After the meal finally ended, the atmosphere inside the dining hall became strangely quiet.Not because the candidates had run out of things to say, but because most of them were too full to speak properly anymore. Plates that had once been overloaded with food now sat nearly empty across the tables while several of the candidates leaned back in their chairs with exhausted expressions that somehow looked peaceful for the first time since arriving at Ashwake House.Eli looked especially dramatic.The boy had both hands over his stomach as if he had just survived a life-threatening experience.“I think I ate too much,” he groaned weakly.Andrew looked at him with complete disappointment. “That sentence should embarrass you.”Eli turned his head slowly. “I haven’t had the chance to eat too much in my entire life. Allow me this moment.”A few candidates nearby laughed quietly.Even Lyra shook her head slightly while hiding a faint smile behind her cup.Before the conversations could conti

The closer they got to the capital, the slower Andrew’s footsteps became.Not because he was tired.Not because the journey had worn him down.But because the city ahead no longer looked real.Even from a distance, the capital had already seemed enormous, large enough to make Blackmere City look like a forgotten village hidden beside the road. Yet now that they were finally approaching it directly, Andrew realized his first impression had still underestimated the sheer scale of the place.The walls alone were monstrous.Massive black stone stretched endlessly in both directions, so high that Andrew had to tilt his head upward slightly just to see the top clearly. Huge banners fluttered above the gates while armored guards stood watch from elevated towers with spears longer than ordinary men.The road leading into the capital was crowded beyond belief.Merchants guided wagons loaded with goods toward the entrance while travelers moved in groups carrying bags, weapons, or crates. Horses

The moment they stepped out of the central hall, it felt as though everyone had been allowed to breathe again.The giant black doors closed slowly behind them with a deep metallic sound that echoed through the corridor, cutting them off completely from the overwhelming pressure of Guild Master Vaelric’s presence. Several of the newly recruited members visibly relaxed afterward, while a few others wiped sweat from their faces as discreetly as possible.Even Kellan, who usually carried himself with cold confidence, looked far more serious than before.Andrew noticed it immediately.Interesting.So even the great shadow prodigy could feel fear.Beside him, Eli exhaled loudly while placing both hands dramatically over his chest.“I almost died,” he muttered. “I swear my soul left my body halfway through that meeting.”Andrew smirked faintly. “Weak.”Eli stared at him in disbelief. “Weak? Did you not feel that terrifying pressure?”“I did.”“And you’re calling me weak?”“Yes.”“You’re unbe

The classroom remained silent after Seran’s final words.Some should not exist at all.The statement lingered heavily inside the chamber long after he stopped speaking, and Andrew noticed immediately that the atmosphere among the recruits had changed. Earlier, they had been curious. Interested. Even excited at certain points.Now they looked uneasy.Even Ronan, who normally carried himself with confidence, seemed more alert than before.Seran allowed the silence to settle for several seconds before walking slowly toward another shelf positioned near the side of the chamber. Resting there were several old objects sealed behind transparent crystal panels.Claws.Fragments of blackened bone.A cracked helmet stained dark red.And something else.A long jagged tooth nearly the size of Andrew’s forearm.Eli stared at it immediately.“…That came from a monster?”“Yes.”Eli swallowed. “That thing had a mouth large enough for that to fit inside?”“Yes.”“…I suddenly miss Ashwake.”“No, you do

A few recruits still remained seated, trying to imitate the breathing method he had shown them earlier, while others quietly discussed everything Seran had taught them about Aether, affinities, and the monsters beyond the Rifts. The atmosphere was no longer as noisy as before. Everyone seemed more thoughtful now, as though the reality of the world had finally settled properly into their minds.Eli was stretched across two chairs dramatically, one arm hanging downward while he stared at the ceiling with the expression of a man who had just discovered life was far more difficult than he expected.“I miss ignorance,” he muttered weakly.Andrew, who stood nearby with his arms folded, glanced at him briefly.“You say that every hour.”“Because every hour this world becomes more terrifying.”Lyra remained quiet beside them.Unlike Eli, she wasn’t joking around. Her eyes occasionally drifted toward the exit Kellan had used earlier, and the more she thought about it, the more uncomfortable sh