I immediately activated the Spirit Stone’s power before the dirt crashed on us. A wind barrier appeared just in time when the assailants charged at us like flies.

“

Euk!”

Their faces looked hideous after crashing into the barrier, but Rachel and I had grown accustomed to such sights.

Rachel looked at the barrier before looking back at me.

“Hajin… this is… by any chance…?”

It seemed she felt the Spirit Stone’s power when I activated it. I did use it once before, but it had been so hectic she probably didn’t notice back then. I didn’t particularly try to hide it either and honestly replied.

“I can use the spirits to an extent.”

Rachel’s eyes widened like an owl’s and I sheepishly smiled. The two people clinging to the wind barrier looked at us and shouted.

“

Huh?!

”

“Vice Leader!”

I recognized them too as Fermin and Kayle, but I had no idea why they showed up here. I promptly canceled the wind barrier.

“

Kyah!”

Both of them fell to the ground and jumped like springs towards Rachel.

“I missed you!”

They exclaimed and gave Rachel a big hug. She patted their backs.

“It’s fine now. You don’t have to cry. What about the others?”

“We haven’t met them yet…”

“Then, what brings the both of you here?”

“

Ah!

”

Fermin separated herself from Rachel.

“We found some clues regarding the clear condition. These voodoo dolls, nails, and some other stuff are required to cast a curse…”

Fermin rummaged through her backpack and took out a few items that served as catalysts for curses or rituals to summon the dead. She briefly paused to glance at me and I immediately checked if my mask properly covered my face. Thankfully, it still did its job.

“That person is…?”

“Our mercenary, Xtra.”

Rachel informed them.

“What?!” Fermin’s eyes shot open and she scanned me from head to toe.

“He’s shorter than I imagined!”

“…”

“I thought he would be at least 190 cm.”

I wanted to retort that my height could be considered average in South Korea, but I suppressed the urge to fight for my dignity. I despised the fact that I couldn’t alter my height with settings intervention.

“Fermin?”

Rachel rebuked her gently, yet sternly. Fermin immediately apologized with a bow.

“

Ah

, yes… I apologize…”

I simply shrugged it off.

Rachel sighed and looked at Fermin and Kayle’s dirty faces.

“That aside, where have the two of you been staying? Did you manage to find a place?”

“

Ah

, us? Well… we…”

***

Fermin led them to a cavern.

The entrance seemed quite shabby, but the interior had the basic necessities for humans to live. They had cooking utensils, gas stoves, gas lamps, and furniture like beds and dining tables. It seemed cozy like a mountain lodge.

“We stayed here and hunted wild animals on the mountain for food. Whatever we lacked, we went down to the nearby town and borrowed,” Fermin explained to them.

“Borrow?” Rachel asked with skepticism.

“Yes, there were a lot of butcheries nearby.”

“

Ah…

Are these furniture from there?”

“Yes, we borrowed them for now. I’ll have to pay them back once I make some money.”

Rachel felt slightly surprised as she sat on the bed named RikuRiku.

Fermin briefly hesitated before asking, “But Vice Leader, were you… together with Xtra the entire time?”

Rachel nodded and her heart sank as if heavy lead dragged it down. She found out about something she shouldn’t have. A part of her regretted finding out. She should’ve stayed still, so she wouldn’t experience such a dilemma right now.

“

Umm

…

Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened. I safely got by thanks to him.”

Rachel replied with a smile. She felt certain he collected pictures of her… because he liked her. He probably held on to these feelings for a long time now. It probably dated back to their days at Cube.

Rachel found his precious feelings burdensome, so she told him that she couldn’t give or receive any love.

“Anyways, you mentioned something around here?” Rachel changed the subject.

Fermin noticed her bitter smile, but feigned ignorance and went along with the flow.

“Yes, there’s a secret gathering place about a twenty minute climb from here.”

It certainly had something to do with the stage’s clear condition.

“Thank you. Then, we shouldn’t waste any time.”

Rachel steeled her resolve to investigate this secret gathering place, but ended up sighing.

She couldn’t help but feel bothered by what she saw. The picture on Hajin’s smartphone popped up in her mind as if to tease her. Did people usually collect pictures of the person they loved? Is that why he had pictures of her?

However, she had never fallen for anyone and had no idea how to deal with the situation. Should she coldly push him away because she couldn’t reciprocate his feelings? Or should she apologize and ask him to back off?

Rachel clenched her fists as various thoughts crossed her mind and weighed her heart.

“Vice Leader?”

“You don’t look so good, Vice Leader.”

Fermin and Kayle expressed their worries.

Rachel shook her head and stood up. “I’m fine. Let’s get moving.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The three of them left the cavern.

Kim Hajin volunteered to stand watch outside and looked at the night sky.

Fermin nudged Rachel’s arm and teased her.

“Look at him sitting all alone up there. Something happened, right?”

“N-No, nothing happened. What could possibly have happened?” Rachel retorted while breaking into a cold sweat.

Kim Hajin looked down at them from the tree.

“We’re heading out now!” Fermin shouted to him.

He came down from the tree without a word.

Fermin looked at Rachel and Kim Hajin a few times before grinning and turning around to lead the way.

Rustle… Rustle…

They walked through the mountain path covered with dead leaves. Rachel couldn’t help but be conscious of Kim Hajin walking in front of her. She tried her best not to be bothered. Fortunately, the walk wasn’t far.

“It’s over here.”

Fermin stopped in front of a suspicious bush.

The bush and tree branches covering the cave entrance emitted a sinister aura.

“I wanted to go in the moment I found it, but there seems to be an alarm.”

“…”

Kim Hajin suddenly stepped forward and used the Spirit Stone’s power to surround them with a mysterious wind. This made their bodies light enough to not trigger the alarm and they could even phase through objects.

“Wow?”

“What is this? What kind of buff is this? Did Vice Leader cast it?”

Fermin and Kayle’s eyes widened in surprise, but Rachel seemed even more shocked.

To think that he could use this much power from the spirits in a world without mana… No, now that she thought about it, it was Kim Hajin who helped awaken her ability to control spirits. Maybe, just maybe, he awakened this potential even earlier than her and helped her because he felt frustrated watching her.

Rachel followed Kim Hajin while lost in her own imagination.

The cave separated into multiple paths like an ant nest, but Kim Hajin continued without an ounce of hesitation.

“…”

Around ten minutes passed before he suddenly raised his hand and signaled them to stop. Then he sent a message through his smartwatch.

[There’s a group of people over there.]

Kim Hajin spotted a few hundred people ahead. All of them seemed possessed or bewitched while doing something.

“I think we’ll have to stop them…”

“Yeah.”

Kim Hajin took out the

[Black Lotus Bow]

when their surroundings began to collapse.

Drrrrrr!

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

A message popped up on their smartwatches.

[Your right to enter first has expired. You may reconnect after twelve hours.]

“What?”

They didn’t even have time to process the message as the space around them distorted and a ceiling covered in blue crystals appeared.

“What the hell?!” Kim Hajin exclaimed and immediately stood up. He looked around and found himself in the general assembly’s lounge.

However, Chae Nayun appeared in front of him.

“…”

They looked at each other without a word and neither of them expected such a meeting.

Chae Nayun’s mouth opened wide and her drink fell to the floor. She stood from her seat and ran out as fast as possible.

One other person sat beside her and had been left behind.

“Kim Hajin?”

Kim Hajin hurriedly put on his mask, but Yoo Yeonha snickered and crossed her arms over her chest. Then the door to the lounge opened and a group walked in.

“

Ah

, the first team returned.”

Kim Suho pointed at the English Royal Court members stacked on top of each other like a hamburger.

Yun Seung-Ah, Yi Yeonghan, and other guild representatives left sucking their thumbs this entire time entered the room.

“Why do all of you look like that?”

Aileen tilted her head at the English Royal Court members.

Rachel rubbed her aching head and checked her members first. All of them, including herself, managed to safely return. A few of them looked extremely haggard, but didn’t suffer from anything serious.

Aileen’s voice reverberated throughout the room.

“Now! Listen up and focus! The second and third tests will simultaneously take place in twelve hours!”

***

The English Royal Court members had forcibly returned to the general assembly hall after their right to first entry expired. They didn’t mind since they could simply re-enter after twelve hours. They also obtained a solid lead towards the test’s clear condition.

However, a lot of uncomfortable facts popped up during the test.

Rachel stood outside her balcony to calm her troubled heart. The view surrounded by nature looked calm and peaceful. Looking out the window slowly cleared her mind.

— I hope you will reach me soon, princess. I will wait for you at that place with this hope. That place… with less darkness and more sunlight. Less cold and more warmth than this world we live in…

She recalled meeting Lancaster in that stage. Lancaster had mentioned that place, but how could she possibly go there? What had Lancaster witnessed at this general assembly? Could they really change the course of what happened that day?

“No way, how is that even possible?” Rachel muttered to herself before sighing.

“I see that there’s someone above me.”

Someone suddenly spoke from below her. Rachel immediately recognized the voice as Sehat.

“Is that you? Sir Sehat?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

“I’m good at remembering people. Whether it’s their face or voice…”

“That’s quite amazing.”

Sehat spoke while clapping.

Rachel bitterly smiled and asked, “What did you do at your stage, Sir Sehat?”

“Well, there was nothing much other than struggling with hunger… I guess?”

“

Ah…

”

Rachel smiled and felt relieved she hadn’t been the only one.

“That’s alright. We managed to find some leads on the clear condition, so rest up and we’ll enter together next time.”

“I apologize. We’re always on the receiving end.”

“Please, don’t mention it. After all, we’re allies.”

“

Umm…

That person is Xtra, right?”

Sehat suddenly asked something strange.

“Pardon me?”

“There, that person wearing a mask.” Sehat pointed somewhere.

Rachel spotted Kim Hajin wearing his lotus-engraved mask and talking to Yoo Yeonha.

Yoo Yeonha said something first and Kim Hajin replied, but Rachel couldn’t hear anything from this distance. More importantly, how had they been acquainted here? Rachel couldn’t help but furrow her brows at them.

“It seems he knows Team Leader Yoo Yeonha as well. He’s quite the mysterious one. I hope to see the face under that mask one day.”

“Is that so? Anyways, I’ll excuse myself now,” Rachel curtly replied and went inside her room. She slammed her balcony door shut.

Bam!

Then she paced around her room for a while before making her way to their accommodation hall.

The English Royal Court had its own accommodation hall now. Their lodging underwent a drastic transformation after Xtra entered the general assembly with his massive amount of contribution points.

They now had an office, three floors with twenty-four rooms, and ten servants. They could invite others without feeling ashamed and could even rent out the remaining rooms for a fee.

“So, there was no mana over there?”

“How would we beat those undead without any mana?”

“Beats me. No, rather than that, how can they summon the undead when there’s no mana?”

The guild members gathered in the living room and exchanged information regarding the test. Rachel observed them for a while before making her way to the office.

“Amazing,” she uttered in astonishment.

This grand office looked like it belonged to a feudal lord from the medieval times. She looked around for anyone else before taking out a notebook with a lock in the middle.

[Diary]

She had been advised that keeping a diary would help her mental health, so she forced herself to write every day for the past six months.

Rachel picked up the quill on the desk and began writing what happened yesterday and today along with all her emotions. She continued writing until she regained her composure.

“

Hoo…

”

Rachel finally sighed in relief and looked at the clock. Thirty minutes had passed and her diary now contained nine pages of entries. She closed her diary and checked the thesis on her smartwatch. Kim Hajin submitted this thesis for the first test.

She focused on reading as hard as she could before sprawling on the desk.

Huff… Huff…

Her small and gentle breathing filled the room.

Did everything that happened tired her out that much?

Rachel dreamt a slightly strange dream.