Theo looked at the swirling black mass around him, his face contorting into a frown as he felt his body being lifted off the ground.
This was his first time entering a portal that would lead to a Floating Island, and he couldn't help but feel nervous.
Only a few seconds passed, but it felt like minutes.
Then the black mass dissolved.
The ground returned beneath him. As his senses came back, Theo immediately swept his eyes across his surroundings.
This was an Island. And although he had miraculously obtained a System and skills that defied rank entirely, he still needed to be careful. His body was still, by every physical measure, that of an ordinary human.
One slash from a goblin and he was dead.
He was nothing like other Hunters.
"I'm not even sure if I qualify as a Hunter," he muttered. "The System's Official Officer, perhaps?"
He shook his head.
He had questions. Plenty of them. But as a detective, he had long since learned that questions without immediate answers were better shelved than dwelled upon. They would surface on their own when the time was right. Chasing them now would only slow him down.
Theo took in his surroundings properly.
He was in a forest. Tall trees, dense undergrowth, patches of light breaking through the canopy above. The kind of place that would have felt peaceful under different circumstances.
It didn't stay peaceful for long.
A high-pitched shriek tore through the woods.
Theo's expression hardened immediately.
Goblin.
He had come here to deliver judgment. And though his body had no Hunter's strength behind it, he had still chosen to enter a D-Rank Floating Island. He could have waited. He knew where Enzo lived. He could have gone there instead, somewhere far less dangerous, somewhere that wouldn't risk his life before he even found his target.
But his heart hadn't allowed it.
He wanted to bring peace to Lara as soon as possible.
He wanted it settled.
As the distant shrieks grew clearer, however, a thought surfaced in the back of his mind and made his eye twitch.
Was I too hasty?
Theo shook his head.
I have the System. The Absolute Skills. Whatever the cost, I can use them.
The catch could wait.
He started walking toward the sound.
I wonder if my skills work on monsters.
He found a large clearing not long after.
A group of Hunters was there, engaged with a cluster of goblins. Theo scanned the scene quickly. The Hunters weren't struggling. If anything, they looked composed, coordinated. The newer-looking ones were being guided through the fight. Training, most likely. A group that knew each other.
Enzo wasn't among them.
Theo moved to circle around the group.
He was almost past them when one of the goblins broke through.
"Damn! One slipped through!" A Hunter broke off to chase it, but the monster was faster.
Shrieeek!
Theo's eyes widened.
The goblin was already airborne, a cracked sword raised above its head, hurtling straight toward him.
Oh.
I'm dead.
One strike. That was all it would take. His heart lurched into a sprint.
Then the goblin hesitated.
Mid-leap, something changed in it. The sword slipped from its grip and clattered to the ground. The goblin twisted its body desperately, trying to redirect itself, and crashed into the dirt beside Theo in a small cloud of dust.
Theo stared down at it.
The goblin looked back up at him.
Its face had gone pale beneath its grey-green skin. Its fierce, hotheaded expression had collapsed into something that looked, unmistakably, like terror. Beads of sweat had formed across its brow. Its wide eyes were locked on Theo and wouldn't move.
Then it screamed.
And ran.
It didn't attack. It didn't regroup. It sprinted into the trees and disappeared.
"...What the hell," Theo muttered.
He stood there for a moment, genuinely confused.
Goblins don't retreat. They don't feel fear. Especially not E-Rank ones. They're hotheaded even by monster standards.
Did I... scare it off?
"Oh my god." The Hunter who had been chasing the goblin skidded to a stop in front of him, slightly out of breath. "Are you alright, Mister?"
Theo looked at her. Short hair, blue eyes, a silver battle suit fitted close to her frame. She barely reached his chest and had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.
He's handsome, the woman thought, her face going slightly red. A black coat over a dark suit, a deerstalker hat, and eyes that felt like they were reading something just beneath the surface of everything they touched.
"I'm fine," Theo said, and offered a small smile. "I think you scared it off. You must be strong."
"M-me? Strong?" Her face turned a shade redder. "I'm a newbie... but thank you, Mister!"
"Mia."
The voice was calm but carried weight.
One of the other Hunters stepped forward, placing himself between Theo and the woman without hesitation.
The atmosphere shifted.
Why is he looking at me like that?
Theo studied the man in front of him. Built evenly, not oversized, not lean, the kind of frame that suggested real combat experience rather than raw bulk. A broadsword hung across his back. The other Hunters had gone quiet the moment he moved. No one had needed to be told what that meant.
"Leader Lou, why?" Mia looked between them in confusion. "He doesn't seem like a bad person."
"You shouldn't trust people so easily, Mia." Lou ran a hand through his hair and glanced back at her briefly. "You're still too naive. Maybe we need to extend your training another week."
"Eh? I thought this was my last week. You said that last time too."
"Because you needed more training." He almost smiled, then didn't. His eyes returned to Theo and settled there, flat and careful. "This one is suspicious."
"Lou Wong," the man said. "C-Rank Hunter, River Cross Guild. Whatever business you have here, keep it away from my members."
The Hunters behind him exchanged quiet glances.
Theo wasn't surprised by the hostility. He had already pieced it together.
The goblin had fled at the sight of him. Lou had seen that. And to a C-Rank Hunter, a man who carried no mana signature, no rank, no readable presence, and yet made a goblin turn and run... that was not a reassuring sight.
He could kill me with one punch, Theo thought. He knows that. His senses are sharp enough to confirm it. And yet he's still guarded. Which means he's sensing something else. Something the System is putting out. An aura, maybe. Something only C-Rank and above can detect.
He filed the thought away.
"I'm not here for your group," Theo said. "I'm looking for Enzo Vhal. Do you know where he is?"
Lou's expression shifted slightly. Behind him, Mia's face went pale.
"Enzo Vhal." Lou repeated the name slowly. "What's your business with him?"
"Personal."
Lou studied him for a moment.
Personal. Of course. He had his own conclusions about the kind of people who came looking for Enzo Vhal by name, alone, inside a Floating Island. None of those conclusions were good. But the faster this black-coated man moved away from Mia, the better.
"He's somewhere near the center of the Island. That's all I know."
"Thank you," Theo said simply, and turned to leave.
As the trees closed around him again, a thought surfaced and pulled one corner of his mouth upward slightly.
Should I find a monster and test the theory properly?
The memory of the goblin's face, that wide-eyed, sweat-soaked terror, flickered through his mind.
He was nervous.
But he was also, quietly, a little curious.