"Well, it's nothing much—just that we've known each other for a while and decided to form a team to explore the ruin." Zoe replied calmly to Christine's question, casting a glance full of superiority in her direction.
"Rather, I didn't know you were acquainted with Erik, Disciple Taylor." Elara quickly added in a cheerful tone, though her inflection at the end hinted at something more.
"Fufu." Christine smiled elegantly, her eyes throwing daggers at Zoe and Elara, who responded with scornful, defiant stares of their own. Then Christine spoke in a casual tone,
"It's not like we really know each other—it's just that we happened to meet and naturally started talking. It truly is a pleasure to meet such a charming gentleman as Disciple Erik."
At Christine's pointed words, Elara and Zoe shot her warning glares, which she effortlessly ignored as she turned to Erik with a smile and asked.
"But it really is a good thing to form teams for exploration. It must be quite encouraging to work closely with someone as capable as Disciple Erik."
"It's nothing like that. It was just a random idea Zoe and Elara had to help guide me a little. After all, I'm the youngest and lack experience."
Erik lied naturally, which brought beautiful smiles to Elara and Zoe's faces. After all, the star-haired young man had just handed them the initiative regarding the team they had agreed to form—or, in other words, he had just elegantly and subtly crushed the door Christine was trying to force open for herself.
Wanting to capitalize on the initiative Erik had just given them, Zoe quickly tried to speak—but at that moment, a young man approached. He had short black hair with red tips at the top and wore a sleek cobalt-blue plate armor adorned with ornate golden trim, filigree, and runes. A segmented skirt decorated with more runes and a flowing cape hanging from his pauldrons completed his impressive look.
"Hello again, Disciple Belmonte, Disciple Laverne." Ethan greeted politely before turning to Christine with a smile.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Ethan Williams, disciple of Master Jessica Roa."
"Oh, a pleasure to meet you as well, Disciple Williams. I'm Christine Taylor, disciple of Master Albert Taylor."
Christine replied with a charming smile, acting as if it were the first time she had ever seen the young man, with not the slightest intention of mentioning their clash during the tournament.
Ethan, aware that Elara and Zoe weren't particularly fond of the hot chick standing in front of him, quickly turned to look at Erik—the young man he had heard so much about and was eager to meet. He extended his right hand as he spoke in a cordial tone.
"Direct Disciple Erik, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I've heard a lot about you from my master and my sister."
"The pleasure is mine, Direct Disciple Williams. I've also heard about you from Master Roa and Miss Laura." Erik replied kindly, taking Ethan's offered hand in greeting—though the look Ethan gave him stirred a fair bit of curiosity in Erik's mind.
(Is it just my imagination, or is this guy looking at me with a mix of pity and camaraderie? What a strange way to look at someone you're meeting for the first time…)
"Hehehe, I hope the things they said were at least half as good as what I've heard about you. Still, it really was a surprise to find out that Direct Disciple Erik knew my sister." Ethan said with a cheerful and casual tone as he released Erik's hand.
"It was just as surprising for me when I found out Laura was your older sister." Erik replied just as casually, selectively ignoring part of what the young man had said.
...
Meanwhile, the girls had been listening to the conversation between the two young men, which left Elara and Zoe quite surprised. After all, they were used to hearing from Liliana how unsociable Erik was. So the fact that he knew a woman well enough to call her by her first name—and without any title—immediately put them on alert.
"I really didn't know Disciple Williams had a sister. Is she a university student?" Elara asked casually, though her eyes revealed a slight trace of anxiety. Ethan, unaware of the mild concern reflected in Elara and Zoe's eyes, responded with a smile.
"Oh, yes. My older sister has been part of the Arcane Order since she was little, and she graduated from the university a long time ago. She currently runs the auction house her paternal grandparents left her."
"Oh, I suppose that's where Disciple Erik met her." Zoe commented with a smile, though her eyes were fixed intently on Erik's reaction. He simply responded in a relaxed tone.
"You suppose correctly. I happened to visit her auction house some time ago, and that's where I met her."
"What a coincidence. Truly, the world of direct disciples is a small one." Christine commented with her usual charming tone, feeling a bit left out of the conversation. Erik couldn't help but nod in agreement and reply sincerely.
"That's exactly what I thought—it was quite the coincidence."
…
As the group of young disciples continued chatting about random topics, a new group entered the hall—men and women clad in matte black futuristic-style armor, engraved with runes that faintly glowed. Some of them carried flags bearing the insignia of the Arcane Order.
What caught Erik's attention, however, was that many of them were holding what looked like magical versions of the assault rifles from his past life. Although he knew such weapons existed and were widely used among the infantry of the Arcane Order's armies, it was the first time he had ever seen them with his own eyes—university guards never carried them.
"The Honorable Director and the Esteemed Masters of the Order will now be present. Form ranks!"
Upon reaching the front of the hall, the apparent squad leader shouted the announcement, prompting the young disciples to quickly begin forming lines. At the same time, Christine spoke in her usual alluring and seductive tone.
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting Disciple Erik and Disciple Williams. I hope we can encounter each other inside the ruin… and perhaps cooperate."
With that said, Christine walked toward the center of the hall in a sensual manner, her hips swaying fluidly—somehow reminiscent of a seductive serpent—which inevitably made Ethan swallow hard, earning him a look of disgust from both Elara and Zoe.
"Erik, be very careful with that woman. She's a well-known vixen at the university and loves taking advantage of men who fall for her charms." Elara said, somewhat pleased to notice that Erik didn't even glance in Christine's direction as she walked away.
"Yes, Erik, try not to get involved with that woman. She only brings trouble." Zoe added seriously, also ignoring Ethan.
"Don't worry. I have no interest in getting involved with her. Let's just go form up." Erik replied casually, giving the matter little importance. The others nodded and quickly moved to take their places.
As Erik approached his spot in the formation, he pulled out a notebook with a yellow cover and quickly wrote down a name. At that moment, Seraphina asked in a neutral, professional tone.
"Young Master, did that young lady catch your attention?"
"Who? Christine Taylor?" Erik asked while putting the notebook back into his storage ring and turning to look at Seraphina, who nodded with a professional, emotionless expression. He quickly added in a serious tone.
"More than catching my interest, she gave me the creeps the moment I saw her. If I could've, I would've run away right then. That kind of woman is one of the worst enemies you can have. The best thing to do is play along just enough not to draw attention and stay as far away as possible. Women like that are like a wasp nest."
"The worst kind of enemy?" Seraphina asked curiously, though her expression now carried a much more relaxed smile. Erik then explained.
"Yes, one of the worst. That kind of woman is usually a specialist in creating enemies for you, and it doesn't matter whether you're on good or bad terms with her—her mere presence causes spineless fools to start targeting you. Just like a wasp nest. But when she does it deliberately, it's several times worse, since they're usually expert manipulators as well.
"So if you add that to her beauty and social standing, you can already imagine the amount of trouble she can cause. After all, humanity may lack many things, but it'll never run out of idiots who can only think with the head down below—and when they have power, they're a damn unbearable karma."
Erik added with a harsh expression, almost as if recalling a terrible memory, as he adjusted his posture. Meanwhile, Seraphina—who shamelessly remained at her young master's side—smiled slightly with visible satisfaction. And curiously, although the beautiful maid should have stood out like a sore thumb in the orderly lines formed by the young disciples, for some strange reason, no one seemed to notice her.
Shortly after the ranks were formed, a flash of light marked the sudden arrival of the Director, accompanied by all the Master-level mages who had been with him at the port—except for Adrian, who was nowhere to be seen. At that moment, the Director spoke in a serious tone.
"We're about to disembark, so remember to stand firm and not disgrace the name of the Arcane Order in front of the other factions."
""""YES, DIRECTOR!""""
The assembled youths shouted in unison, while the Director discreetly chuckled upon seeing Seraphina standing among the ranks behind Erik. Immediately after their response, a flash of light filled the hall, and everyone vanished from the room—leaving the once-bustling luxurious hall completely empty. Moments later, several staff members entered and began cleaning up quickly.
…
When the flash faded, Erik found himself greeted by a curious sight. He now stood upon an asteroid that seemed to span several kilometers in diameter—large enough to destroy a planet. It was surrounded by an energy shield formed of glowing hexagons, very similar to the one protecting the university, which Erik theorized must be responsible for the breathable air.
At the center of the asteroid stood something that could only be described as a fortress of impervious metal, bathed in a faint silver glow from the countless runes carved across its surface.
This metallic fortress was enclosed by another force field similar to the one around the asteroid and was heavily guarded by what appeared to be the military forces of all four major factions—each with weapons at the ready and sharp eyes. However, in Erik's opinion, the ones that stood out the most were the soldiers from the Order. Their futuristic armor was truly impressive.
Looking around, Erik spotted several groups composed of a few older individuals and around a hundred youths, all surrounded by armed personnel and others carrying flags with various symbols. However, only the guards of the Arcane Order wore matching futuristic-looking armor and wielded "magical rifles." The rest were clad in more traditional forms of armor.
Analyzing the scene more closely, Erik noticed that each of the other three groups had a figure standing at the front who exuded an incomprehensible power—so intense it seemed to bend the very space around them. Each of these central figures was surrounded by several others radiating a devastating level of strength, though clearly less than that of the person in the center.
As if performing some kind of strange greeting, the moment the Arcane Order's group arrived, the young people from the other three factions ignited their mana—almost as if trying to showcase their power—causing the air around them to fluctuate violently, taking Erik a bit by surprise.
In response to the "warm welcome", the youths of the Arcane Order ignited their mana as well, something Erik quickly mimicked. However, he soon noticed that under the pressure of the other three groups, they seemed to be slightly overwhelmed, making them appear a bit weak and vulnerable.
After thinking it through for a moment, Erik began to subtly manipulate the surrounding Myst, which for some reason felt noticeably "thicker" and "heavier" than usual—yet still easy for him to control.
Careful not to let anyone realize he was the one behind it, Erik made the Myst "dance" energetically around his group, which immediately boosted their momentum by several orders of magnitude—soon leaving the other groups in the dust.
Noticing how effective his trick had been, Erik looked around with a satisfied smile, which allowed him to see that the Director, his masters, and Thalia were all watching him with small smiles—especially the Director, who for a moment seemed to be struggling not to burst out laughing.
***
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Ethan's armor:
Armor and weapons of the Arcane Order Army:
Asteroid: