Kaiden sat between two prominent guild leaders, an honor that by rights should not have been his.

He wasn't officially a leader, wasn't even publicly acknowledged as part of Runewoven. His twenty percent stake remained hidden, a silent card in their alliance. And yet, despite no other shareholder being present besides the majority holder, Talia, both women had still pulled him into the round table.

Tessa looked the part of leadership, sporting a flawless dress and hair that was in place, looking every bit the woman who carried herself, knowing she was not only a strong awakened combatant but a guild leader as well, representing her entire organization with every move of hers.

Across from her, Talia wore nothing more than her blacksmith apron, soot smudges still staining her fingers. The woman only dressed up properly for official meetings; this one was for all intents and purposes a casual one; the two women were good friends, and well, Talia knew that she didn't need to dress in suits for Kaiden.

Nevertheless, the contrast couldn't be starker: one who sought power as her profession, embracing all her position entailed. The other, meanwhile, bore it only to honor her father's legacy. The Runewoven guild had to be led by a Runewoven, and she was the only child he left behind.

Kaiden didn't mind the stark difference; he understood and liked both women on a personal level, even if Tessa's leadership had left him in a bind before. He, however, understood her situation, so he decided not to hold grudges against the woman.

Refocusing his attention on the topic at hand, he looked down where a stack of reports lay before him. Its pages were thick with the week's grim tally. His fingers brushed over the parchment while his eyes skimmed lines that painted pure devastation in dry numbers.

Monster outbreaks. Casualties. Towns cut off. Resources lost.

It had been just over a week since the disaster began, namely, dungeon breaks erupting across the world all at once.

The President already declared the crisis averted here in the USA. The majority of dungeon breaks in the country had been subjugated. Monster waves pushed back. Cities stabilized.

"But the world at large… wasn't so lucky," Talia shook her head, silently grieving the hundreds of millions of lives humanity lost in such a tragically short span of time.

Tessa nodded grimly. "Other nations don't have our manpower. Dungeon breaks are still ongoing in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. They're drowning."

Kaiden leaned back while frowning at the weight of it all. "… As much as it makes me sad to say it, I'm not surprised."

Both women raised an eyebrow at him, finding his words strange.

Kaiden was more than happy to elaborate, starting with a dejected sigh.

"You should know this as well… When the mana apocalypse began, and even to this very day, the wealthy nations have been poaching awakened beings from other countries. Those countries that were either rich enough to retain their people or even invite in outsiders, like Japan and the US, or authoritarian enough not to let them leave, like China and Russia, are doing well to great. But what about the countries that had neither of these options? They bled their most valuable resources, the awakened people."

The words hung heavy in the air. Tessa's lips pressed into a thin line, while Talia's calloused fingers curled into a fist over the parchment.

Neither argued. Both women exchanged a look, and it was enough. They knew Kaiden was right.

There were countries being eaten alive right now, not by politics or poverty, but by the simple fact that when the mana tide rose, their best and brightest had already been sold away. Monsters roamed unchecked, not because those nations lacked courage, but because they lacked awakened strength to hold the line. There was only so much military power could accomplish.

Tessa exhaled slowly through her nose.

"It's ugly," she admitted. "But it's the truth."

Talia's shoulders sagged. Her voice carried a heavy edge.

"And the reason we're sitting here in relative peace is because those international awakened who should've been saving their homelands are fighting to protect American soil instead."

Kaiden drummed his fingers against the table, expression grim. He didn't need to point out the obvious—he could see it in their eyes. Whole nations were collapsing, drowning in blood and nightmare, because their leaders either couldn't afford or weren't willing to pay what it took to keep their people home.

And so, the United States had averted catastrophe not by virtue of some miracle, but because when the dungeon breaks came, they were more prepared to face the unexpected challenge than any other nation on Planet Earth.

Kaiden placed the papers down with a muted thump, and he followed it up by leaning back in his seat and exhaling through his nose.

"I know you didn't invite me here just to share these stats. I bet they'll be public figures soon enough."

Tessa gave a single nod, lips parting to respond. "Indeed. We-"

But before she could continue, Kaiden raised a hand gently. "Sorry. Before we move on, I'd like to say a few words of my own."

His eyes shifted, settling on the soot-stained woman across the table.

"Talia Runewoven, in the names of my girls and me, I wish to convey my sincere gratitude for what you've done not just with the video, but with everything. You've been nothing but amazing to me thus far, despite my pushing my weight around to gain partial ownership of your guild. I didn't realize the true implications at the time, but I carved a part of your late father's legacy out for myself, yet you treated me and my family with respect. You're an amazing person."

The famed blacksmith's daughter froze with her eyes widening as though she suddenly found herself struck by a hammer.

But Kaiden wasn't finished.

"You agreed to shoot the video despite your guild being in lethal danger due to associating with me. Those men in black attacked your people, not just us. They killed members of your guild because of me being in the vicinity… and yet you still agreed to help."

Talia's jaw clenched while her hand curled into a fist atop the table.

"You are blameless for that," she decreed firmly. "I refuse to blame you for being attacked by terrorists. And let me make one thing clear. The way you were introduced to my guild and people might've made us seem pushovers, but in my eyes, we're anything but. My members are not wimps. They knew what they signed up for. They are modern-day warriors, the heroes protecting humanity as its last bastions."

Her words rang with iron conviction, but then her gaze softened a bit as she added, "You might think of me as an 'amazing person,' but don't mistake me for some saint. I'm calculating. I helped you because I know it will pay dividends in the future. You're a rising star, perhaps with more potential than even S-tiers, and you're a mysterious entity the entire world watches with bated breath to boot. Simply being in your proximity will be a boon for me and my guild in the near future."

Kaiden studied her for a long moment before a smile crept across his lips, warm despite the words she spoke.

"You really are a good woman, Talia Runewoven."

She reciprocated his words with a smile. "And you're a great man, Kaiden Grey."

"Alright, alright. I'm glad you guys are being so good to each other, but before things develop any further, please get a room. Let's move on to why we're here, shall we?"

Her grin became wide, excited. "A joint mission."

But despite what Tessa expected, Talia looked at her friend entirely unimpressed.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.