As much as he didn’t want to do it, he swallowed his pride and decided to invite Abigail.

He hated Abigail.

For her betrayal, he really hated her with every fiber of his being. But compared to killing the Demon Man. Compared to destroying the class system and everyone who supported it. His hate for Abigail was nothing.

Abigail is a simple, weak-willed girl who made a mistake out of fear.

She’s nothing.

Besides, her sister, Talitha, was actively taking on the role of a servant in her stead.

Kai could easily push aside his hate and pride with all of those things combined.

"You want me... to join your team?" Abigail stood awkwardly at the heart of the room, not knowing how to behave in front of Kai. "Are you really inviting me to join your team?" She pointed at herself. "Me?"

"Yes." Kai nodded reluctantly after a telling pause.

Just earlier, when he walked out of Dorian’s room, he remembered what Professor Hera said.

Not to him specifically, but what she said to Abigail before the Culling of Nonentity.

Professor Hera said that making new friends is harder than reconciling, and she was right.

Other students have their own groups with whom they survived together through the Blood Rite, exactly like Kai and the others. After going through life and death together, they are far closer than normal groups.

Squeezing another new friend into that tight group would be really hard.

It’s the reason why Professor Hera said that.

So, finding a fifth member would be hard, especially a member that’s actually useful.

Someone who can hold their own.

Better to have Abigail in the team. At least he knew exactly what kind of person she was. Her soft edges. Her loyalties. Her temper. Everything. And that was far safer than gambling on a complete stranger whose personality was a mystery.

"Do... Do I even have a choice?" Abigail asked, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Hmm?" Kai’s forehead creased in confusion. "What do you mean, do you have a choice?"

"My... My sister is your servant right now. Are you going to hurt her if I decline?"

"What? Where did you even get that impression from?"

Kai was at a loss for words.

Heat rose to his neck.

Just inviting her alone was already a struggle on its own, and now she even judged him to be the kind of person who would harm someone else to get what he wanted. "Say that again, and I promise you, it won’t end well."

Abigail looked down, avoiding Kai’s eyes.

Even with the light on, his eyes were still black, and they terrified her.

"I came here because you helped Dorian," Kai lied, thinking that at least this way, she would feel like she earned the invite. Making her less paranoid. "You saved his life, so I, at the very least, can tolerate you."

"I need time to think," Abigail finally said.

Kai stood up and left the room without saying a single word.

He already lowered his pride and extended a helping hand. If Abigail decided that she didn’t want to be a part of his team, then so be it. I tried. Now, let’s deal with the situation at hand. Let’s think about getting enough mana ores.

...

The day for the new cultivated clouds to be opened arrived.

Every single freshman boarded shuttle ships—and was brought to view the newly assigned cultivated clouds. Ichor Legion and Auric Cabal had already tagged the two clouds, but all of the students still owed explanations on what the real difference was between these two newly assigned clouds and the other four clouds.

There are two classes inside the ship Kai is in right now.

In order to create a conducive learning experience, the classes were separated.

Kai’s class was on the back side of the ship, while the other was at the front.

Reaching the new cultivated clouds only took an hour, and in order to avoid having students accidentally stumble upon these dangerous clouds, they are placed near one another. To make sure the students knew that going in this direction meant going to the dangerous clouds.

"Look down," Professor Hera gestured to the floor. "See the new clouds for yourself."

Before the students’ eyes, the floor shifted.

A low hum resonated, and the metal panels under the ship slid apart in perfect synchrony to reveal a vast pane of reinforced glass beneath. The students found themselves standing in the air with the world below laid bare for their eyes.

There are two clouds directly below with their own terrain on them.

Both looked really dangerous to traverse.

On the left, a mountain range sprawled endlessly with only a few peaks and valleys. Emerald moss and grass littered the ground, the only whispers of life—defiant green against an ocean of bleak grey.

Dotting the landscape were ruins.

From above, the ruins looked like the skeletal remains of an ancient beast.

For the right cloud, it was a swamp.

It was no ordinary swamp. At its heart, scattered in strange, feverish patches, the murky water glowed a deep, molten red, as though the swamp itself bled into a lava source. Flocks of birds cut across above it in fleeting silhouettes, while beneath the water surface, something moved.

Shadows that roamed around, waiting for anyone who dared to get close to the water.

Just a brief look alone told the students everything.

These clouds are not safe at all. Filled with monsters to the brim.

"As Angels, our main duty is to protect mankind. All of you had learned the first task in order to protect mankind," Professor Hera gestured toward the deadly clouds—with an open hand. "Now, it’s time to learn the second task. And that is to kill Star Beasts."

She then continued on explaining what to expect from these clouds.

These two dangerous clouds are named by the academy as Fire Swamp and Dead Range. True to the rumors, the mana ore concentration within them was leagues beyond the others. In fact, it was nearly three times denser than what the four safe clouds offered.

A treasure trove wrapped in peril.

Awakened Monsters filled Fire Swamp and Dead Range to the brim, making it impossible for any student to mine without being attacked. And among the Awakened Monsters, there will be Pest-class Star Beasts.

Professor Hera said the ratio of Awakened Monsters to Star Beasts was five to one.

For every Star Beast lurking out there, five Awakened Monsters prowled alongside it.

Kai was expecting the entire cloud to be riddled with Star Beasts, but it seemed that was not the case. He might’ve overestimated the current students’ abilities to think that, after the Blood Rite and the Seraphic Rebirth, they could tackle Star Beasts easily.

"Only Pest-class Star Beasts inhabit these clouds, and there will be one species in each one so that you can all adapt quickly," She continued, sweeping her gaze across the Blooded Angels. "It’s recommended to come in groups, but the academy won’t stop you if you have a death wish."

For a second, Kai felt that her eyes were on him as she said that.

She knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Other than mana ores—and null gems, the academy also scattered a few surprises," Professor Hera said mysteriously, making the students more eager to explore these clouds. "For those of you who are daring, feel free to explore."

In order to give the students some rough idea about the clouds and their terrains, the ship circled the airspace above the dangerous clouds five times. Slowly, those within a group gathered in murmuring clusters to form exploration plans.

As for those who don’t, they didn’t even bother studying the dangerous clouds.

No need to worry about this if they have no plan on going there.

Bree and Matilda were with their respective group, while Dorian was sleeping on the side, not having any interest in the dangerous clouds below. Kai was alone. He stood in a clear area, far enough from the crowd, and observed the clouds below.

"Hmm, which one should I pick?"

He was weighing the pros and cons of the two dangerous clouds.

And it didn’t take long for him to settle into the Dead Range.

Kai has no advantage inside the Fire Swamp. Other than being almost covered in shallow water, it was also brighter in many areas because of the glowing red water. Dead Range, on the other hand, is completely dark and muted.

It’s perfect for someone with his kit.

Not a lot of cover because of the vast mountain range, but it’s not a problem.

As long as he has the Nigh-phantom imprint, he doesn’t need to be worried.

Kai had already made his decision. He’d be sneaking into the Dead Range, regardless of which group had tagged it. But something gnawed at him. From above, the entire mountain range was visible.

He’d spotted the Awakened Monsters roaming around, scattered across the terrain.

But he couldn’t find a single Star Beast in sight.

"Where are they...?"

Later, the ships settled on a nearby cloudlet a mile away from the two dangerous clouds.

On this cloudlet, there is a big landing area and a few buildings.

Kai soon learned that the compound consisted of three buildings—an equipment storage, a training facility, and a factory. The first two were self-explanatory, but the factory remained a mystery to him.

He has no idea what it was for.

Stepping inside, he found himself in a quiet cramp lobby lined with three receptionist desks.

Beside each one, a small conveyor belt sat waiting.

Kai moved to the side, passing by students, and read the large sign mounted on the wall.

"Five null gems in exchange for one null crystal?"

A frown crept to his face.

It seemed the factory was a place for students who successfully hunted down a Star Beast to have the Null Gems they gathered refined into null crystals. Kai already knew that there were risks associated with absorbing raw null gems that contained corrupted mana from the Blue Void.

So, this factory exists to give students a safer route to grow stronger.

By turning their null gems into null crystals that are safer to absorb.

But the rate was brutal.

Five null gems for one null crystal are brutal, especially considering how hard it would be to even hunt one Star Beast down. However, Angels like them have no other choice. Despite being the ones who mined mana ores, they couldn’t use the mana ores for themselves.

That privilege ended at the Blood Rite.

Now, the only way for them to grow stronger is through null crystals.

"And there will also be group points," Kai’s eyes narrowed at the other exchange rates. "The group that hunted more Awakened Monsters and Star Beasts would get a group accolade. I see... so this is the next game to pit us against each other."