dangling from one hand. His whole body sagged with a dramatic, theatrical sigh of exhaustion. The factory’s incessant hum still rang in his ears, a final, torturous gift from the day.

Inside, Lev was a picture of serene, spoiled comfort, sitting cross-legged on the couch like a tiny monarch. He didn’t even look up from his tub of ice cream, spoon poised like a scepter. “I need you to buy me new clothes,” he stated, his voice was flat and unbothered.

Arthur blinked. “What for?”

Lev scraped the spoon along the bottom of the ice cream tub with deliberate nonchalance. “I’m meeting someone.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes. “…Define someone.”

Lev set the spoon down delicately, leaning back with a smirk spreading across his face. “The strongest hunter.”

Arthur dropped his bag to the floor with a pathetic thud, hands flying to his head. “What do you mean, the strongest hunter?! That human… Uno???”

Lev tilted his head, the smirk never leaving his lips, perfectly calm as if he were casually toying with some hapless adventurer in a dungeon. “Relax. It’s just a meeting.”

Arthur squinted at him. “What’s this meeting even for?”

Lev licked his spoon clean before answering. “He’s offered to train me.”

Arthur froze mid-breath. “…Train you?” He rubbed his forehead as a slow ache began to spread. The more Lev spoke, the more it felt like his brain was being twisted into knots by sheer audacity.

Lev leaned back in his chair with a smug grin tugging at his lips. “Mm. Apparently, he thinks my fighting style is rather sloppy.” He sounded entirely too pleased, as if being called sloppy were the highest form of flattery.

Arthur’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. First, Lev became the vice captain and now Uno wanted to train him??? The very person who wanted to kill him. “Seriously, what are you doing over there?”

Arthur groaned, grabbing at his hair. “I swear, one of these days, boss, you’re gonna give me a stroke.”

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the rapid thrum of his pulse. The humor of the situation drained, leaving only that familiar edge of unease. Sliding onto the sofa opposite Lev, he leaned forward, voice dropping into a low, serious tone. “Today… at work… I felt something. A presence. But there was something off about it. But I couldn’t quite put my finger around it.”

Lev’s smirk faded, his eyes darkening. “How close?”

“Too close,” Arthur said, his voice low. “Close enough to brush against me. And if I can feel it, that means it’s not bothering to hide. Hunters don’t seem to notice… yet. Maybe it’s just my predatory senses… but I don’t think so.”

“…Probably.”

As far as they knew, only Arthur and Lev were monsters in City B. There were no portals opening, no obvious signs of intrusion. Nothing should have been amiss.

Arthur rubbed his temple. “I don’t know exactly what it is. If it happens again, I’ll let you know. I could be wrong… but I doubt it.”

They both knew Arthur’s senses were never wrong. Whatever had brushed against him was unfamiliar, strange, and its quiet presence demanded attention. They couldn’t afford to dismiss it, no matter how subtle it seemed.

***

The Hunter Association was buzzing again when Lev returned the next day. Hunters in training, staff shuffling papers, the hum of chatter. It all blended into background noise.

He caught glimpses of the examinees who had fought him yesterday. A few whispered behind his back. There goes the vice captain who couldn’t win a single match. Lev didn’t even blink and just passed them like they didn’t exist.

Lev pushed open the office door with one hand, a thin folder tucked under his arm. Matthew was already behind the desk, legs crossed, grinning like he had been waiting all day for someone to admire him.

“Vice Captain,” Matthew greeted, far too pleased with the title. “How’s attendance?”

Matthew skimmed the sheet before tossing it aside, clearly more interested in the stack of papers he had prepared. “Good. By the way, here’s the evaluation from the friendly matches.”

Lev accepted the packet, flipping it open. His eyes trailed over names and neatly labeled columns…

Physical types with stamina and brute force.

Quick reflex fighters.

Strategy-heavy types.

There was Lev, tucked neatly under Intelligence. No surprise, Matthew had already explained that examinees were judged by strength or intelligence. Yesterday’s friendly match had sealed where he’d end up.

Matthew leaned back, clearly fishing for a reaction. “Not bad, huh? Hand those out later. Maybe toss in a motivational speech. Vice captains are good for that.”

“I’ll pass,” Lev said smoothly, closing the folder then smiling.

Matthew only laughed.

On his way out, Lev let the folder hang loosely at his side. Near the wall stood one man who was quivering at the cornering as if contemplating on what to do next. The same examinee who had withdrawn yesterday.

Geon-u.

A smirk flickered across Lev’s mouth. Then, just as swiftly, his gaze softened into something mild, harmless.

“You didn’t leave,” Lev said, his tone warm, almost relieved.

Geon-u startled, eyes flicking up at him.

The friendliness caught Geon-u off guard. Most examinees barely gave him the time of day, some outright treating him like dead weight. Sandro and his cronies had made sure of that. But Lev… Lev spoke like he actually noticed him. Like he mattered.

For a second, Geon-u didn’t know what to do with that. He was used to being pushed aside, not pulled in.

Up close, Lev didn’t look intimidating at all. His features were sharp yet oddly delicate, that pretty-boy kind of handsome that could disarm a person before they realized it. And the way he smiled, it was open and easy.

“I… thought it’d be better if I quit,” Geon-u muttered, his voice low. “I’m not cut out for this. Not when people like Sandro exist.”

Lev chuckled softly, as if the thought itself was absurd. “You think strength is all that matters here?” He leaned the side of his shoulder against the wall. “I’ve lost plenty yesterday. Does that mean I should pack up and leave too?”

Geon-u blinked, caught off guard. “…But you’re different. You’re–”

“Human,” Lev interrupted, grinning like he’d just said a joke. “Same as you. These exams can be brutal. But it would be a shame, wouldn’t it? To walk away without knowing what you’re really capable of.”

Geon-u blinked. No judgment in his tone. No mocking. Just a simple observation.

“You think so?”

“Of course.” Lev’s eyes softened, his voice almost playful. “Besides, I’d be lonely without my teammate.”

Geon-u felt a laugh bubble out despite himself. For someone who got knocked around yesterday, Lev didn’t carry a trace of bitterness. He was genuine. The others mocked, sneered, treated him like a joke, but Lev? Lev just… listened.

Geon-u found himself nodding slowly. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t quit just yet.”

“That’s the spirit,” Lev said, offering a hand like it was the easiest thing in the world. “What’s your name again? Geon-u, right?”

Geon-u hesitated only a second before shaking it, “Yes”. His chest felt lighter somehow. No wonder Matthew picked him for vice captain, Geon-u thought.

And then….

“Encouraging strays now?” a dry voice cut in.

Geon-u stiffened. He hadn’t noticed the tall man behind Lev until that moment. Uno’s presence was heavy, quiet but sharp, like a blade pressed flat against the skin.

He muttered a quick goodbye and hurried off.

On the other hand, Lev didn’t immediately reply. Instead he turned around and just smiled at him.

“What an honor, being graced by royalty this early.”

Uno’s brow furrowed. “Cut the crap and come with me.”