I woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling and found myself lying in a bed.
'I won — so why does my chest feel like this?' I clenched my fist and sat up slowly.
"Pathetic. I only won because of luck." I sighed, disappointed in myself.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Arron. Your opponent was simply beyond your current capabilities." Senior Ed entered the room, the rest of the team filing in behind him.
"Why are all of you here?" I tilted my head.
"Ah — we all happened to have free time at the same time." Senior Ed handed me a platinum card.
"That card has six million aegis on it — your reward and damage compensation for the mission. I also heard from Alister that you ran into Clown during the artifact trade." His expression darkened with fury.
"Yes, but — Senior Ed, why do you look so angry?"
"Captain, calm down — you're scaring Arron." At Senior Alister's words, Senior Ed exhaled and settled back into his usual composure.
"Sorry about that, Arron. He and I have a bit of history." He dipped his head toward me in apology.
"It's okay, Senior Ed." I scratched the back of my head, a little unsure how to respond to seeing him like that.
"Also — how are my injuries healed?" I looked down at my arms. No bruising, no breaks.
"I used a high-grade healing potion," Senior Alister said casually.
"Then I need to pay you back for that."
"Nah, don't worry about it — that potion wasn't even mine to begin with."
"Not yours?"
"I took it off the Bull Mask." He shrugged. Then his expression shifted, and he leaned toward me with something more serious in his eyes.
"I have a question for you, Arron. How did you do it?"
"What do you mean, Senior Alister?" I looked at him, genuinely confused.
"The bloodlust. You unleashed it during the fight. How?"
'I unleashed bloodlust? Me? How is that even possible for a normal person?' Though I supposed in a world like this, normal logic didn't necessarily apply. While I was thinking it over, I noticed the other seniors had all gone quiet, jaws slightly open.
"This junior unleashed bloodlust?" Senior Alice's voice was pure disbelief.
"Why is everyone making such a big deal out of bloodlust?" They all turned to look at me.
"Let me explain," Senior Skyler said, sounding uncharacteristically grounded. "Bloodlust is something that exists within all humans and animals, but being able to actually unleash it means you've reached a level that most celestial hunters never access. The reason we're confused is that you're not a high-combat hunter — so none of us can figure out how you managed it."
Senior Ed added further context. "When someone enters the bloodlust state, most of the internal limiters that prevent the body from destroying itself are lifted, and your capabilities spike to their absolute peak. At that point, the brain abandons logical processing and falls back on pure primal instinct."
'I see. That explains how I was able to hold the Lion Mask's arm in place. During that fight, my mind was in complete turmoil — the hopelessness of the situation must have forced me past a threshold. Maybe bloodlust is tied directly to a person's mental state.' The pieces came together using everything the seniors had just told me.
"Senior Alister — I think I know how I did it." All of them leaned in at once.
"Ahem. I think it's connected to a person's mental state at a given moment." I walked them through exactly what had happened during the fight. The more I explained, the more their expressions shifted — somewhere between awe and a kind of quiet sadness.
"So you unlocked bloodlust through sheer desperation," Senior Alister murmured, his tone subdued as he looked at me.
"Also — how long was I unconscious?"
"Two days," Senior Ed replied.
"Two days? No wonder I feel so rested." Senior Skyler reached into a transparent zip-lock bag and held it out to me. Inside was a black cloth. I opened it — it was a coat with gold accents running along the edges.
"I can't believe you're actually giving away one of your coats," Senior Alister said, one eyebrow raised at Senior Skyler.
Senior Alice immediately thrust her hand toward him. "I want one too!"
Senior Skyler raised his hand in return — middle finger extended. "Absolutely not. Do you have any idea how many of my coats you've shredded to pieces?!"
"That was an accident!" Senior Alice switched to her best attempt at a sweet, innocent expression, which made me physically uncomfortable to witness.
'Seeing Senior Alice act like this is genuinely unsettling.' I quietly pinched my own hand.
"Stop doing that, you ha—!" Senior Skyler caught himself at the last second.
"Ha — what?" She leaned in, her eyes carrying a very clear threat.
"Nothing." Senior Skyler found something interesting to look at on the wall.
"Alice." Senior Alister stepped between them smoothly.
"But he called me a h—!" Senior Ed glanced her way with a calm smile, but let just enough bloodlust seep out that she stopped talking immediately.
"You're both disturbing the patient." Senior Ed's voice was quiet and even, which somehow made it worse.
"We're sorry..." They apologized in unison.
"Good." Senior Ed's phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen.
"Alright — everyone out. Let the patient rest." He ushered them all from the room, and I was left alone again.
I looked down at the coat still in my hands. "This is actually pretty cool."
"I survived — as pathetic as it was. But next time, I'm going to win without relying on tactics like that." With that declaration settled in my chest, I lay back and drifted off to sleep.
— Clown POV —
"Master — why did you give that customer a discount?" The woman in the bunny suit appeared at his side.
"It's because of the mask." He removed it, revealing a face covered in scars and burns.
"The mask? What significance does the mask we give to customers and allies carry?" She tilted her head.
"I never told you this, but those masks sense the people who are meant to wear them. Each one is a reflection of that person's personality, skills, and soul." He paused. "He received the blank mask."
His face twisted into a slow, sadistic smile as he continued.
"A blank mask is like a newborn — his personality, skills, and soul are as if freshly reborn. But what interested me most is his mentality. He managed to carve out an opportunity from a situation that had none."
A presence entered the room — the figure in the black robe and crow mask. "I have recorded the fight, sir. Would you like to watch it?"
"Play it."
The figure set a hexagon-shaped stone on the table and the recording began. They watched together as Senior Alister and Miss Scarlet systematically dismantled their opponents.
"Boring. Switch to the White Mask."
They watched Arron's fight against the Lion Mask. It was immediately clear he was on the losing end — completely outmatched. And yet he stood his ground, seized the only opening available, and killed the Lion Mask. Clown laughed when the bloodlust state appeared on the recording.
"Hahahahahaha — he has it too! The bloodlust state!" Both Bunny and Crow exchanged a stunned look. Only a handful of individuals in the world could ever reach that state.
"How did he manage to unlock it?" Bunny asked.
"Simple — at that moment, he abandoned every logical path to winning," Clown replied. "But what I find truly amusing is that he retained his rational mind while in that state. When bloodlust takes over, most cognitive function is consumed by it. The fact that he could still execute tactics — tactics that should be impossible under those conditions — is what sets him apart."
"How is it possible to remain rational in that state?" the Crow Mask asked.
"I have no idea. I've used the bloodlust state since I was a teenager, and despite everything I've tried, I've never once been able to hold onto my rationality while inside it. He may simply be a special case." Clown smirked at his own mask.
"What a shame he isn't one of mine. I would have loved to explore what he's capable of."
Then the building began to shake violently. Weapons were drawn across the room. Clown smiled.
"He's here."
The roof caved in and a figure landed in the center of the room — Senior Ed, with Senior Alister, Senior Skyler, and Senior Alice behind him.
"It's been a while, Clown." Senior Ed's voice carried a quiet fury that filled the room.
"Is this how you greet an old friend?" Clown launched himself forward, bloodlust pouring off him as his smile warped into something demonic.
"You've let yourself get addicted to that." Despite the speed of the charge, Senior Ed reacted in time — he caught Clown mid-lunge, and hurled him through the wall into the next room.