On the way back to the base, Dante thought about what had just happened. Although he had never killed anyone with his bare hands, he knew very well that death was part of a cultivator's life.

It wasn't as if those people deserve to outlive his family, anyway. Dante knew that what was at stake. Should he not be strong enough, was the suffering of his family.

Still, that didn't stop him from being surprised at the behavior of Sabrina, Rim and Hector. It was clearly not the first time they had killed someone. Besides the great difference in strength between them, Dante thought that their life experience was also essentially different.

Dante felt a slight disturbance as he passed through the barrier protecting the headquarters. again

Thinking that from the reaction of the others he was the only one who didn't know the full extent of the Drako clan, Dante saw fit to ask, "Hey guys, how much trouble are we in? The boss they talked about, is he some kind of famous slayer?"

When Dante mentioned the name of the clan, he saw Sabrina's countenance darken. At an appropriate time, he would have to ask her where she knew such a clan from.

"We're pretty fucked up, actually. He's the closest to gold besides Hector, and I bet he's making rapid progress. His clan is known for several high-ranking Slayers, so I'm sure his resources are almost endless," Rim said, as she ran her fingers over her chin thoughtfully.

"In fact, they are with six people in the top 10, and more allies in the top 100. They are undoubtedly the most influential clan around here, and certainly the favorites to have more disciples in the next phase of the trial" said Hector. Although Rim mentioned the other gold, he didn't seem the least bit worried. Dante can't help but wonder if he was that confident in his own strength.

"They're bastards, too. I met their members, and they were all horrible people. In the town where I worked, they promised security, but charged people a 'fee'. If they didn't pay, they would kill, or do worse things to, the families of the residents. They are the worst kind of people," Sabrina said, clenching her fists.

"And you think they'll find out who attacked them and come after us?" asked Dante, scared. He was clearly the weakest of the four. Yet another reason for the long list of getting stronger.

"It will be easy to find out, considering that our Qi types are quite peculiar. I think they would come after us anyway, because we are clear opponents to them, even sandbagging heavily," said Hector.

Dante recalled that he found it strange even how many points they had. "And why aren't you guys trying for real? I say, you could be among the best. Take more and more sacred materials."

"Because it's not the time yet. Hector and I, and I imagine Sabrina too, are not yet ready to advance, so battle experience is the best way to be ready to absorb more Qi and train our physique. Our training is enough so that we don't need to worry about the points right away," Rim said, quite reassuringly.

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Interpreting the reality behind her words, Dante couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Actually, I have a few things to say..."

Dante then told a shortened story of the version he had told Sabrina. He said about the changes in his Qi, and about Isaac. If Sabrina noticed the master's presence, it wouldn't take long for the others to notice as well. It was better to tell the truth.

Or rather, a half-truth. Speaking of which, Dante was wondering why Isaac had previously followed him. And, more importantly, where he was now.

After all, if he didn't trust them, who would he trust? probably one of the strongest clans in this kingdom would soon come after them. Dante would need people he could trust.

Hector absorbed everything with his usual calmness, without asking questions. Dante was about to see something that would be able to shake the muscular man's serenity.

Rim, unsurprisingly, acted like Rim.

"Holy shit. We really are the odd groupie, aren't we, a descendant of one of the greatest slayers in history, one of the greatest core-crafting prodigies, a demon girl who somehow didn't lose control, and now a redneck who had his monster core swapped by some mysterious entity! It's the fucking lottery!"

Dante looked at her, startled. He didn't know what worried him more, Rim having deduced that an entity had changed his core, or all the rest of what was said.

By logical exclusion, Rim should be the core-crafting expert, Hector the descendant of a family. This left Sabrina as possessed by a demon.

Dante honestly didn't know what to think about this. He knew of the existence of demons, but knew nothing about them. He just hoped that this wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"Put it this way, do you think it's possible that they purposely put us on the same team?" asked Dante, trying to break the ice. After all, he didn't know exactly how the teams had been formed.

"I think it would be too much of a coincidence for them to put four rare situations on the same team. Since the choice was random, the chances of us being premeditated are good. But the question is, who would do this? As far as I remember, the decision was the 'sapphire', or whatever is behind that stone that looked alive," Hector collaborated.

That was it! Surely the choice of teams was not random. Dante tried to disguise his face as if he had just fitted a few loose screws, after all, he hadn't even told Sabrina and the others about the 'immortal dragon'.

Not that there was much to tell, after all. In fact, he had no idea what to make of it. After a few days of thinking, his main theory was that some strong cultivator was remotely controlling the dragon and the gem, but there was no way to be sure of anything at this point.

Breaking the silence as if he had knocked a piece of iron through glass, Sabrina's stomach rumbled gravely.

When Dante looked at her, he saw the girl's cheeks were turning red again. It reassured him to know that, even after the events of the day, she was still shy in many ways.

Looking at her, she barely resembled the powerful cultivator who had participated in the fight earlier. Dante didn't quite know how to react to such a change, but he was definitely glad that she was on his side, and not an enemy.

"Err... I think we can go get something to eat, what do you guys think?" asked Sabrina, staring at the floor.

"We can go to the cafeteria and get something. What do you guys think?" asked Dante, looking at Rim and Hector, as if trying to take the focus off Sabrina. He owed her at least that much, after everything.

Grinning from ear to ear, Hector said, "Today, my friends, you will taste the Baldyr family specialty! After all we've been through, it's the least I can do for you. Sabrina, eat something to hold you over until then, but leave some room! We'll meet at dusk."

Not knowing how to react, Dante agreed and headed toward his training room. Since they left very early to hunt, they still had some time before dinner time.

Baldyr, Baldyr... this was the first time Dante had heard Hector's family name, but he thought he already knew him from somewhere. He wondered why Hector wasn't with his family, just like the Drako people.

Circulating Qi so he could get there faster, he took a deep breath and headed toward his master. It was time to cultivate once again.