Rosaline's temper flared instantly, but before she could lash out, Vince pulled her back. He gave her a helpless shake of his head. "Forget it, Rosaline."

That only made her angrier. "Vince, don't tell me you're falling for her too?"

Vince scratched his ear awkwardly. That wasn't it at all.

Hudson raised his voice, shifting the focus. "Everyone, give me a moment to recover. Who's next for the challenge?"

Though exhausted, he activated his Primordial Veins, drawing in energy from a pouch of Primordial Stones.

The rate at which he absorbed the Force made Axel's eyes narrow. River-level Primordial Veins… or higher.

"Axel"

When Hudson's gaze landed on Axel, he froze. "This young man? In that case, I may have to call another from the clan."

At Axel's age, there was no way he could be a Level 5 Awakener. But Lilith, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow and lingered instead of leaving. Knowing Axel's true strength, she was certain he'd seize a place in the hot springs.

"Actually, I'm the one who brought them here," Axel said casually, fishing a crumpled ticket from his pocket. "I planned to take all six of them into the hot springs with me."

Hudson's brow furrowed. Not only was bringing six companions impossible, but Axel's tone made it sound as though the Kensington gatekeepers were irrelevant.

Lilith frowned, suddenly serious. "Axel, little brother, don't be so naïve. Even if you win, the most you'll get is your own entry. You really brought all these people without understanding the rules? Some of them aren't young anymore—their memories clearly aren't what they used to be."

Seeing Rosaline about to explode again, Axel stepped forward quickly. "Mr. Hudson, please, take a look at this."

Not wanting any misunderstanding, he handed over the ticket Victor had given him.

"What's this?" Lilith leaned over curiously, just as the surrounding crowd caught wind of it.

"Did he say… a Kensington Hot Spring voucher?!"

A beat of silence—then the whole crowd erupted in laughter.

"Hahahahaha!" "This kid's killing me." "Which sleazy bathhouse did you pull that from? A fucking voucher?"

Ebonreach had a rich bathing culture, so vouchers weren't rare. But here, in the Dragon Pond—the Kensington family's sanctum? The idea was absurd.

Even Lilith broke into laughter, covering her lips with a delicate hand. "This little brother Axel… so cute, so innocent."

Her attention suddenly shifted. She caught sight of the timid girl beside Axel and her eyes lit up. "And who's this little darling? What's your name?"

Perhaps because Lilith's power carried traces of blood, Annabelle didn't recoil from her. Letting Lilith ruffle her hair, she whispered timidly, "Hello, sister. My name is Everstone Annabelle."

The smile froze on Lilith's lips. Her eyes widened.

"Everstone?"

"Annabelle, come here. Stay away from that woman." Rosaline yanked Annabelle to her side, glaring at Lilith.

Lilith unbothered. She wasn't about to waste the chance to watch Rosaline flounder in public. So she stayed right where she was, arms folded, smiling faintly.

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"Axel, this is so humiliating…" Millers groaned, while Kaia buried her face in her hands. We're just digging our own graves here.

"But it literally says Kensington Hot Springs. Why wouldn't it be real?" Phoenix muttered under his breath.

"Phoenix, shut the hell up."

Just then, Hudson lifted his head and spoke, his tone solemn. "Mr. Axel, correct? This is indeed a voucher for our Kensington family's Dragon Pond. Valid for eight people."

The room fell silent.

"…You're kidding."

"That thing's actually real?"

The Awakened who'd been mocking moments earlier now looked like they'd swallowed their tongues.

"Wait—the Kensington family really issued something like that?"

The Obsidian squad froze, wide-eyed, stunned into silence.

Hudson continued, voice tightening with gravity. "It's genuine. I've seen one before… though it must have been issued years ago."

He remembered: back during the beast tide and the so-called Dark Age, the Kensington family lost swathes of their elite. Their power was gutted. To survive, Hector Kensington had put the Dragon Pond on the table, rewarding mercenaries and wandering Awakened who came to fight at their side. Back then, those vouchers actually circulated. But in the last decade? Not a single one had appeared.

"Holy shit," Rosaline muttered, glancing at Axel. Vince and the others were no less stunned.

If Team Obsidian got access to the Dragon Pond, their cultivation would skyrocket—maybe enough to rival Xander's elite.

Lilith's lips curled in mock suffering. "Fuck me, now I'm jealous," she said with a pretty pout, though her eyes burned with sincerity. She'd challenged three times before and lost each bout by a hair.

Rosaline, emboldened by her rival's expression, lifted her chin, smug for the first time in hours.

"Mr. Axel," Hudson asked carefully, "may I ask how you came by this voucher?"

Axel scratched the back of his neck. "Some gentleman handed it to me. Said this would guarantee our entry. That's valid, right, Mr. Hudson?"

Hudson didn't answer immediately. The Kensingtons had their pride. Breaking such a promise would ruin their name. But granting access wasn't trivial either—the Dragon Pond wasn't some public bathhouse. Each soak required a fresh brew, crafted from rare mutant beast bones and meridian essences. To accommodate eight people at once would cost the family a small fortune.

Finally, Hudson exhaled. "Please wait a moment. I'll need to consult my uncle."

These days, the family head, Hector, rarely meddled with affairs—he'd given himself over entirely to cultivation. Most decisions now fell to Hudson's uncle, Howard.

Hudson inclined his head and stepped away, leaving the arena.

The spectators didn't move. Neither did Lilith.

Meanwhile, Team Obsidian practically vibrated with excitement.

"Goddamn… soaking in the Dragon Pond? That would be insane," Kaia whispered, eyes shining.

.....

The Kensington family mansion sat on the outskirts of Ebonreach, quiet and imposing.

"Someone actually showed up with a voucher from years ago?" Howard, a refined middle-aged man with a tome in hand, lifted his brows. He was the current head of the Kensingtons—and a Level 7 Awakener.

Hudson inclined his head. "Yes. He's with the Whisper Syndicate. No older than twenty. Name's Axel."

At that, Howard closed the book, thoughtful. "Axel… that name rings a bell."

"Could he be some noble's kid? He won't say where the voucher came from."

Howard shook his head. "No. There aren't any aristocratic heirs by that name in Krythos right now."

Hudson hesitated. "Should I ask Grandfather?"

"No." Howard waved the thought aside. "No need to trouble him with this. A promise made is a promise kept. If something was sent out, it must be honored."

That aligned with Hudson's own thinking. He gave a short nod. "Then I'll make the arrangements."

"Wait." Howard's hand paused on his beard, his eyes narrowing as if something had just clicked. "I remember now—wasn't Axel the classmate Marcus kept talking about?"

"Marcus?" Hudson blinked, then frowned in recognition. "Right… and this Axel is also Whisper Syndicate. That can't be a coincidence."

"Go fetch Marcus. Have him come with you."

Hudson shifted uneasily. "After Shiverstone, he's been grinding harder than ever. I'd wager he's still locked in the gravity chamber right now. Pull him away just to say hello?"

Howard smiled faintly, though his eyes glinted like steel. "Marcus is the most gifted of our younger generation. His drive is good—it's more than good. But he's still missing something."

Hudson frowned. "Missing… what?"

"The edge of a sword that cuts through everything," Howard said sharply, his presence flaring for just a moment. "The Kensingtons are sword cultivators, Hudson. Close-combat fighters who've built generations of techniques on the blade. My father, my brother—they all carried the confidence that nothing could stand before their swords."

He leaned back, sighing. "At first, I thought Marcus's demeanor after the beast tide was just discouragement. But then I realized…"

Hudson's eyes widened. "You're saying… Axel beat him? That doesn't sound like Axel. He doesn't strike me as the type."

"If he were arrogant and overbearing, that wouldn't bother me."

"Feeling crushed can light a fire in a young man. But Axel… Axel has strength and composure. He's calm, measured. He doesn't suppress Marcus—he makes Marcus look inward. And that's far worse."

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