The Hunter Association building wasn't tall.
It didn't need to be.
The pressure began the moment Kalyan stepped inside.
Aura suppression fields lined the walls—subtle, invisible, but heavy. Even F-rank Hunters walked quieter here, as if instinct warned them not to provoke the place that decided who lived long enough to grow strong.
Kalyan sat in the waiting hall.
Around him were others who had awakened recently—some excited, some terrified, some already broken.
A boy stared at his trembling hands.
A woman clutched a dagger like it might disappear.
Kalyan felt nothing.
"Emotional suppression detected," the Ledger observed.
"Not a function. A consequence."
A screen flickered to life.
KALYAN I
STATUS: ACTIVE DEBTOR
RANK: F
SYSTEM ACCESS: LOCKED (LIMITED)
He frowned. Locked?
"Why is my access restricted?" he asked silently.
"Because exposure attracts predators," the Ledger replied.
"And you are not yet edible-proof."
A door opened.
"F-rank Kalyan," a clerk called.
Inside, the evaluation chamber was bare—stone floor, observation glass, and three officials seated behind a barrier.
One of them spoke.
"You'll demonstrate aura manifestation."
Kalyan raised his hand.
Nothing happened.
Murmurs rippled through the room.
"Manual output disabled," the Ledger said.
"Your power is not free-flowing. It is leased."
Kalyan lowered his hand calmly.
"I can't."
Silence.
One official sneered. "False awakening?"
Another leaned forward. "Or something worse."
A presence shifted.
Director Han stood behind the glass, unseen until now.
"Proceed," Han ordered. "Use a skill."
The Ledger pulsed.
"Warning," it said.
"Skill activation will incur cost."
Kalyan inhaled.
"I accept."
The room warped.
For half a second—only half—his body moved wrong. Faster than muscle. Cleaner than instinct.
He vanished from the center… and reappeared behind the evaluation marker.
The stone floor cracked where he had stood.
The suppression field shrieked.
[Skill: Kinetic Evasion]
[Duration: 0.4 seconds]
[Cost: Applied]
Pain followed instantly.
Kalyan collapsed to one knee.
Blood dripped from his nose.
The room exploded with noise.
"Record that!"
"That wasn't aura—what was that?"
"Impossible for F-rank!"
Han raised one hand.
Silence returned.
He stared at Kalyan—not with curiosity, but caution.
"This is why you're restricted," Han said. "You are not growing power."
He paused.
"You are borrowing it."
The Ledger spoke softly, almost approvingly.
"Correct conclusion reached."
Han continued, "From today onward, you will remain F-rank publicly."
Gasps.
"You will not advance. You will not receive promotions. You will operate under observation."
Kalyan looked up. "And if I refuse?"
Han met his gaze.
"Then you disappear like your parents."
The room went cold.
The Ledger said nothing.
That silence was deliberate.
After registration, Kalyan walked out alone.
No guild offers.
No recruiters.
No applause.
Only a bracelet on his wrist—Hunter ID: F-000317.
"You are now legally weak," the Ledger said.
"That makes you safe."
Kalyan clenched his fist.
"Safe doesn't save people."
The Ledger responded with its first truly ruthless line:
"Heroes die first."
"Debtors survive."
Far above the city, beyond the Rafts, something ancient turned its attention toward Earth.
"A system that charges interest…"
"How amusing."
And deep within the Ledger's sealed layers, a shop tab flickered for the first time.
[SYSTEM SHOP — LIMITED PREVIEW]
Prices: Unaffordable
Warning: Desire Increases Debt
Kalyan stared at the screen.
He smiled—for the first time since the Raft.
"Then I'll buy the world."