Author's Preface
Blue and Eve sat at the pizza shop. It had become a habit again, just like it used to be. “So… what did Aaron want with you?” Eve asked.
“Oh, just to beat me bloody,” Blue said with a laugh.
Eve frowned. “What the hell… seriously?”
“No,” Blue said, shaking his head. “Apparently Olivia isn’t just an assassin. She’s a master snooper… and an even better snitch.”
Eve’s expression sharpened. “What are you talking about, Blue?” Blue shoved the rest of his pizza into his mouth, chewing as he spoke. “That night I told the team about Hatred, the golden gods, all of it… Olivia was there somewhere.” He scratched the back of his head. “Still don’t know where, though. Anyway, she told Aaron everything.”
Eve blinked. “…Oh, shit.”
“Oh, shit is right,” Blue said. “So I told him everything I told you guys.”
He reached for his drink and took a long sip. “Ahh… then he made me a deal. If we take rank 1 from the Germans in the competition, he’ll help me start a guild. Full support. And you all can come with me.”
Eve leaned forward slightly. “And if you don’t?”
“I stay, and I become one of his executives.”
Eve stared at him for a moment. “And you accepted?”
Blue shrugged. “You want to say no to Aaron when Darrien’s crazy sister is staring at you?” Eve didn’t answer. “Yeah, didn’t think so.” He leaned back slightly. “So yeah. I agreed.” Eve sat in silence for a minute, then let out a breath. “We have to tell the others.” Blue nodded, his mouth still full.
Later that day, the whole team gathered in their meeting room. “So what’s this about? I canceled a massage for this,” Samantha said, clearly annoyed. “His name is Marco, in case you’re wondering. Wonderful hands.”
“Ew,” Cynthia replied immediately.
Darrien kicked his feet up. “Yeah, boss. What’s this about?”
Eve glanced at Blue, then spoke. “Aaron knows. About Blue… and about us leaving the guild to join him.”
Darrien spit his water all over the table. “Don’t tell me… Olivia.”
Blue let out a small laugh. “Yeah. Because of your sister.” Darrien groaned, dragging a hand down his face. Eve stood. “Aaron said he will support us following Blue.”
Darrien laughed. “What’s the catch?” “We have to take first place from the Germans in the tournament.”
Blue leaned back in his chair. Darrien laughed even harder. “You’re joking, right?”
Blue leaned forward slightly. “Look… I didn’t mean to drag you all into this. If anyone wants to back out now, I get it.”
“And what?” Chris cut in. “You going to join Derek’s team and beat the Germans? Yeah… not happening.” He folded his arms. “Aaron already knows. There’s no point backing down now.”
Cynthia straightened in her seat, eyes lighting up. “We have three months. We can train even harder and make this happen.”
Samantha stood up, already done with the conversation. “This could’ve been an email.” She turned toward the door, then glanced back at Blue. “You know, Blue, if you hire Marco as our guild’s masseuse… I’ll try even harder.”
Eve grabbed Samantha’s arm. Everyone froze. “Look,” Eve said, her voice firm. “I’m grateful for all of you. But we don’t have time for massages.” She glanced around the room. “I’ve already scheduled gates for the next two months. And when we’re not in gates, Aaron said we can use the arena. Welcome to boot camp for the ranker competition.”
Samantha stared at her for a second… then slowly sat back down, arms folded. Darrien leaned toward her. “Does Marco have a sister?”
Samantha smacked her teeth. “Tch… shut up idiot."
Two months passed. Every day was a challenge. They pushed themselves in gates and in training, never slowing down. Olivia was never far, always reporting back to Aaron on their progress. The team didn’t take a single day off. They knew they had to push themselves harder than they had ever in the past. The Germans and the Russians were strong teams; both had high odds to walk away from the tournament as rank 1.
The last gate they cleared was an A+. They struggled at times, but finished it cleanly. Blue didn’t need to use his divine energy. Their teamwork and coordination made it so the divine energy was their trump card. Something they agreed to use only if they were in the verge of elimination. When they stepped out of that gate, Olivia was waiting for them. “No more gates,” she said. She looked at each of them. “Aaron wants to see all of you. Tomorrow morning.”
The team stepped into Aaron’s office the next morning. “You’ve all done well,” Aaron said. He looked around the room. “You’ve cleared more gates than anyone has in the last six months. Olivia tells me you’ve all gained new abilities… and leveled up.” His gaze settled on Eve. “How confident is your team?”
Eve didn’t hesitate. “We’ve already got a name for our new guild picked out.”
Aaron laughed, glancing at Blue. “So… you’re a snitch too, huh?”
Blue shrugged. “You expected me not to tell them?”
“Of course not,” Aaron replied. “Alright. Based on your performance, we’ve got a few things to discuss.” He looked toward Chris and Darrien. “First. Chris, Darrien. You’ve both qualified to test for ranker status.”
Darrien leaned forward slightly. “Really?”
“The exam won’t happen until after the team ranker competition,” Aaron continued. “The choice is yours whether to take it or not.” Chris nodded once. Darrien grinned, and the two of them bumped fists. Aaron turned his attention to Cynthia. “Cynthia… I’m sorry. Support users aren’t included in the individual rankings.” Cynthia smiled.
“I’ve never cared about that anyway, sir.”
“Good,” Aaron said. “You shouldn’t.”
Now to the last thing.” Aaron’s tone shifted. “An S-rank gate appeared a few nights ago.” Everyone shifted in their seats. "And I think you’re ready.” He looked at Eve. “What do you say?”
Eve stood, looking back at everyone. The team just nodded. “We’re ready, sir.” Aaron nodded. “Very well. You have twenty-four hours to enter it. If you don’t… I’ll send Olivia and her team.”
“Yes, sir!” the team answered in unison. They turned and began to file out. As they reached the door, Aaron spoke again. “Darrien.” Darrien paused, already knowing he wasn’t going to like this. “You’ve been… voluntold to train with your sister for the ranker exam.” A small smirk tugged at Aaron’s mouth. “Sorry, bud.”
Darrien groaned. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…”
Downstairs, the team moved through the Buckeye Guild lobby. Derek was walking in at the same time. Everyone ignored him. Derek couldn’t let that go. “I heard you guys got the S-rank gate,” he called after them. “Need some help?”
No response. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” His voice got louder. Still no response. The team kept walking. Derek snapped. He sprinted forward and grabbed Eve’s arm. “I fucking asked you a question,” he spat. “Who the hell do you all think you are, ignoring everyone like that? We’re all A-ranks. You aren’t fucking special. Just lucky.” His hand started to glow red. “What makes you think you can just stick your nose up to me all the time?” His grip tightened. “I’ll make sure to show you at the tournament why you should’ve picked me over Blue.”
Chris drew his fist back, ready to punch him. Darrien was already moving, ripping Derek’s hand off Eve’s arm. Blue stood there, watching it unfold. For a second, he couldn’t say a word. Then he saw it. The moment Darrien pulled Derek’s hand away, it was right there. A burn mark. Plain as day. The shape of Derek’s hand was left on Eve’s arm. In his frustration, he hadn’t just grabbed her. He had used his flame magic too. Blue moved instantly. No thought. No hesitation. He reached deep into his dantian and let every strand of divine energy flow. In the next moment, a thick aura of gray and gold covered him. Step by step, he walked toward Derek. Derek opened his mouth, ready to say something… then stopped. The aura around Blue didn’t feel normal. It felt… heavy. Darrien didn’t move. Chris didn’t move. No one did. For the first time, Derek hesitated. “…What the hell is…”
Blue took one more step. The floor cracked beneath his foot.