Vaelira's gaze locked onto him the instant he stepped inside, sharp and unblinking, carrying no small amount of hostility.

Kaiden stepped fully into the room with the door sliding shut behind Valhalla's Sinners, accompanied by a muted thud, and returned the blonde woman's glare without blinking. His expression was calm on the surface, but his eyes were sharp enough to cut.

Frankly, Kaiden has had enough of this woman already. With them being in the same team but forming separate groups, he hoped that they could work together cordially, aiming to strive for the same goal. After all, as an A-tier awakened - one who started her awakened combatant journey around the same time as he had - she had not only a lot of firepower to her name, but just as much future potential as well.

Kaiden hoped that she could pull her weight in this competition and more. But, alas, working together with Vaelira never seemed to be as easy as that.

"Alright," Kaiden sighed tiredly. "What's going on?"

The answer came instantly.

"We're losing, that's what."

Vaelira didn't bother hiding the snarl in her voice.

The blonde Arcane Puppeteer leaned forward in her chair as her lips curled, while her eyes were hard and burning with restrained fury as she stared straight at Kaiden.

"Losing ground. Losing tempo. Losing momentum," she hissed. "And while the rest of us are bleeding ourselves dry trying to keep the group intact, you stroll in here like you own the place."

Kaiden raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Before he could reply, movement flanked him.

Luna stepped up on his left, shoulders squared despite the hoodie and loose pants. Her exhaustion was buried under raw irritation. Nyx mirrored her on the right, posture relaxed but eyes cold. A predator's calm replacing her usual teasing confidence.

Aria moved a step forward, too, Bastet at her side, golden eyes narrowed and unamused. Calypso straightened as well. Her playful demeanor was gone in an instant.

Luna crossed her arms. "We did our part," she said flatly while her stormy eyes locked onto Vaelira. "We were out there hunting monsters all damn day. What more do you want from us?"

A heavy grunt sounded from the side of Vaelira.

Jack, Vaelira's towering shieldbearer and ever-present shadow, shifted in his seat. His voice was gravelly and dismissive.

"Hard work doesn't equate good work."

Nyx's eyes sharpened instantly, and Aria's head snapped toward the sound. Her earlier warmth was evaporating into something far too sharp and dangerous. Across the table, Sasha, the red-haired archer, shifted uncomfortably in her seat with fingers tightening around the armrest

"They even got a private wing…" Sasha muttered, not quite under her breath, but not loud enough to be brave either. Her gaze flicked away the moment Aria's glare landed on her, venomous and unwavering. "And for what? They're not even guild members… Just random mercs…"

The tension spiked.

This wasn't just a disagreement anymore. It was resentment, festering and ugly, bleeding through cracks that no amount of professionalism could hide. Old alliances, bruised egos, unspoken hierarchies, all grinding against the sudden reality of Kaiden's presence and influence.

This had been festering for a long time.

"Enough."

Two voices cut through the room at once.

Talia rose from her seat while Tessa stood beside her with one hand planted firmly against the table.

"That's enough, Vaelira," Tessa repeated while her gaze swept across the room. "This isn't a street brawl. Behave like professionals."

Talia then turned toward Kaiden and his squad. "Valhalla's Sinners, please take a seat." She gestured toward six empty chairs along the reinforced side of the table. "We'll discuss this properly."

For a heartbeat, no one moved.

Then Kaiden inclined his head once as he stepped forward. His girls followed without hesitation, taking their places beside him.

Whatever this meeting was about, it was clear now.

This wasn't just about numbers on a board.

It was about territory… and pride.

Tessa didn't sit back down.

She stayed standing with one palm still braced against the table as she turned her glare fully on Vaelira, eyes hard and distinctly unimpressed. There was no heat in it, no theatrics, just the quiet displeasure of a leader who did not approve of how one of her own was behaving.

"I don't like your tone," Tessa said flatly. "And I like it even less when it's directed at people who have objectively pulled their weight. You're better than this."

Vaelira's jaw tightened, but she didn't answer. The puppeteer leaned back instead, forcing her gaze to slide away just enough to avoid a direct confrontation.

Beside Tessa, Talia let out a slow breath, rubbing at the bridge of her nose as if trying to stave off a headache. "Let's stop posturing. This isn't helping anyone."

With a flick of her wrist, she activated the table's central console.

A translucent hologram bloomed into the air above it with runes stabilizing the projection as rows of data snapped into place. Guild insignias, team names, point totals… Clean, unforgiving numbers lay bare for everyone to see.

The standings shifted, then locked.

Rookie Track – Guild Standings (Cumulative)

New Dawn – 10,480 P

Iron Halo – 9,220 P

Silver Talon – 8,760 P

Black Meridian – 7,940 P

Ashbound – 6,880 P

Ember Line – 6,130 P

Frostwake – 5,560 P

Runewoven – 5,020 P

Riftward – 4,480 P

Dawnfall – 3,910 P

A quiet tension settled over the room as the numbers sank in.

Points earned were as follows;

Monster level = Points earned

1-25 = 1P

26-50 = 10P

51-75 = 50P

76-100 = 250P

101+ = 500P

Guild Member Death = -10,000P

Kaiden's eyes scanned the projection without surprise. He and his girls earned about two thousand points by slaying about fifty mid-tier enemies in the 26–50 range, while the thirty tougher kills in the 51–75 bracket accounted for the real bulk of their score.

This meant that the rest of the squad earned a little over 3,000 points.

At the very top sat New Dawn. Their lead was undeniable, but, to Kaiden's great surprise, not insurmountable. They were close enough to threaten and chase. Frankly, he expected them to shoot far ahead of the competition. They had the resources…

"You see the problem now?" Vaelira hissed. "We're eighth. Eighth. That's not where we should be with the assets we have."

Kaiden didn't answer Vaelira right away.

He held her gaze for a long second, letting the tension stretch, then shifted his attention back to the hovering hologram. His eyes traced the rankings once more, unhurried, taking in the numbers without a hint of urgency. When he finally spoke, his tone was outright casual.

"Huh. We're doing better than I expected."

The reaction was immediate.

Several of the rookies seated around the table stared at him as if he'd just spoken an entirely different language.

Confusion flashed first, followed by disbelief.

A few exchanged glances, brows knitting together, as if checking whether they'd heard him correctly. Diaz, seated near the far end, was the lone exception. He let out a quiet chuckle, rolling his shoulders as he shook his head with a crooked grin tugging at his mouth as he'd just witnessed something deeply on-brand.

The assassin knew his only friend well enough to understand that Kaiden was feeling utterly zero pressure right now.

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