The monster collapsed.
Kaien lowered his weapon.
For a moment, the dungeon was silent.
Then—
[Monster Defeated]
[+1 Weapon Point]
Kaien stared at the notification.
"One point."
He sighed.
"You're really making me work for these upgrades."
He looked back at the corpse.
The strange black veins were still visible beneath its skin.
Kaien crouched.
He had hunted hundreds of monsters during his two years of preparation.
He knew what normal monsters looked like.
This wasn't normal.
The veins looked almost like cracks spreading beneath the creature's flesh.
Kaien reached toward one.
The moment his finger got close—
It vanished.
Kaien froze.
"...What?"
The monster suddenly began dissolving.
Its body broke apart into black particles that drifted upward before disappearing completely.
No corpse.
No mana crystal.
Nothing.
Kaien stared at the empty floor.
"Yeah."
He rubbed his forehead.
"This definitely wasn't in the comic."
His phone vibrated.
Seraphina: Return to the city.
A second message followed.
We're meeting tonight.
Kaien stared at the screen.
He typed.
Meeting who?
The answer came almost immediately.
The others.
Kaien slowly lowered his phone.
"So I'm finally meeting them."
The Sins.
Until now, Gluttony had existed separately from the rest.
He knew they existed.
He knew their titles.
But he'd never actually met them.
Tonight would be the first time.
Three hours later, Kaien stood in front of an abandoned building in Seoul.
It looked completely ordinary.
Old brick walls.
Dusty windows.
A faded sign hanging crookedly above the entrance.
Kaien pushed open the door.
Nothing.
Just an empty hallway.
His phone vibrated.
Downstairs.
Kaien sighed.
"Of course."
He found the staircase and descended.
One floor.
Two.
Three.
The sounds of Seoul gradually disappeared behind him.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Eventually, he reached a heavy metal door.
A black crown hidden behind a thin veil was engraved across its surface.
The emblem of the Veiled Crown.
Kaien reached for the handle.
The door opened.
Seraphina stood on the other side.
She looked exactly as composed as she had during their first meeting.
At twenty-two, she carried herself with a maturity that made her seem older. She stood around 178 centimeters tall, her slender figure straight and poised. Her long, perfectly straight black hair fell down her back, subtle dark-violet highlights becoming visible whenever the light caught it.
Her muted golden-amber eyes rested calmly on Kaien.
She wore formal black and deep-gray clothing that looked almost too refined for an underground hideout.
"You're on time."
Kaien checked his phone.
"I'm exactly on time."
Seraphina smiled.
"Which is early."
"That's not how time works."
"Come in."
Kaien stepped inside.
He stopped almost immediately.
The room was much larger than he'd expected.
The abandoned building above was nothing more than a cover.
Below it was a proper headquarters.
Maps covered sections of the walls.
Weapons were stored along one side.
A training area occupied another.
There was even a small kitchen and medical room.
Kaien looked around.
"You guys have been busy."
"We're building something."
Seraphina walked toward the main room.
Kaien followed.
Then he saw them.
Four people sat around a large table.
They all looked toward him.
The first immediately stood out because of his size.
He was enormous.
Around 191 centimeters tall, with an extremely broad, heavily built frame. His dark-brown skin contrasted with his nearly shaved hair, and his dark-brown eyes watched Kaien with a surprisingly calm expression.
He wore simple clothes—a plain shirt, cargo trousers, and heavy boots.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing unnecessary.
The man studied Kaien for a moment.
"So you're Gluttony."
His voice was deep but surprisingly relaxed.
Kaien nodded.
"That's what they call me."
The man nodded.
"Darius."
Kaien waited.
Darius looked at him.
"Wrath."
Kaien blinked.
"Oh."
That made sense.
The next person was almost the opposite.
Lucien Crowe sat comfortably in his chair, dressed far more extravagantly than anyone else.
He was around 183 centimeters tall, lean and pale, with messy silver-blond hair and dark-green eyes.
A black coat rested over his shoulders, accompanied by expensive-looking jewelry.
His eyes immediately wandered toward Kaien's belongings.
His watch.
His shoes.
His weapon.
Kaien noticed.
"You're staring."
Lucien smiled.
"I appreciate valuable things."
Kaien instinctively covered his watch.
Lucien laughed.
"Relax. I haven't stolen anything."
"Yet?"
"You're learning quickly."
Kaien sighed.
"Greed?"
Lucien gave him a small bow from his seat.
"Lucien Crowe. Greed."
The third member was a woman.
Selene Veyra.
She sat with one leg crossed over the other, completely comfortable despite having four people watching her.
She was around 171 centimeters tall.
Her long wine-red hair fell smoothly down her back, framing a beautiful face and striking violet eyes.
Her clothes were elegant and fitted, though not excessively revealing.
Everything about her appearance looked deliberate.
Controlled.
Yet the amused smile on her face made Kaien feel like she was already planning to tease him.
"So you're the new one."
Kaien nodded.
"Apparently."
Selene smiled.
"I expected someone more intimidating."
Kaien looked at Darius.
Then at himself.
"I'm standing next to a human wall."
Darius raised an eyebrow.
Selene laughed.
"I like him already."
Kaien sighed.
"Please don't."
"Too late."
She leaned back.
"Selene Veyra."
She smiled.
"Lust."
The last person barely looked awake.
He was slouched in his chair with messy dark-blue hair falling over his face.
His pale skin made the dark circles beneath his heavy gray eyes even more noticeable.
He wore oversized, comfortable clothing that looked like he'd chosen every piece specifically so he wouldn't have to think about it.
Kaien stared.
The man slowly lifted his eyes.
"Noah."
He paused.
"Sloth."
Then his head dropped again.
Kaien waited.
"...Is he asleep?"
Noah answered without lifting his head.
"No."
Three seconds passed.
He fell asleep.
Kaien looked at Seraphina.
"He's definitely asleep."
Seraphina smiled.
"He does that."
Kaien looked around the table.
Darius.
Lucien.
Selene.
Noah.
Four Sins.
Then there was Seraphina.
But something didn't add up.
Kaien looked at her.
"Wait."
She looked at him.
"Yes?"
"You're not just the leader, are you?"
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"No."
She stepped toward the table.
The room became quiet.
Seraphina reached behind her collar and pulled the fabric slightly aside.
A mark rested against the upper part of her back, between her shoulder blades.
Kaien recognized it immediately.
One of the seven marks.
She looked directly at him.
"My name is Seraphina Vale."
She paused.
"And my Sin is Pride."
Kaien stared.
So the leader was Pride.
He wasn't exactly surprised.
She had the confidence to lead.
But there was something different about her pride.
It wasn't loud.
She didn't need to boast.
She simply believed that when everyone else hesitated, someone needed to make the final decision.
That was why she had created the Veiled Crown.
Not for power.
Not for fame.
Because there were people the law couldn't protect.
And she intended to do something about it.
Kaien nodded.
"Pride."
Seraphina smiled.
"Correct."
Kaien looked around the room again.
Pride.
Wrath.
Greed.
Lust.
Sloth.
And himself.
Gluttony.
Six Sins.
One was still missing.
"Where's Envy?"
Seraphina's expression remained calm.
"Not here."
"Why?"
"Envy works differently from the rest of us."
Kaien raised an eyebrow.
"That's vague."
"It was meant to be."
Kaien sighed.
"Of course."
Selene smiled.
"You'll get used to her."
Kaien looked at her.
"You say that like she's terrifying."
Selene's smile widened.
"I didn't say anything."
That somehow made it worse.
Seraphina placed a folder on the table.
"Enough introductions."
Kaien walked over.
She pushed the folder toward him.
"You're officially one of us now."
Kaien opened it.
Inside was information about a new request.
A location.
A target.
And a name.
Kaien's expression slowly changed.
He knew that name.
A future villain.
Someone who wasn't supposed to appear this early.
His fingers tightened around the folder.
Seraphina noticed immediately.
"You recognize them."
Kaien looked up.
For a second, he considered lying.
Then he remembered something.
The story was already changing.
Keeping everything to himself wouldn't stop that.
"...I've heard of them."
Seraphina studied him.
"From where?"
Kaien closed the folder.
"That's complicated."
Lucien smiled.
"Now I'm interested."
Darius crossed his arms.
"So am I."
Selene leaned forward.
Noah remained asleep.
Kaien sighed.
"I'll explain when I know more."
Seraphina nodded.
She didn't push him.
"Fair."
Kaien looked around the room.
For the first time, all these people weren't names in his memories anymore.
They were real.
People with their own lives.
Their own reasons.
Their own futures.
And now they were part of his.
Kaien touched the area beneath his right rib.
The mark of Gluttony.
He smiled faintly.
The original story had given him a path.
But this wasn't the original story anymore.
And maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
Seraphina looked toward the others.
"Welcome to the Veiled Crown, Gluttony."
Kaien leaned back in his chair.
"Yeah."
He looked around the table.
"...Let's see what happens."