The night was calm, the sky a vast canvas of twinkling stars, while the crackling fire cast flickering shadows across the camp. The rest of the team had retierd to their makeshift wooden huts, leaving Sylphie on night watch. She sat in front of the fire, her eyes distant, lost in thought.
Ronan stepped out of his hut, stretching as the cool night air touched his skin. He spotted Sylphie by the fire and walked over. "Sylphie, it's my turn to stand guard. You should get some rest."
Sylphie, without turning, extended a hand toward an empty spot by the fire. "Sit. Let's talk for a bit before I go to bed."
Ronan smiled and took a seat. "Sure."
After a brief silence, Sylphie glanced at him. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Samantha's little brother, right?"
Ronan's expression immediately soured. "I'm her brother, but definitely not her little brother."
Sylphie stared at his face for a second, then burst into laughter, unable to contain herself. Ronan sighed. "That's not so funny."
She coughed twice, trying to regain composure. "Alright, alright. Then let me ask you something. Why didn't you join your sister's team?"
Ronan leaned back slightly, gazing at the fire. "If I joined her team, she'd never let me take risks. She'd always be there to clean up my messes and kill the monsters for me. I wouldn't grow. Besides, she's affiliated not only with the Academy but also has high standing in the Luminal Covenant. There are certain missions she wouldn't be able to take me on. If I want to forge my own path, joining or forming another team is my best option."
Sylphie nodded, feeding another stick into the fire. "She really cares about you."
Ronan waved a hand dismissively. "A bit too much, I'd say."
Sylphie playfully threw a small twig at him. "Hey, hey! There's no such thing as too much care. Care is care."
Ronan effortlessly dodged it, then let out an embarrassed chuckle, scratching the back of his head. Sylphie smiled, watching the fire dance before her. "Won't you regret joining this team?"
Ronan raised a brow. "Why would I?"
Sylphie's gaze turned to the sky, her voice quiet. "Because we're considered the weakest team. Every single one of us was either kicked out of our previous teams or never got a chance to join one in the first place."
Ronan smirked. "If that's the case, doesn't that make me the most useless of all? I only have a single element and a low mana capacity, and I'm not even eligible to take the God's Trials despite having a single element. Think about it: the Fire God's Trials' mana capacity requirement is almost triple mine."
Sylphie panicked slightly. "No, no! That's not what I—"
Ronan chuckled. "Relax, I know what you mean. But I've already accepted that people see me as weak. Most teams would reject me outright, and even if they accepted me, it'd only be because of my sister. That's why I chose this team—because I want to prove my own worth, not live in her shadow."
Sylphie studied him for a moment, then smiled. "I thought you joined just to make fun of us. You and your sister really are something. Samantha never looked down on anyone despite her superior mana capacity and even receiving the Light God's blessings. Maybe seeing you grow stronger day by day made her believe that with hard work, anyone could achieve great heights."
They sat in comfortable silence, exchanging stories and laughter before Sylphie finally stood up, stretching. "Alright, I'm heading to bed. Good night, Ronan."
"Good night," Ronan replied as she disappeared into her hut.
Left alone with the fire, Ronan crossed his legs and took out the Flame Hound's core, holding it between his fingers. The red crystal orb pulsed with a faint glow. He closed his eyes, focusing as the core's essence flowed into him. Thin crimson wisps drifted from the crystal, seeping into his chest like embers caught in the wind. One by one, he absorbed three monster cores, leaving behind dull, lifeless orbs.
Ronan turned them over in his palm, thinking, Even without essence, these still fetch a good price. He set them aside, adding more wood to the fire.
A few hours later, the door to one of the wooden cottages creaked open. Kael emerged, rubbing his arms against the night chill. "Ronan, it's my turn to stand guard."
Ronan glanced at the sky. "You're early."
Kael said, "I need to discuss a few things with you."
Ronan gestured to a log. "Sit. What's up?"
Kael sat down, staring into the flame and said, "I am the team leader. But what you showed today during the Flame Hound hunt was far greater than I anticipated. If I were to lead the team, I would never attack the Flame Hounds. I cannot execute commands the way you did—knowing when to attack, when to defend, and when to support. I am too afraid to make a mistake and get them injured. I don't want them to get hurt because of me."
Ronan replied, "I am also afraid of making mistakes. I am no better than you. Then let me ask you, why did you let them fight the Flame Hounds as soon as I asked?"
Kael replied, "I never asked them about those hunts, but as soon as you asked, they seemed like they were waiting for this opportunity. As if they wanted to risk gaining materials from a monster."
Ronan sighed and said, " If we want to get stronger, we need to take some kind of risk. Rather than asking me, you should ask your teammates about the risks and your concerns. As for me, I won't drag you in any hunt until I am one hundred per cent sure that we will win."
Kael said, "Sure, I will definitely ask them. Up until now, I thought, if I asked, they would blindly agree. So, I never asked. Then how about you becoming our strategist?"
Ronan replied, "No problem. I can work with that."
Kael asked, "You already know how our academy distributes skills, right?"
Ronan nodded. "Yeah. The library has three floors. The ground floor has low-tier magic skills, free for everyone. The first floor has mid-tier magic skills, and the second floor has high-tier magic skills. You need monster materials or rare herbs to exchange for the mid-tier or higher-tier ones."
Kael exhaled. "Exactly. I want to get some high-tier skills for our team, but the cost is… steep. I want to gather monster materials."
Ronan grinned. "Sure. Oh, by the way, I have some suggestions for which skills we should get."
Kael leaned forward, intrigued. "Go on."
Ronan continued, "First, you should aim for a high-tier illusion skill. That would suit you well. Second, we should get two skills for Sylphie. One should be an all-boosting skill—it enhances physical and magical strength, agility, awareness, defence, and endurance. I forgot the exact name, so we'll need to look it up. The second should be Droplet of Life, a powerful healing spell. It summons a giant sunflower that produces a dew drop, said to heal even those on the brink of death. And as for the rest of us, we can settle for mid-tier skills."
Kael stroked his chin. "That's a solid plan, but Sylphie is still at Adept Six. She can't learn the Droplet of Life yet. Shouldn't we pick something else?"
Ronan shook his head. "No, that'd be a mistake."
Kael frowned. "Why?"
Ronan replied, "She's close to advancing up to Master tier. Until then, she should focus on refining her vine control. That way, by the time she can use Droplet of Life, she'll have a stronger foundation."
Kael's expression softened. "You're right. That's a good idea."
They spoke for a while longer before Kael stood up. "Alright, you should get some rest."
Ronan stretched and yawned. "Yeah. Good night, Kael."
"Good night, Ronan."