The guildhall was buzzing when Kazuki returned.
Not with alarm—just confusion.
"You're telling me," Guildmaster Ogi said slowly, massaging his temple, "that the dungeon boss served you tea?"
"Technically, the kobold receptionist did that," Kazuki corrected. "The boss gave me a survey."
Ogi stared at him. Then stared at the slime, who bounced up and down proudly like it had invented civilization. Then at the eagle, who was now perching on a chandelier like it owned the place. Then at the king cobra, who was curled in the shape of a question mark.
"…I give up," Ogi sighed.
The rest of the guild members cheered Kazuki's return like always, half in awe, half in disbelief. He was now ranked Gold-Red Tier, a totally unofficial new color class made just to categorize his absurdity.
Aurelis stood nearby, arms crossed, watching silently.
She wasn't smiling.
Not because she wasn't proud—no, it was something else.
She felt it in the mana currents.
Something… shivered in the weave of the world.
Far Away, Beneath a Shattered Shrine
In the land of Mugentsu, where moonlight never fully fades, a figure stood before a broken mirror. His mask was featureless—only a vertical red line from forehead to chin. His cloak flowed like liquid ink, swallowing all light.
"Found you," the figure murmured.
The mirror flickered. Kazuki's face appeared… smiling, holding up a burnt grilled cheese.
The masked man didn't flinch.
"They think you're invincible because of chaos. But chaos can be redirected."
Behind him, seven other cloaked silhouettes knelt in silence.
Each one had eyes that glowed in different mana colors—Flame, Storm, Void, Crystal, Blood, Root, and Pulse.
"Let him dance. Let him laugh. But soon…" the masked man raised a hand, and the shattered mirror reformed into a blade of mirrored glass, pulsing with unnatural mana.
"…let him face the cost of defying order."
Back at the Guild: That Feeling Again
Kazuki bit into a grilled cheese in the guild lounge. "Not bad. Little crispy on the edge though."
Aurelis sat across from him, sword resting at her side, unreadable.
"You felt it too, right?" she said.
Kazuki blinked. "What, the burnt cheese taste?"
"No. The shift."
She tapped her fingers on the table. "Something old just woke up. Something that knows how to bend the system."
Kazuki paused.
Smile, who was curled into a cat-like form nearby, opened a single shimmering eye.
"Bending the system?" Smile purred. "Darling, if you're referring to that poor copycat in Mugentsu… he's not bending it."
Smile slowly stretched, rising into the air with lazy elegance.
"He's trying to replace it."
Kazuki raised a brow. "That sounds… actually serious."
"It is." Smile's usual playfulness dimmed just a shade.
Aurelis stood, already checking her gear. "Then we prepare."
Kazuki looked down at his plate.
Then back up at Aurelis. "Can I finish my grilled cheese first?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course. We'll probably need all your weird luck where we're going."
Smile smiled wider than should be physically possible.
"To Mugentsu we go, my chaos kittens~."