Chapter—The Task That Should Never Exist.
Kaizen's office was silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence—but the heavy kind, the one that pressed down on the chest and made breathing feel deliberate. Sunlight streamed in through the tall glass windows, reflecting off polished floors, yet none of the members of Aurafiest felt warmth.
They stood in a straight line.
Marin at the front.
Uno with his arms loosely crossed.
Chika fidgeting slightly.
Liod standing firm.
Luke… perfectly calm on the outside.
Kaizen rested both hands on his desk, his sharp eyes scanning every face.
"Aurafiest," he said slowly, deliberately, "you are officially entrusted with a classified mission."
Everyone straightened.
Kaizen continued, "This mission must not be disclosed to anyone outside this room."
The air thickened.
Then he spoke the words.
"Your task is to find, trace, and identify the Unique Auramaster."
For a full second—nothing happened.
Then Marin blinked. "…Identify?"
Uno's eyebrows shot up. "Wait—identify as in figure out who he is?"
Chika whispered, "That's… impossible."
Liod frowned deeply. "Sir… are you serious?"
Kaizen nodded once. "Completely."
The reaction came all at once.
Uno let out a low whistle. "That guy fought devils solo and disappeared without leaving traces. And you want us to find him?"
Marin turned serious. "With respect, this is harder than any dungeon you could assign."
Kaizen did not deny it.
"That is precisely why this task exists."
Luke felt his heartbeat slow unnaturally.
So it begins.
My own guild… hunting me.
His fingers curled slightly, hidden behind his back.
Kaizen walked from behind the desk and stopped in front of them. "Understand this clearly. You are not ordered to confront him. You are not ordered to capture him."
He looked directly at Luke—but moved on before Luke could react.
"You are ordered to observe. Gather information. Patterns. Locations. Triggers. Anything."
Uno raised a hand. "Then why not just… invite him?"
Kaizen's expression hardened.
"If he wanted to meet us," he replied, "he would have done so already."
Silence fell again.
Kaizen continued, "Auramaster, actively avoids authority. That alone makes him unpredictable."
Liod spoke carefully. "But he hasn't spotted much and we do not know anything of his identity."
"Not yet," Kaizen replied.
Luke felt a faint sting at those words—but he stayed quiet.
Marin asked, "Do you believe we can actually succeed?"
Kaizen met his gaze. "I believe Aurafiest has the potential."
Luke's thoughts raced.
If they start tracking appearances…
I'll have to control every move.
Kaizen replied "Dont worry,youbeill work as you do normal but your one of task is to trace auramaster."
Kaizen added"Also I will help Your guilde."
Kaizen straightened. "Now. Let us discuss the Illusioner."
Everyone shifted their attention.
"This artifact is unique," Kaizen said. "It cannot be sold, stored, or left unused. It must have a registered wielder."
Marin nodded. "We haven't decided yet."
Luke thought for a while.
He thought that this illusioner can make him a cover when he became auramaster.But main question was how he can ask for illusioner.
He decided to ask all directly.
That was Luke's opening.
He stepped forward.
"If I may," Luke said calmly.
Everyone turned to him.
"I think… I should wield it."
Uno blinked. "You,Luke?"
Luke nodded. "My role in combat is support and control. Illusions would amplify that. We could mislead enemies, protect wounded allies, or retreat safely."
He paused, then added carefully, "It would strengthen the guild overall,As I am the weakess in guilde."
Marin considered it seriously. "You are not weak Luke but you are not totaly wrong."
She added."I think really giving illusioner to you can make our guilde balance and stronger."
Chika nodded. "Luke's fighting style fits illusions."
Liod added, "And he's level-headed. He won't misuse it."
Kaizen watched Luke closely—longer than before.
Finally, Kaizen reached for the Illusioner and placed it on the desk.
"Very well."
He slid it toward Luke. "Touch the mark."
Luke placed his hand on the device.
A sharp pulse of light filled the room.
Artifact Synchronization Complete
Wielder Registered: Luke
Luke felt it immediately.
The Illusioner responded to him—like an extension of his aura.
Kaizen spoke firmly. "Based on your current aura capacity, you can create three illusions simultaneously for approximately fifteen minutes."
Luke nodded silently.
"As your aura grows stronger,illusioner power grow stronger." Kaizen continued, "the number and duration will increase more stronger aura is. For reference, someone at my level could maintain illusions for thirty minutes."
Luke memorized every word.
"One more thing," Kaizen added. "Within a 100-meter radius, aura consumption remains low. Beyond that, it increases rapidly. Excessive distance may destabilize the illusion."
Luke understood immediately.
So distance is the real enemy.
Kaizen stepped back. "That concludes today's session.I hope for your great journey of guilde and your guilde gather information about auramaster."
All greet Kaizen and leaves the room.
---
Later That Night – Luke's Room
The room was dark.
Luke sat on the edge of his bed, the Illusioner resting in his palm. The faint glow reflected in his eyes.
A soft presence appeared beside him.
Auru.
"So," she said gently, "your guild is hunting you."
Luke gave a small, humorless smile. "Yeah."
Auru crossed her arms. "And you accepted the task."
"I had no choice."
He looked at the Illusioner. "But now I have a solution."
Luke pressed the activation button.
Light shimmered.
Another Luke appeared—identical in every detail. Breathing. Presence. Aura signature.
Auru's expression sharpened. "Perfect replication…"
Luke nodded. "If they try to trace the Auramaster… I'll meet them."
He clenched his fist. "I'll control the information they get."
Auru hesitated. "But the limitations?"
Luke exhaled. "That's the risk. I'll have to be precise. Calculated."
Auru studied him. "You're walking a thin line."
Luke looked at the illusion standing silently before him.
"I know.But this is the challenge for me."
The illusion faded.
Luke leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
"And I accepted it"Closing his eyes.
From now on…
Aurafiest will chase the Auramaster.
And I'll make sure they never realize—
"…he's already standing beside them."
---
End of Chapter.