As the Ashblade family listened, they grew more and more concerned.

They had never imagined that such a vast and dangerous world existed out there.

They didn't have a television or any other means to watch the broadcasts that often aired, live-streaming the real-life battles during invasions.

"So such a beautiful world once existed," his father murmured in awe.

"So oceans were real after all," Ruby added, her eyes wide with realization.

"But… doesn't that mean big brother would be in danger during these invasions?"

"Well, yes, young miss. All players risk their lives to defend us—not just him," the maid replied gently.

His parents remained worried but slowly came to understand just how important their son's work was.

Alongside the worry, they felt a swelling sense of pride.

Also upon realising they could only pray for his safety, his mother broke into quiet tears.

Seeing his mother in tears, Raizel quietly slipped back into the house. He needed to prepare for the team meeting scheduled for today. They were supposed to receive their first mission as a team—and likely meet their assigned pilot as well.

As for logging into the game, he decided to postpone it until tonight.

He believed Lam could handle things in his absence for now. If everything went well, Lam should have found a job by this time.

Raizel glanced at the clock and saw it was already 10:30 AM. He was thirty minutes late.

Checking his phone, he found multiple missed calls from both Maestro and Cecilia. They had probably already reached the Guild.

But how did that lady-killer wake up so early? Maybe Maestro really was a pro at this.

After grabbing some bread for a quick breakfast, Raizel headed to the Teleportation Gate and warped to the Guild without delay.

From there, he hurriedly took the elevator to reach his destination on the tenth floor.

But inside the lift, he encountered someone unexpected—Sage Camilla. She was not only a senior figure in the Guild but also the one who had conducted his Guild tests.

However, Raizel didn't recognize her as the same woman who had been beside Violet. Back then, his attention had been completely consumed by Violet, so he hadn't really looked at Camilla clearly.

Now, the two of them were alone inside the lift, creating an awkward tension.

Sage Camilla's expression was calm and strict, yet her eyes held a glimmer of interest.

"Hello, Ma'am!" Raizel greeted awkwardly, trying to be respectful.

Camilla remained composed as she replied in a flat tone, "What's your name?" She acted as though she didn't know him at all.

"Ah… You forgot? Anyway, I'm Raizel. Fourth-ranked among this year's rookies in the Apex Guild," he said, introducing himself.

"Oh, I remember now," Camilla said, pretending as if she had just recalled.

But after that, she remained silent.

Still, Raizel could feel her gaze lingering on him—analytical and almost piercing, like she was trying to see straight through him.

He scratched his head, a little confused and unsure what to make of the situation.

Camilla watched him go, her eyes narrowing slightly in confusion.

"Why can't I see the difference? He looks pretty normal to me..."

"And what exactly did those two Dellhaze sisters see in this boy?"

She couldn't help but wonder internally, her curiosity piqued but unanswered.

Raizel finally arrived on the rookies' floor.

Some of his team members immediately turned to look at him, their brows furrowed.

"Raizel, you're late!"

Captain Joshua spoke with clear displeasure, his narrowed eyes fixed sharply on him.

"Um... Sorry, Captain. This will never happen again," he said simply.

Raizel stood there at the entrance in awkward silence, watching the smirking Maestro and growing furious. That hateful bastard was certainly enjoying himself, seeing Raizel in his current state.

"Come in," Captain Joshua finally spoke, letting out a small sigh.

Raizel entered the open hall and approached the group seated around the table in the middle.

Everyone was already present—except there was an additional member.

And the moment his eyes landed on the figure, he was surprised.

"K-Kierra... You?" he stammered slightly.

Kierra, the short blonde-haired girl, smiled slyly upon seeing his reaction.

"Yes, it's me," she answered, her eyes twinkling.

"I know that, but why are you here?"

"Why else? Because I wanted to meet you," she added as if it were a matter of fact.

Cecilia's brows furrowed upon hearing their interaction. It appeared as if two lovers were reuniting after a long time. And she didn't like it. The faint twitches on her beautiful face made her displeasure obvious.

"You two know each other?" she asked, barely containing herself.

"Yes, we met in the game and even spent a night together," Kierra replied with a mischievous smirk.

But her expression made it easy for others to misunderstand like she was recalling an unforgivably sensual moment.

"Spent the night together...?"

Cecilia clenched her delicate fists, staring at Raizel with an expression of disbelief.

She completely misunderstood everything—and so did a few others.

"Wow, you're such a lady killer, Raizel," Garret said, elbowing him lightly.

Raizel's face twitched slightly as he quickly waved his hands, trying to explain.

"No, no, it's not like that! We were just partnering in the Game. It wasn't what you're thinking!"

But Kierra just giggled, clearly enjoying the chaos she stirred up.

"He's cute when he panics, isn't he?."

"Ahem"

Captain Joshua coughed, putting an end to the tension. "Enough. We're here for a mission, not a drama series."

Instantly everyone straightened up.

Joshua continued, "Since we now have our full team, let me introduce Kierra officially. She'll be your pilot from now on. Her credentials are solid, and her skills in both virtual and real-world traversal are top-tier."

Kierra gave a short salute. "Hello, everyone! Looking forward to working with you all."

Maestro leaned back in his chair. "With her in charge of transport, we'll be flying in style."

He seemed extremely confident in her abilities.

Raizel was astonished by the news. He didn't know she could also ride an Aircraft.

Garrett seemed pleased by her, "Stylish and deadly… not bad."

Captain Joshua pressed a button, displaying a holographic map.

"We've received reports of a minor invasion breach just outside East Ridge Zone. Enemy numbers are low, but we can't risk them reaching any nearby settlements. This will be your first field operation as a full team."

Nina was slightly afraid. "Can we handle it, captain?" she asked, slightly unsure.

Joshua nodded confidently. "Yes, you can. Believe in yourself. It's just a beginner level gate anyway. And we wouldn't be wanting to give dangerous missions so soon."

Maestro, the team's leader, nodded. "We can handle it, Captain."

Yuan was already cracking his Knuckle. "When do we leave?"

In response, Joshua looked at Kierra. "ETA?"

Kierra smirked. "Give me ten minutes to get the AeroCruiser prepped. Meet me at the hangar."

"Then move out," Joshua ordered.

The team stood, each with a different mix of emotions—tension, excitement, curiosity.

As they moved, Kierra whispered beside Raizel, "So, why did you leave me alone in Green Leaf? I searched all around but couldn't find you anywhere."

"What? You're blaming me?" Raizel muttered in slight disbelief. "I think there's a misunderstanding here. It was you, Kierra, who left the village first. And you don't know what happened after that, do you?"

Kierra clicked her tongue, realizing she may have made a grave mistake. But the next part of his words made her tense.

"What happened to Green Leaf Village?" she asked, now on edge.

Raizel slowly recounted the story of the village's miserable end—and who was responsible for it.

"Unbelievable. I can't believe that guy would do such a thing. Maybe it's true after all—you really can't judge a book by its cover," she sighed.

"Don't worry. I'll help you find that guy. And when we do, we'll make sure he learns a lesson he won't forget," she said coldly.

Afterwards, Kierra got busy with her work in the aircraft, all under the curious observation of her team members.

Captain Joshua watched her attentively. Her sudden appearance on the team had been mysterious and directly ordered by the higher-ups. It was suspicious, and he wasn't willing to risk the lives of talented rookies just because someone decided to insert a pampered princess into the squad.

But it seemed he was being proven wrong. Kierra had completed all the preflight preparations flawlessly—almost like a veteran pilot.

It was surprising that such a young woman could handle the complexities of piloting a Magic Aircraft.

The mechanisms were so intricate that most people couldn't even begin to comprehend them, yet she moved through her tasks with ease and confidence, like she had done it a hundred times before.

This gave Captain Joshua a bit of reassurance. At least he wouldn't need to interfere mid-air to bail them out.

Yuan, watching her performance from the side, let out a strange chuckle.

"Hey, don't you think the ratio of boys to girls is seriously off? They've got seven, and we're just four guys. It's kind of unbalanced."

"Haha… yeah, true," Garret laughed lightly. "Let's just hope we can keep up with them."

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