He wasn't impressive.
Mid-twenties. Auburn hair. Dark eyes.
He carried a low-grade spear, the kind of weapon practically handed out in bulk to academy dropouts and street fighters. His mana rank barely scraped Mid Yellow-rank—which meant he was far weaker than even the lowest-ranked first-year at Mythos Academy.
Objectively speaking?
A complete nobody.
But I wasn't here for strength.
"Codename LazyPanda at your service," he greeted with a small bow, his tone somewhere between polite and utterly uninterested.
I gestured for him to follow. "We're talking somewhere else."
He didn't argue. Didn't hesitate.
Smart.
I led him out of the underworld, stepping back into the pulsing lights and clean streets of Avalon. The contrast was almost jarring—from dim neon corridors and whispered deals to towering skyscrapers and perfectly regulated hover traffic.
The same city.
Two different worlds.
We entered the same bar I had used as an entry point. This time, I took a seat.
