As you stepped out of the Guild Master’s office, your mind swirled with thoughts. The conversation had been... different. More personal than you had anticipated. You had braced yourself for stern questions and suspicion, not a hidden passion for forging, nor an unexpected elevation in rank.

  Lovia stood just outside the office gate, leaning against the cold stone wall with her arms crossed. Her usual confident smirk was absent, replaced by a look of sharp curiosity as she pushed herself off the wall.

  "So?" she asked, her voice low. "Did the big boss grill you or what?"

  You shook your head. "No. He’s... He said it’s possible. He is going to forge the horn for me himself, it seems."

  Lovia blinked, genuine shock flashing across her face. "What? Wait, really?"

  "Yeah."

  Fenric, standing nearby, seemed to anticipate this outcome. "I can't blame him," the half-beast mused. "The big guy is as unpredictable as you are. He’s probably running and jumping around the office right now."

  Kuro’s eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place. "So, he used to be a blacksmith? And... wait. Oh." he looked toward the closed door "smith bloody". "That’s why the guild is named what it is... Gods, I can't believe I didn't catch it sooner. Am I getting rusty?"

  He emerged from the shadowed path of the office into the main Guild Hall. Lovia was still chattering about how excited she was for her master to take up his hammer again, and Fenric was listening with a faint smile, saying, "Tell me about it."

  But as they stepped into the light, the guild hall went silent.

  The laughter died. The clinking of mugs stopped. Every single pair of eyes—members and patrons alike—fixed on Kuro. The whispers started immediately, slithering through the air like snakes.

  Did he steal it?

  How did a stranger find a Morsel’s horn?

  He joined just now? A nameless ruffian.

  Dirtbag.

  Their whispers echoed all over the place, filling the town's silence with suspicion. Lovia and Fenric stopped their chat, finally noticing the heavy, suffocating atmosphere.

  Kuro stood silent, the brim of his hat shadowing his eyes. His jaw tightened.

  Stay in the shadows. One rule. One fucking rule: stay in the shadows.

  And here I am, breaking it just by breathing.

  He let out a deep, weary sigh.

  Suddenly, a guild member ran straight at him. The man, eyes sharp with greed, grabbed Kuro by the collar, catching him off guard.

  "Tell me! Where did you find it?" The man shouted, saliva flying. "How does a stranger like you get a Morsel's horn, huh?"

  The member tightened his grip on Kuro's collar, shaking him. "How much? State your price! What is a nobody like you going to do with it? Give it to me. It’s better with me than you. Don't worry, I'll fill your pockets. Well? Answer me, damn it!"

  Behind them, Lovia’s expression grew furious by the second. Fenric remained still, his eyes darting around, calculating how to deduce the problem without escalating it.

  But a shadow had formed over Kuro's face. The hat hid his expression from the rest of the guild, but he looked down at the man holding him. The stare was enough to send terror straight through the man's bones, chilling his ancestors in their graves.

  The hand holding Kuro's collar began to shake, trembling down to the man's boots. Kuro didn't speak. He simply raised his hand, reaching slowly toward the man’s wrist. Lovia was oblivious to the shift in pressure, but Fenric felt it—pure terror. The bloodlust was thick enough to suffocate.

  Kuro was about to crush the man's hand.

  Fenric reacted on instinct, lunging forward and pushing the aggressor down, hard. He placed a firm hand on Kuro's shoulder.

  "Kuro."

  The name cut through the haze. Kuro snapped back to reality, his hand halting in mid-air. Fenric let out a gasp, relieved, swallowing the lump in his throat.

  "You fucking mutt!" The guild member scrambled back up, wiping the dust from his clothes. He glared at Fenric. "You dare push me?"

  Tuh. He spat on the floor near Fenric’s boots. "You spoil in the road."

  "Dude, come on now," Fenric said, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "We are fellow members of this guild. I just don't want any trouble, and I just—"

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  "Shut the fuck up, mutt! You dare speak to me?" The man pulled back his fist, aiming a punch squarely at Fenric.

  Lovia stepped in, a blur of motion. She caught the swing mid-air, twisted, and flipped the man onto the floor with a resounding thud. She didn't stop there, burying her fist right into his face.

  "You piece of shit!" she yelled. "You're one of the Nameless too, you idiot! What right do you have to speak to him like that, huh?"

  "What about you, Lovia?"

  A deep voice spoke from the corner of the hall. A man stood up from his chair, sliding it back with a screech.

  "What do you mean, Daro?" Lovia snapped, not backing down.

  "What I mean is, you're one of the Named folks in this town," Daro said, stepping into the light. "Why are you protecting the ugly ears over there when the law itself doesn't protects him? Hm?"

  "Come on, Daro. Just because the laws are like that doesn't mean you have to be inhumane," Lovia argued, her voice trembling slightly. "We are all still living, breathing beings with sense, so—"

  "So what? Did you just defile the law?" Daro smirked, looking around for approval. "The law set by our gods, the Elves? The laws that keep the balance? Oh, hell, Lovia. I respect the Guild Master, but I can't keep my mouth shut anymore."

  "No, I didn't..." Lovia started to stutter. "It’s just..."

  Behind her, there was a sudden smell of sulfur and burning tobacco. Smoke rose in a thin, grey line.

  Fenric turned to see Kuro lighting up one of his unused cigarettes. It was the first time Fenric had seen him smoke since arriving in this world. Kuro inhaled deeply, consuming half the cigarette in one long, desperate pull. He held it, then exhaled, filling the space between them with a cloud of grey smoke.

  Calming down.

  He approached Lovia and stood beside her.

  Lovia turned, noticing him. "Cute stuff. You smoke?" Her voice was still shaking.

  "I think so," Kuro replied flatly.

  He walked straight toward Daro, trailing smoke.

  Rules. Laws. Kuro thought as he walked. They are there to keep the balance. They hold everyone in check to maintain peace. Subjective or not, everyone comes under them.

  He stopped a few feet from Daro.

  It doesn't matter if it's fair. If there is a law, you obey it. That’s how I operate. Even if I feel it's wrong, isn't it made for a reason? I stick with it.

  He took another drag.

  But I just remembered... Me.. VINCENT KARL not part of this world, am I? That means the rules don't apply to me.

  "What?" Daro scoffed, looking down at Kuro. "You have something to say? Smoking and acting tough trying to intimidate me? Just so you know, I'm both Named and Rank A. A puny, Nameless, E-Rank pebble shit like you won't hold a candle against me."

  Around the hall, the tension broke into a chant. Members started tapping their mugs against the tables. Fight. Fight. Fight.

  "Are you guys serious?" Daro laughed, his voice booming. "He's E-Rank pebble, for fuck’s sake!" He laughed loud enough for the whole town to hear.

  I already have enough attention, Kuro thought. But Dora, right?

  "It's Daro," the man sneered. "Daro Artwern, you idiot."

  "Right. You see, I don't remember my past so well, but I do remember one thing."

  Kuro stepped in, invading Daro's personal space until he was uncomfortably close. He leaned down, the brim of his hat cutting off the light, leaving Daro staring into eyes that held absolutely no light, no mercy, and no soul.

  "If you don't shut up and go back to your seat," Kuro whispered, his voice a hollow, chilling rasp that didn't carry past Daro’s ears, "I might just pluck those round little eyeballs from their sockets, wet and weeping, and shove them up your ass so you can watch yourself rot from the inside out."

  Daro’s breath hitched, but Kuro didn't let him look away.

  "Then, I’ll take a hammer to your mouth. I will drive your fucking teeth burying one by one until they become a bloody road, leaving you to gum your food like a withered, awful granny."

  Kuro tilted his head slightly, his expression dead calm as he painted the picture.

  "I’ll dig your heart out—inch by agonizing inch, tearing through the ribs—and I will feed it to you, piece by bloody piece, while it’s still beating. And finally..." Kuro’s hand twitched near his side, "I’ll pry open that ugly-ass skull of yours just to see what color the panic is inside."

  With every word Kuro spoke, Daro visualized it. The calm, composed, dead-eyed look Kuro gave him amplified the horror. Daro saw himself being dismantled, felt the phantom pain of his teeth shattering and his chest being hollowed out.

  "Enough!" Daro shouted, stumbling back. He whispered a single word under his breath, his face pale: "Monster."

  Sweat beaded on Daro's forehead. He looked at Kuro, then at the door, and realized his bladder was about to fail him. He turned and sprinted out of the guild hall as if demons were nipping at his heels.

  Everyone in the guild went silent.

  What the fuck happened?

  Then, someone snickered. "Maybe he wanted to go number one?"

  "Probably number two!"

  "Hahahahahahahahaa"

  "Scaredy cat! Did you see the way he ran?"

  The tension shattered, and the guild hall erupted in laughter at the expense of the Rank A adventurer.

  Fenric made a knowing little smirk, shaking his head. Lovia, however, stood frozen, her face puzzled by what had just transpired.

  A short while later, once the adrenaline had faded into a dull hum, Lovia approached him. She leaned in, her voice dropped to a hush, her eyes searching his face with undisguised concern.

  "Kuro... what did you say to him?"

  Kuro didn't answer. He simply took another drag of his cigarette, letting the silence stretch between them. He exhaled a stream of grey smoke, his expression unreadable.

  "Cat got your tongue, cute stuff?" She murmured, deflecting the heavy question with a flick of ash. "By the way, the Senior gave me promotion. I’m D-Rank now."

  He looked at her, tilting his head. "So, what am I now?"

  "Uhm... what?" Lovia blinked, still shaken, the words not quite registering through her confusion.

  "My title," Kuro pressed, a dry smirk touching his lips. "What is it now? Don't tell me it's 'Pebble 2' or something."

  The absurdity of the comment broke through her tension. Lovia’s shoulders dropped, and the look of dread on her face melted into a relieved, weary smile. She shook her head, letting out a short breath that was half-laugh, half-sigh.

  She took his wooden card, her fingers moving quickly to update the magical inscription. The wood didn't change—it was still the rough, cheap timber of the lower ranks—but the mana flared briefly as the rank shifted from E to D.

  She handed it back to him. As Kuro turned to leave, Lovia watched him go. Her lips parted, the word thanks sitting on her tongue, but she couldn't find the space to say it. Instead, she just watched him walk away, her expression a complex mix of happiness that he was safe, and a deep, lingering concern for the darkness she had just glimpsed.

  Kuro stepped out of the guild hall and into the cold air, Fenric falling into step beside him.

  He flipped the wooden card over in his hand to inspect his new status.

  "Rank D," he muttered, his eyes scanning down to the title line where Nameless used to be.

  He stopped walking.

  "Seriously?"

  Fenric leaned over to look. Etched clearly into the wood was his new designation:

  Title: Nuisance