They are now Blooded Angels, so the academy valued them more.

Kai called it bullshit.

Perhaps the grey-masked Angels are preventing the students from attacking each other openly while inside the academy grounds, but here, in these two newly assigned clouds, the students are free to do as they wish.

Unlike the other clouds, there will be no monitor by the grey-masked Angels.

And that only made the already dangerous clouds even more dangerous.

Other than needing to watch out for Awakened Monsters and Star Beasts, students would also need to be wary of those around them who don’t want to see them succeed, making it a three-front battle.

Kai walked out and scanned the cloudlet.

As expected, the Ichor Legion and Auric Cabal had already geared and gathered—ready to be the first ones who’d traverse the uncharted cultivated clouds. From their positions, it seemed the Ichor Legion would be tackling Fire Swamp, while the Auric Cabal would be tackling the Dead Range.

Kai would be on the cloud tagged by Bree’s group, and that’s good.

He could use Bree to avoid stumbling across the Auric Cabal.

It was good that he didn’t need to confront the Ichor Legion, especially after what went down between him and Chester. And since he didn’t give away the Crystallized Teardrop of Argus, Chester would’ve probably killed him when the chance arose.

Matilda came, standing beside him while pretending to read the sign outside the factory.

Her group isn’t going to make a move today, so she’s free.

Besides, she promised him that she’d help.

"Have you made your decision? Which cloud will we go to?"

"Dead Range."

"Still going with the Pegasus? Not sneaking in right now?"

"Yeah, there’s no other choice. Chester has his eyes on me."

"Chester?" Matilda turned sharply. Her gaze locked onto the Ichor Legion group on the other side, watching them mount their pegasuses, ready to cross to the Fire Swamp. Among the students, she spotted Chester.

Just as Kai had said, his gaze kept drifting back, stealing glances at Kai.

Like a predator waiting for movement.

"How in the world did you even get on his radar?"

"I don’t want to talk about it."

Kai walked away, heading back to the ship.

The plan was quite simple.

He would return to the academy alongside the other students to avoid suspicion, then take a Pegasus with Matilda straight to the Dead Range. At least that way, he could steer clear of the Auric Cabal’s entry point entirely.

Perhaps he’d be entering from the opposite side and work from there.

Along the way, he passed by a group of students in a heated banter.

"What? Really? Iris actually ran and got lost?"

"Yeah, I swear!"

"How is that even possible? I don’t believe it. Iris has never been the type to run away. Heck, she was always sleeping during class."

"Look over there. Look at her pale face. I’m sure Professor Evie is talking with the Ichor Legion to ask for help to find Iris."

"Shit... You’re right."

"But who the fuck is going to risk their lives to try and rescue a damn cat? Even an absolute moron wouldn’t be that stupid. Besides, even if there’s someone who’d do it, do you think Iris can survive in the Fire Swamp filled with bloodthirsty creatures?"

Kai paused suddenly when his ears picked up something.

Professor Evie.

Isn’t that the last professor I hadn’t checked with Bree?

From asking around the students, Professor Evie is the home professor of class 1-D. Most of the students said that she was easy to find, as she spent most of her time in either the garden or the professor’s headquarters, playing with her beloved cat, Iris.

Kai and Bree couldn’t find her and gave up.

But now, that professor was here.

Iris... Her cat ran away and got lost in the Fire Swamp?

Kai had planned to push aside the group requirements until after he dealt with the situation regarding his weekly quota. But he wasn’t about to deny the stroke of luck that had perfectly landed in his lap.

If he played it right, he could secure the sponsor for his new group.

He quickly pivoted and headed straight to Professor Evie.

"Professor." Kai tapped Evie lightly on the shoulder. She turned—confusion flickering across her features before it was swallowed by the worry that seemed permanently etched there. "I heard your cat went missing. Is that true?"

"Yes, yes, yes," She nodded eagerly and fixed her glasses. "That’s right."

Unlike the other professors, who ranged from cold to outright hostile, Professor Evie was the complete opposite. She looked young, early thirties at most—with a pliant quality to her face that made her seem effortlessly approachable.

Her brows, naturally upturned, gave her the perpetual look of someone on the verge of tears.

But right now, she was really on the verge of tears.

It seemed her cat was really important to her.

"May I know what the cat looked like? And where do you think it went?" Kai asked.

Seeing that Professor Evie doesn’t seem to recognize him as a student from the Ichor Legion, he scratched the back of his head and smiled a little. "I’m not a part of the Ichor Legion, but I’m planning to try the Fire Swamp later.

"I was thinking of keeping a lookout for your cat." He added.

"Okay," Professor Evie nodded, grateful for any help she could get. "Her fur is white, and her left ear is only half because of an old accident. She wears a bell, so listen for the ringing. She is not the type to run around much, but just in case... follow the sound.

She paused, worry creasing her brow. "Iris really loved chasing bugs or birds. She must’ve wandered deep into the swamp."

"I’ll keep an eye on her." Kai was about to leave, but stopped. "If I may ask, why can’t you go and find your cat yourself?"

Professor Evie paused.

She slowly turned to face Kai again and gave him a stern look.

"No, you may not ask me about that. Just help me or don’t."

"Apologies."

Kai quickly retreated, not wanting to offend Professor Evie.

Staying any longer would only increase the likelihood of saying something else wrong. Better to steer clear before he digs himself into a deeper hole. But as he withdrew, he didn’t forget to note that the question had agitated Professor Evie.

He was certain there was something more to it because of her reaction.

Thank Zeus for her being more innocent than the other professors.

It’s either that she has some problems with the academy, or the Fire Swamp is more than meets the eye.

Kai and the other students not belonging to the Ichor Legion or Auric Cabal boarded the ship once more and returned to the academy. The moment they arrived, he slipped into his room, retrieved his scimitar, and waited for the coast to clear.

He made his way to the Aerial Stable, avoiding every eye along the way.

And after reaching there and waiting for a few minutes, Matilda came.

She grabbed a Pegasus again before the two took off.

"Change of plans," Kai said from behind, louder than his regular voice, and tapped Matilda’s abs to make sure she was listening. "Instead of going to the Dead Range, we’re going to the Fire Swamp."

"Just earlier, you said we’re going to the Dead Range to avoid Chester. What changed your mind?" Matilda looked over her shoulder and raised a brow in confusion, though Kai couldn’t see it with the mask. "What are we doing—on the Fire Swamp? I hope you’re not planning to kill Chester."

"Huh? Course not," Kai frowned, surprised that Matilda would even go there. "We’re going to rescue a cat."

"A cat...?"

Moments later.

Kai and Matilda approached the cloudlet and spotted a student near the storage building. He was playing with his phone, and though he was wearing a mask, his long brown hair made it easy to recognize him.

He is one of the students from Ichor Legion.

Both of them recognized him.

"Dive! Dive!"

"Hold on!"

Matilda pressed down on the back of the pegasus’s head, a silent command that she recently learned. The creature obeyed instantly, diving sharply beneath the cloudlet. They went under and vanished from sight right as the student lifted his gaze from his phone, frowning.

He’d thought he heard something approaching.

Sound of flapping wings, but there was only empty sky.

He looked around, making sure he wasn’t hearing things, and then went back to his phone.

On the other hand, Matilda kept the Pegasus steady under the cloudlet, thinking of a way not to be noticed by the student. "We can land behind the factory building, but it’s directly across the storage building," She said loudly. "It’ll be hard to sneak around the student."

Chester was quite smart and careful.

He left behind a student to guard the equipment storage.

If any other students intended to test their luck by sneaking into the new clouds, defying the agreed terms, then they would need to gear up first. Without proper equipment, they would not be able to survive, let alone mine.

All the equipment was stored in one place.

And with a guard posted right at the entrance, slipping unnoticed would be hard to do.

But not for Kai.

He has a couple of ways to deal with this situation.

"Bring me behind him!" Kai said, and Matilda nodded.

Matilda guided the pegasus to the back of the equipment storage building, hovering just close enough for Kai to touch the cloudlet’s edge. The moment his hands found holding—she pulled away silently.

Kai hauled himself up and swept his gaze across the perimeter.

He saw the student, still on his phone.

Perfect.

"Nigh-phantom."

Under the glaring light of the sun, his imprints are weaker—but it was more than enough to get him close enough to an unsuspecting student. He held the scimitar in a reverse grip, which made enough sound to make the student turn.

However, it was already too late.

Kai struck the back of the student’s head with the handle of the scimitar, knocking him out.

He caught the body before it fell, and before long, Matilda emerged and landed before him.

"Grab the equipment we need," Kai said while hauling the student onto his shoulder.

Matilda was confused as to what Kai was going to do.

She watched Kai go to another Pegasus nearby, tied the student to the straddle, and then used the Deep Slumber on the student. Just enough to prolong the time for him to stay unconscious. And then he slapped the Pegasus’s backside, sending it neighing and flying away.

Heading back to the academy.

"That’s cruel," Matilda chuckled. "What if he can’t ride a Pegasus?"

"Then he’d better learn quickly," Kai shrugged.