After the morning’s awkward episode, the group finally gathered in the Cave once more.

This time, however, every one of them was wet, slightly disheveled, and most importantly, cleaner than before.

The blood, grime, and exhaustion of the Crimson Forest had been washed away, leaving behind only fatigue and lingering embarrassment from the earlier incident.

Once again, the Cave felt like a fragile refuge...

Caelestra’s voice suddenly cut through the crackling of the flames.

"Why do you keep chewing that?" Her tone carried a sharp edge of irritation as she glared at Veyrath.

The failed Alchemist turned towards her and raised a brow. "Chewing what?"

The fake innocence plastered on his face was so obvious that even Sylveris rolled her eyes.

Then he continued chewing...

Caelestra’s eye twitches as she replied. "That thing in your mouth..."

"Oh..." Veyrath chewed a few more times before casually spitting something onto the Cave floor.

It was a mashed-up mixture of leaves and petals.

"What?" He asked. "It’s a Saintsky Rose and I am using it to floss my teeth."

Hearing that, the group gave him weird stares...

Veyrath simply shrugged before adding. "You know, so that my breath doesn’t smell like death."

Suddenly, Sylveris blinked. "Really?"

The young girl looked baffled as she tilted her head and replied.

"I thought you practically treated those Roses as your life partners. When did they suddenly become as inconsequential as something that you can use to floss your teeth."

Veyrath immediately sat up straight before pointing at her.

"Okay, first of all, no. I cherish them. I don’t love them. And there’s a big difference between the two."

Sylveris hummed softly, clearly unconvinced by his explanation.

Veyrath continued defensively, gesturing wildly with his hands. "And secondly, who said Saintsky Roses can’t be used practically? You know, for skin care, oral hygiene..."

Then he turned sharply toward Sylveris. "In fact, weren’t you the one who crushed them just yesterday and used them as perfume simply because they smelled nice?"

Hearing that, Sylveris couldn’t find any words to dispute that statement because the failed Alchemist was actually right. Yesterday, in her ignorance, she had crushed some Saintsky Roses and use them as perfumes.

But just because she couldn’t retort doesn’t mean she had no knight in shining Armour that would do it for her.

Her eyes literally welled up with fake tears as she turned towards the silver-haired Knight sitting nearby.

"Regaleon..." She sniffed. "Veyrath is bullying me."

Suddenly, the entire Cave paused. Veyrath himself froze... And even Regaleon lifted his head slowly, as though questioning the absurdity of the situation itself.

Had the girl who just sold him out minutes ago actually come begging for him to defend her?

Where is the justice in that?

But then, he looked between the shocked Veyrath and the teary-eyed Sylveris, and exhaled faintly.

"Okay. Veyrath, you are an adult; why do you bother quibbling with a child?"

There was absolute silence...

Sylveris had a peculiar glimmer in her silver eyes, like the gaze of someone who just achieved victory.

Veyrath simply stared blankly like someone who the world had personally persecuted for a crime he didn’t commit.

Next to him, Valmyr tumbled backward, clutching his stomach as he laughed loudly.

Caelestra simply pinched the bridge of her nose...

And Aureleah, quiet as always, watched with a faint glimmer of amusement hiding in her silver eyes.

Seeing everyone laughing at him, Veyrath folded his arms and turned away.

"Hmph!"

The gesture resembled a sulking child more than a dignified failed Alchemist... And this only made others laugh harder.

Eventually, the Cave settled once again.

Then Kaeloris cleared his throat, bringing the conversation back to something more serious.

"Regaleon. Yesterday, you said we would train with our Essence Runes before considering anything else... Like searching for other survivors."

Immediately, the atmosphere shifted as the earlier humour faded into an attentive silence.

Regaleon straightened slightly. "Yes, I did. And the reason i said that wasn’t without purpose."

The silver-haired Knight leaned slightly forward and continued in a measured voice.

"Yesterday, we almost died..." He started.

Nobody interrupted him as their minds drifted back to the scenario. There was the endless battles, the fear, and the realization that just one mistake would have doomed them all. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"In my ignorance, I assumed that because we awakened our Essence Runes, we were finally capable of handling the dangers around us. At least some of it..."

Then he shook his head. "But I was wrong. We couldn’t..."

This time, Vaelorin frowned as he replied. "But at the end of it all, we won. Didn’t we?"

Regaleon nodded slightly. "We did... And I am not denying our victory."

His golden eyes swept across the group as he continued. "What I’m questioning is the cost of that victory."

Vaelorin creased his brows. "What do you mean? We didn’t lose anything. In fact, we gained things. And you even managed to evolve using those Aether Cores, remember?"

Regaleon affirmed. "You are right..."

Then he adjusted his sitting position...

"Let me explain properly. You see, yesterday we fought against creatures that we classified as Rank One Animas and yet, we were forced to use everything we had."

"I don’t see how that is unreasonable. I mean, we are merely Awakeners. Yet we survived a fight against five Rank One Animas." Caelestra commented.

"You are also right. But just like how we were merely Awakeners, those creatures were also merely newborns."

Immediately, confusion washed across the group as several blows furrowed.

"Newborns?" Veyrath scoffed under his breath. "Those things looked anything but that. They were literally trying to devour us. Nothing about them felt newborn."

Regaleon simply quirk his lips. "Well, if you’d observed the battle closely, you would have noticed something. We fought those creatures moments after they were just born."

Thalmyr suddenly snapped his fingers. "...Oh! I get it now..."

Everyone turned towards the failed Vanguard.

Valmyr leaned forward and explained. "Those things weren’t even supposed to hatch. It only happened because of that weird robed Sauryean girl."

Kaeloris eyes suddenly sparkled with understanding. "Right. They barely emerged before we attacked them. And throughout, they didn’t even have the time to properly assess themselves."

Regaleon nodded. "Exactly!"

Then his voice became heavier. "They had the power, the instincts, and the potential of a Rank One Anima... But they lacked the maturity as they haven’t even grown into themselves."

Slowly, realization dawned as the cloud fogging everyone’s mind cleared up...

Regaleon continued. "Think about it. Those things had just awakened; they hadn’t adapted nor explore the extent of their abilities... And even then, we nearly died."

It was only now that they understood where Regaleon was driving at.

The Forgotten Knight wasn’t trying to diminish their accomplishment, he was only reminding them of reality...

The Nether Lands wasn’t a place that rewarded arrogance or complacency as...

One victory didn’t guarantee safety...

One success doesn’t mean strength...

And one survived battle didn’t imply that they were prepared for the next.

After several moments, Veyrath spoke up. "So about this training of yours, does it involve learning how to fight properly or what?"

Regaleon slowly shook his head. "We are not going to be training how to fight. We are training how to kill."

"But what’s the difference between the two?" Veyrath asked.

Regaleon smiled before replying. "When people talk about fighting, they often imagine winning. You know, overpowering the opponent, proving strength, and demonstrating skill..."

There was a slight pause... Then he continued.

"But killing... It is different. Killing is survival economy and survival doesn’t care about any of those three things."

The group listened with rapt attention as Regaleon explained further.

"You see, in a fight, people seek victory; but in killing, people only seek an outcome."

That statement earned him confused looks from everyone and seeing this, Regaleon elaborated.

"When two people fight, both are trying to overwhelm the other because the objective is superiority. That means the stronger one wins, or the faster one, or the more skilled. But survival doesn’t work that way..."

His voice lowered as he continued.

"When something is trying to kill you, your objective isn’t to prove you are stronger. Your priority is to stay alive... And in that moment, efficiency becomes more important than strength, precision becomes more important than pride, and results become more important than appearance."

Then his gaze hardened as he said. "At that moment, as a survivor, your only question becomes: what is the simplest way to remove this threat?"

With that explanation, everyone suddenly understood what Regaleon meant.

The failed Knight wasn’t simply talking about violence, he was talking about survival. He was trying to make them understand that life wasn’t a tournament.

The Nether Lands wasn’t an arena; it was a graveyard. And graveyards didn’t care about who looked impressive, they only remembered who survived.

"So when you spoke about training earlier, were you trying to say that you would teach us the art of killing?" Veyrath asked.

Regaleon stared at him for several moments before shaking his head. "No. How can you learn to kill when you don’t even properly know how to wield a weapon?"

Veyrath looked horrified. Then he pointed at himself. "Duh. I’m an alchemist. I’m not supposed to be at the frontline. I’m supposed to be standing at the back while strong people protect me."

Hearing that, the whole Cave snickered. But Regaleon didn’t. Instead, he replied solemnly.

"You are in the Nether Lands. Out here, neither titles nor professions matter. So whether you like it or not, you would definitely train with us..."