Then another thought hit him, one far more intrusive.

Everyone else was gone.

If he left now, he'd need to run and hide the moment he got outside.

But on the bright side... no one would notice if he took some leftover monster carcasses.

Or a few crystals.

He was low on cash anyway.

So Timothy turned back toward the tunnel, the spider in tow.

The first order of business: feed the glutton.

She was a lady, after all, and she'd definitely start complaining soon.

He gathered up several monster remains and let her feast, then moved on to harvest some crystals.

He grabbed ten, high-grade C-rank purity like the boss monster would've dropped, but decent enough to sell for a good sum.

They went straight into his inventory.

When he returned to the portal, Timothy reshaped his enchanted scarf into a loose robe with a hood.

It wasn't thick like a proper cloak, but it was enough to obscure his face.

He uncorked the blessed flask, took a deep drink, and splashed some of the cool water onto the spider.

She was still pouting and somehow rolling her eyes, though he couldn't tell which ones.

They both felt instantly refreshed.

"Alright, cling to my back. Stay under the robe," he instructed.

The spider obeyed eagerly, practically abusing the piggyback ride.

The moment Timothy stepped through the portal, his enhanced stats of 75 agility, Level 2 Dash, 100 stamina, and low fatigue kicked in.

He bolted into motion, already completing one of the daily quest's objectives in a matter of minutes.

---

Meanwhile, someone else was making her own way out of the raid site...

Helen wasn't dashing through the early morning streets like a blur, she didn't have the speed or strength for that kind of dramatic exit, even as a C-rank.

But she was fast.

Fast enough to draw glances.

Not that she cared.

Instead, she walked at her own pace, mind replaying one specific moment over and over again.

Timothy's words.

"You looked like someone who spent a long time mourning for someone."

That sentence hadn't stopped echoing in her head.

A little misinterpretation caused a lot of issues.

She'd been trying not to take it romantically, but her face kept heating up regardless.

"You looked like someone who spent a long time moaning," she muttered under her breath, accidentally misquoting him.

Her face flushed.

"Wait, did I really... moan?" she whispered, mentally reviewing the fight.

Yeah, she had, but it had been from pain, not pleasure.

Still, her imagination was already teasing her mercilessly.

"Am I a masochist now?" she groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead.

More unwanted thoughts flooded her mind, her cheeks deepening in color with every passing second.

"Oh no. Why did I even ask him that question? Ugh!" she muttered.

"Timothy, Timothy Walters, get out of my head!"

But he didn't.

The innocent image of him only got worse, no, more vivid as she walked.

By the time she reached the hotel, the sun had risen, and the 'innocent' Timothy in her head had turned... not-so-innocent.

She didn't even remember walking this far.

Her dorm was far from the cemetery dungeon, yet somehow she'd made it to the hotel quickly, too quickly.

Maybe that was a good thing.

The hotel staff recognized her and didn't make a fuss.

She wasn't the only awakened who used the place to crash after a raid.

As soon as she got into her room, Helen tossed her gear aside and collapsed into the bathtub.

She glanced at the time on the digital remote.

A few hours left before her 9 AM class.

Not much, but enough for a bath.

She'd only booked the room for a day anyway, knowing she wouldn't be back in time to extend it.

This was routine for her now, juggling two lives.

A university student by day, and a hunter by night.

She let herself soak in the warm water, occasionally rising for air, until an hour passed.

Then, with a sigh, she stood and took a proper shower.

Some might wonder why she didn't just register openly as a hunter and enjoy the benefits.

But not everyone liked awakened ones roaming around campus or society as a whole freely and unfortunately, her parents were among those people.

So she kept it a secret.

Back in her room, Helen dressed quickly.

She threw away everything hunter-related into the waste bin, no weapons to discard, at least.

She didn't use staff or gear like typical mages.

She sprayed on a bit of deodorant, then stared at her reflection.

Tomboy.

Or at least, that was the image she maintained.

She wore a light green, long-sleeved checkered shirt, unbuttoned at the top to reveal a black singlet underneath that did not do a good job hiding her curves, but who was complaining?

She paired it with dark brown, baggy trousers.

The outfit covered her thoroughly and took the edge off her otherwise commanding presence.

Outwardly, she looked like she didn't care.

That was the goal.

But just to finish the look, she brought out her school bag, grabbed her phone, and checked it.

Nothing much.

Just one notification:

Class at 9:00 AM.

Peak!!!

She reached into her bag and pulled out a few accessories, two simple brown bracelets, five elegant rings, a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a thin leg chain.

Nothing screamed engagement or commitment, just style.

She finished off her look with a pair of black sneakers.

After folding the sleeves of her shirt twice on each arm, her casual, tomboy fashion finally came together with a confident flair.

Slinging the bag over one shoulder, she glanced at the mirror.

The reflection showed a girl buried beneath layers of clothes, her figure almost entirely hidden, just the way she liked it.

A quick scan around the room confirmed she hadn't forgotten anything.

Well… except one thing.

Her summon.

The little salamander was still floating lazily in the bathtub, looking like a half-dead lizard enjoying a spa day.

With a sigh, Helen flicked her wrist and unsummoned it.

Time to switch roles.

She popped in her earbuds, put on her student's face, and headed downstairs.

After checking out at the reception, she stepped outside and called an Uber, easy enough in a metropolitan zone like this.

A car pulled up not long after.

She opened the door and slid in.

"Drop me at the back gate of RSUST," she said.

The driver gave her a quick, appreciative once-over before nodding and pulling away from the curb.

Helen leaned back in the seat and exhaled softly, watching the buildings blur past.

She was still running on empty, with no sleep and no food, but her body felt lighter than it had the night before.

C-rank hunters were simply built differently.

Their endurance, healing, and mental focus far surpassed that of regular humans.

There was a reason for the ranking system, after all.

Mundane humans couldn't survive inside a dungeon for long.

The pressure, the air, the energy, it was unbearable without enhancements.

That's why support companies and equipment manufacturers thrived; not everyone had the strength to fight, but everyone had a role.

Before the gates appeared, people worried about qualifications, resumes, and ambition.

No boss wanted to hire someone who could outshine them.

They wanted subordinates, not threats.

It was always about control.

The world had always been built around class systems, the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless.

Now it was just more obvious.

With gates and awakened beings in the mix, power had become something the government could barely regulate.

Still, they tried.

The Association existed to maintain that balance, to stop the chaos from spiraling.

But not everyone uses their power responsibly.

Some awakened turned their backs on humanity, choosing to prey on their own instead of protecting them.

These rogue elements, traitors to their kind were a national threat.

That's why the system had rules.

That's why surveillance never slept.

And mundane humans? They got the jobs the awakened couldn't take, jobs that didn't require power, just obedience. The system favored control.

Helen's thoughts wandered as the Uber veered off-course, taking suspicious turns.

Still, she didn't panic.

She didn't even blink.

When the car came to a stop, not anywhere near the university gate, she stared out the window in silence for a moment.

Then she muttered under her breath,

"They just never learn."

This wasn't the first time someone had tried to mug her, assault her, or worse, rape her.

Some had even gone as far as trying to kill her.

"I get that I'm attractive, but can't a lady catch a break?" Helen muttered in her head, exasperated.

She understood desire.

What confused her was the logic or lack thereof that led these men to act on it.

Did they really think they'd get away with it? Probably.

And she wasn't one to talk about legality, given her own gray moral compass.

If they were targeting mundane girls, she could maybe understand, power imbalance and all.

But no, these guys had bigger appetites.

They wanted the classy, dangerous ones.

Like her.

She glanced at her phone.

8:15 AM.

Not enough time to hand out punishment.

Still, she figured she had time to try something she'd always wanted.

The driver stopped the car and stepped out, signaling for her to do the same.

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