Return Of The SSS-Class Hunter

"Who is it?" Yami asked sharply.

"I don't know his name," Peter replied weakly, "but I know he's from the royal family. I've seen him join Master's summoning sessions… he always wore a robe that only royalty can wear."

"I see." Yami fell into deep thought. Even though he had finally confirmed that someone from the royal family was involved, it didn't make things any easier. 'I can't just march into the royal palace and demand a search. The king would take that as an insult… maybe even a declaration of distrust.'

For the next half hour, Derek continued questioning Peter, extracting every name, every affiliation, every hidden connection tied to the demons.

Only once he had confirmed everything did Derek finally release all the pressure points in Peter's body, freeing him fully from the torment.

"Thanks for your cooperation," Derek said calmly. "But your fate will be decided by the higher authorities. And considering the magnitude of your crimes… I doubt anything pleasant awaits you. You shouldn't have sided with demons."

He stood up.

"Master, we can leave now."

Yami didn't reply. He simply looked at Derek — and that look alone was enough to tell Derek he had a mountain of questions waiting to erupt.

The two of them stepped out of the cell, and Yami closed the heavy door behind them.

Then they climbed the same spiral staircase, emerging from the underground prison and finally exiting the building.

While walking toward the house, Yami suddenly asked, "It seems you don't just know about demons… you're actually very well informed. Care to explain how you acquired such knowledge? And don't give me that shit that it was demon who told you all of this. Or is this something difficult to disclose right now?"

"It's better if I don't have to say it yet," Derek said quietly. "No matter what I tell you, it'll sound… disturbing. And honestly, I don't think I'm ready to talk about it right now."

"I see. But tell me — how can I be sure you're not a threat? Someone as young as you shouldn't have access to such detailed, crucial information. Even the 'White Fox Clan' doesn't know as much."

The White Fox Clan was famed for being the greatest information brokers in the kingdom, masters at obtaining secrets no one else could. Their services cost a fortune, and even then, some information was unobtainable without the right qualifications.

"Other than revealing how I learned it, I'll do anything to prove I'm not on the wrong side," Derek said firmly.

Yami went silent after that, his thoughts unreadable.

When they reached the entrance gate of the Raging Bulls, Yami suddenly stopped and turned toward Derek. "By the way… why don't you check your cultivation realm? After being fed that crimson core, I'm curious to see where you stand now."

"Sure." Derek nodded without hesitation. He was curious too.

'What realm am I at? Maybe D-class already? Or if I'm lucky… maybe even C-class?'

Thinking that, he followed Yami toward his chamber.

Soon they reached the House Master's chamber. Before they could enter, they found Meridith waiting at the door.

The moment she saw Derek, her expression brightened. She gave Yami a respectful bow, then immediately turned back to Derek.

"Derek, it's such a relief to see you're alright," she said. Henry had informed her that Derek had regained consciousness — and that he had come to meet the House Master. So she had rushed over as soon as she could.

"Thank you, ma'am." Derek replied with a polite smile.

"Master, where did the two of you go?" Meridith asked. She had been waiting outside for quite some time.

"Nothing. Just some routine matters," Yami said casually. He didn't elaborate — not until he understood the full weight of what they had uncovered.

"I see… So, what now? I wanted to speak with Derek about something."

"You can take him after I check his cultivation realm," Yami said.

"He… his cultivation realm is being checked? He had a breakthrough? But he's already an E-class cultivator!" Meridith's eyes widened. She had heard about Derek's internal energy skyrocketing, but she didn't expect an actual realm breakthrough. Derek was already an E-class fighter at such a young age — something almost unheard of. Even the brightest academy graduates rarely reached E-class before finishing their studies. Another breakthrough on top of that would be ridiculous.

"We're not sure," Yami answered. "That's exactly why we're checking."

"Can I come too?" Meridith asked enthusiastically.

"Of course," Yami said. Meridith was one of his most trusted instructors in the Raging Bulls.

The three of them entered the room.

Yami gestured for them to sit in the chairs in front of his desk, then walked to a cupboard and retrieved a translucent orb.

He placed it on the desk, sat opposite them, and nodded at Derek.

"Go ahead," Yami said. "Place your palm on the orb. Let's see what realm you're at now."

Derek stared at the orb for a moment before slowly raising his hand and gently resting his palm on its cool surface.

The air inside the orb stirred, faint wisps swirling. The color gradually shifted… soon turning a deep orange.

All three waited for it to lighten further — at least to the medium-orange hue that represented E-class. But even after several minutes, the color didn't budge.

'What the hell? Why isn't it changing?' Derek's brows furrowed. 'Don't tell me my cultivation realm actually decreased instead of increasing…' He panicked inwardly.

Yami and Meridith exchanged confused looks as well.

"That's strange," Yami muttered. "You were already an E-class cultivator. So why isn't the colour changing into medium orange already?"

"Is the orb broken? Or maybe it's malfunctioning?" Meridith said. "No one's realm ever decreases…"

"Hmmm." Yami nodded. "That's possible. Let's go to the training chamber. There's another high-grade orb there, and it was brought in recently."

"Alright," Meridith agreed.

The three of them headed toward the instructors' training chambers.

'I really hope the orb was malfunctioning…' Derek thought anxiously.