Master Tang started brushing his long beard. I realized that whenever he did this, it meant he was thinking hard. The man could probably outthink most people before his fingers even reached his chin.

"You see..." he trailed off, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "that depends on your performance."

"What is this, an interview?" I muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"You can think of it that way. And you should be happy — not everyone gets to join our little secret group."

"A secret circle, huh?" I said, smirking. "Pretty sure Mr. Sakamoto had the memo already."

"You're right. He knows I oppose them… but he can't do a thing to me. Do you know why?"

"Because… you're rich and powerful?"

He shook his head. " It's much deeper than that. I have connections, allies I can trust. If he ever made a move against me… nothing would stop them from responding in kind."

Wise words. He was talking about deterrence — like in my old world, where superpowered countries could launch nuclear missiles if they wanted, but no one ever did, because everyone knew it would be self-destructive.

This was also what I lacked — which was why Sakamoto could bully me so easily. All I had was money, but no real connections. No allies who would step up and fight on my behalf.

"I get your point, but… what exactly is your group? Alexa gave me some files, and, well… there's a lot of shady stuff in there. So, are you the good guys, opposing Darkness?"

There was a moment of silence as he picked up his cup again and took a slow sip of tea.

"I'm many things, kid, but good isn't one of them." He took another sip of tea.

"However, the Darkness you mentioned… that is beyond evil. If no one stood against them, they would bring this world to ruin."

Ah, great, more lore. Honestly, I'm into this kind of stuff. Feels like I'm watching one of those anime with epic backstories.

Noticing my interest, he cleared his throat, as if preparing for a long explanation. But instead of speaking, he asked a question.

"Don't you find it… strange, how things operate?"

I frowned. "Strange? How?"

"Think about it. Towers and monsters exist, yet somehow, the people with the real power are still the elites. Most of them don't even have abilities. Logically, the superhumans should be running the world… shouldn't they?"

I nodded. I been wondering the same thing. Even S-Ranks were being used as glorified bodyguards these days — if that didn't scream something's off, I didn't know what did.

"Are you saying Darkness is the one pulling the strings behind all this?" I asked, trying to read his expression.

He brushed his beard, a laugh escaping him. "You're a quick thinker."

"And you're not wrong. The current status quo isn't natural — it's engineered to protect the powerful. But Darkness? They're just using it to appease the greedy oligarchs . Their true goal… is far more horrendous than merely monopolizing wealth or controlling society."

I started tapping the floor, the sound filling the short silence between us.

"So you're saying the oligarchs just… support this? They don't even realize what's really going on? I find that hard to believe."

"Kid, greed has no limits. Even if they knew they were drinking poison, they'd still do it — anything to satisfy their short-term desires."

"I'm still lost," I muttered, crossing my arms "How does this connect to the Seekers? I mean, come on — even if someone's rich, an S-Rank could crush a building. Why would they just sit back and watch?"

Master Tang ran his fingers through his cup.

"I intended to save this for last, but since you seem eager, I'll tell you now. It's difficult to understand without prior information, so let's return… to a time long before the towers, when humans didn't even suspect monsters existed."

"Go ahead. It's not like I've got plans. And hey—if it's a good story, that's basically my hobby anyway."

His lips curled up before narrating everything.

To my surprise, the world he described wasn't some distant fantasy. It was very similar to my old one.

If it weren't for the names of the countries being different, I would assume that I reincarnated into the distant future.

"Then…" he paused, letting the words sink first. "The towers appeared. Endless streams of monsters poured forth, threatening to annihilate humanity. And only those with supernatural abilities… only they could stand against them."

'Predictable.' I mused.

Let me guess—he's about to say the Seekers fought the monsters, kept humanity safe, and kept the world in balance by endlessly raiding towers.

I wasn't wrong for the most part, but his next words made me sit up straighter.

"At first, they took advantage of the chaos for profit. But when peace returned, they came to despise the Seekers. The people hailed them as heroes, admired them… and the oligarchs could not stand being overshadowed."

"Isn't that just how things go? Towers showed up, the world shifted… of course individuals with super power would rise."

He nodded in agreement.

"Then why do you think most S-Ranks work as bodyguards instead of climbing the towers?"

That was the million-dollar question. I had assumed S-Ranks were so rare that you could count them on two hands per state. But seeing Sakamoto's and Master Tang's bodyguards shattered that notion.

None of them appeared on any official list.

"Please, enlighten me. I'm all ears."

He pushed a small cup toward me. "Before we go there, how about some tea?"

This time, I let him pour from the kettle. I took a sip and was surprised by how much energy it contain — it revitalized me almost instantly.

And it wasn't just the energy. My meridians… they were reacting. Ten more cups of this, and I might really push through to the next level.

"How much are these tea leaves?" I asked, wanting to buy more.

"Kid, don't treat this like some ordinary drink" he let out a casual laugh "A single gram of it costs ten million."

"That expensive?" My eyes widened from shock.

"These are rare, and not easy to come by," he explained.

I drank the whole cup and requested for more, only to be stopped.

"Why are you being so cheap with me?" I asked, surprised . "the teapot still looked full."

"I'm not," he shook his head "This pot has a double container. It's actually designed for poisoning. Don't worry — I just use it now to separate the expensive tea from the normal stuff."

Fuck… I can't believe I just drank that. Note to self: never drink anything from a stranger.

"So… you gave me an expensive tea? Is this bribery? Because one cup isn't exactly enough to buy my loyalty."

"No, that is not the reason." He leaned back, studying me intently. "I merely wanted to test your body, and I was correct. You have a very unique physique."

"That tea would normally make a person sick, as the body cannot absorb it properly without preparation. Even my S-Rank bodyguard would show discomfort… but you drank it casually."

I'd been tricked again. This old man was as cunning as a fox.

"How did you attain such a body? Did it come with your awakening?" His eyes squinted, scanning me like a puzzle he was eager to solve.

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