Far away from the plaza, in one of the high-tier crafting towers that pierced through the upper layers of the dome, a quiet chamber hummed with layered formations.

Dozens of magic items floated mid-air.

Rings. Blades. Crystals. Mechanical constructs fused with arcane circuits.

At the center of it all was a girl.

Blonde hair, long and silky, cascaded down her back.

Two soft cat ears twitched faintly atop her head.

A slender tail swayed lazily behind her.

She was... beautiful.

Not in a loud, overwhelming way.

But in a strange, almost delicate way.

Like something that didn’t quite belong in the same world.

Her golden eyes were fixed on a floating dagger in front of her, her fingers moving through the air as threads of mana stitched patterns into its surface.

Her movements were precise.

Obsessively precise.

Every line. Every rune. Every adjustment.

Perfect.

"...No, no... this resonance is wrong," she muttered softly, tilting her head. "If the mana loop collapses here, the output drops by 0.7 percent..."

She tapped the dagger.

It shattered.

Not violently.

Quietly.

Like glass dissolving.

She blinked once.

Then smiled faintly.

"Better to redo it."

Behind her, a tall figure stood, watching silently.

An elder.

One of Rainstar Guild’s high-ranking figures.

His gaze was calm, but there was depth in it.

"Lyra," he said.

The girl didn’t turn.

"Hmm?"

"There is something you should see."

He flicked his hand.

A projection appeared in the air.

A recording.

Rudrean’s fight.

The crater.

The bulls.

The movement.

The efficiency.

Lyra’s fingers stopped mid-motion.

Her ears twitched.

Her tail... stilled.

The dagger she had begun reforming froze in place.

Her eyes slowly shifted toward the projection.

She watched.

Silently.

Completely.

Every movement.

Every step.

Every strike.

No wasted motion.

No excess mana.

No hesitation.

Her breathing slowed.

Then changed.

The elder blinked as he noticed it.

"...beautiful," she whispered, her eyes sparking with something unreadable.

The elder glanced at her. ’Hmm?’

He noticed it.

The shift.

’Oh? Is someone finally catching her attention? But why? What did she see that triggered her?’

"His name is Rudrean. A new student. Foundation Stage," the elder said with a smile. "He and his wife teamed up with a couple of students from the same place as you. I thought it would be good for you to be the fifth member and complete that team for the Secret Realm. You need to go this time. I won’t accept no anymore."

"I will go!" Lyra announced and stood up.

"Oh?" The elder was surprised to see her raring this time.

"Then, how about you make a greeting gift for him and his wife with your talent? Actually, make four things so you can give them to all four of them," the elder smiled. "Things that can be used in this Secret Realm."

"Mhmm. Okay!" She looked around as her eyes glinted and gave a thumbs-up to the elder.

All the floating magic items shattered into sparks.

"I’ll make something awesome for them!" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The elder left the room.

And right then, a purple-haired girl was standing there.

"Reina, you again?" The elder wryly smiled.

"Please, Elder Tyoga. Tell her to join my team this time. We’ll take good care of her," Reina pleaded. "I need her to conquer this Secret Realm."

"It’s not possible anymore." Elder Tyoga caressed his white beard while smiling. "She has already joined a team."

"What?!" Reina was shocked, her eyes almost popping out. "No way! Who stole her from me?"

Elder Tyoga shook his head. "It was I who did that. What I need is healing for her. I’m sorry, but you and others are only after her talent. I would never allow her to be in your team, where your big families have conflicts that often break into bloodshed."

Reina sighed. "I can’t separate myself from that, but I would have really taken care of her like a real sister."

Elder Tyoga smiled. "I know, but I want her to heal by interacting with people who connect with her genuinely, without any agenda, and you can’t do that. Today was also the first time I saw her take interest in something other than crafting magic items, and the team she is going to join has people from her planet."

"People from her planet?" Reina frowned. "Isn’t that going to backfire? Her magic items killed so many beastfolk."

"It won’t backfire. And it is precisely because of that fact that I want her in that team. Now then, if you will excuse me, I have to make some preparations for tomorrow."

Elder Tyoga left, leaving Reina frustrated and wondering.

’Which team did she join?!’

...

"The breakfast was awesome." Rudrean rubbed his stomach. ’Isalyn, do you want more?’

[Isalyn: Nope. I am also full.]

Isalyn had her own dishes and bowls, so Rudrean simply transported the food inside secretly.

"You didn’t have to pay." Aelira pouted as she and Rivera returned from the counter.

"Nope. We just had to treat you," Rivera chuckled. "You inviting us will make us richer than expected once we go to the Secret Realm."

"So, what’s next for us?" Rudrean asked. "How will we find the fifth person?"

"We can post recruitment on the Rainstar Network," Ryzen suggested. "With the big names of you both, we will get many applications."

"Wait, I got a message from someone called Tyoga Zelkris." Rudrean blinked as a hologram popped up from his wrist, where their upgraded Adventurer card had fused with his skin as a bracelet.

It could also turn into a ring, a necklace, or anything one prefers by giving it shape data from a scanned item.

But putting that aside, the name Tyoga Zelkris brought an immediate reaction from Ryzen and Rivera.

"What?! Elder Tyoga contacted you?" Rivera was shocked.

"Why? Quick, look!" Ryzen appeared overwhelmed.

"Eh? What’s with you two? Is he such a big shot?"

[Isalyn: Big shot? Girl, even I know him. He is a legend, not just a big shot. One of the ten executives of Rainstar Guild. That makes him one of the ten most powerful people in the Rainstar Guild. He is far stronger than I.]

’Damn!’ Aelira was shocked.

And so was Rudrean. ’Why does such a big shot want to meet with us?’

He continued out loud to inform others. "The message says that he would like to meet the four of us at the Serene Lake Garden. We already got a pass for entry to that location."

"Serene Lake Garden? That’s an exclusive place," Ryzen muttered. "But I can’t believe we are going to meet our hero."

"Should we go now?" He looked at Rudrean with almost puppy-like eyes.

"Well, we should go, and you both should tell us more about this elder." Aelira grinned.

"I am curious as well," Rudrean nodded.

Rivera smiled. "We would be glad to tell you about him."

"Yep. Let’s talk while walking," Ryzen grinned.