"Well that was intense," muttered Daniel, his curiosity toward the Astral Veil finally overflowing.
"Senior, what exactly is the Astral Veil? And where is the Monarchy of Glory's Bane?"
"Ahem, I forgot for a moment that you're a newly graduated student, so let me explain." Lucas cleared his throat before continuing. "The Astral Veil is one of the strongest guilds in the world, with at least five publicly known Monarch Rank beings backing it. They specialize in matters related to cosmic concepts such as fate, time, and space."
His expression grew slightly serious. "Their headquarters are said to be located within the Monarchy of Glory's Bane, a terrifying power ruled by the Vice Guild Leader of the Astral Veil himself."
As he spoke, Lucas' gaze drifted toward the devastated surroundings. Cracked streets stretched across the academy grounds, shattered walls littered the area, and several buildings in the distance were still partially collapsed from the pressure released earlier.
The more he looked, the more his heart bled.
A quick estimate flashed through his mind.
One hundred and fifty thousand Credits or roughly one thousand five hundred Low Quality Origin Stones.
His fingers twitched around his walking cane.
Ninety percent of the damage had been caused by those two lunatic Guild Leaders and that terrifying Lord Rank expert from the Astral Veil. Yet somehow, the burden of repairing everything would still fall onto the academy.
Lucas silently swore that one day he would make those bastards pay for every last Credit.
"Hey, I heard there's a Spirit Druid here. I want to recruit her."
The sudden voice shattered the awkward silence that had formed after everyone realized just how terrifying the Astral Veil truly was.
Elizabeth casually stepped forward with her hands behind her back, her hazel eyes sweeping across the crowd with open interest.
"I hope you two won't start fighting me over this one."
A strange silence fell over the area after Elizabeth's declaration.
The white-haired man merely shrugged before turning around. "I have no interest in Spirit Druids. Our guild's path doesn't suit support-oriented Classes anyway."
The Astral Veil representative had already disappeared long ago, vanishing without a trace after the confrontation ended.
That only left Elizabeth standing there with an eager smile.
"Well then, looks like there's no competition."
"Hold on."
James suddenly stepped forward, brushing dust off his coat as he looked toward Selene thoughtfully.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Why are you stepping in? Since when did your guild recruit Spirit Druids?"
James coughed awkwardly. "We don't."
"Then?"
"I was just curious."
Elizabeth stared at him for several seconds before snorting. "You're hopeless."
James immediately frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You lead a guild filled with muscle-brained warriors, blacksmiths, berserkers, and flame maniacs. The closest thing your guild has to nature is accidentally setting forests on fire during training."
"That happened twice."
"It happened twice this month."
The surrounding students struggled to hold back their laughter.
James looked offended. "Physical-type Classes are honorable."
"I never said they weren't." Elizabeth crossed her arms smugly. "I'm just saying a Spirit Druid joining your guild would probably die from stress within a week."
James clicked his tongue. "Tch. Fine, fine. I admit Celestial Reign suits her far better."
Selene looked visibly relieved hearing that.
Elizabeth smiled victoriously before walking toward her.
"Don't worry, little girl. Celestial Reign may not specialize in Druids, but we have more than enough resources to nurture talents like yours properly."
Selene hesitated briefly before nodding respectfully, "I understand, Senior."
"Good." Elizabeth's smile widened in satisfaction.
James glanced at Selene once more before shrugging helplessly. "Well, congratulations then. Getting personally recruited by the Guild Leader of Celestial Reign is something most awakened can only dream about."
Elizabeth immediately smirked. "See? Even he admits I'm amazing."
James rolled his eyes. "Your ego somehow got bigger again."
"That's because I earned it."
"Sure."
Before the two could continue bickering, Elizabeth waved her hand dismissively.
"Anyway, I'll be taking her with me once preparations are complete. No objections, Principal?"
Lucas forced out a smile despite the pain in his heart from the destroyed academy surrounding him.
"Of course not."
Elizabeth nodded before golden mana slowly gathered around her body.
Even standing casually, the pressure radiating from the Guild Leader of Celestial Reign was immense enough to make the surrounding students instinctively hold their breath.
Space distorted faintly around her.
Then, in the next instant—
She vanished into a streak of radiant golden light alongside Selene, disappearing beyond the horizon.
The students remained frozen for several moments afterward.
Meanwhile, Daniel quietly slipped away amidst the lingering chaos.
By the time he reached the outer district of the city, the skies had already begun darkening. Unlike the prosperous inner districts filled with towering mana-powered structures and floating transport platforms, the outer district looked old and worn down by time. Narrow streets stretched between aging apartment buildings while dim mana lamps flickered overhead.
Daniel walked through the familiar roads silently.
Eventually, he stopped in front of an old apartment complex with cracked walls and rusted railings.
He slowly climbed two flights of stairs, the steps lined with trash. He eventually reached the second floor and stopped in front of an apartment door with a plaque on it— Home of Gina Williams and Garry Williams.
For a brief moment, memories surfaced in his mind.
A tired woman smiling softly while placing food onto the table. A tall man laughing loudly despite exhaustion covering his face after returning home from work.
Then they faded.
Three years ago, both of them had died during a monster tide that struck the outskirts of the city. Although the city's awakened forces eventually repelled the monsters, many civilians had still perished during the chaos.
His parents had simply been among the unlucky ones.
He opened the door to the apartment, the only thing that remained of the couple that his greedy relatives hadn't taken
The room greeted him with silence and an odd musky scent.
He entered the tiny kitchen with a small dining table in the center and made some cup noodles.
Even though he got around five thousand credits from the association almost all of it was taken by his greedy relatives, leaving him unable to even buy proper food
He quickly devoured the cup noodles, famished from the day's stressful events
Then he stood up and packed his measly belongings and finally closed the apartment door, leaving the place which he called home for over 18 years…