The Reclaimer Guild Headquarters looked less like an office building and more like a fortress preparing for war.
Kai stood outside the main entrance, staring up at the massive structure. It was all reinforced concrete and steel plating, with guard towers at each corner and automated turrets tracking movement along the perimeter.
The building sat in the heart of the Inner Ring, surrounded by a ten-foot wall topped with electrified wire.
This wasn't a place for bureaucrats; this was where the colony's strongest Hunters operated.
Kai walked through the security checkpoint, showing his new A-rank Resonance Card to the guards. They scanned it, checked his biometrics, and waved him through without comment.
Inside, the lobby was busy. Hunters were moving in and out, office workers were carrying tablets and papers, and large holographic screens showed live information about the monster attacks from the Wilds.
"Kai Arren?" Kai turned at the sound of the woman's voice.
She was tall and looked to be in her mid-thirties. She had sharp features and short silver hair. She wore black tactical armour with the Guild symbol on the chest: a stylised shield crossed with a sword.
But what caught Kai's attention the most was the slight glow of power around her, like heat waves rising off asphalt.
This woman was strong… really strong.
"That's me," Kai said.
"Administrator Veyra," she said, not offering a hand. "S-rank. I oversee A-rank integration and assignment. Follow me."
S-rank. Kai had only ever met one S-rank Hunter before, and that had been from a distance. They were the colony's most valuable assets, the people who could take down entire Echo nests solo.
He followed Veyra through a series of corridors, deeper into the building. The walls here were lined with photos of fallen Hunters, memorials for those who'd died in the line of duty.
There were hundreds of them.
"The Guild is different from freelance companies like Ironside," Veyra said as they walked. "We handle colony defence, major operations, and coordinated strikes on high-threat Fractures. Our contracts are dangerous, but the pay reflects that. A-ranks start at two hundred thousand Credits annually, plus hazard bonuses and benefits."
Kai nearly stumbled. "Two hundred thousand?"
"That's base salary," Veyra said without breaking stride. "Successful high-risk missions can double that. You'll also receive Inner Ring housing, full medical coverage, and access to Guild resources, including Shard augmentation facilities."
Two hundred thousand. Kai had been making thirty thousand a year with Ironside, and most of that went to rent and food.
"There's a catch, isn't there?" Kai said.
"Always." Veyra stopped in front of a reinforced door. "A-ranks are required to serve a minimum of five years. You can't freelance, can't take outside contracts, and you deploy when and where the Guild tells you to. You're an asset now, Mr. Arren. A valuable one."
She placed her palm on a scanner, and the door hissed open, revealing a massive combat arena.
The training area was shaped like a circle, about a hundred feet wide, with reinforced steel walls. On one side, there were training dummies: humanoid-shaped targets made from materials that could survive high-rank attacks from Shards.
On the other side, Kai noticed cages. Inside the cages were Echoes… real ones, low-level, but still dangerous.
"Registration requires a practical assessment," Veyra said, stepping into the arena. "Rank tells me what your Shard is capable of. This tells me what YOU are capable of."
Kai followed her in, his heart rate picking up. The black Shard pulsed in his chest, responding to the presence of the Echoes.
"We'll start simple," Veyra said as she walked up to one of the cages. Inside was an Echo that looked like a wolf, but it was all wrong; it had too many eyes, its legs bent at strange angles, and its fur kept changing colour between grey and black. "E-rank Shade Wolf. A simple threat. Go ahead and kill it."
She opened the cage.
The Shade Wolf immediately lunged forward with a snarl. It was fast, faster than any natural animal.
But Kai was faster.
Three days ago, this would have been a serious fight. E-rank versus E-rank meant careful tactics, using terrain, and conserving stamina.
But now? Now Kai was A-rank. The difference was like night and day.
The wolf's movements seemed almost sluggish to him. He could see the trajectory of its leap, the way its weight shifted, and the exact moment it would strike.
His new Shard didn't just make him stronger; it made him sharper, faster, and more aware.
Kai sidestepped the lunge with little effort. The wolf sailed past him, skidding on the arena floor. Before it could turn, Kai slammed his palm against the ground.
His earth manipulation responded instantly, stronger and more precise than it had ever been. A thick, spear-like stone shot up from the floor, exactly where it needed to be. The wolf ran straight onto it, and the spike went right through its chest.
It let out a strangled howl, thrashing once, then dissolved into ash.
The entire fight had taken maybe five seconds.
Kai stood there, staring at his hand. He hadn't even broken a sweat. The power difference between E-rank and A-rank was absurd. That wolf would have been a real challenge for his old self.
Now it was barely a warm-up.
No System notification appeared. No Balance Protocol. The black Shard in his chest remained quiet.
'It didn't activate,' Kai realized. 'Because I didn't need it. I was already stronger than the wolf.'
Veyra was watching him with an unreadable expression. "Interesting. Clean kill, efficient technique. You adapted to your new rank quickly."
"It felt... easy," Kai admitted. "Too easy."
"That's what A-rank means," Veyra walked over to the ash pile, crouching down to examine it. "You're in a different league now. E-rank threats aren't threats anymore… they're annoyances."
She looked back at him. "But your form is still sloppy. You're relying on raw power and good instincts. Against another A-rank, or a B-rank Echo, that won't be enough. And in a real fight, you won't always have stone to manipulate."
"I've only had this power for three days," Kai said.
"I know. I read your file." Veyra stood back up. "That said, you'll need to work on hand-to-hand combat."
Kai nodded, knowing that she was right. He'd won through sheer stat advantage, not skill.
"You'll be assigned to Squad Talon," Veyra said, standing. "They're a B-rank team, veterans with five years of experience. They specialise in high-risk salvage and Echo elimination in C and B-rank zones."
"Wait, B-rank team? I'm A-rank."
"You're A-rank in potential," Veyra corrected. "Not skill. You need training, real combat experience. Squad Talon will provide that." She turned toward the exit. "They're in the briefing room. Follow me."
As they left the arena, Kai noticed something. The lights in the corridor flickered as he passed. Not dramatically, just a brief dimming.
Veyra didn't seem to notice, but Kai's chest tightened.
Not again.
—
The briefing room was on the third floor; it was a simple space with a large table, holographic displays, and walls covered in mission data.
Four people were already there.
"Squad Talon," Veyra announced. "This is Kai Arren, your new A-rank assignment."
The squad turned to look at him.
The first was a lady in her late twenties. She had blonde hair in a braid and scars running down the left side of her face. She gave Kai a slight nod. "Sera. B-rank, close combat specialist."
Next was a massive man, easily six-five, built like a tank. He had dark skin, a shaved head, and arms covered in tactical gear. "Brick. B-rank. I hit things hard."
The third was younger, maybe early twenties, with messy brown hair and nervous energy. He gave Kai a quick wave. "Jace. B-rank support. I do barriers and shields."
And then there was the leader.
He was leaning against the table, arms crossed, watching Kai with cold, calculating eyes. Mid-thirties, lean and muscular, with short black hair and a scar across his throat. His Resonance Card was clipped to his chest: B-rank, but the way he carried himself suggested he was close to breaking into A.
"Drake," he said flatly. "Squad leader."
Veyra gestured to Kai. "Kai will be joining your next mission. C-rank salvage operation in the Eastern Wilds."
Drake's expression didn't change. "Another rookie A-rank who got lucky with a good Shard."
The room went silent.
Kai felt his jaw tighten. "Excuse me?"
"I've seen it before," Drake said, pushing off the table. "Someone pulls a high-rank Shard from a Fracture, gets bumped to A-rank overnight, and thinks they're invincible. Then they get into a real fight and freeze up. Get themselves killed. Or worse, get their squad killed."
"I survived a B-rank Phantom Lord," Kai said evenly. "Solo."
"With a Shard that did the work for you," Drake shot back. "Power isn't the same as skill, rookie. And until I see you prove otherwise, you're a liability."
Sera stepped forward. "Drake, ease up. He just got here."
"I'm not easing up," Drake said with his eyes still on Kai. "We've lost people because of inexperienced A-ranks who thought their rank meant something. I'm not losing anyone else."
Kai met his gaze, refusing to back down. "I'm not here to prove anything to you. I'm here to do my job."
"Then do it," Drake said. "And stay out of my way."
Veyra cleared her throat. "Drake. He's assigned to your squad. Deal with it."
Drake's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "Fine. Briefing in ten minutes. Rookie, sit down and try not to break anything."
He walked out of the room without another word.
Brick let out a low whistle. "Well, that went great."
Sera sighed. "Don't take it personally. Drake's lost a lot of people. He's just... protective."
"Protective," Jace muttered. "That's one word for it."
Kai sat down at the table, trying to ignore the tension in his chest. This was going to be harder than he thought.
Behind him, the lights in the briefing room flickered once, then went dark for half a second before returning.
"Power grid's acting up again," Brick said, frowning. "That's the third time this week."
Kai said nothing.
He didn't look at the lights; he didn't acknowledge the faint red text appearing at the edge of his vision:
[WARNING: Environmental energy drain detected in proximity to user.]
[Recommend limiting Skill activation in populated areas.]
Kai closed his eyes.
This was fine. Everything was fine.
He just had to survive his first mission without his squad figuring out that his power was slowly draining the world around him.
Easy.