Sst.

A blinding white light flashed for a moment, then Zaefal and Fyar's vision returned to normal. They were now standing on cold stone, exactly where they had placed the exit scroll: the stone wall near Vorlag's garden.

The cold night air felt piercing on their skin after the warmth inside the villa. Cold sweat soaked their backs, remnants of the fierce battle moments ago. The adrenaline began to fade, replaced by the throbbing pain from their wounds.

The place was silent. The guards who had been patrolling the garden had apparently run into the villa, drawn by the sound of the alarm and the commotion on the second floor.

Zaefal's breathing was still ragged. He looked around. "Quiet," he muttered. "They're probably panicking about what happened inside." As he was about to take a step, his foot touched something on the ground.

He looked down. Lying beneath his feet were three unopened teleportation artifact scrolls. Beside the scrolls, there was a plain piece of paper with messy handwriting.

"Burn when you succeed." Zaefal read it in a low voice. "This is from the Guardian. They've prepared the place," he murmured. He shifted his gaze to Fyar. "The Guardian has prepared the interrogation site, let's g-"

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Zaefal's words stopped. He saw Fyar suddenly start coughing violently, his eyes turning red.

"Fyar?!"

Fyar collapsed to the ground. He clutched his chest with one hand, while his other hand let go of Vorlag's still unconscious body, letting Vorlag fall onto the grass.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Fresh blood flowed from Fyar's lips. He clenched his jaw, enduring the immense pain attacking his body. His muscles felt like they were being forcibly pulled in different directions. His lungs burned as if filled with hot water. His chest felt like thousands of needles were repeatedly stabbing it.

What is this? so fucking hurt... Heart attack? it. It hurts so much, fuckk! It hurts! A large, wild wave of foreign energy surged through Fyar's body, mixed with excruciating pain.

"Fyar!" Zaefal immediately knelt beside him. His face was anxious seeing Fyar trembling in pain. The burn on Zaefal's own arm still stung. "Fyar, hold on!"

This is like... that time. When he got his power. Like that time I killed the demon and leveled up instantly. Zaefal narrowed his brow. "Fyar, you killed Wilas just now, right?!"

Fyar, using all his strength to endure the pain, nodded weakly.

I thought so, Zaefal muttered inwardly. "Hold on. That's the effect of an instant level-up from killing an adventurer whose level is much higher."

Fyar nodded again. His breathing was shallow and ragged. He fumbled for the matches in his pocket with a trembling hand, then pointed towards the newly found teleportation scrolls. He signaled for them to leave quickly.

Zaefal took the matches from Fyar's hand. He quickly picked up the teleportation scrolls and pressed one against Fyar's hand, one against Vorlag's prone body.

Click!

Zaefal struck a match. The small flame flickered in the darkness of the garden. He touched it to the scrolls on Fyar and Vorlag. After that, he did the same to the last scroll in his own hand.

White light exploded again, brighter than before. The light engulfed the three of them and the darkness of the garden.

The blinding white light faded, leaving dancing spots before Fyar's eyes. The feeling of being forcibly pulled vanished, replaced by the cold, hard stone floor beneath his feet.

The air here felt stale and slightly warm. Fyar stumbled as he materialized, the brutal pain still coursing through every muscle fiber. Zaefal, appearing beside him, quickly grabbed his arm before he fell. Vorlag's limp body fell with a dull thud onto the stone floor near them.

They were in a small, windowless room. Cold, clean gray stone walls rose high to a low ceiling. One heavy metal table stood firmly in the center. Two metal chairs were bolted to the floor on one side of the table. Several iron hooks were embedded in the wall on one side. The only light source was a dim magical lantern set into the ceiling. A single thick steel door was the only way out.

In the farthest corner, Xavier leaned casually against the wall, waiting. His arms were crossed over his chest. His black eyepatch seemed to absorb the dim light in the room. Near the steel door, Autumn stood rigidly like a statue. Her right hand rested lightly on the hilt of her sword. Her purple eyes observed their arrival without expression.

"You succeeded." A faint smile formed on Xavier's face. He then looked towards Fyar, who looked pained. "Did you kill one of the high-level adventurers there?"

Zaefal nodded. "Yes. We killed Wilas."

Xavier's smile widened. "I see." He then gave Autumn a simple gesture with his chin.

Autumn moved without speaking. She lifted Vorlag's limp body from the floor and easily placed him in one of the metal chairs. With quick, efficient movements, she bound Vorlag's wrists and ankles to the chair using faintly glowing anti-magic shackles.

Xavier pushed himself off the wall, walking closer. His eye observed Fyar, still breathing heavily, then shifted to the blackened burns on Zaefal's arm. "Wounded?"

"It's bearable," Zaefal answered curtly. His breathing was still a bit heavy, and His armor was damaged in several places.

Fyar just shook his head weakly. The pain was beginning to subside into a dull, exhausting throb, but the unfamiliar wave of new power still felt wild within him.

I... leveled up? Now? he muttered inwardly. He felt a slight sense of excitement mixed with fear, remembering the theory about the secrecy of this leveling method. Plus, the Guardian himself knew about it.

Xavier nodded slowly. "Good work, both of you." He glanced at Vorlag, now tightly bound. His gaze returned to Fyar and Zaefal. "Now, the important part."

He took out a document from under his cloak. A thick parchment scroll with the Kingdom's wax seal still intact. He opened it slowly with one hand. The writing was neat, formal.

"Before we make this nobleman talk," Xavier said. His tone was calm, but his eye looked straight at Fyar. Xavier raised the document slightly. "There is one thing we need to resolve."

Silence hung for a moment in the stuffy room.

"About the instant level-up I experienced, right?" Fyar chuckled softly, even though his chest still ached. He slowly pushed himself up from leaning against the wall and sat on the floor.

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