Once Ethan's business with Selena was over, neither of them wanted to continue the matter any further.

When the door opened, two men were standing outside her office, standing guard.

"Miss Selena?"

"The case is closed. Don't ever bring this up again," she ordered firmly.

"Escort Ethan out of the building," she added.

"Yes, Miss Selena."

Ethan walked out casually, not even glancing back at her. The two men followed him from the third floor down to the first, and once they reached the outside, they stopped.

Alone again, he walked down the village street heading back to the inn. Leon and Risa were probably waiting there, just as he had told them.

Even so, he hadn't expected the issue of guild affiliations to be so complicated.

Since the in-game situation involved people's real lives, every bit of intrigue felt real—and exhausting.

Forming an alliance with a guild required a lot of resources.

Why had the Big Three started cooperating with other guilds? What was their real reason?

Ethan didn't know much about current guild politics.

After all, he'd been inactive from Tower of Ascension for two years. He was sure a lot had changed during that time, changes that shaped the current situation.

He remembered it wasn't the first time the Big Three had worked together.

The clearest proof was the Northern Guild Alliance formed during the Thousand Stars Event.

If I hadn't interfered, the top three rankings would've belonged to them. He was certain the Northern Guild Alliance was created to secure their positions.

I'm overthinking this. Maybe I should just ask Ashley later. She probably knows something.

Before he realized it, Ethan had stopped walking right in front of the inn. He'd made it back from Narrow Fate's building safely—without a single scratch.

He stepped inside, walked through the hallway, and opened his room door. Inside, Leon sat casually on the sofa while Risa paced restlessly back and forth.

When the door opened, both of them turned at the same time.

Leon immediately stood up, and Risa ran toward Ethan with a relieved smile on her face, her eyes shining.

"Thank goodness you're safe," Risa said, her voice trembling with emotion.

"That was quick. What exactly happened?" Leon asked, stepping closer.

"Their leader wanted to capture me because of my Red Notice, not because of the tavern incident," Ethan explained.

"I see. I didn't expect that. But you're fine? Where did they take you?"

"I'm fine. They took me to their party headquarters," Ethan replied.

"With my strength, they were no match for me."

"I figured as much. You always find a way," Leon said with a relieved grin, hands on his hips.

Risa was still looking at Ethan with a tender gaze. The worry that had filled her heart slowly faded. He was back, unharmed.

"Your people's problems are so complicated," Risa sighed.

"Better not think too much about it, Risa. You'll just give yourself a headache," Leon said.

"So, what now?" Leon asked, turning to Ethan.

Ethan smiled softly and ran his hand through Risa's hair. He decided to go back to his original plan for the day—training with her.

She already had plenty of gear to boost her magic. It was better to see her full ability first before deciding when to start exploring again.

"We'll do a sparring session with Risa," Ethan said.

"Sparring? Is that okay?" Risa asked. Ethan smiled and nodded.

"It's fine. I'll be your opponent," he answered.

Risa smiled brightly, nodding in excitement. She couldn't wait to show what she could do in front of Ethan.

Leon also got ready with his bow and arrows. Risa would first train her attacks with Ethan, then practice her defense against Leon.

Once everyone was ready, Ethan led them out of the inn and toward the open field—the same place where Leon had been bullied by Licia's friends yesterday.

To Ethan, it was the perfect spot for training magic—far from the village.

Risa followed behind him, holding her magic staff with both hands, while Leon walked beside her. Ethan led the way.

It didn't take long before they arrived at a wide grassy plain. Risa and Ethan took positions at a good distance—not too far, to avoid reducing her magic's power due to range limits.

Ethan extended his hand and summoned the Bloodblade Ashura. As he gripped the sword, his appearance changed again, power surging through his body.

He didn't intend to attack. Instead, he drove the blade's tip into the ground, forming a sword defense barrier.

"You may begin, Risa," Ethan said.

She nodded seriously, closing her eyes and chanting her spell softly.

Ethan watched closely. A red aura began radiating from her body—it reminded him of Nok.

Risa raised her staff high, releasing a red laser into the sky that formed a massive magic rune.

[Summoning the ancestral spirit who guards the land and sky. Let the roar of nature's wrath fall upon our enemies.]

[Leaves wither, trees collapse, life essence fades. A sacred sacrifice to unleash the highest power.]

This magic… it's similar to Nok's spell against me.

Nok's magic had massive effects—lightning, tremors—but Risa's didn't.

There was lightning, yes, but weaker. No tremors under Ethan's feet. That told him Risa's magic power was still below Nok's level.

His sword defense alone should be enough to withstand it.

[Spirit Power: Blazing Sun Lion!]

From within the red rune, both Ethan and Leon saw Risa's MP condense perfectly into the shape of a giant flaming lion. It roared fiercely toward Ethan, trying to shake his spirit.

The blazing lion charged forward, flames bursting around it. Ethan braced himself, strengthening his sword defense.

The clash of power sent shockwaves through the air. Moments later, the fiery lion exploded, shattering Ethan's shield and slightly injuring him.

BLAST!

Risa panicked. She quickly canceled her spell and ran toward Ethan, who was crouched on the ground, his sword still buried in the earth.

Blood trickled from the corner of his lips. He felt pain, but the damage wasn't lethal.

"E-Ethan? I'm so sorry!" she said, her voice trembling.

"It's fine. If you can break through my sword defense, that means your magic attack is at least equal to a level 50 mage," Ethan replied.

"That's good."

He could've countered the attack with Crimson Slash, but that would've caused the damage to rebound on Risa—just like when Nok was hurt after Ethan destroyed her crimson serpent.

Even though Risa's magic was powerful, her body wasn't built for endurance. A failed spell could easily hurt her.

"Is this the first time I've seen you get hurt, Ethan?" Leon asked.

"I'm not pretending. Risa's magic really is strong, even if I only used default defense skills," Ethan said.

"Could it be that her base magic power is that strong?" Leon asked.

Ethan nodded but also believed the increase came from her accessories and magic staff, which contained a spirit crystal. That boosted her attack power several times over.

"The effects of her equipment and accessories enhance her power," Ethan explained.

"I-Is that a good thing?" Risa asked.

"Of course. You'll be a big help when we hunt monsters later," Ethan said.

Risa smiled brightly at his words, determination burning in her eyes. She vowed to train harder so she could be useful to both Ethan and Leon.

Ethan lifted his head and pointed at Leon.

"Now it's time for defense training. Use your defensive magic against Leon's attacks," Ethan instructed.

"Try to withstand his rapid shots for twenty seconds," he added.

Risa nodded confidently. "I'll do my best."

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