The city of Malberk is one of the five great cities of the Asmit Kingdom. It was one of the first cities to adopt the revolutionary invention of steam power and machinery, leading to a spiral growth. While not as advanced as the Rhineheart Kingdom (the originators of the invention), the increase in speed and efficiency of textile production, coal mining, and railway construction gave rise to the first factories.

With less and less need for manual labor, smaller workshops and individual industries rapidly decreased. Absorbed by the modernization wave, people began leaving their hometowns and instead tried their luck in the bigger cities, hoping for a better future.

Leaving the northern district, we headed for the Ranger Hall, in the heart of the city. The horseshoes clanked on the polished cobblestone streets as the hourly carriages passed by, the tall buildings with facades of intricately carved stone that rose on both sides occasionally paused the bystanders, piquing their interest. And of course, it wouldn't be Malberk without the distinct aroma in the air of freshly baked bread tainted with the faint scent of coal from nearby factories.

The city was always crowded, but these days, especially so, now that we were reaching the deadline for the Ranger exams. The exam period lasted for about a month, but that was barely enough. With people coming from the surrounding cities and those who wanted to take the exam as late as possible, the final two weeks were the worst.

I want to be sure I'm ready, what a stupid reason. If you want more time, then sign up for the next one in four months! Stop making everyone's life difficult!

‘There's no way I'm gonna have to wait in line to get Nali tested. We're going with a special application, I don't have my rank for nothing.’

The closer we reached the Ranger Hall, the more crowded it became, however, the extravagant white-stoned building that reflected the sunlight was clear despite the distance. In front of it, three flags, one for each Kingdom, waved by the wind.

Once we were inside, I couldn't help but grin. With only a glance, I knew who was stepping into a Ranger Hall for the first time. Not because of the formal attire some choose to wear in a fighting exam, but also due to their expressions—some appeared nervous, while others seemed utterly bewildered by the bustling scene.

It's only natural with so many different activities happening all at once, but still, those faces were killing me!

Wherever the eye moved, it would catch something different: The secretary's desk that lined the eager, soon-to-be Weblings—if they were able to pass the exam; the quest board that not even an inch could be seen due to the number of people rushing to take their first mission; the ominous, oppressive light in the hall leading to the arena, as well as all the different forms of entertainment scattered across the rest of the facility.

Turning towards the bar, Seth stopped moving. Taking it as a sign that we reached our destination, I scanned the tables.

Usually, in cases when big money is on the table, people want to keep it low-key, choosing a signal of some sort. A hand movement, a wink, or even a particular piece of clothing such as rings or a feather on a hat (although, only an amateur would do the latter considering you draw more attention to yourself that way).

Weirdly, nothing of this short. Neither the present Rangers nor Seth gestured for anything. Everything looked as ordinary as ever. Huh…

"So, where is he?"

At that time, from the second floor, a door squeaked loud enough to turn everyone's attention towards it. A thin pale man dressed in a tailored frock coat of scarlet red reached out the balcony, the collar bone of his shirt revealed behind the coat and with it, the golden threaded letters.

He probably thought himself something special, and he truly was, just not the way he hoped to be. The deep red in contrast with his pale skin, made him look like a clown more than anything else, and with that top hat of the same color, he was only missing the nose. He didn't even need makeup, his pale skin was more than enough to make up for it.

As he browsed the base floor, he had this look of doubt and worry, however, once our eyes locked, his face beamed with delight and immediately turned for the staircase.

"Take a guess," Seth answered my question with a smirk.

My eyes twitched, and the urge to facepalm was right there... right there!

This guy was an idiot!

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‘Next time why don't you scream it as well? You know, just to be sure you sent the message.’

Taking deep breaths, I managed to control myself and pay closer attention to the man.

Once he reached in front of us, he bowed slightly. "It is an honor to be meeting Ranger Twinlight. Your esteemed reputation travels every corner of the Kingdom. At a mere glance, one can discern the reasons behind such acclaim." His voice was mellow, polite, and respectful.

‘We always have to keep that mask up, right?’

If there was something more disgusting than a pig farm, it had to be the fake facade nobles loved to display. It made me sick.

My lips couldn't help but twitch, so to control my expression, I forced them into a smile and extended my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet..."

"Sebastian Wyray. The pleasure is mine, truly." He said, his smile widening. Taking off a glove, he gave a surprisingly firm handshake, for his built. "Please, follow me to the private room. Everyone is waiting."

I shifted my eyes to Seth who simply nodded and followed Sebastian to the second floor. Inside the private room, we were welcomed by a party of three sitting on a long table made of dark wood. The first thing to catch my eye was the hooded young woman sitting alone to the right, her long blond hair escaping to the side. On the left side sat another woman with short brown hair and the attire of someone ready to fight, unlike Sebastian and the hooded lady. Finally, next to her was another man. He was a head taller than her, making him the biggest man in the room, his green eyes and dark brown hair complementing her auburn mane.

The woman on the right was the healer Seth told me about, that was easy to tell. Thankfully, she wasn't as idiotic as Sebastian. The other two however were vague... They had their weapons in their dimensional rings but judging by their physique, the woman was an Evoker, and the man was an Augmenter.

Sebastian sat at the head of the table and spread his arms. "Thank you all for coming. As the host of the gathering, allow me to introduce everyone."

With the same practiced smile, he pointed with an open palm at me. "First and foremost, I'm sure you are all familiar with Ranger Twinlight of the Master rank. I'm sure I don't need to add further information, since, we've all heard tales of his talents in both fire and water despite their opposite nature."

With so much patience I had with this guy, I should have become a saint. Only the gods knew how much I wanted to punch that smile of his.

"He is an Augmenter standing high at the Yellow Tattoo, and based on rumors, he is close to advancing to Silver!"

Someone had done his research, huh...

I gave Seth a side eye, and at the same time, Sebastian moved for his introduction.

"Next to him, just as well-known, is Ranger Seth of the Master rank. He is proficient, I dare call genius, in wind, and capable enough to rival Ranger Twinlight. Their rivalry and brotherhood are well-known among the veteran Rangers. Similarly to his rival, he is also an Augmenter of the Yellow Tattoo close to advancing to the Silver stage."

So he wasn't gonna kiss only my ass...

"Next is Yena Splakov of the Seasoned Rank. She is a water Evoker in the middle of the Orange stage."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. She didn’t look older than twenty-six and she was at the Orange stage? That was something I could work with.

Sebastian saw my surprise and added. "She might not be at the level of Ranger Twinlight or Ranger Seth, but she is still exceptional in her caliber and a promising young Ranger. Next to Ms. Yena is none other than Daniel Pestorn, a Seasoned Ranger who is close to advancing to the Master tier. He is an earth-attributed Augmenter at the final stage of the Orange and specializes in defense."

Turning to face the almost white-blonde-haired woman, Sebastian lost his breath, and the polished smile he offered to the rest of us cracked. He fixed it by clearing his throat, but he couldn't hide the sparkles in his eyes.

"To my right, I have the privilege of introducing you to Lady Samantha O'Malley." He paused and peeked to see our reactions.

Seth and I didn't show any hint of surprise through our facial expressions, however, the same couldn't be said for the other two. Their eyes widened in recognition of Samantha's family name.

"'You mean The O'Malley family?" Daniel exclaimed. "The O'Malley family, known throughout the kingdom for their unique bloodline of healers?

Samantha unhooded herself, her dark cyan eyes made Sebastian skip a heartbeat judging by the gasp he tried to hide.

"Yes." She nodded, her soft voice calming Daniel down.

Sebastian's smile grew wider. "Yes, Samantha is a Master tier Ranger. As you know, no Irregular has a tattoo, however, in her latest test, she was estimated to be close to the initial Yellow stage."

He paused again and at that moment, Daniel spoke up. "It's nice knowing Ms. Samantha will be- Ouch, what gives Yena?"

Interrupting him mid-sentence, the girl next to him, Yena, was pinching his earlobe, adding more strength as she did so.

"Aren't you a little too happy to have Samantha with us, dear?" She said with a creepy smile, emphasizing her last word.

‘Are we sure Yena is the Evoker and Daniel is the Augmenter?’

A small laughter came from Sebastian, returning everyone's attention to him. "I am sure Daniel meant it would be reassuring to have a healer with us, Ms. Yena. Right, Daniel?

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant!" Daniel hurriedly agreed. "What were you thinking, honey?"

Yena released her grip, and Daniel sighed in relief.

‘Bah, just when it was getting good.’

Clearing his throat, Sebastian continued. "Now, for the final member of the group, myself. Haha, it's a little embarrassing talking about yourself."He added that last part to lighten the mood.

"I've just reached the Seasoned Rank and am a Fire Evoker in the first stage of Orange color. I may not have great achievements under my belt," he said towards me and Seth, "nor have as great a future as the rest of you," he turned to the young couple to his right, "but I promise to not hold anyone back in this expedition." He finished, placing a hand over his heart.

"Don't worry, with me here you have nothing to worry about!" Daniel added, pumping his chest, moved by Sebastian's small speech.

Sebastian chuckled. "Thanks, Daniel, I appreciate it." He turned to face everyone. "Now, with the introductions out of the way, I assume you have questions about this expedition."