OP Absorption
Chapter 87: Threat Level

Chapter 87: Threat Level

Rowena stood rigidly before the imposing desk, the vast window showing Valerius spread out like a circuit board behind Gabriel. She kept her eyes fixed on a point somewhere near his left shoulder, unable to meet those unnervingly calm, pale blue eyes directly.

"Report," he prompted, his voice soft, yet it made the air vibrate.

"Sir," she began, her voice carefully modulated, betraying none of the tremor she felt deep inside.

"Contact was lost with the primary retrieval team shortly after they confirmed interception of the target auxiliary." Target auxiliary. That felt like such a sterile term for the terrified girl, Meg.

"Secondary backup team dispatched... also failed to report in." Failed to report in. A euphemism for ’likely dead or worse’.

Gabriel stopped typing, the soft clicking sounds vanishing into the heavy silence. He turned his head slowly, those pale eyes landing on her. Not angry. Not surprised. Just... watching. Calculating. It was far more terrifying than any outburst would have been.

Did he already know? How could he not know?

"Hunter Carver?" he asked, his tone unchanged.

"Presumed responsible, sir," she confirmed, forcing the words out. "The energy signature spike detected near the target’s last known location... it matched his profile. Significantly amplified."

Significantly amplified. Another understatement. The readings had been off the charts, chaotic, laced with something dark and utterly furious.

He nodded slowly, as if confirming something he’d already deduced. He looked back towards the panoramic window, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. Rowena held her breath, bracing for... she didn’t know what. Dissection? Reassignment to latrine duty on some frozen moon? His displeasure was a quiet, soul-crushing thing.

"I see," he murmured finally, turning back to face her fully. His faint, almost imperceptible smile returned, sending a fresh wave of ice through Rowena’s veins. "Troublesome. Move on to Contingency Sigma."

Contingency Sigma? Rowena’s blood ran cold. She hadn’t thought... surely not yet? Sigma meant full public disclosure. Burning Carver’s identity, painting him as a rogue element, a murderer, a thief. Unleashing the entire Hunter network against him.

It was scorched earth. It was messy. It risked exposing Association methods better left in the shadows.

"Sir?" she questioned faintly, unable to hide the tremor this time. "Are you certain? The potential blowback—"

"Sigma," he repeated, the word carrying absolute finality. The smile remained, but his eyes were chips of arctic ice. "Brand him. Alert all affiliated Guilds. Maximum priority retrieval, dead or alive. Emphasize the threat posed by the stolen artifact. Frame him for the loss of Hunter Hana’s team. Ensure Guildmaster Jolly understands the gravity of harboring such a dangerous fugitive." He paused. "Let the hounds run."

Rowena swallowed hard, the metallic taste of fear coating her tongue. This wasn’t just about retrieving the Mana Cell anymore. This felt... personal. Punitive. He wasn’t just trying to capture Fin; he was setting the world against him.

"Yes, sir," she managed, bowing deeply, desperate to escape the oppressive weight of his presence. She turned and practically fled the office, her expensive heels clicking rapidly on the polished floor, the order echoing in her mind. Contingency Sigma. Things were about to get very, very ugly. And Fin Carver... gods help him, because the entire Hunter world was about to descend.

---

Back in Arclight, the news hit the Guild Hall like a physical blow. It didn’t come through hushed whispers this time, but via an official, Guild-wide emergency broadcast flashed across every terminal, every Hunter’s comm unit.

ASSOCIATION ALERT – PRIORITY OMEGA

SUBJECT: Hunter Fin Carver (ID: AC-77492)

STATUS: Rogue – Extreme Threat

DIRECTIVE: Apprehend on Sight – Lethal Force Authorized

DETAILS: Subject confirmed responsible for the deaths of Hunter Hana and team during authorized artifact retrieval (Ref: Dungeon Collapse Incident #482). Subject currently in possession of stolen Association Grade-SSS Artifact. Poses catastrophic risk. All Guilds mandated to cooperate. Harboring subject constitutes treason.

Jolly stared at the message blazing on her office terminal, her face pale, her hands gripping the edge of her desk so tightly her knuckles were white. No. Absolutely not. Fin? A murderer? A thief? It was ludicrous! He was a quiet kid, maybe a bit strange, definitely powerful now, but not... this.

This felt wrong. Fabricated.

"They wouldn’t," she whispered, shaking her head, denial warring with the cold, official text. "They wouldn’t just... lie like this?" But she knew the Association. Knew their ruthlessness, their penchant for controlling narratives. They wanted the Mana Cell. They wanted Fin. And they’d burn the world down to get him.

Mara burst into the office without knocking, her face flushed, eyes wide with disbelief and anger. "Did you see this?" she demanded, waving her own comm unit displaying the same alert. "This is bullshit, guildmaster! Complete bullshit! Fin wouldn’t kill Hana! Not like that!" She remembered his quiet determination, the subtle strength he’d shown even before the dungeon. This accusation felt fundamentally wrong.

"I know," Jolly said, her voice tight. "But the Association just painted a massive target on his back. Every Hunter in every city..." She slumped back in her chair, the weight of the situation crushing her. "What have they done?"

The door opened again, more calmly this time. Juna leaned against the frame, perfectly styled even in her combat gear, an unreadable expression on her face as she looked at the alert still displayed on Jolly’s screen.

"Well, well," she murmured, tapping a thoughtful finger against her chin. "Our little D-rank certainly knows how to make waves, doesn’t he?" There was no shock in her voice, just a calculating curiosity. "Murder? Artifact theft? Going toe-to-toe with the Association?" A slow, dangerous smile spread across her lips. "Suddenly, he’s a lot more interesting."

Mara glared at her. "Interesting? Juna, they’re going to kill him! Every bounty hunter, every glory seeker, every Guild enforcer from here to Velerius is going to be after his head!"

"Probably," she conceded easily, pushing off the doorframe and strolling further into the office. She perched elegantly on the corner of Jolly’s desk. "But maybe," she added, her eyes glittering with amusement and something else... speculation? "Maybe he can handle it." She remembered the power she’d sensed, the way he carried himself after the incident. He wasn’t just some lucky rookie.

Jolly looked between Mara’s furious worry and Juna’s unsettling amusement. Her own heart felt torn. Protect Fin? How? Defy the Association directly? That was suicide for the entire guild. But stand by and let them hunt him down based on lies? Unthinkable.

"He just made enemies he can’t possibly handle," Mara insisted, running a stressed hand through her hair. "The Association doesn’t lose."

"Maybe," Juna mused, looking towards the window, towards the city where Fin was now officially the most wanted man alive. "Or maybe the game’s just getting started."

Jolly closed her eyes, the burden heavy on her shoulders. Fin Carver. What had happened to that boy? And more importantly, what was going to happen now? He wasn’t just hunted. He was marked for death by the most powerful organization in their region.

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