Lindarion stood still, watching Erebus, who didn't even acknowledge his presence. Luna, seeing this, cleared her throat and turned to Erebus. "So, why are you two here?" She smiled as she spoke, her voice lighthearted. "He needs to improve. Let him spar with some of your people." Luna's smile stiffened as she raised an eyebrow, glancing at Lindarion, who returned her look. "This is a military camp, not a training ground." Shaking her head, she turned back to Erebus. "You know that very well, Erebus." Erebus sighed, pulling back his hood. His hands reached for Lindarion, yanking down his hood as well. Lindarion's long blonde hair spilled out, his emerald-green eyes gleaming like an endless forest. His tall, pointed ears sat elegantly against his face. "I know exactly what this place is. But once you see what he's capable of, you won't believe your own eyes. The brat's a genius. He's not like us." Luna's gaze swept over Lindarion, unimpressed. "An elf genius? That's hardly rare, y'know." She turned back to Erebus and sighed. "Fine. Just this once." Erebus nodded, and Lindarion did the same as they followed Luna toward the gathered soldiers. Luna's voice boomed, and the soldiers immediately snapped to order, abandoning their relaxed postures. Lindarion found their sudden discipline strange, but his face betrayed nothing. Luna surveyed them before pointing at Lindarion. "Erebus brought a fresh elf for some sparring." Then, with a smirk, she added, "Who wants to fight him?" Some soldiers scratched their heads. Others whistled, pretending not to hear. Luna's smile twitched. A vein bulged on her forehead. Before anyone could reply, Erebus's cold voice cut through the air. All eyes turned to Lindarion. 'Did you have to say that, you bastard?' A few soldiers shouted, puffing up their chests. Lindarion's eye twitched. 'The brainpower here is concerning…' Then, a towering bald man stepped forward. He was built like a lighthouse crossed with a bulldozer. The giant rested a massive battle axe on his shoulder. "I'll take the little elf." Lindarion could feel the weight of his voice. Luna cut in, her tone sharp. "Get into formation properly." The giant only smiled sweetly, like some angelic brute. In an instant, the soldiers formed a circle around them, eager for the show. Luna's voice echoed, followed by cheers from the soldiers, some already holding drinks. Erebus and Lindarion locked eyes. Erebus nodded. 'You fucking bastard.' "What's your name, little elf? I'm Kelldor." His footsteps shook the ground as mana surged around him. Lindarion didn't respond. He just tightened his grip on his sword. Kelldor's grin widened. "Then I'll beat it out of you!" With a roar, he lunged. The sheer force of his takeoff left a crater behind. 'This is a goddamn giant.' In a blink, Kelldor was in front of him. His massive axe swung, splitting the air like a bolt of lightning. 'If I don't dodge, I'll snap like a twig.' Lindarion stepped back, using his speed to avoid the attack. But Kelldor didn't stop. Using his momentum, he brought the axe down, aiming for Lindarion's head. Mana surged into the blade. Luna's eyes widened. The soldiers roared. 'This is gonna hurt.' Mana flooded Lindarion's body and sword. A thunderous explosion shook the camp, kicking up a dust cloud. Erebus remained still, watching. Had she miscalculated? Had she just sent some genius noble kid to his grave? The question lingered in the heavy silence. The tension was thick enough to cut with a blade. Erebus's usually cold voice sliced through the air as the dust settled. Gasps rippled through the soldiers. Lindarion was still standing. His feet were buried a little in the ground, but his sword held firm against Kelldor's axe. The cheers resumed as Lindarion stepped back. He created distance between himself and Kelldor. 'I really thought I was dead.' Strengthening his body and sword had drained a lot of mana. Shaking his head, he locked eyes with Kelldor, who remained still. Then, the giant grinned. Loudly. His voice was booming. So loud it felt like an explosion. "Hahaha! You're not bad, little elf!" Slow, heavy steps carried him forward. Lindarion readied his stance. 'This giant's completely insane…' Kelldor dashed toward him, axe raised. Lindarion blurred away. [Mana Thread Manipulation] Golden threads wrapped around Kelldor's axe as they tried to hold it up. "These little tricks won't work on me, elf!" He channeled more mana into his axe, slashing through the golden threads with ease. 'That's definitely a problem.' Lindarion barely dodged as the axe slammed into the ground, splitting it apart. Kelldor wrenched his axe free and attacked again. Lindarion's movements became seamless, flowing like water. But Kelldor grinned, pouring even more mana into his axe. Lightning crackled around it. Even some of the soldiers started cheering for Lindarion now. Erebus remained motionless, watching. Lindarion stepped forward, slipping past the incoming axe. To everyone else, he vanished. He reappeared in front of Kelldor, sword glowing with mana. His blade slashed forward— In a flash, lightning surged into his legs. His knee slammed into Lindarion's side. Lindarion soared across the battlefield, rolling across the dirt. By the time he scrambled up, Kelldor was already standing over him. "You lost, little elf." Then, he laughed, grabbing Lindarion and yanking him upright. "Good fight, elf-chick." He patted Lindarion's back so hard he nearly fell over. Lindarion coughed, dragging himself toward Erebus and Luna. The soldiers erupted into cheers and applause. Kelldor strolled over, grinning. "Not bad!" Luna said, smiling. Lindarion nodded. Then he looked at Erebus. "You didn't stand a chance against Kelldor." His tone was cold as he turned to Luna. "Well… true. Kelldor's strong, but he's not even in our top three." He turned to Erebus. Then Luna. His eyes twitched as Luna's words echoed in his head. That day had been… eventful. Lindarion had fought three more men—and won against all of them. None of them were anywhere near Kelldor's level. 'Not bad. Way, way better than the ones I fought back at the camp.' His thoughts drifted back to Twelve and Eight, and before he realized it, a small smile tugged at his lips. 'I wonder what they are up to." Before he could spiral deeper into his memories, a firm hand landed on his shoulder. Lindarion sighed but got up, following Erebus, who was already making his way toward Luna. "You're leaving already?" she asked, an amused smile on her lips. 'We are leaving? Since when?' "Good luck," Luna said, her warm voice lingering in the air like an omen as she smiled at the two of them. Before Lindarion could even ask where they were going, Erebus pulled his hood over his head—and then Lindarion's as well. Erebus's hand pressed against his forehead. The space around them ripped apart without hesitation. Next thing he knew, they were standing in a dimly lit room, the familiar scent of alcohol and cheap tobacco clinging to the air. A familiar bartender looked up from polishing a glass and gave them a knowing grin. "Welcome back, gentlemen." Every single day, Lindarion and Erebus hunted bounties, piling up more money than he'd ever know what to do with. More importantly, his mana core had advanced by a whole tier. No, more than just a whole tier. His mana core was at the Refined Core, Mid-Tier currently. He lost count of how many people he had killed. At some point, the numbers stopped meaning anything. He stopped caring about them and stopped counting every kill. At present, Lindarion was doing push-ups in the middle of a forest. Erebus, as always, was watching him with the same cold, analytical gaze. Erebus's voice cut through the silence like a refined blade. Lindarion pushed himself up and got to his feet, rolling his shoulders as he relaxed his tense body. His body had changed. Lean muscle, honed definition—his hair now reached his waist, and his face had become sharper, more striking. Like a damn male model. "It's time to return to the camp." Erebus tossed him his cloak. Lindarion caught it with one hand and slipped it on. Erebus took a step forward, placing his palm against Lindarion's forehead. A sharp rip in space. And sitting in front of them… was a very familiar face. A face that he hadn't forgotten even after months.