Clover was shocked by what he witnessed. Sai examined the badge, slipped it into his pocket, and walked away without a word, together with his companions.Clover couldn’t say anything as he watched them leave, as if what Sai did meant nothing to them.Hanzuo, who clearly saw everything as well, furrowed his brows with a serious expression. If I remember correctly, he’s that boy from the Death Lotus Clan. Sai Floshen. I didn’t expect him to do that. But since he now has Clover’s badge, it’s clear where that point will go.Once again, the headmaster’s voice echoed throughout the forest, causing Prince Lucien to stop walking.“The second badge has finally been taken! And the point now belongs to the White Hunters Guild! There are still eight badges hidden in the forest. Do your best to find them, my beloved students.”When the forest fell silent again, Xin Blades’ laughter could be heard as he continued walking. “Well now. Looks like I beat you to it, Dao. We’re the first to score.”Dao

His training was far from enough, because he had once again lost his concentration, and the wind that was protecting him disappeared.Lopra used this chance to attack. With one sweep of her palm, the air ignited and formed into spears. More than ten flaming spears shot toward Emrys in rapid succession with just a flick of Lopra’s hand.Even though he was struggling, Emrys forced himself to dodge them. He didn’t care about the burning, cracked ground and trees behind him.He kept doing this while steadily moving closer to Lopra. Then he attacked again. But every punch he threw was easily slapped to the side by the teacher with one hand.As more time passed, the energy around the boy darkened. In an instant, Lopra froze when she sensed a pair of crimson eyes glaring sharply at her.Emrys used that brief moment to grab the badge, but Lopra kicked him in the face.Emrys was thrown back and couldn’t stand up right away. The scorching heat around Lopra vanished as the teacher instinctively

Eventually, Dao Daishin blocked his path again, his fist wrapped in energy. He threw a downward punch aimed at the top of Emrys’ head, but the boy disappeared before the blow landed. The strike hit the ground instead, splitting it open with immense force.Xin froze when he could no longer see Emrys anywhere. He glanced around several times before spotting Emrys standing about fifteen meters away from his side.Xin grinned and released more threads to finish the boy off.But instead of running away, Emrys charged straight toward Xin while swiftly dodging the approaching threads.Xin stepped back as Emrys seemed to grow even faster. But it was too late to escape—Emrys appeared right in front of him in a flash, lightning-fast.Emrys’ eyes were wide with rage. He delivered a quick and powerful punch straight down onto Xin’s face. Xin’s head slammed into the ground, creating a massive crack and sending a burst of wind outward from the impact.Xin was knocked unconscious instantly, his mout

On that same night, in the town called Central Vale—A town rich in trade and one of the most visited by foreigners. It was a peaceful town, independently governed by a princess whose face remained hidden.Central Vale was vast and prosperous. After the last war, it was the first town to recover and rise again from the damages of the conflict.Paul, one of the assassins, walked through the middle of the street. He was looking for someone in this part of town. Among the many weapon shops, he immediately went to one, confident he would find the person he sought—and he was not wrong.“This is excellent steel,” Paul said as he approached Leander, who was examining a weapon, fanning it lightly and smiling at the elderly shopkeeper.“You really have an eye for weapons, Leander. Just like your father.” The boy smiled back and returned the weapon to its rack.“Thank you for always showing me your new weapons.”“You don’t need to thank me. Your father is my friend until his grave. I can give y

“You fought him, didn’t you?” Hanzuo took a sip from his glass before continuing. “You must have noticed something unusual about him. Or even better, maybe you know his true level of strength and where his power comes from.”Lopra was silent for a few seconds, thinking, as if trying to recall those moments, before letting out a sigh. “I’m not sure what I felt, but…”The elder’s interest was clearly piqued. He lowered his glass, leaned slightly forward, and stared at her. “What did you feel, Lopra?”Lopra blinked a few times, then sighed again and looked back at him. “A dark magic. And… a pair of red eyes. I feel like there’s some kind of monster hidden inside him. But I’m not sure if—”Hanzuo stood abruptly, making a noise that caused Lopra to stop speaking.He stared at her intently, stroked his beard, and turned to look out the window. His reflection in the glass was faint.“Dark magic, huh? Interesting, Lopra. I wasn’t mistaken in asking about this person.” He turned back to her, s