Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines

December 2045

The rhythmic drumming of rain against the glass panes filled the room like a faint, sorrowful melody. The sprawling city below seemed drenched in silver and neon, a large difference to the suffocating silence within the high-rise penthouse. Outside, a massive digital billboard glowed through the gloom, casting soft hues of blue and gold into the room. It flashed a congratulatory video in bold, confident tones:

"Breaking News! Iron Pulse Technologies Guild or more popularly known as the IPT Guild has just announced their new CEO after the passing of the late CEO of the group, A-Rank Hunter, Patricio Valdez Zy. The new CEO is none other than the 40 years old S-Rank Hunter, Hanny Ace Jimuel De Leon. One surprising thing about this crowning of the new CEO of the largest guild in the Philippines is that Ace did not come from the royal family owners of the guild but rather he started as a newly hired regular hunter fifteen years ago."

The words glimmered against the rain-slicked glass, but Ace didn’t even glance at it. He stood by the edge of the window, a tall and imposing figure in a tailored black suit, his sharp features reflected back at him like a ghostly double. Behind him, the woman who had once vowed to stand by his side was seated on the plush leather couch. Her trembling hands clutched a small object—their wedding ring.

“Fifteen years,” she said, her voice fragile but rising steadily. “Fifteen years I stood by you, Ace. Through everything—the raids, the campaigns, the development of automatons, and greater than anything else, the late nights you didn’t come home. I told myself, ‘It’s fine. He’s doing this for us.’ But it was never for us, was it?”

Ace’s stoic expression remained unmoved. He folded his arms across his chest, the creak of leather breaking the quiet tension. “It was always for us. For you, for the guild, for the country. Every second I’ve spent building the IPT Guild has been to ensure that we—the Philippines—can stand strong against the chaos the gates bring. Don’t you see that? Even Japan and Korea depend on our weapon supply now. If I stopped here, everything I started will be for what then?”

“Don’t,” she snapped, her tone cutting through the room like the lightning that streaked across the night sky. She stood abruptly, her heels clicking against the marble floor. “Don’t you dare frame this as a noble cause. You’ve spent years convincing yourself that the guild is your family, but what about me? I’m your wife, Ace! Or at least... I used to be.”

The words lingered like a fresh wound, but Ace remained unflinching. “What do you expect me to do? Abandon the guild? Leave it vulnerable so the likes of or Tesla Advance Weaponry Guild Corporation or the RTX Weapon Corporation can sweep in and destabilize the system? IPT is the backbone of hunter society here, Elise. Without it—”

“Without it, what?” his wife interrupted, tears shimmering in her eyes. She gestured toward the glowing billboard outside. “Without it, you wouldn’t be standing here as the great Hanny Ace Jimuel De Leon, S-Rank Hunter, CEO of the largest guild in the Philippines. But tell me this, Ace—do you even know who you’re doing it for anymore?”

The question struck deeper than he cared to admit. Ace turned back to the window, his gaze fixed on the blurred lights of the city below. The muffled voice from the billboard echoed faintly in the distance. “...a true inspiration, a symbol of perseverance and dedication...”

“I’m doing it for everyone who depends on us,” he said, his voice cold but resolute. “For every hunter who risks their life in those gates. For the families who won’t have to bury their loved ones because we equipped them with the best tools, the best training. For the thousands who rely on Iron Pulse to protect them from the chaos outside.”

His wife laughed bitterly, the sound raw and jagged. “And what about me, Ace? Who protects me from the chaos you’ve brought into our lives? From the nights I waited alone, praying you’d come home alive? From watching you become more of a machine than a man? Maybe you really did become a machine, like that group of automaton you are so proud of. You treated them like your own child. But they are not your children, Ace! Your child died a month ago! Where are you when we need you the most? Where are you when I had miscarriage? ”

He turned toward her finally, his dark eyes meeting hers. “If I stopped now, everything I’ve built—everything we’ve built—would crumble. I already told you, right? It was an A-Rank dungeon raid. Sacrifices have to be made, Elise.”

Her shoulders slumped, and the fight seemed to drain out of her all at once. She opened her hand, revealing the wedding ring, its faint glint catching the light from the billboard outside. For a moment, the room felt timeless, suspended between the past they shared and the future they couldn’t seem to reconcile.

“The guild used to have a lot of strong hunters, Ace. But due to corruption of the guild members, they are one by one leaving the guild and moving to others. If the guild has taken care of them, maybe you will not have to participate always in those raids." She reprimanded.

"We need to remove those who don't have the same ambition as the guild." Ace coldly answered.

"Remove them so you and your corrupt friends can rise on top. This isn’t a sacrifice, Ace,” she whispered. “It’s destruction.”

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She stepped forward, placing the ring gently on the glass coffee table between them. The tiny sound of metal against glass rang louder than any argument they’d had. “You can keep the guild. You can keep the Philippines. But you’ve lost me.”

Ace didn’t move as she walked past him, her heels echoing through the cavernous space. The elevator chimed faintly in the distance as she disappeared, leaving only the rain, the flashing billboard, and the distant hum of a city unaware of what had just unraveled.

He remained standing by the window, his reflection staring back at him. Outside, the congratulatory message flickered one last time:

“...A-Rank Hunter Hanny Ace Jimuel De Leon, he is on the path to rise as a true guild master among guild masters!”

But in the silence of the penthouse, the words felt hollow.

Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines

December 2045

The rhythmic drumming of rain against the glass panes filled the room like a faint, sorrowful melody. The sprawling city below seemed drenched in silver and neon, a large difference to the suffocating silence within the high-rise penthouse. Outside, a massive digital billboard glowed through the gloom, casting soft hues of blue and gold into the room. It flashed a congratulatory video in bold, confident tones:

"Breaking News! Iron Pulse Technologies Guild or more popularly known as the IPT Guild has just announced their new CEO after the passing of the late CEO of the group, A-Rank Hunter, Patricio Valdez Zy. The new CEO is none other than the 40 years old S-Rank Hunter, Hanny Ace Jimuel De Leon. One surprising thing about this crowning of the new CEO of the largest guild in the Philippines is that Ace did not come from the royal family owners of the guild but rather he started as a newly hired regular hunter fifteen years ago."

The words glimmered against the rain-slicked glass, but Ace didn’t even glance at it. He stood by the edge of the window, a tall and imposing figure in a tailored black suit, his sharp features reflected back at him like a ghostly double. Behind him, the woman who had once vowed to stand by his side was seated on the plush leather couch. Her trembling hands clutched a small object—their wedding ring.

“Fifteen years,” she said, her voice fragile but rising steadily. “Fifteen years I stood by you, Ace. Through everything—the raids, the campaigns, the development of automatons, and greater than anything else, the late nights you didn’t come home. I told myself, ‘It’s fine. He’s doing this for us.’ But it was never for us, was it?”

Ace’s stoic expression remained unmoved. He folded his arms across his chest, the creak of leather breaking the quiet tension. “It was always for us. For you, for the guild, for the country. Every second I’ve spent building the IPT Guild has been to ensure that we—the Philippines—can stand strong against the chaos the gates bring. Don’t you see that? Even Japan and Korea depend on our weapon supply now. If I stopped here, everything I started will be for what then?”

“Don’t,” she snapped, her tone cutting through the room like the lightning that streaked across the night sky. She stood abruptly, her heels clicking against the marble floor. “Don’t you dare frame this as a noble cause. You’ve spent years convincing yourself that the guild is your family, but what about me? I’m your wife, Ace! Or at least... I used to be.”

The words lingered like a fresh wound, but Ace remained unflinching. “What do you expect me to do? Abandon the guild? Leave it vulnerable so the likes of or Tesla Advance Weaponry Guild Corporation or the RTX Weapon Corporation can sweep in and destabilize the system? IPT is the backbone of hunter society here, Elise. Without it—”

“Without it, what?” his wife interrupted, tears shimmering in her eyes. She gestured toward the glowing billboard outside. “Without it, you wouldn’t be standing here as the great Hanny Ace Jimuel De Leon, S-Rank Hunter, CEO of the largest guild in the Philippines. But tell me this, Ace—do you even know who you’re doing it for anymore?”

The question struck deeper than he cared to admit. Ace turned back to the window, his gaze fixed on the blurred lights of the city below. The muffled voice from the billboard echoed faintly in the distance. “...a true inspiration, a symbol of perseverance and dedication...”

“I’m doing it for everyone who depends on us,” he said, his voice cold but resolute. “For every hunter who risks their life in those gates. For the families who won’t have to bury their loved ones because we equipped them with the best tools, the best training. For the thousands who rely on Iron Pulse to protect them from the chaos outside.”

His wife laughed bitterly, the sound raw and jagged. “And what about me, Ace? Who protects me from the chaos you’ve brought into our lives? From the nights I waited alone, praying you’d come home alive? From watching you become more of a machine than a man? Maybe you really did become a machine, like that group of automaton you are so proud of. You treated them like your own child. But they are not your children, Ace! Your child died a month ago! Where are you when we need you the most? Where are you when I had miscarriage? ”

He turned toward her finally, his dark eyes meeting hers. “If I stopped now, everything I’ve built—everything we’ve built—would crumble. I already told you, right? It was an A-Rank dungeon raid. Sacrifices have to be made, Elise.”

Her shoulders slumped, and the fight seemed to drain out of her all at once. She opened her hand, revealing the wedding ring, its faint glint catching the light from the billboard outside. For a moment, the room felt timeless, suspended between the past they shared and the future they couldn’t seem to reconcile.

“The guild used to have a lot of strong hunters, Ace. But due to corruption of the guild members, they are one by one leaving the guild and moving to others. If the guild has taken care of them, maybe you will not have to participate always in those raids." She reprimanded.

"We need to remove those who don't have the same ambition as the guild." Ace coldly answered.

"Remove them so you and your corrupt friends can rise on top. This isn’t a sacrifice, Ace,” she whispered. “It’s destruction.”

She stepped forward, placing the ring gently on the glass coffee table between them. The tiny sound of metal against glass rang louder than any argument they’d had. “You can keep the guild. You can keep your position. But you’ve lost me.”

Ace didn’t move as she walked past him, her heels echoing through the cavernous space. The elevator chimed faintly in the distance as she disappeared, leaving only the rain, the flashing billboard, and the distant hum of a city unaware of what had just unraveled.

He remained standing by the window, his reflection staring back at him. Outside, the congratulatory message flickered one last time:

“...A-Rank Hunter Hanny Ace Jimuel De Leon, he is on the path to rise as a true guild master among guild masters!”

But in the silence of the penthouse, the words felt hollow.