The doors of the royal council room remained firmly shut, but the atmosphere inside was entirely different than the tense silence of the previous night.

The Beast King’s core had been moved to a secure vault for study, and in its place on the massive table sat a stack of official documents detailing the rewards to be distributed for the successful clear of the Mutated Gate.

"The standard compensation for a Gate of this severity has already been authorized for the surviving vanguard members and the Captain’s squad," the older councilman, Duke Vahn, said, adjusting his robes as he looked over the papers. "Gold, advanced healing potions, and a month of paid leave. Standard protocol."

"Standard protocol," the councilwoman across from him repeated, tapping a manicured finger against the table. "Yes, but standard protocol does not cover what to do when a rookie solo clears a catastrophe-level anomaly."

She looked toward the head of the table where the King sat, his expression unreadable as he listened to them debate.

"The boy—Hajin," she corrected herself quickly, remembering the King’s sharp warning from the night before, "single-handedly prevented a Beast King from breaking out and destroying the capital. A standard monetary reward is not only insulting, it makes the crown look incredibly ungrateful."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the council members.

"I agree," another councilman chimed in, "we cannot just hand him a bag of gold and a pat on the back. The sheer political fallout if the Great Families find out we slighted someone with that much raw power would be a nightmare. Especially with Kenny Flint’s recent... disappearance."

The mention of the Flint family member’s sudden absence made the room shift uncomfortably. They still didn’t know exactly what had happened to Kenny’s squad, but everyone knew the Flint Patriarch was completely furious.

"Then what do you propose?" Duke Vahn asked, folding his hands on the table. "A noble title? Land? He is a commoner. Granting him a lordship for one raid, no matter how impressive, will upset the established hierarchy."

"He doesn’t want a title," the King said, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

The council immediately quieted down, turning their attention to him.

"I have spoken with him," the King continued, resting his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers together. "He has no interest in our politics, our lands, or our titles. What he values is practicality. Strength."

He looked around the table, his gaze steady.

"If we want to properly reward him and ensure his continued loyalty to the crown, we must give him something that actually benefits him in a tangible way," the King said. "Something that the Great Families cannot simply buy for themselves."

"You mean an artifact," the councilwoman said, her eyes widening slightly in realization. "From the royal vault."

Duke Vahn stiffened in his chair. "Your Majesty, the royal vault contains relics that have been in the family for generations. Opening it for an outsider is highly unprecedented."

"A Beast King Anomaly appearing right outside our walls and being killed by a rookie is also highly unprecedented," the King replied smoothly, his tone leaving absolutely no room for argument. "We are in unprecedented times, Duke Vahn. I will not let outdated traditions blind us to the value of securing an asset like him."

The King stood up, smoothing the front of his robe while the council members quickly rose with him out of respect.

"Prepare the standard rewards for the rest of the raid team," the King ordered, his voice echoing with absolute authority. "As for Hajin, I will handle his reward personally. Send a messenger to his inn. Tell him he is invited to the palace this evening."

An hour later, Hajin and his girls walked out of the inn’s dining area, the exhaustion from the previous day finally lifted after putting away an entirely unreasonable amount of food.

The midday sun was bright, beating down on the busy streets of the capital while merchants called out their wares and carriages rattled over the roads.

"I feel like I could sleep for another week," Hajin muttered, stretching his arms over his head as his spine popped quietly.

"You already slept through the morning," Juna pointed out, walking beside him with a small, satisfied smile after finishing her own massive meal. "But before you go back to sleep, you should check your ranker badge."

He lowered his arms, looking over at her with a raised eyebrow. "My badge?"

"Mhm," she nodded, her tail swaying happily. "I checked mine while you were busy eating your third plate of steak. The guild must have finished processing the Gate report this morning because our ranks have been updated."

He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out the small silver badge that the Guild had issued him.

He hadn’t even thought about his official standing since the raid started. He had entered the Mutated Gate as a rookie who barely scraped into the 1,200s, someone completely unknown in the capital who only got onto the vanguard team because of the king.

But considering what they had brought back, the guild’s automated progression system must have completely panicked.

He looked down at the smooth metal surface. When he first got it, the number etched into the center had read ’1,210’.

Now, the old numbers were completely gone, replaced by a fresh engraving that glowed faintly with residual mana.

[ 425 ]

He stared at the three digits, blinking a few times just to make sure he was reading them right.

Jumping from Rank 1,210 straight into the low 400s overnight was entirely unheard of. Most rankers spent years grinding through high-tier Gates, slowly accumulating enough verified kills to push their number that high.

Cracking the 400s didn’t just mean a change in numbers, it meant access to elite resources, unrestricted guild facilities, and being officially recognized as a major threat in the capital.

"Four hundred and twenty-five," he muttered, shaking his head slowly. "They bumped me up almost eight hundred spots."

"I am Rank 510 now," Juna said proudly, pointing at her own badge.

Loccy leaned over to look at Juna’s badge, her ears twitching with curiosity since she didn’t have one of her own, while Vella just watched them with an amused smile.

"I guess surviving a Beast King Anomaly tends to do that," Hajin said, letting out a short laugh as he slipped the badge back into his pocket.

Before they could take another step down the street, a sharp, authoritative voice called out from the crowd.

"Ranker Hajin."

He stopped, turning his head to see a man wearing the crisp, formal uniform of a royal messenger stepping through the busy street. The crest of the royal family was embroidered in gold thread on his chest, instantly making the merchants and civilians nearby step back to give him space.

"Yes?" Hajin asked, his guard going up slightly.

The messenger stopped in front of him and gave a crisp, formal bow before pulling out a sealed envelope stamped with red wax.

"I have been sent directly by His Majesty," the messenger said, holding the letter out. "You are formally invited to the palace this evening to receive your official reward for the Mutated Gate raid."

Hajin stared at the red wax seal for a long second, the relaxed feeling from his lunch evaporating instantly. He had just woken up from a near-death corruption coma and finally gotten some decent food, and now he was being dragged straight back into the royal court.

He slowly reached out and took the envelope from the messenger’s hand.

’Fucking hell,’ he thought.