The rain of glass from the rooftop skirmish settled, leaving the alleyway quiet once more under the neon glow of Builder City. Lam stood tall, the intense red light in his eyes slowly dimming back to normal as he turned his attention to the shivering teenager he had just rescued with his teleportation.
"Tell me your name," Lam ordered, his voice carrying the calm authority of a true leader.
"My name is Fred," the boy answered, wiping dust from his clothes. He looked up at his savior, blinking in awe. "And you?"
"I am Khandaker Lyloth Hasan Loth Khalid Ibne Lam," Lam answered proudly. "I am LWC in short, aka LAM WORLD CHAMPION."
Fred's eyes widened, his jaw nearly dropping. "Are you... are you really a World Champion?"
"Yes," Lam answered without a shred of doubt. "Will you join my guild, DREAMHUNTERS?"
"It sounds great... but sorry, I can't," Fred answered, his voice suddenly sinking into a tone of limitless sorrow. He paused, looking at the glowing logo plate he held, before asking, "Wait... what would my role even be?"
"Builder, dude. We need it," Lam answered smoothly, stepping closer. "Look, if you join, you will get a guild badge completely for free. You can visit the End dimension anytime you want because it is my motherly home. Everything will be free for you, and we have Saad—a brilliant tech guy—ready to help you with anything."
"Sorry... I am not a builder," Fred answered, his voice heavy with deep, lingering sorrow.
Faizan stepped forward, his hand still resting on the hilt of his Diamond Sword, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Why? This is a city of builders! Eighty percent of the people here are in the craft. So why aren't you one?"
"Because... I want to be an explorer who travels freely," Fred answered, clutching his satchel tightly. "I don't want to be trapped building walls for the elite. That's why the city enforcers were trying to kill me. They don't allow unlicensed explorers here."
Lam didn't waste a single millisecond. A true leader knows when a path has reached its end. "Ah! Let's go, boys. We have to find our real builder," Lam ordered, turning back toward the hotel.
"Wait!" Fred called out, stepping after them. "I can't join you... but I can help you find someone who fits perfectly."
Lam turned his head, a flash of genuine joy brightening his expression. "Ok, bro! Show us."
Fred guided the DREAMHUNTERS through the winding, modern corridors of the lower district, far away from the rigid structures of the Top 7 Builders. Finally, they arrived at a hidden workshop where a young man was busy examining complex structural designs.
"This is Shoaib," Fred introduced.
Lam stepped up, his predatory eyes locking onto the new target. "Hola! Are you a builder?" Lam asked directly. "If yes... what is your dream?"
CLIFFHANGER:
Shoaib stopped working, dropping his tools as he looked at the diverse squad standing in his doorway. The ultimate test for the final member of the DREAMHUNTERS Core was about to begin.