My Disciples Grind, I Get 100x Their Progress

By the time Lurker and Adelle arrived, nearly half an hour had already passed since they’d wrapped up that strange cult incident and rushed back to the Academy.

They’d expected that, with a hidden Master around, the students would surely be fine. And indeed, that was exactly what happened. The students were fine, none of them injured or suffering any real losses.

At most, just a few scrapes from being jostled around during the earthquake that had just occurred. But Lurker and Adelle didn’t pay much attention to that.

The professors were handling the students, so the two of them were free to take in how the garden had been torn apart by a Breach.

A fairly large crater, several trees and structures on the verge of collapsing from the tremor, an Invader’s corpse lying lifeless amid billowing cold energy and a chilly mist.

The surroundings looked utterly chaotic, but compared to how other Breaches and the Invaders crossing over usually wreaked havoc elsewhere, both Adelle and Lurker could tell that this one had been remarkably contained.

And the only reason that was possible was because... someone whose identity remained unknown, someone assumed to be from the Slums but who, in truth, might not be from the Slums at all, might have come from somewhere else entirely.

How could someone know exactly when a Breach would appear?

How could someone pinpoint the timing so precisely and wait for it as if that were the most ordinary thing in the world?

That was what Lurker thought. He didn’t know if Adelle was thinking the same, but right now, what mattered most was his own thoughts, and he was consumed by a burning curiosity.

He desperately wanted to know about this Master, where he came from, what his secret was, and who he truly was.

’Ah, this is insane. I never imagined that coming to Central would turn out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.’

He pressed his lips together, holding back a twitching smile. His gaze fixed on the one called Master, Julian.

As Lurker kept staring at him, the man, Julian, turned briefly and stared right back.

An empty expression, as if Lurker meant nothing at all, dark, hollow eyes that made Lurker feel as though he were about to be dragged into some bottomless abyss.

Just that alone was enough to leave Lurker feeling intimidated. His hand clenched into a fist without him realizing it, drenched in cold sweat.

’Haha... I can’t believe this... When was the last time I felt this kind of discomfort?’

Among the seven Rank-A Hunters, there was only one who could ever make Lurker feel this uneasy.

That was exactly why, the moment Lurker felt this discomfort, he immediately understood that whatever rumors circulated about this man clearly weren’t exaggerated, if anything, they probably didn’t even come close to capturing who he truly was.

”Lord Julian, I’m truly grateful. Thanks to you, there were no casualties, and the Breach incident was resolved without any trouble.”

Adelle bowed her head and thanked him with genuine sincerity.

Julian looked utterly indifferent as he gave a nod. ”Okay.”

His answer was short and to the point.

Lurker couldn’t tear his gaze away, his heart pounding hard, and then a reckless thought took shape in his mind.

’Should I try it?’

His hand reached toward the glasses he carried, the same pair that had allowed him to see through Kina’s Mimic Serum disguise.

Lurker took the glasses out and put them on.

Those glasses weren’t just for seeing past a disguised appearance, they could also pierce through a person’s energy, or look directly into their very soul.

It was an absurdly powerful artifact, and priceless. One of the most precious treasures currently held by Zoldia.

Unable to hold back his curiosity, Lurker pulled the glasses out and put them on.

The gesture drew a few glances from the others, but Lurker didn’t care as he turned his gaze straight toward Julian.

’Let’s see, does he have something hidden in—’

Lurker froze on the spot, completely frozen, unable to move at all. His breath caught in his throat, his eyes widened, trembling violently.

Within that gaze, he tried to peek into the true nature of Julian’s soul and found something that sent chills down his spine, leaving cold sweat drenching his entire body.

The air shifted, the world turned pale gray, a darkness so thick it seemed to swallow the entire world along with Lurker.

Then, deep within Julian’s soul, so vast it felt as though it contained the universe itself, a vertical pupil stared back at Lurker.

That eye was crimson red, yet it also carried a majestic quality from the streaks of gold running through it.

’W-what is that?’ Lurker felt his mind freeze up for a moment, he had to force himself to hold it together.

But the longer he stared into that pupil, the more he felt himself sinking. And, in a silence so complete it was as if the entire world had frozen solid, a voice echoed.

”How dare you, an ordinary ant, try to peek into my Master’s soul?”

Shift!

A feminine voice echoed, low like a whisper, a murmur, yet it carried an oppressive weight so overwhelming that Lurker found himself bowing his head in sheer terror without even realizing it.

This time, he felt utterly crushed, every shred of his pride, every ounce of dignity he had, shattered into pieces before the colossal being staring at him right now.

He didn’t know exactly when it happened, but at some point, the glasses he wore suddenly cracked on their own, the world snapped back to normal, time resumed its usual flow, and the surrounding sounds returned.

Lurker lifted his head, heavy as lead. The others hadn’t noticed his strange behavior, so he figured he should slip away as quickly as possible before—

’Oh.’

No, as it turned out, Julian was staring right at him now. Those hollow, dark eyes, that flat expression suggesting he might have caught onto something interesting.

If before Lurker had only felt discomfort, now, instead of discomfort or mere awe, fear began creeping in.

He met Julian’s gaze again, doing his best to hide that fear. Then Julian reached into the pocket of his black coat, pulled something out, and revealed a white cloth.

”...You don’t look too well, Lord Lurker?”

Julian held out the white cloth. Lurker hesitated, then took it and wiped his sweat, forcing a smile onto his face as he nodded.

”I-I suppose so.”

”Hmm... In that case, you should head back and rest as soon as possible, and if needed, go see a doctor for a check-up. Who knows, you might need some medicine to feel better.”

”Y-yes.”

Lurker nodded. ”Well then, if you’ll excuse me, thank you, Lord Julian.”

Lurker hurried off.

Without a second thought, he used his skill to get away as fast as possible. Meanwhile, Julian let out a small sigh.

’That was a lot of sweat, was he really that sick? I would’ve thought a Hunter wouldn’t get sick like that.’

Julian had learned something new today. He should make a note of it, who knew, he might need it someday.

Julian then shifted his gaze, only to find the others staring at him with strange expressions.

Not just Adelle, but Kina and Ilunia too, who were, quite literally, ”staring” at him.

’He made Lord Lurker call him by the title ”Lord.”’

’Why did Lord Lurker look so terrified in front of Master just now?’

’Lurker Zoldia... judging by his voice, he sounded incredibly nervous in front of my lord.’

Julian didn’t understand what any of those looks meant, so he simply stayed silent even as his thoughts raced wildly.

’What in the world is going on right now!?’