Two days after the rankings were announced, Kaen and Zian submitted a proposal to start a company using their credit points. The paperwork was complex, buried in enchantments and bureaucracy, but Kaen had already read through it the night before. Or perhaps he'd just known what to do.
Their company was registered under the name Shadowfront Incorporated. Zian winced at the name.
"It's dramatic."
Kaen shrugged. "It's accurate."
They rented a three-floor building on the capital's edge, near the mid-tier gate district. It had been abandoned for years, but Kaen said it had "good bones" and better shadows. Zian organized the logistics, recruiting a handful of junior hunters and hiring Mira as operations officer.
Leon took charge of dungeon scouting and field coordination. Slowly, Shadowfront began functioning like a real business. They offered fast-response dungeon clearing, artifact evaluations, and tactical training—for a fair price.
Kaen, meanwhile, created a chamber on the third floor lined with ancient glyphs. It became a private training space for Zian.
"Why so secretive?" she asked one day.
"Because someday, you'll remember what you are," Kaen said, handing her a blade made of crystallized shadow. "And you'll need a place to unleash it."
Within two weeks, Shadowfront's reputation soared. A C-rank team cleared an A-rank dungeon under their command. Rumors flew. "The Shadow Company." "The Ice-Queen Leader and the Red-Eyed Devil."
They received their first contract from a noble family.
Kaen looked out the window that night, watching the moon rise. "It begins."