"It gives me chills just looking at it." Sweat ran down Reynolds' face.
"Same," Ceal agreed.
"....."
Kayden stared at them.
"So... what are we waiting for?"
Kayden glanced to the right and pointed his thumb in that direction.
"Them," he answered sharply.
Three figures approached them—a man and two women. One of the women had brown hair, while the other had golden hair, standing on the right and left respectively. The man had blond hair and was quite handsome—though not as handsome as Kayden, Jayden, or even Reynolds.
"Hello. I'm Charles Newman." The man gave them an arrogant introduction. He then gestured toward the golden-haired girl. "This is Princess Mman."
"Hi!" The golden-haired girl greeted them enthusiastically.
"And this is Adreillia Croft."
The brown-haired girl arrogantly straightened her posture, looking at them with an air of superiority.
Kayden's eyebrow twitched.
He said nothing.
Reynolds noticed his reaction but chose not to comment.
"Now that they're here, let's go," Reynolds said, breaking the tension.
Inside the Secret Realm
It was a huge, dark cave, with just enough light for the human eye to make out its surroundings. They headed toward the source of the light, which appeared to be coming from the end of the cave.
As they walked, Reynolds struck up a conversation with Princess Mman, while Charles flirted with Adreillia.
As for Kayden, he was paired with Ceal. However, Ceal did almost all the talking while Kayden occasionally responded with a sentence or two.
Eventually, they reached the exit.
A woman stood there, waiting for them.
"Took you long enough."
Kayden immediately reached for his sword.
"No need to be on alert," the woman said calmly. "I'm your guide to the school."
"School?" Charles instinctively scratched his head.
"Oh, right." The woman smiled. "Welcome to the Ancient Inter-Race Academy."
Everyone except Kayden wore a shocked expression.
Ten Minutes Later
"So, you're saying that city is a school?" Reynolds asked, emphasizing the word city as he stared at the enormous settlement nearly a hundred kilometers away.
"Yes," the woman replied.
"Can we trust you?" Kayden asked.
"Yes."
"We don't even know your name, and you expect us to trust you?"
Kayden stared at her as though he were trying to see straight through her soul.
"Ah, sorry about that." The woman placed a hand against her chest. "My name is Louise."
"And how exactly are we getting there?" Charles asked, looking down at the enormous cliff before them.
"Oh..."
Before anyone could say another word, Kayden immediately drew his sword.
A second later, an immense pressure descended upon them.
"It's here," Louise said with a smile.
Something emerged from beneath the cliff.
A drake.
It roared, the thunderous sound echoing through the area and forcing most of them to cover their ears.
Everyone immediately drew their weapons.
That was when Charles noticed something was wrong.
Their ranks had been suppressed to Future Rank.
"Shit," Charles cursed.