"Advancing in ranks? What do you mean, Leo?" Lily asked, a rubber band clenched between her lips as she gathered her hair. With a quick tug, she tied it into a high ponytail, strands brushing her neck. Under the morning light, she looked especially beautiful.

"Don't you feel like your strength has been stuck in one place for quite some time?" Leo asked, watching her from the side.

Lily paused and frowned slightly. "Now that you say it… I do feel that way, especially after the academy trial."

"Yes," Leo said with a nod. "I talked to Professor Brant. He told me that once beasts reach the Pseudo 3-star rank, they tend to get stuck there unless you acquire specific materials to help them advance to the next rank."

Lily's lips parted, forming a small 'o' of surprise as she absorbed his words.

"Then how will we know what our beasts require?" she asked.

"We need to get our beasts tested by an Analyst within the academy," Leo explained. "After that, they'll give us a list of what each beast may require."

Lily's eyes immediately lit up, excitement bubbling to the surface.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

With that, they quickly finished breakfast and got ready. After Leo planted the Titanbreath Lotus back, they moved a few kilometres farther away from Howl, choosing a spot where the massive mound-like silhouette would be less visible. From there, they called the same guy to ride them back to the academy. Leo figured it would be unwise to reveal his territory's location to anyone just yet—especially when the territory beacon lacked proper defence.

"Will you leave Howl here?" Lily asked as they waited. "Wouldn't that be… dangerous somehow? And won't the territory move along with Howl? I mean, our building is on his back."

"We've claimed the land beneath Howl, not Howl's back," Leo replied calmly. "So even if Howl moves, my primary territory will still be that patch of land where he's seated. Yes, the building would move along with him, but whenever we migrate to a new place, we'll need to claim new land anyway."

He paused, then added, "As for danger… Howl can easily resist 5-rank beings. If someone weaker attacks, we have Bigfoot for ground defence. And if Howl isn't around with us here, we have me."

Leo recalled a certain incident and quickly continued,

"I also have Professor Brant's contact details," he said. "He sent me a friend request on the day of registration itself. So we should be safe."

Lily nodded. "I mean, I am always there to protect you. So don't worry much." She added with a huff.

"The eagle arrived!" Miho chirped suddenly, pointing at a small dot approaching from the distance. The familiar figure was riding his skyrend eagle toward them.

To signal him, Miho was prompted to shoot a fireball into the sky. The burst of flame flared briefly before dispersing, immediately catching the rider's attention. Moments later, the eagle descended and landed beside them with a rush of wind. The group quickly boarded.

{Ride cost was 6 AC/Km/person, simplified version of 30 AC/5 Km/person}

"Boss, the cost of having a pickup service is higher…" the rider said cautiously, clearly worried Leo might scold him. Calling him boss was both a business tactic and a form of respect—after all, no ordinary person could casually spend 1200 AC on a ride and still survive in such a dense forest.

"How much?" Leo asked evenly.

"Since this time the distance is 75 km, and pickup service costs 12 AC per km per person, it should've been 900 AC per person—2700 AC for all three. But for you, I'll make it 2500 AC," the man said, having calculated everything in advance so that it's not embarrassing for him again.

Leo nodded. "No problem."

Only then did the man properly introduce himself.

"I'm Brok, a sophomore. Nice to meet you—once again."

"I'm Leo. A fresher," Leo replied.

Brok hesitated briefly before continuing.

"Boss, would you consider making me your regular ride?" he asked earnestly. "I promise my prices are reasonable. And if you accept my offer, I'll even reduce the fare."

Leo pondered the offer for a while, eyes half-lidded as the wind rushed past them.

"How much will you reduce?"

Brok immediately listed his prices: per person per kilometre.

There are three types of services a ride offers:

1. From the Academy to anywhere. [6 AC -> 5 AC]

2. From Somewhere to Academy. [12 AC -> 10 AC]

3. From Anywhere to Anywhere. [20 AC -> 15 AC]

4. Luggage/10 kg. [2 AC -> 1 AC]

The prices were fairly standard for sky rides, with slight variations depending on comfort and speed. Ground rides were generally cheaper. These particular rates were specific to Brok.

Leo thought for a while.

"I'll increase the fare prices," Leo said at last, "if you sign a simple non-disclosure mana contract to keep the details of our whereabouts secret."

Brok's ears practically perked up at Leo's counter-offer. He immediately understood—this meant Leo might call him to pick them up directly from his territory or hidden locations.

"Absolutely! You can trust me," Brok said quickly. "Let's sign it as soon as we reach the academy."

Leo nodded, and with that, he doubled all the discounted prices.

Then Leo asked a simple question.

"Why are you so respectful toward me when I'm just a fresher?"

Brok scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Because I've accepted my weakness," he said honestly. "And I know some freshers are stronger than me. Also, the fact that you survived an entire day in that dense forest? You're absolutely stronger, hehe."

He paused, then added, "By the way, why do you ask? Did someone mistreat you?"

Leo yawned lightly. "Well, we had a problem… Do you know a girl named Karen? She's also a sophomore, I think."

Brok stared at him for a second before realization struck.

"Ah! Karen! She's Vorin's younger sister," he said. "She's definitely trouble. Boss, did you got in trouble with her? Be careful then. Her elder brother leads a Low Blue Tier territory, and he has a beast with Low 3-star strength. He can mobilise considerable force against you."

"Considerable force… exactly how much?" Leo asked.

"I'd say around 50 people, including non-combatants. But I heard his territory recently rose in rank after recruiting more members. So maybe… at least 55."

"So many?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "Does the academy even have enough students for territories to reach 50 members?"

"Boss, it's not just students," Brok replied.

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