Chapter 25: First Day as a Mediator

Chapter 25: First Day as a Mediator Agatha was furious at the hunters responsible for the school’s protection. Somehow, they had let this happen. An attack in a school hadn’t occurred in a long time. Hunters were always stationed to safeguard such places—but this time, they failed. She summoned all sixteen hunters assigned to the school. Agatha was convinced that one of them had messed up. That was the only explanation. They had full control over the school’s perimeter. Any demon approaching should have been spotted immediately. Through shifts, they maintained protection all day long. So, an attack like this should’ve been impossible. Agatha called them all together, then requested a private meeting. "I’ll find the one who messed up," she said coldly, "and that person will pay for the mistake." While she handled that, Damian focused on the crime scene. He had to collect the body of the young student. It wasn’t an easy task, not even for him. Luckily—or unluckily—he’d seen enough corpses by now to have the willpower to get through it. The other hunters were also working to locate the demon responsible for the killing. "Did you find anything yet?" Damian asked one of them. The hunter frowned at him. "Why are you asking? Aren’t you just a cleaner?" That hunter wasn’t entirely wrong. Damian was just a cleaner—but he still worked for a hunter company, and that came with certain expectations. He deserved at least a minimal level of respect. "Yes, I am," Damian replied. "I just want to know if things are looking better, you know? Sleep easier at night knowing you guys have something to go on." The hunter’s expression softened. "We found some traces, yes. A few hunters are already on the trail, chasing the demon as we speak." "That’s good to hear..." After collecting the body, Damian heard a commotion outside. A woman ran into the locker room, sobbing uncontrollably. "My son, my son! Where is my son?" she cried, tears streaming down her face. Damian approached her gently. "I’m so sorry for your loss," he said quietly. "Where is he?" She demanded to see her son’s body. But Damian couldn’t allow it—not yet. The demon attack had left the boy’s body in a horrible state. It wasn’t something a mother should see. He urged her to wait until they had cleaned and prepared her son for the funeral. Though she clearly wanted to see him, she followed his advice. Devastated, the woman collapsed in a corner, weeping and trembling without pause. Her world had shattered, and the grief spilled out in waves. Damian felt the weight of her pain. He knew that even if they found the demon responsible, it wouldn’t undo what had happened. Her son was gone. There was no bringing him back. So he clung to the only thing that made sense: at least they’d take down one more demon. One less monster in the world. That thought, grim and steady, kept him moving forward. Damian met with Agatha after she had finished interviewing all the hunters and reviewing the camera footage. "So, did you find the hunter who messed up?" he asked. "That’s the problem," Agatha replied, frustration thick in her voice. "No one messed up. I saw the footage—every single hunter stayed in position. No one left their post, no one slept, no one slacked off. So how did the demon get into the school without being seen?" She looked completely baffled. The hunters guarding the school weren’t weak. All of them were rank B at minimum, and one was even a rank A—stronger than Agatha herself. And still, not one of them spotted the demon who killed that boy. The only explanation was chilling: this demon was highly ranked. Maybe even something worse. "What the hell is going on?" Agatha snapped. "Why are these damn high-ranking demons showing their faces now? They used to stay in the shadows. Now, it’s like there’s one attacking someone every damn day!" Damian had been thinking the same thing. For some reason, high-ranking demons were becoming more active. Was it because of him—or something else? There was no denying things had begun to spiral ever since he got his system and stepped into a world he didn’t truly belong in. It could all be coincidence. But Damian couldn’t be sure of anything just yet. "So... what do we do now?" he asked Agatha. "I think we might have to ask for help..." He didn’t fully grasp what she meant—until they returned to the hunter company. Agatha met with Nataly, along with other high-ranking hunters. It wasn’t just a meeting. It was a council. And their conclusion was clear: call an S-rank hunter. Damian wasn’t naïve. He knew how rare S-rank hunters were. Only a handful existed across the globe—people who had clawed their way to the very peak of power. He couldn’t believe they were actually summoning one. "Do we even have the authority to bring someone like that here?" he asked Agatha. She answered with pride. "Of course we can. It’ll cost us, yeah—but we can. It’s the only way to figure out what the hell is happening." "Do we know who it’ll be?" Damian asked. The idea of an S-rank hunter coming was both reassuring and terrifying. Such a figure could solve problems no one else could—but for Damian, it posed a different threat. If there was anyone who could see through him, it was an S-rank. And if that happened... well, it wouldn’t end well. Agatha shook her head. "No idea. They always assign someone randomly. The S-rank will arrive tomorrow." Damian buried his worry in front of Agatha. He had another problem waiting for him later that day. "One thing at a time," he told himself. By evening, he arrived at the address Leo had sent him—the café where his new role as a mediator was supposed to begin. He expected to sign a few papers, get a briefing, and ease into the job. Instead, surprise hit like a punch. The first high-ranking demon meeting was scheduled for the exact same day as the café’s opening. No warm-up. No ceremony. Just trial by fire. Damian had thought he’d have time to prepare—to get used to the new role. But clearly, the world had other plans. He wasn’t just starting a job. He was stepping into a war.