[Vesna]


    It’s been three weeks since I arrived at the Association.


    And on literally the first day, I got beaten to a pulp along with the rest of my team.


    I had assumed that after joining, we’d be given clearance to roam the planet freely. But Mr. Arceid? He was unconventional, to say the least.


    Honestly, it was probably for the best.


    I knew—at least from what I’d heard—that true horrors lurked outside. This way, we could train under Mr. Arceid’s guidance without walking into certain death.


    That’s exactly what we did for the past three weeks.


    Our powers had been sharpened through constant combat with him.


    Funnily enough, we were officially recognized as a team now. Whenever a breach occurred, we would be deployed together to protect civilians.


    The collective beatings we suffered definitely helped us bond.


    Kaltain, for instance, turned out to be surprisingly easygoing. I had assumed he was stiff and overly formal, but while he carried himself like a gentleman, he was strangely relaxed with us. Almost too chill at times.


    Azrael, however, was the biggest contrast. Among us, he was by far the most extroverted, always initiating conversations. But with strangers? He barely spoke.


    I had sworn to keep my distance from others—to focus on growing stronger alone, unseen.


    Yet here I was, practically playing house with people my age.


    We were getting stronger at a rapid pace, but it completely contradicted the philosophy I had lived by.


    I shouldn’t dwell on it too much. Probably.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ……


    We had already taken our daily beating and were training with our preferred weapons when a team call came through.


    Making my way to the administrative room, I found that Kaltain and Azrael were right behind me.


    Inside, Miss Larrisa greeted us with a faint smile.


    “Looks like your first mission is here.”


    Azrael sighed, sounding almost relieved. “Finally. Where are we going?”


    Larrisa laughed, this time with genuine amusement. “You’re awfully eager. Most teams react like they’ve been sent to their graves.”


    Azrael grumbled, “Yeah, yeah, we know. Just tell us the job.”


    It was a low mutter, but I heard it.


    …Which meant she definitely did too.


    Her smirk only widened. “I suppose I shouldn’t waste your time—otherwise, a certain someone might get irritated.”


    Beside me, Kaltain murmured, “She heard that, right?”


    I nodded. Yup. If we heard it, she definitely did.


    She tapped on her bracelet, materializing a holographic screen.


    “This is Sector 56, a Bronze-Level Zone—also known as The Nest.” She swiped across the screen. “It’s currently showing signs of a combined breach. Your job is simple: prevent casualties.”


    Azrael sneered. “Didn’t you guys forbid us from going to dangerous places? No matter how you sugarcoat it, a combined breach is dangerous.”


    Larrisa smirked. “Aww, is little Azrael scared? You don’t have to go if you’re too afraid.”


    These two could not stay in a room together without pissing each other off.


    Rubbing more salt into the wound, she continued, “Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one? What happened? Horde-type breaches consist of Mortal Rank creatures, with the occasional Planetoid Rank. So logically, a large-scale combined breach should contain weaker creatures, right?”


    Azrael mumbled, “Fine. When do we leave?”


    “Right now.” She closed the hologram. “Junia can’t drop you directly into Sector 56, but she’ll teleport you to Sector 55.”


    Kaltain frowned. “Why? Why can’t Miss Junia teleport us straight to our location?”


    Larrisa raised a brow. “Finally, a decent question.” She leaned in mockingly. “I’d expect Azrael to know this, but I guess even he has doubts sometimes.”


    Azrael interrupted. “The cosmic energy in that area is too dense. If she tries to teleport us directly, it could trigger a chain reaction—like setting off a time bomb.”


    Larrisa snapped her fingers. “Exactly! Sometimes you can be smart.”


    Saying something nice about him physically pained her, if her expression was anything to go by.


    She waved us off. “Now go before I change my mind.”


    ……


    As we walked through the corridors, Kaltain broke the silence.


    “Have you guys ever been to a Bronze-Level Zone before?”


    Azrael, walking ahead, waved dismissively. “Nope. First time. Should be fun, I guess? What do you guys think?”


    I pondered for a moment.


    “It won’t be ‘fun’ at all,” I answered. “People there live in constant fear—every second could be their last.”


    Kaltain sighed. “That’s awful… They don’t even have the strength to defend themselves since they can’t harness cosmic energy.”


    I knew fakers when I saw them.


    I had seen enough in my previous life to recognize when someone was pretending.


    And Kaltain? He was pretending.


    For whatever reason, I wasn’t sure.


    Azrael, who had been walking ahead, stopped abruptly.


    He turned back to face us, his usual laid-back demeanor replaced with something serious.


    “That’s their fault,” he said simply. “For being weak. Don’t think too much about it.”


    This was the first time I had seen him look like this.


    It was oddly refreshing.


    Kaltain stepped forward, throwing an arm over Azrael’s shoulder.


    “You’re not wrong,” he admitted. “But if we can save people, we should. Don’t you think so too?”


    Azrael didn’t respond.


    He just kept walking.


    I followed.


    Without realizing it, we had arrived at our usual training grounds.


    Unconsciously.


    Then, just as we were about to speak, Junia’s call interrupted our thoughts.


    It was time to go.