The sun had already slipped low when Aaron walked back through the massive steel gates of Lemuria City. Orange light bled across the reinforced walls, catching on bloodstained armor and heavy packs of monster parts. Hunters streamed in and out of the checkpoint, faces tired, voices low. To them it was just another day grinding the frontier. To Aaron it had been something else entirely.
He had stood face to face with Feng Tianhao. Level one eighty-nine. S-Rank Dragon God Tamer. National Guardian whose name carried weight across the whole region. The man had offered him a direct line into Thunder Dragon Guild and a recommendation strong enough to open the doors of a Regional Elite Academy. Heavenly Phoenix. The kind of place most hunters only whispered about.
And Aaron had turned it down.
He moved through the security scan without a word. The guard barely glanced at him. No one in the crowd had any idea that the quiet freshman in plain combat gear had just walked away from an opportunity thousands would kill for. Aaron kept his pace even. The decision sat solid in his chest. No regret. No second thoughts. Guilds came with chains. The tournament was his stage first. He would build his name there before anyone else tried to claim it.
The city streets hummed with evening noise. Merchants shouted over stalls loaded with fresh cores and low-grade potions. Academy students clustered in groups, comparing gear and swapping predictions for the elimination round. Two days left. The air felt thicker with it.
Aaron cut through the noise and headed straight for the dormitory district. The tall buildings rose ahead, windows already glowing. He pushed open the main door and climbed the stairs. The hallway buzzed louder than usual. Doors stood half-open. Voices spilled out, arguing brackets, boasting about new weapons, worrying about matchups. He ignored it all and stopped at his own room.
The second he stepped inside, Rei looked up from the bed. The scout had been scrolling his phone, but the moment he saw Aaron he sat bolt upright.
"You're back," Rei said. His tone carried relief mixed with something sharper. "I was starting to think you'd stay out there until the gates locked."
Aaron closed the door behind him and dropped his bag by the desk. "I lost track of time."
Rei set the phone down. "You went to the wilderness again. Two days before elimination. Tell me you at least got some rest out there."
Aaron poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the desk. He took a slow drink before answering. "I met someone."
Rei leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Another hunter? Someone giving you trouble?"
"Not exactly." Aaron set the glass down. "Feng Tianhao."
The name landed. Rei's face went still for three full seconds. Then his eyes widened.
"Feng Tianhao," he repeated, voice low. "The Dragon Knight. National Guardian. Level one eighty-nine."
Aaron nodded once.
Rei stood up slow, like the floor might shift under him. "You met the Dragon Knight. In the wilderness. Today."
"He came out of a Nightmare rift," Aaron said. "We talked."
Rei rubbed a hand over his face. He looked like he needed a minute to let the words settle. "What did he want?"
"He offered me a spot in Thunder Dragon Guild. Personal recommendation. Straight path to a Regional Elite Academy if I wanted it."
The room went quiet. Rei stared at him, waiting for the rest. When it didn't come, he let out a short breath.
"And?"
"I declined."
Rei sat back down hard on the bed. The frame creaked under him. He stared at the floor for a long beat, then looked up again.
"You turned down Thunder Dragon Guild."
Aaron leaned against the desk. "Yes."
Rei's voice stayed even, but the tension sat right under it. "That guild doesn't hand out invitations. People train for years just to get noticed. A recommendation from Feng Tianhao himself… that's not something you walk away from."
"I know."
Rei stood again and paced the small space between the beds. Three steps one way, three the other. "You could have been out of this academy system in a month. Straight into the big leagues. Heavenly Phoenix. The real arena. And you chose to stay for the elimination round?"
Aaron watched him pace. "The tournament matters."
Rei stopped. "It's a school fight, Aaron. A stage for kids. You just turned down a National Guardian for a chance to swing swords in front of instructors and classmates."
"It's not just a school fight," Aaron said. His tone didn't rise. It didn't need to. "If I join Thunder Dragon now, every kill, every level, every step I take gets folded into their name. I become another name on their roster. I don't want to start my path under someone else's banner."
Rei ran a hand through his hair. "Most people would kill for that banner."
"I'm not most people."
The words landed flat. Rei studied him, searching for any crack. He didn't find one.
"You're really planning to win the whole thing," Rei said finally. It wasn't a question.
Aaron didn't answer right away. He crossed to the window and looked out over the academy grounds. Lights flickered in other dorms. Students still trained on the fields below, shadows moving under floodlights. Two days. The bracket would drop soon. Zheng Luic waited at the top. Kang Yue right behind him. Everyone else scrambling for position.
"I'm not here to place," Aaron said. "I'm here to stand at the center when it ends."
Rei let out a long breath and dropped back onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling. "You know the forum still has you ranked around thirtieth. They think you're a fluke from the qualifiers."
"Let them."
Rei turned his head. "And when you prove them wrong?"
Aaron's gaze stayed on the training fields. "Then the real conversation starts."
Silence stretched between them. Outside, someone laughed loud in the hallway. Footsteps passed the door. Rei finally sat up again.
"You're insane," he said. There was no heat in it this time. Just fact. "But if anyone can pull this off, it's you."
Aaron gave a small nod. He picked up the Abyssfang Blade from where it leaned against the wall and tested the edge with his thumb. The black metal felt cool, familiar. Golden runes caught the lamplight for a second.
"Get some sleep," he told Rei. "Tomorrow we train and there is no holding back."
Rei smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You never do."
Aaron sheathed the blade and lay down on his own bed. The ceiling stared back at him, plain and unremarkable. Outside the window the city lights glowed against the night. Somewhere beyond the walls the wilderness waited, full of rifts and monsters and choices that could change everything.
He closed his eyes.
Two days.
The elimination round would begin soon.
And when it did, the entire academy would learn exactly what an E-Rank Laborer could do when no one held the leash.