Daniel burst into laughter. The sound escaped before he could stop it. "Hahaha!" He bent over slightly, clutching his stomach. For a moment, he genuinely thought the officer was joking. A God-Tier Beast Summoner? Scott? The idea sounded so ridiculous that he couldn't help himself. Only two people failed to find the situation amusing. Scott. And the officer. The officer slowly turned his head toward Daniel. His expression didn't change. Yet the pressure in his gaze felt like a mountain crashing down. Daniel's laughter instantly died. His body stiffened. A chill ran down his spine. Suddenly, laughing didn't seem like a good idea anymore. Scott forced an awkward smile. "I'm sorry, sir." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I think you've mistaken me for someone else." The officer remained silent. Then, to Scott's complete surprise, the man stepped closer. Much closer. He leaned forward and started sniffing him. Scott froze. The officer

The telekinesis user's screams had barely faded when another one of Kelvin's followers lost control of his anger."You bastard!"The boy raised both hands.A massive boulder ripped itself from the ground and shot toward Scott.Several students gasped.The rock was large enough to crush a person flat.Then something impossible happened.The caster suddenly sank into the earth.His legs vanished first.Then his waist.Then his chest.It was as if the ground had come alive and decided to swallow him whole.The boulder he had created immediately fell back toward him.The boy's eyes widened in horror."Aahhh!"Just before it could flatten him, he desperately cast another spell.The giant rock split into two pieces and crashed on either side of him.BOOM!Dust exploded everywhere.The remaining three students looked at the scene.Then at Scott.Then at their broken friends.A second later, they ran.Nobody tried acting brave.Nobody stayed behind.They simply fled.Kelvin staggered backward

Several minutes passed after Scott left.Nobody in the sitting room spoke.The servants stood frozen.The guards avoided eye contact.Even Kelvin remained unusually quiet.Finally, Kelvin broke the silence."Dad."His voice sounded annoyed more than afraid."He's already gone."Vargan slowly looked at him."Why were you so scared of him?"Kelvin frowned."It was just one boy."Vargan stared at his son for a long moment.Then he sighed heavily."You are not a summoner yet."His voice was calm now."You cannot possibly understand the value of a Commander-Rank God-Tier Beast."Kelvin rolled his eyes.Here comes the story again.Vargan continued anyway."To obtain Kel, I participated in an expedition to the Abyssal Maw."The room immediately grew quieter.Even some servants looked uncomfortable hearing the name."It was a hunting ground where God-Tier Beasts roam freely."Vargan's eyes darkened."Fifty summoners entered that place."He raised five fingers."Only ten of us came back alive.

Scott and Daniel stood across from each other, wooden weapons in hand.Months of training had changed Scott completely.The skinny slave boy who could barely survive the obstacle course was gone. His movements were sharper. His breathing was calmer. His eyes carried focus instead of desperation.Mr. Zen, Raya, and Jessica watched from the side."Try not to get knocked out too quickly this time," Daniel teased, spinning his wooden sword.Scott smirked."I'll try not to embarrass you in front of your family."Daniel laughed."Big words from someone who spent three months eating dirt.""Experience is the best teacher.""Then you should be a grandmaster by now."The spectators chuckled.Daniel suddenly pushed off the ground.His wooden sword came crashing down toward Scott's head.Scott did not block.He slipped sideways at the last second.Whoosh!The sword sliced through empty air.At the same time, Scott's wooden dagger flashed toward Daniel's ribs.Daniel had expected it.He casually

Later that night, Scott finally kept the promise he had made to Jessica.He told her to meet him at the spring after everyone had settled down.The moment Jessica left her room, two shadows slipped out from elsewhere in the mansion.Raya narrowed her eyes suspiciously."I refuse to believe Scott is taking her somewhere fun and not telling us."Daniel nodded immediately."Exactly. This is a matter of great importance."You just want to know what's going on.""So do you.""Fair point."The two quietly followed behind Jessica.A few minutes later, Jessica arrived at the spring."Scott?" she called.No answer.She looked around but found no sign of him, then she noticed a strange circle drawn on the ground. Intricate red lines formed patterns she had never seen before. Beside it was a simple arrow pointing toward the center.Jessica blinked."What is this?"Her curiosity won before she knew it, and with a smile, she stepped into the circle, though she suspected it could be enchanted with