"After that," Tabaki continued quietly, "I didn't want anything to do with it. I stopped trying to use it I didn't even want to understand it. But over time, the doctors told me I had to be careful with my hands, because that's where it triggers. It's like… heat builds the more I focus or feel. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the Pulse."
He glanced down at his palms, lost in thought.
Iwaizumi smirked. "So, you've got hot hands and yet you do those Lady Justice videos?"
Tabaki shot him a glare. "Shut it, Iwa. Lady Justice?" He smiled, eyes shaped like hearts. "Now that's a hero any man would be lucky to have. Hehe."
Gin furrowed his brow, curious. Who is Lady Justice? he wondered.
"Oh yeah, Lady Justice? She's got this ability to condense her muscles and boost the proteins in her body. It lets her do crazy stuff," Tabaki explained. "Plus, she can release pressurized air from under her feet, so she can float and even fly."
Gin's eyes widened. "Wow, that's two abilities!"
Tabaki grinned. "I know, right? She's an absolute beast of a woman."
"Actually," Tabaki added, "it's three abilities. One, she can condense her muscles. Two, regulate and control the proteins in her body. And three, release pressurized air from her feet to create thrust and float."
"I always thought it was just one ability," Gin said, surprised.
Iwazumi nodded. "Some people are lucky enough to have multiple Pulses."
"If there's one thing I can say it feels instinctual," Tabaki said quietly.
"Like, it's not something you have to stress over to activate. At least, for me. I haven't seen that many others, but it's tied to your reflexes, emotions... even your habits. You don't just use Pulse. It kinda... uses you too, in a weird way. If you're not careful, it takes over."
A silence followed, thick and thoughtful. Gin noticed the way both Tabaki and Iwaizumi looked like they'd both thought about this more than they wanted to admit.
"Hey," Gin said suddenly, breaking the stillness. "What about you, Iwaizumi? You haven't said anything about your chances. I know you don't have a Pulse... maybe we'll figure it out together."
Iwaizumi's expression darkened just slightly.
"Maybe. But I don't want to get my hopes up, sir. Let's just leave it to biology."
His tone was dry but firm. "I'm not letting the lack of a Pulse destroy my dream. I've already started saving up. Planning to buy a license for an F-Rank dungeon."
Gin's eyes widened.
"No way! Can I come? I've never seen a dungeon from the inside I want to see what it's like."
Iwaizumi let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head.
"Unfortunately... I've only saved 30,000 hunts. A license alone costs about 250,000, and that's if there's no bidding war."
He sighed. "And that's not even the worst part. You still need a registered team minimum seven members. You have to pay them, get a camera setup, register with the Dungeon Association, and operate under the liaison of a guild authorized for F-Rank dungeons. Even if it's the lowest rank, procedures are strict. Altogether, that's about 2 million hunts. Maybe more."
Gin blinked. "...I happen to have 3 million hunts."
Both Tabaki and Iwaizumi stared at him.
"No way. Three million?" Iwaizumi gawked.
Tabaki leaned forward, brows raised. "How'd you get that kind of money… sir?"
Then, more cautiously, "Wait… is that why you were in K-Pen?"
Iwaizumi jabbed him in the ribs. "Tabaki !"
Gin chuckled, brushing it off. "Or maybe... I was detained because they thought I came from a Gate." He grinned. "Did I ever mention I'm not from this world?"
The two stared at him blankly.
"Like... you're from the Outback?" Tabaki said slowly.
"No, he means not from this world?" Iwaizumi echoed, baffled.
Gin paused, remembering the warning from Chief Megnon:
Keep your origin quiet. There are ears everywhere especially government ones.
He shrugged. "Never mind." Then, casually added, "Anyway, K-Pen pays you. If you behave, that is. Let's just say I was their most well-behaved inmate. The reward was 3 million hunts."
Tabaki looked like he'd just bitten his tongue in disbelief.
Iwaizumi muttered, "…They pay you in K-Pen?"
Gin gave a lazy smirk.
"Depends on how well you behave and complete tasks. I was there for seven years, to be fair."
"Seven years?!" Iwaizumi's jaw dropped. "You're twenty-seven now, right? So… since you were twenty?" He blinked, then winced. "That's kinda sad. Uh not in a bad way, I mean "
Tabaki snorted. "I'd be sad if that happened to me."
Gin gave a low chuckle, shaking his head.
"Seven years? That was child's play."
His smile lingered, but his eyes drifted, losing focus.
Compared to the life I had before… seven years was nothing. I lived through empires rising and falling. Over two thousand, three hundred and fifty years of battles, ascension, blood, and silence. I reached the peak… and still wasn't satisfied. This world feels different but my hunger? It's the same.
Tabaki's voice cut through the haze.
"Well then we definitely have to take you to see something cool."
Gin blinked, snapped out of the fog of memory. He offered a small smile.
"Yeah. Let's do that."
Gin nodded, amused.
Then Iwaizumi, more thoughtful now, asked,
"Sir Gin... can I ask? After all that time do you still remember your dream? I mean, spending seven years locked up… a lot of people would lose the will to care about things like that."
Gin paused, then looked out the window, expression unreadable.
"My dream has always been the same," he said quietly. "To be the strongest. No matter where I find myself. No matter what world or system. Strength is the one truth that never lies."
"Where I'm from, that meant ascending all the realms." His voice turned distant. "And I did. I was the strongest there. But... I wasn't satisfied. Not really. Something about how I got it it didn't sit right."
He turned back to them, his eyes sharper now.
"But ever since I came to this world this city I've had one new desire." He smiled slightly.
"To be the strongest hero."