As they left the coliseum, Seth, Elena, Devus, and Jenna walked along a cobblestone path winding through the academy's garden. The colorful flowers, the vibrant trees, and the neatly trimmed hedges on both sides were even more striking under the setting sun's glow.

Devus shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you're up against Lucius in the next round. That's going to be tough."

Jenna nodded in agreement. "Yeah, good luck with that prick's high-quality spells. Each of them hits harder than a bull."

"And I'm pretty sure your fog spell will be useless against his Protective Tornado," Devus added.

"I'll figure something out," Seth replied, waving it off.

'Shadow Step,' Nightmare said through Link.

'I know, I know,' Seth answered to the direwolf. 'But I'm still going to keep that a secret right up until when I need it. I don't want that rich bastard to buy a spell that counters it.'

The moment they turned on the path leading to the main academy building's entrance, Jenna suddenly switched topics, looking at Elena. "What were you two talking about back in the arena? You seemed upset."

"Nothing important," she replied, glancing at Seth. "He was just spouting his usual nonsense."

"What did you say?" Devus asked, turning to Seth.

Seth met Elena's gaze briefly and in that fleeting moment he could almost read her thoughts inside her emerald eyes: Good luck lying your way out of this.

"I told her that I was thinking about taking another week off to hunt," Seth said casually, rubbing the back of his neck.

Elena shot him a piercing look, and Devus frowned. Finally, the Guardian replied, "Again? You just caught up on all the classes! And the midterms will begin as soon as you come back!"

"Yeah, but I've been falling behind in terms of progress," Seth replied. "Since I lost my spot in the top five, my free hours in the Training Chambers have been cut in half."

"Honestly, I doubt moving up a Rank or two will change your odds against Lucius," Jenna retorted.

Seth nodded. "That's why we decided I wouldn't do it, and just hunt on the weekend instead."

Devus raised an eyebrow. "And what does Nightmare think about that?"

Before Seth could answer, the direwolf's aether voice erupted from his necklace: "He hates it."

The Guardian couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I figured," he said before leaning toward the black teardrop hanging from Seth's neck. "Looks like I'm the only one here thinking about you, huh?"

"Yeah, you aren't so bad, tan-boy," the direwolf answered. "Certainly better than crimson-hair over there."

Seth buried his face in his hand as Elena whirled around to face him. "Hey! I'm just trying to make sure your stupid partner doesn't flunk his exams and waste all the hard work we've put in."

"I know, I—" Seth started before stopping abruptly. "Wait, his what?"

" 'Stupid partner,' " Nightmare repeated gleefully, clearly enjoying saying it out loud.

Seth rolled his eyes while the others exchanged amused glances, barely containing their laughs. "Thanks, Nightmare."

As they neared the large arching pillars of the main entrance, the sound of hurried, heavy footsteps caught Seth's attention. Turning around, he saw Dean, the massive Primalist from his class, running toward them, calling his name. "Seth! Seth!"

Seth glanced back at Jenna, Elena, and Devus. "Go on ahead, I'll see what he wants."

"You sure, mate?"

"Yeah, I'll catch up."

His friends looked at each other and nodded before walking on while Seth stepped out of the cobblestone path, distancing himself from the passersby to meet Dean. Reaching Seth, the large young man skidded to a stop before dropping his hands onto his knees, panting heavily.

"I've—I've been searching for you!" Dean gasped, struggling to speak between breaths. "It's about Theodora and Aran."

Seth's eyes narrowed at the mention of the two. Both Primalists had missed their week's class, which was a first for them. He had assumed they'd either left the academy or gone on a last-ditch hunt in hope of reaching Rank 16—the Rank everyone required to reach before the end of the second semester—but it was odd for them to have given no notice.

"What happened?"

Dean sucked in a shaky breath. "I… I think they're in danger. They never came back from Rift Diving."

Seth exhaled sharply. Going into a Rift as Rank-11 and Rank-13 Primalists was practically asking to be killed. "Why the hell would they do that?"

Dean's face darkened, his gaze lowering. "Aran knew he… he wasn't gonna make it to Rank 16 before the spring's semester ended. So, the only way to avoid getting kicked out was either to Rift Dive or take enhancers. Fredrika Sert told him he could do both at once—"

"Fredrika Sert?" Seth exclaimed, interrupting him. "Why did Aran go to her for advice? She's practically one of Lucius's closest friends, for the gods' sake!"

"Everyone knows Lucius uses enhancers," Dean muttered. "So Aran figured she might know where he gets them. And, surprisingly, Fredrika was quite… friendly. She told him about an adventurers' branch that, for a small fee, could take him into a Rift and help him find some for a small fee."

Seth's entire body tensed, his teeth grinding together. "Do you know where that group is?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, they were in one of the Faertis' buildings. Aran asked me and Theodora if we wanted to tag along. At first, we both said yes, but… when I saw those people, I backed out. They were weird, Seth. I j-just—" The large Primalist stopped, shutting his eyes before taking a deep breath to steady his voice. "I knew something was off. I tried to talk them out of it, but they didn't listen."

Seth took a deep breath, trying to keep his calm as much as he could. "Do you remember that branch's name? And the Rift they take them into?"

"Their group… they didn't have a name," Dean answered as his broad shoulders slumped back. "But the Rift was the Desert of Misery."

Seth's eyes widened. "Dean, that's a freaking overgrown Iron Rift! Why would they go in there?"

"Seth, I tried," Dean mumbled, the corner of his lips pulling down and shaking. "That group said we'd Rank up faster in a place like that. "

Seth sighed, pulling down his face. "Yeah, and you also increase your chance of—"

Suddenly, Elena's voice cut in through their conversation, "Maybe they're still hunting in that Rift."

Seth turned to find the crimson-haired noble stepping out from behind one of the academy entrance's pillars.

Dean shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "No, I saw that exact same group of adventurers in the market yesterday—Theodora and Aran weren't with them. Means they were either left behind or…"

Elena walked over to the Primalist and placed a comforting hand on his large back, her head barely reaching his shoulder. "Let's not jump to conclusions. They might still be okay."

Seth's golden eyes locked onto Dean. Would things have been different if I'd been around more for them? he found himself wondering.

Sure, he hadn't pushed them into that Rift, but him being out of touch had certainly not helped. He could have introduced them himself to respectable branches at the outpost, like the Training Masters. And deep down, he knew this was also a good excuse to head into a Rift—not hunting for so long was starting to make him feel... empty.

Making up his mind, Seth took a deep breath. "I'll go get them, Dean."

"I can come with you," Dean responded, looking up and wiping his eyes.

"No, it's safer if I go alone," Seth insisted, shaking his head. "Leave it to me."

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Elena glanced at Seth, then turned toward the massive Primalist. "Dean?"

"Yeah?" the large Primalist answered, rubbing his nose and sniffling loudly.

"Could you give us a minute?" Elena asked gently.

"I... of course." Dean's large frame trembled as he stepped away, leaving Seth and Elena alone.

Almost instantly, Elena spun to face Seth, her emerald eyes shooting invisible daggers at him. "You cannot save them. "

"I can. And I will, " Seth retorted.

"It's absurd, Seth. You'll just get yourself killed for two..." her voice trailing off as she seemed to grapple with her thoughts.

"For two what?" Seth snapped. "Commoners? Primalists?"

"For two students who were going to be expelled anyway!" she blurted out, her hand turning into a tight fist.

Seth's jaw tightened. "So what? They are still two human beings. With families and friends."

"And they're also two adults who can make their own choices and deal with the consequences," Elena retorted. "Nobody forced them to Rift Dive!"

"Right," Seth answered bitterly. "You can keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep tonight, but I'm not going to let people get tortured for one bad decision. If I get killed, so be it. "

"Then go get yourself—" Elena began, then froze, eyes widening. "Wait… what do you mean 'get tortured'?"

Seth exhaled loudly through his nose. "That group… They capture and trade people to humanoid beasts for enhancers. Those Ocean Tears Lucius had been taking? They were obtained that way in a Rift near Arthuri named the Fishlords Empire."

Elena stood in silence for several long seconds, and gradually the features of her face softened. "Why… why didn't you tell me this before?"

"What difference would it have made? I already told Reat anyway and he couldn't find their whereabouts," Seth answered, running a hand through his hair. "Also, you said it yourself: as long as they don't touch nobles, the House behind them won't face any real consequences."

The crimson-haired noble's gaze dropped to the ground for a moment, then moved back up, meeting Seth's. "You still could have told me the truth."

Seth rubbed his face, choosing not to answer. As if telling you would've changed anything.

"You said it was an Iron Rift, right? What if I can get a full team of Irons to go get them? " Elena proposed, stepping closer. "Let me talk to my parents. They'll be back from their expedition with a few other House's heads in a few days."

Seth shook his head. "We can't wait for days. They could be dead by then—if they aren't already. And besides that, I'd be making others risk their lives instead of me. Cowering like a noble behind your House would make me a hypocrite."

"Cowering like a noble?" Elena repeated, her cheeks flushing red. She knew exactly what he was implying—all nobles were cowards. "There's a difference between being brave and foolish! Sending six or seven Peak-Irons would be far better—and safer—than going in alone!"

Seth opened his mouth to argue, but Elena didn't give him the chance.

"You're so…!" she sputtered, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I can't even find the word for it. You act like you're the only one who can do something, like the rest of us aren't even here. Do you really think nobody else cares? That you're the only one who wants to tear down those damn Houses who made our nation so weak and cause hundreds of thousands to suffer because of their stupid laws? You don't realize it, but plenty of those nobles you call cowards have been risking their lives for years trying to change things! My parents included!"

Her voice cracked as it rose, tight with anger and something else that Seth couldn't discern. "I'm done wasting my time and energy on someone who's determined to get himself killed and keeps spouting nonsense he doesn't understand."

Before he could utter a word, the noblewoman spun on her heel and stormed away. Seth was left standing there alone, watching her depart, her hair swinging with each angry step.

'I'm no expert in human relationships, but I'm pretty sure she's mad at you,' Nightmare said with a low chuckle inside his beast-holder.

'You think?' Seth sighed before turning away and heading toward the academy's gate.

The direwolf stood up and stretched his legs. 'Maybe calling her species cowards was not your best idea.'

'Not my fault she took it personally,' Seth grumbled. 'She knows I don't lump her in with the other nobles.'

'We can forget about getting a free sponsor by you marrying her.'

'Oh, stop with that,' Seth grunted. 'She's a noble, and I'm a commoner whose best friend is a direwolf who cleans himself once a month.'

'Once a week,' the direwolf corrected with a low snarl. 'And that's more than enough.'

'Yeah, sure, tell that to the flies following you.'

A menacing growl rumbled in the teardrop's inner domain. 'I'll let whatever beasts who are in that Rift tear you apart for saying that.'

Seth tugged his dark hair in exasperation as he strode through the academy's open gate, the sun dipping behind Trogan's distant wall.

'You gotta be kidding me, Nightmare. You should know what's in this Rift! I told you to stay awake while I read about the Desert of Misery,' he said, fully aware the direwolf had been falling asleep when he had been gathering information to prepare for an expedition to acquire the Desert Snake Ruby for his gauntlet's recipe after the spring semester.

'It's not a big deal. Knowing too much about our prey ruins the joy of the hunt.'

'Oh, really? We'll see if you feel the same when cannonballs will be flying toward you.'

The direwolf paused in the beast-holder and tilted his head. 'Cannonballs?'

'Yeah, cannonballs,' Seth repeated, massaging his forehead. 'That Rift is filled with Gnolls. Hyena-like humanoid beasts that not only used human weapons to fight like the Fishlords but also Artificers' war tools like arcane cannons.'

'That sounds exciting!' Nightmare exclaimed, jumping with enthusiasm.

Seth rolled his eyes. They would have to infiltrate towns overrun with beasts far more organized than the Fishlords, all while dodging artilleries' massive explosions and sneaking past runic wards. Yeah, so exciting.

Seth paused for a moment in front of the heavy oak door of the Champions of Chaos headquarters. The small portion of the sun still above the city's walls cast a red glow on the branch's emblem.

Hopefully Yline can fix my glove before I leave tomorrow, he thought before pushing the door open.

As he stepped inside, a strong smell of ales and oiled leather immediately enveloped him. Yline was at her desk, a filled mug in one hand, completely engrossed in the conversation happening at the back table. There, Toren sat with his usual laidback posture, laughing and drinking with both Lyria and Professor Reat, who were both dressed in casual clothes, the latter in a white half-buttoned shirt and the former in a red, baggy blouse.

At the counter behind them, Celine was chatting with two people Seth had never seen before. The first one was a man in his mid-forties with short silver hair that matched Celine's and a well-groomed beard that framed a warm, radiant smile. The robust leather armor covering his muscular stature and the twin blades at his hips exuded a powerful aura. The other was a woman who seemed in her thirties, with striking brown hair and a few wrinkles. She was draped in a white robe that emitted a saint-like glow and carried on her back a staff with an enormous scarlet jewel encrusted at its end.

Yline was the first to notice Seth, raising her mug with a wide grin. "Hey, look who's here!"

"Oh, kid!" Toren shouted across the room, his bearded face brightening even further. "Come grab a beer!"

Celine turned, and as her gaze met Seth's, a playful smile crossed her lips. "Hey, Seth."

Before he could respond, the two strangers looked his way as well, and their expressions shifted drastically. Their eyes widened, and a mix of shock and disbelief rose on their faces—a reaction that went beyond what his Rank or attributes could have caused.

Seth tensed, heart pounding in his ears when suddenly the unknown man burst into a hearty laugh. "A Draerian!" he exclaimed, eyeing Professor Reat. "Calvin, you crazy bastard! You couldn't recruit someone normal, huh?"

Celine's brow furrowed as she looked at Seth, then at the man. "A Draerian? Just because of his golden eyes? Come on, Orwen, they aren't the only ones with those."

"I've never seen anyone outside of them with that eye shade!" Orwen retorted.

Yline suddenly slapped her tight and stood up, spilling some of her beer on the floor. "So that's why you wanted those combat gauntlets!" she blurted out, turning to Seth. "You could have told me!"

Seth tried to swallow past the dryness in his throat. "If word got out, it could put me—and many others—in danger."

Orwen's jovial smile vanished, and he pivoted toward the people sitting at the table. "Wait, Calvin, you brought him into the branch but didn't make him sign the non-disclosure contract?"

Professor Reat, with his typical nonchalance, shrugged and threw his hands up. "Didn't think it would matter. Who'd tell him anything important anyway?"

Grumbling, the man pulled open a drawer behind the counter and took out a scroll and a black-and-white quill like Sericar had used for the Endless Pouch's contract. "Come here, kid."

Seth walked over to the man, noticing Celine's glare—likely annoyed he'd kept yet another secret from her. To her, it probably made their slowly forming mentor-apprentice bond feel like nothing but a lie.

"This is a non-disclosure contract," Orwen explained, unrolling the scroll on the counter in front of Seth. "A Platinum Scribe from another nation made it for us. The conditions are straightforward: if you reveal any sensitive information, you hear here while the non-disclosure ward is active, your aether channels will be burned, causing excruciating pain for months and making you unable to use aether for at least a year."

Cold dread settled in Seth's stomach. No aether for a year. That's pretty much a death sentence. Anyone who wants me gone would definitely jump on that chance.

Looking down at the contract, Seth noted twenty-two names already at the bottom; Calvin Reat and Lyria were the most recent ones, while Orwen Silvermane and Celine Silvermane were the oldest. So Celine is also a member of the branch.

As Seth grabbed the quill, a sudden thought hit him, and he raised his head. "How do I activate the ward, sir?"

"Any Silvers or Golds can sense around them and activate it by channeling aether inside," Orwen explained. "But an Iron like you won't be able to do that yet. So, you'll need to ask someone else to activate it for you."

Seth nodded. "Could you activate it now, sir?"

A flicker of surprise crossed the man's face, but he then smiled. Instantly, the air around Seth seemed to shift, becoming denser in aether and heavy. "There you go, kid."

"Thank you, sir."

Channeling aether into the quill, Seth meticulously wrote 'Seth Elrod' at the bottom of the contract, just beneath Lyria's name. The moment he finished, a surge of heat rushed into him from the scroll, flowing through his Well before gradually fading away.

Curious, Orwen took the contract back and looked down at Seth's signature. "Elrod… bloody hell!"

The woman in the white robe, who had been observing quietly, suddenly gaped. "Elrod? Like that guy from the Shenlong Tower?"

"Which guy, Krystel?" Lyria asked, turning toward the brown-haired woman.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Orwen exclaimed. "Have you ever checked Shenlong Tower's All-Time Gold or Platinum Ranking the few times we went to Asethqua? There's a man from the Elrod family who has been ranked first in the Non-Legacy category for both of them for over twenty years now!"

"The guy must be loaded with insane equipment," the blond archer answered, rolling her eyes.

Orwen shook his head, his voice rising with excitement. "It's more than gear or spells. That Ulric Elrod is a once-in-a-century genius! He reached the fifty-seventh floor while only being Gold. The old Vancaws and even the prick king didn't make it past the fiftieth as Platinums!"

The group erupted into a heated debate, their voices crisscrossing the room, arguing over whether the man was a true genius or just a lucky bastard with unlimited resources. Amidst the uproar, Seth stood frozen at the counter, the quill still clutched in his hand, his mind racing.

"Is… is Elrod a common last name?" he asked, his voice breaking.

The room fell silent as Orwen turned to him and frowned. "No. Aside from that man, and now you, I've never heard it. Why do you ask?"

Seth's throat felt dry, and he struggled to get the words out. "Ulric Elrod," he started, pausing briefly to take a deep breath. "That's my father's name."

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