Logan still had his fists clenched, as if he couldn’t let it go. Gideon noticed the tension but said nothing. They had more serious matters to deal with.
By the time the human-faced creature could run away with the orc, Logan had already taken care of all the monsters. Their bodies had turned into corpses before fading into the air, making it feel heavier.
Lilith snapped out of her daze and walked toward Raphael while slowly healing herself. Raphael was the better healer — a tier 3 in healing magic, with a wider range of spells. Her plan was simple: wake him up and heal him first, so they could treat the others together.
Gideon moved among the group, gathering everyone in one place. Luna was able to walk slowly on her own. Ronald, though conscious, was in no shape to move. He was the first Gideon carried, slung carefully over his shoulder.
"Boss, what we just saw, that’s..." Ronald began, but Gideon cut him off.
"We will have enough time to discuss this later on."
Ronald went quiet. He could barely contain his excitement, but he knew it wasn’t the right time.
Lilith crouched beside Raphael and placed her hands on his chest. Soon, they began to glow faint green — warm, like bubbles being drawn in and concentrated.
After a few moments, his body stirred, and his eyes slowly opened.
"Am I still alive, or is this the afterlife?" were his first words.
"Stop mumbling nonsense and get to work. We don’t have the whole day, and their condition is serious." Lilith didn’t waste another moment and moved toward Luna. She was conscious but far from well.
Raphael went to where Gideon had gathered the injured and started with Ronald. His healing didn’t take long. Lilith finished with Luna soon after. Then it was Melissa and Jessi’s turn. Lastly, Gideon — though when Raphael tried to heal him first, he refused without hesitation.
One by one, everyone was treated, and soon they were all awake. Melissa and Jessi were both shocked that they were still alive.
Then their eyes fell on Logan, whose face was twisted in a grimace.
"Is that Aiden?" Disbelief was clear on Melissa’s face. Not only were they alive, but Logan was here too — taller than the last time they’d seen him.
"Aiden, where have you been all this time?" Jessi asked.
Logan didn’t answer. His thoughts were in chaos.
"How the fuck are you still alive? After all this time! And how did you turn out to be a monster?! Nolan! What the fuck did you get yourself involved in? Wasn’t killing me enough?"
The creature’s face had been Nolan’s — the very reason Logan had been reborn. He wasn’t just shocked; his mind was a storm of rage, grief, and regret.
Noticing his dazed expression, Jessi started to press further, but Gideon stopped her.
"We will talk about this when we get back."
He wanted answers too, but he knew how to read the room.
"Aiden. Let’s get back. Everyone is healed."
Logan didn’t react. The recent events had shaken him to the core.
"Aiden?" Gideon called again, louder this time.
Finally, Logan stirred. "Huh?! What did you say?!"
"I said we should get back now," Gideon repeated.
"Alright," Logan replied.
Aside from Gideon, only Lilith and Luna had seen what had happened. The others had been unconscious by the time Logan reached them.
They had plenty of questions but held their tongues.
Soon, they stepped out of the dungeon. Being close to the gate, it didn’t take long.
After walking for a while, they finally reached their wagon. Everyone except Logan climbed inside, while he mounted his horse. This time, Gideon took the coachman’s seat in place of Ronald, since Ronald’s condition was worse than his own.
The wagon creaked forward, wheels crunching over the rugged Solvane road, while the horses’ steady hooves beat were a measured rhythm toward the distant, sunlit horizon.
They set off on their journey.
After nearly two hours on the road, they finally arrived in front of the Hunter Guild.
Inside, the guild was as lively as ever — people eating and drinking, laughter and teasing mixing with the clink of mugs.
At one table sat Leonard’s party, with Lucas seated to his right.
"Have you heard? Aiden’s back today," Lucas said.
Leonard paused mid-swig of ale from his wooden mug, then set it down and looked at Lucas. "Really?! When did he arrive?" he asked, excitement in his voice.
"This morning. Apparently, he went to join Gideon’s party for a D-rank dungeon run," Lucas replied.
The rank didn’t matter to Leonard. Just hearing that Aiden was back was enough to make him happy. "That means the time has come to put our plan into motion," he said, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
While everyone was busy chatting and laughing, the guild’s door creaked open. At first, no one looked. But the moment the first man stepped inside, heads began to turn toward the entrance one by one — because it was Gideon. And although his team usually didn’t draw much attention, recently his party was doing great. But not only that. This time there was someone with them who had quickly become the center of everyone’s focus.
And as expected, he entered soon after. Walking slowly behind Melissa, Logan stepped into the guild. The whole group made their way toward Elizabeth, who was seated at the reception.
The moment her eyes fell on Logan, Elizabeth stood up slightly and said, "Aiden, the Guild Master has been waiting for you. He said to go to him the moment you arrived."
Hearing that, Logan looked at Gideon, and they exchanged a brief nod. Then Elizabeth signaled to a hunter to guide Logan to the Guild Master’s chamber, while she began taking the raid report from Gideon.
Gideon began telling Elizabeth everything, step by step — how they had barely reached the third layer before disaster struck, how the monsters had laid a trap for them, the orc boss, and then... the human-faced creature. A creature that could speak in human language.
Hearing this, Elizabeth was completely stunned.
A monster speaking like a human?! Unbelievable. This had never happened before — not even in any historical records.
Although Gideon explained and described every detail, he said nothing about Logan. That wasn’t his secret to share.
On the other side....
Logan followed behind the hunter Elizabeth had assigned to guide him, walking through the guild’s corridors until they stopped in front of the Guild Master’s chamber.
He stepped forward, knocked on the door, and asked for permission. From inside, Ali’s voice came, telling him to enter.
As soon as Logan stepped in, Ali leaned back in his chair and said, "You know, you disappeared completely after saying you’d be gone for a few days. Where have you been all this time?"
"I was a bit busy... training," Logan replied. His voice carried a slight heaviness, the weight of thoughts he still couldn’t shake — thoughts about Nolan.
And Ali didn’t miss it. He wasn’t a S-class hunter only for show after all. "Something serious happened in the dungeon, didn’t it? You seem... occupied."
Logan gave a faint exhale, not quite a sigh. "It’s not something. It’s many things. The monsters are acting too weird. And...." he didn’t finish his last sentence. It won’t do him any benefit afterall. "Please forgive me, master. But I am really in no mental shape to discuss such crucial matters right now."
Ali studied him for a moment before leaning forward. "Well, whenever you’re ready to talk, you know my door’s open. But you will continue your training from tomorrow onwards with me, right?"
Logan nodded. "But I have a request," Logan said.
"Request? Let’s hear it," Ali said.
"I want to do solo dungeon raids again from now on," Logan replied. "I can’t give you the exact reason why, but it’s really important to me."
"Oh...solo raids, huh? If you’d asked me a few days ago, I wouldn’t have refused. But right now, I can’t give you permission. It’s too dangerous. With the way monsters have started behaving lately, there’s no telling what could happen," Ali said, clearly weighing many factors before giving his answer.
Before speaking, Logan took a moment to think — weighing the pros and cons carefully. Then he said, "Even if it’s dangerous, I can handle it. Trust me."
"Oh... trust you. You’re strong, I know that, and I believe it with all my heart — that’s why I decided to take you as my student. But no matter how strong a C-class hunter is, facing that kind of danger alone is never possible," Ali replied, denying him once more.
This time, Logan pressed harder. "What if my power is already beyond C-class?"
Ali narrowed his eyes. Leaning back in his chair, he kept his gaze fixed on Logan for a few moments. A memory of his earlier conversation with Noah and Emily crossed his mind. Instead of answering, he asked, "Aiden, can you tell me honestly how many affinities you have? And... do you know someone named Logan Smith?"
The question left Logan completely stunned. Even with his mask on, the sudden shift in his expression did not escape Ali’s sharp, piercing eyes.