The morning sun of Ufrifa was already a brutal, unyielding force by 8:00 AM, beating down on the pristine, pale-stone pavement outside their luxury hotel. The western continent was a desert jewel, and its climate was a physical thing.

The heat radiating from the asphalt was visible, warping the air into shimmering mirages.

Hide stood in the scant shade provided by a towering palm tree near the hotel’s grand entrance, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Next to him, Sora was frantically fanning her face with her hand, her dark eyes narrowed in pure annoyance.

"I swear, if he makes us wait another five minutes, I’m going to slice his kneecaps," Sora muttered, her voice laced with genuine irritation as she continuously shifted her weight. She looked up at Hide, who was staring blankly at the bustling street. "How are you not melting right now? I’m practically sweating through my clothes, and I can control the wind."

"I have better things to save me," Hide replied flatly, not bothering to look down. "And you’re complaining too much. It’s just heat."

"Easy for you to say," she huffed, blowing a stray strand of dark hair out of her face.

Given the sweltering, oppressive climate of Ufrifa, the team’s standard heavy combat gear had been entirely abandoned.

Adaptability was a core tenet of survival, and fighting in heavy Kevlar under a desert sun was a death sentence. The girls, in particular, had opted for highly exposing, breathable clothing to keep the temperatures manageable. Sora wore a cropped, midriff-baring athletic top that clung tightly to her chest, paired with dangerously short, high-cut combat shorts that left her soft legs completely bare to the sun.

A few feet away, Evelyn and Claire were similarly dressed. Evelyn wore a sleek, backless black halter top and light cargo pants. Even Claire had shed her usual heavy coat. The S-Rank powerhouse stood with her arms crossed, wearing a low-cut, crimson sports bra that proudly displayed the jagged scars across her abdomen, paired with skin-tight black athletic leggings.

The boys weren’t faring much better. Rol was leaning against a stone pillar in a simple grey tank top, fanning himself with a datapad. Hide had opted for a sleeveless, pitch-black combat shirt and loose tactical trousers, his silver hair catching the blinding morning light.

"Where the hell is the big guy?" Rol groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

"Right here! Keep your pants on!" a booming, boisterous voice echoed from the hotel’s grand double doors.

Gideon burst out into the sunlight. The massive, dark-skinned Warrior was completely shirtless, his broad, muscle-corded chest already gleaming with sweat. He wore only a pair of baggy desert-camo trousers and heavy boots. Slung over his massive shoulder was an absolutely bulging, oversized duffel bag that clinked loudly with every step he took. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"What took you so long?" Claire demanded, her red eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Supply run, Major," Gideon grinned, completely unbothered by her deadly glare. He dropped the massive duffel bag onto the pavement. He unzipped it with a sharp pull, revealing a mountain of ice-cold energy drinks packed securely inside. Frost rolled off the cans, the sudden blast of cold air a godsend in the oppressive heat. "I went to the kitchens and cleaned out their stock. We’ve got a long day of grinding ahead of us, and I wasn’t about to do it dehydrated."

He reached into the bag and started tossing the freezing cans to the group. Hide caught a sleek black can with one hand. The freezing aluminum felt incredible against his palm. He cracked the tab, taking a long, silent drink of the sweet, icy liquid as the rest of the team eagerly gathered their shares.

Once everyone had a drink in hand, Claire stepped forward to the center of the group. She clapped her hands together—a single, sharp sound infused with a tiny fraction of her S-Rank mana that instantly commanded their absolute attention.

"Alright, listen up," Claire announced, her tone shifting from an annoyed chaperone back to a seasoned military commander. "We have a slight change of schedule. Commander Maddox will not be joining us today."

The team paused, exchanging confused glances. "Where is the old man?" Gideon asked.

"He had some highly classified, urgent business to fulfill in the Eastern Continent," Claire explained, her expression tight.

Hide froze. The cold energy drink halfway to his mouth completely halted. His blue eyes, ringed with faint violet, darkened into dangerous, calculating slits. The Eastern Continent. Tarita.

Hide’s mind raced, violently connecting the invisible dots. He distinctly remembered the conversation he had overheard back in Area 17, deep inside the Sihue Clan’s heavily warded estate. The Patriarch of the Sihue clan—an ancient, terrifying S-Rank monster—had abruptly boarded a private airbus to the Eastern Continent as well. And now, just days before the world’s most critical tournament, Commander James Maddox had suddenly abandoned his team to rush to the exact same continent?

What the hell is going on over there? Hide thought, a cold knot tightening in his stomach. The highest echelons of global power were converging on Tarita, leaving the lower ranks completely in the dark. It wasn’t a coincidence.

"However," Claire continued, breaking through Hide’s internal realization. "The Commander left me with the complete, finalized blueprints for your training regimen. Since I recently evolved to S-Rank, the tournament committee officially barred me from participating in the training. It’s against international regulations. So, for the duration of this trip, I am your coach, your handler, and your worst nightmare. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma’am!" the team echoed in unison.

"Good. Drink up and let’s move."

They left the hotel, weaving through the dazzling, sun-scorched streets of Ufrifa. The architecture here was a bizarre, beautiful blend of ancient desert stonework and hyper-advanced holographic technology. Twenty minutes of walking brought them to their destination: a colossal, dome-shaped complex that dwarfed even the NEA headquarters back in Area 5.

This was the Grand Gate Training Facility, a highly secure, internationally funded zone booked specifically for the participants of the World Exterminator Tournament.

The moment the automated glass doors hissed open, the sheer volume of noise and ambient mana washed over them like a tidal wave. The interior was massive, buzzing with the chaotic, aggressive energy of international elites. Teams from the Southern, Northern, and Eastern continents were all gathered here, wearing their respective national colors and agency insignias.

"Alright, the facility has given us free choice," Claire said, looking over the sprawling digital directory hovering in the lobby. "We can pick any gate environment that suits our squad composition."

But as they walked deeper into the facility, a glaring problem became immediately apparent. Every single gate containment zone was already occupied. Behind the reinforced, blast-proof glass walls of the training sectors, Hide could see teams already locked in brutal combat with regenerating Gatekeepers. The facility was so severely overbooked that some of the larger gate zones were currently occupied by two or even three separate international teams, forcing them to fight both the beasts and each other for training space.

"Tch. It’s a madhouse," Rol muttered, his grey eyes scanning the hostile, territorial glares being thrown their way by foreign squads lingering near the entrances. "There isn’t a single open spot."

"Keep walking," Claire ordered smoothly, completely ignoring the heavy stares of the surrounding Exterminators.

She led the team straight through the chaotic lower floors, bypassing the 1-Star, 2-Star, and 3-Star sectors entirely. They moved into the restricted, premium wing of the facility, the crowds thinning out as the required clearance levels skyrocketed. Finally, they stopped in front of an absolutely massive containment zone.

Behind the heavily reinforced stasis glass, a violently swirling, bruised-purple portal pulsed with terrifying, suffocating energy. It was a 4-Star Gate.

Standing directly in front of the gate’s control console was a man who looked entirely out of place in the sweltering, chaotic environment of Ufrifa. He was a gentleman—there was simply no other word to describe him. He was dressed impeccably in a tailored, three-piece black suit, complete with a dark tie and polished leather shoes. Despite the suffocating forty-degree heat outside and the heavy humidity inside the facility, he wasn’t sweating a single drop. His posture was perfectly straight, his hands resting casually on the head of an elegant walking cane.

As Claire’s team approached, the gentleman turned his head. A warm, incredibly measured smile spread across his handsome face.

"Ah, Claire. It is wonderful to see you again," the gentleman said, his voice smooth and cultured. He stepped forward, offering his hand.

Claire smiled back, taking his hand in a firm shake. "It’s been a while. I appreciate you holding the spot for us."

Hide’s True Sight flared instinctively as he stared at the suited man. The boy’s breath hitched slightly. There was no aggressive, spilling aura like Maddox, nor the suffocating gravity of the Sihue Patriarch. Instead, the mana contained within this gentleman was perfectly still, incredibly dense, and absolutely bottomless. He was a true monster hiding in plain sight—an S-Rank powerhouse from the Central Continent, and one of the highest-ranking Commanders of the Central NEA.