Chapter116

A crushing, suffocating weight settled over the entire room. Hajin completely froze in place, his instincts screaming at him as the King drew closer. The man wasn't even drawing a weapon or gathering mana, but the sheer, overwhelming pressure leaking off his body was terrifying. 
'Fuck,' Hajin thought, his breathing growing shallow as he stared at the approaching monarch. 'Just how powerful actually is this man? Why is he emitting his pressure like this? Is this some kind of test?'
The King stopped right in front of him and slowly reached his hand out. 
Every single alarm bell in Hajin's head went off. On pure, raw instinct, he immediately jumped a full step backward, dodging the hand completely. 
Cold sweat formed on his forehead. He had just dodged the King in the middle of his own throne room in front of several heavily armed guards. 
'Crap,' he thought, forcing his heart rate down as he quickly tried to play off the reaction. 
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," he said quickly, gesturing down to his own dirty clothes while giving a slightly awkward bow. "But a person of your status absolutely cannot be allowed to grab someone covered in this much dirt and monster blood."
The heavy, suffocating pressure in the air vanished completely. 
For a second, the room was totally silent. Then, the King threw his head back and let out a loud, booming laugh that echoed off the high ceiling.
"You have fantastic instincts," the King said, his laughter settling into a genuine smile. "And a good heart to match. Though I must say, for someone attempting to look completely unassuming, you are carrying quite an interesting power."
Hajin kept his head lowered, but his grip tightened inside his pockets. 
'Can he actually sense my fragment?' he thought, realizing how dangerous the King's perception was. 'Or did he just detect the fundamental shift in my mana when my path changed?'
"Please stop teasing him, Father," Didi interjected, stepping between them. "He just brought me all the way back from the forest. There is no need to test him the second he walks through the door."
"I am not testing him with malice," the King replied, willingly stepping back. "I simply couldn't help myself. When an unknown individual walks into my throne