"Isn't it a bit tight at the top?" Isha asked, while she was still fixing her new outfit made of a bck, soft, silk-like material.

  It was comfortable yet also strong enough to stop any mortal weapon, as demonstrated by Aerthus when he gifted it to the group. They were waiting for the others on the edge of the main pond as the sun rose behind them, painting the sky orange. As she was adjusting the outer bck robe on herself, with the same amethyst-colored belt everyone was wearing, her ample breasts were constantly fighting to get free from the inner purple robe, only held in pce by continually forcing her to tighten her belt.

  "I think the uniform is fine; it's just… You got bigger." Zern helped her out by fixing the wrinkles in her clothing.

  "Huh? Impossible. I stopped growing long ago! But you may be right; sometimes they feel heavier than before." She grumbled, jumping around a little, letting her soft curves dance freely in the new uniform, making Zern clear his throat, looking away. "It's not bad, even though I'm not used to long dresses, but it's surprisingly easy to move around in. I like how sparkly the trims are."

  "It reminds me of Master's lightning." Zern nodded, who was also wearing a simir-looking outfit, only he had no problem with the chest piece.

  "Ugh… now I don't like it." Isha grimaced at once.

  "Ahaha! Don't need to be jealous!" Ren came up with a ugh, wearing the same outfit, making Isha chortle as it was way too big for her. Ren's bottom pieces were dragging on the ground below her like a mop, while the sleeves were hanging loosely... Clearly, nobody expected someone at her height to be part of the core of the Sect. "I'll adjust it ter." She pursed her lips, "We don't have time now!" She snorted, rolling her eyes, pouting, knowing exactly why Isha was ughing.

  "Why are yours different?" Zern asked, holding back his own chuckle, noticing the difference. As for his question, Ren had a bonus piece, with a shoulder cape, looking as if she had thrown a bnket over herself.

  "It's to distinguish the ranks." Ren expined to them, ignoring their looks, telling them the same way she was told by Aerthus, "What you and Isha wear now are the Core Disciples' outfits. The purple inner robe, covered by the bck outer one, is the same as the Inner Disciples', but yours have the shinier belt, sleeve, and shoulder decorations. The Inner Disciples won't have those. Also, the Outer Disciples' clothes will be completely bck and only have a purple belt."

  "And the Elders have this cool bck shoulder cape with purple inside!" Poli arrived, announcing it proudly, funting his new looks that, if one had to be honest… It really fit him well, making him feel like he was a prince.

  "At least it covers your missing arm." Isha retorted, not wanting to bow to him.

  "Ouch, that was harsh, my dear… Disciple~!" He grinned, firing back at once.

  "You!"

  "Enough, Mr. Elder." Ren rolled her eyes. "I still am your Master, so don't tease the juniors."

  "You too!" Isha stomped on the ground while Zern hugged her from behind, holding her back from attacking Ren.

  "Rex, we will advance, and I'll help you spank that sword for brains." He whispered into her ear, quickly calming her down and giving her a peck on her face.

  "Nice!" Ren winked at him proudly. "Good job taming her!"

  "I like the new design." Leinor finally also appeared, wearing the same outfit as Zern and Isha.

  "Mine is the same as the Grand Elder's variant," Ren expined, stretching her arms, since it was simir to Poli's, only her shoulder cape was decorated with a lifelike lightning bolt. "Every Grand Elder has their signature style etched onto their cape and a medallion showing which Department they are affiliated with. Of course, I don't have the tter as I am still a disciple, on paper."

  "What about the Core Elders?" Zern asked.

  "Same as Poli's look, only they have the Department's emblem sewn on it, not their signature skill. You need to distinguish yourself to even have the chance to rise to a Grand Elder's position."

  "Yeah, but you already have a cape like that? I call it favoritism!" Isha said, crossing her arms under her bulging chest, provoking her in a different way.

  "Don't worry, mine could be taken away if you catch up and show more talent than I." She giggled, smiling at her, "If you repce me as the Head Disciple, I will get my shoulder robe removed. Bummer... A Grand Elder, even if he or she resigns, keeps their own symbol as it showcases a talent of his or her generation... So, come, rise to the rank, and you will have your names recorded in the history books of the Sect and can design your own crests, nyahaha~!"

  "So it was you who designed it?" Isha asked as she raised her red eyebrows.

  "Yup."

  "Yet it is like you are wearing an oversized towel," she smirked again.

  "Ugh… there wasn't any in my size yet!" Ren answered, pouting again, "Master didn't expect someone with my perfect, petite frame to be so talented!"

  "You should work her more at night. She still has the same ego as before. Hell, it has grown!" Isha said to Leinor with a zy expression, not even hiding her mocking tone.

  "I hope you had your fun." Carthus's voice came as he arrived where they were gathering, wearing his outfit prim and proper, and his shoulder cape was decorated with the purple symbol of an even scale. "Sect Head said he felt six experts flying towards us, coming from the east. We are to go out and meet with them, right now."

  "What about those who can't fly?" Leinor asked.

  "Elder Xendar will pilot the… Skyshark... and bring the rest along." He said while looking at Ren as the others followed his gaze.

  "What?" She blinked her eyes innocently, "I think it's a cool name! We can't always call it 'ship this' and 'ship that.' It needed something that shows... Ample force!" She spread her arms innocently, her ears reaching from ear to ear.

  "Those who can fly follow me; we will intercept them until the rest backs us up," Carthus shrugged, levitating off the ground, and soon Ren and Poli followed him out, leaving the others behind.

  When leaving, Ren flew off on her own, while Poli stood on his sword with a grin, winking at the others, imagining himself riding out stylishly on it.

  “That pompadour fuck.” Isha grumbled again, "Damn, he knows it looks cool, but he doesn't need to rub it under our nose!"

  "He needs that fox girl back." Leinor nodded, agreeing with Isha.

  "For sure. She can keep him in check." Zern looked at the shrinking figures, shaking his head. "Let's go; Elder Xendar is probably already waiting for us."

  "Yeah, if we let that lucky idiot bag more achievements, we won't have a calm day ahead of us!" Isha turned around, hurrying to the ship, followed by the rest, sprinting as fast as their legs carried them.

  Minutes ter, when they were long gone, a sleepy-faced Reignar stumbled out from nowhere, rubbing his eyes.

  "Where is everyone?" He yawned, still struggling to fix his belt, and the new clothing on him was even put on backward. "The sun is not even up… why the fuck do we need to get up this early… If I sleep alone, I can't rest… ugh…" he groaned with half-closed eyes, staggering all around like a zombie, trying to find the rest of the group.

  …….…..

  Arriving at the edge of the isnd, the trio of Carthus, Poli, and Ren stood before six men who wore standard leather armor, common among the human armies or nobles' private forces. All of them were standing in the air, clearly in the Harmony Realm, but as Ren scanned over them, she felt that they were not at a high level when they advanced. In return for her sweeping gaze, the six men also looked at them with fear, especially after they saw Ren's hair and eyes... A Naulin...?!

  "Oh." Ren realized the misunderstanding at once, and she just chuckled, looking at Carthus. "Should I…?"

  "Do as you wish."

  "Hehe~!" With his permission, she stepped forward, then, raising her voice, she turned towards their visitors. "What are you doing here?" She asked in a commanding voice.

  "We are servants of the Elroth family, friends of the Qun Kingdom. We came here because of the disturbance on the isnd, tasked with checking it out," their leader replied with an unsure voice, speaking as if Ren should know who the Elroths even were...

  "Well, you did. Now you can leave." She signaled with her hand, but they just looked at each other, hesitating.

  "Can we ask your name, Young Lady?"

  "Do I need to introduce myself to anyone whom I come across? Who do you think you are?" She snorted, funting her hair. "Can't you see?"

  Her words silenced them immediately as they hesitated once again, speaking to each other in whispers.

  "What should we do? She is clearly from that lunatic bastard's line! Just look at her hair color!"

  "Maybe, but I never heard of someone as young-looking as her to be among their experts."

  "You think someone at our level is privy to their secrets? I call bull!" Another of them grunted, "We should just go back to report it and let the nobles handle this between themselves."

  "If we go back just yet, we will be penalized by the family, even dismissed… and that means nobody will employ us again. Ever. They are probably from the Empire." Their leader looked over, scanning them again. "Don't just focus on the girl; see the other two? They don't look like any family I know, and their clothes are foreign, too! I don't think they are from the Kingdom or from Rorik..."

  "That's more of a reason to go back!" one of them panicked while another gulped loudly, speaking up without using voice projection.

  "It's too te…."

  It was that moment when the Skyshark appeared as it slowly approached from behind Carthus and company, circling around, cutting off their retreat route swiftly, way faster than any of the six could react.

  "What's the meaning of this?" The leader shouted.

  "Nothing. As you don't wish to leave, we'd like to invite you in then." Ren answered with a smile.

  "You are not part of the royal family..."

  "Took you long enough to realize it!" She snorted at them, "But still, you stayed. Now please… board the ship."

  "We go, now!" their leader shouted, but as his voice fell, Ren was already between them, smashing into his chest, sending him flying backward, crashing onto the Skyshark's deck.

  The following figure who made his move was Poli, as he was still standing in the air, now stepping off his bde that flew out, obstructing another from fleeing.

  "What are your pns?" Carthus asked calmly, who now wielded a saber as his energies flowed out of his body, suppressing everyone around him. He was yet to make a move, but his bde shone in a strange, dark color, emitting deep bloodlust, an even stronger one that came off when Ren faced Boursat as a child.

  "LeiLei needs practice. They are going to be the perfect dummies," Ren smiled. "They are just scouts anyway; if we take them, someone from the higher-ups will come to investigate. Then you and the Elders can take care of that... Or we just send them back and go back to messaging each other? They would think we are afraid of this ughable level of strength. What kind of image would that give about our Sect?"

  "Your tongue is more dangerous than your skills." Carthus sighed, shaking his head. "You heard her!" Then he spoke to the mercenaries, "Land on the ship peacefully, and we will guarantee your safety. When your owners come, they can pick you up."

  "Ouch…" Poli ughed at his words, which were uttered so calmly and matter-of-factly that they made their visitors tremble with anger, yet they were unable to retaliate.

  "There are only three of them!" One finally broke. "We get hold of one of them, and we are free!" he screamed, his voice filled with panic, trying to muster all his bravery, and in the end, attacking Poli.

  Poli's sword, only by reacting to its owner's thought, circled around and, with one swift swing, following his eyes' trajectory, decapitated the soldier on the spot, releasing a fountain of blood that spttered down below them right into the water... followed by the headless body to fall out of the sky.

  Ren just watched on calmly, looking at Poli and sensing how his energies worked since the injury... It seemed he had significantly recovered by now. Which was good, making his master smile. When the sword, a moment ago, just sliced into the mercenary's flesh, Carthus also made his move. The other two, trying to help their companion out by attacking Poli in tandem, suddenly felt lighter than before. It didn't take long to realize why, as they looked down at their lower halves, already falling into the river, being washed away... To their horror, their guts were hanging out in the open, slowly falling downwards, life leaving them just the same. They forgot to scream at the sudden change and just watched as Carthus's bde went from left to right in a continuous sweeping motion, then it changed to an upside-down swing, cutting them in half again, now vertically.

  Three were dead in a second, and that left only two standing in the air, paralyzed, realizing that all their enemies were not just in the same realm… no, it dawned on them then that they were not in the same domain as those three at all. The strongest of the six-man group was amongst the bisected people... And he was someone who advanced to the Harmony Realm at the sixth level... While the ones who remained were only at the fourth and fifth when they finally took the chance and survived the tribution to become Harmony Level experts.

  Yet... It was now all for nothing, as everyone died miserably as if they were only cy figures in the hand of a kid pying in the backyard. Carthus's look, gazing at the fearful remaining warriors, stayed indifferent as they raised their hands in surrender.

  "That was a clean move." Ren giggled as she looked at both of them, but only Poli answered.

  "By now, it's as if the sword reacts to my thoughts. I just need to think about what I would do, and it does it perfectly. Honestly… I should've lost my arm sooner."

  "Idiot." She smacked the back of his head. "How are your energy points?"

  "Still numb a little." He chuckled, "I use my affinity as little as possible; they can handle it, but not for long. I don't want to stress them more than I should."

  "Good. Finally, you are growing up! Come, Elder Carthus, already left us standing here like two idiots!" Ren patted his shoulder, flying towards the Skyshark, watching as their prisoners nded on its deck.

  As they arrived, the remaining scouts were surrounded by a disappointed trio of Zern, Isha, and Leinor.

  "Good job, Grand Elder." Xendar nodded as Carthus nded on the deck, returning his greeting.

  "Sorry, guys, you came te." Poli ughed, floating down with a wide grin.

  "You-" Isha snorted but held back her words as Carthus was there, and badmouthing an Elder… was not something he would take lightly… probably.

  "Don't worry; our three buddies here will help you train. It's a good opportunity for all of you." Ren stretched zily. "I also need to get the others here from the Capital…." She murmured, "Now that they have lost their value, they can be used for the same thing..."

  "If you want to torture us, then just kill us instead!" the first guy moaned, recovering a little, not wanting to be the pything of monsters.

  "Torture? No, we are not that kind of Sect." A new voice said as a fresh aura washed over them, "You will fight with our disciples, and you are allowed to use your full powers... and don't worry, you won't be killed even if you injure them. When your superior comes, you will be handed back to them, safe and sound." Xendar expined, standing before them.

  "Why should we believe you? The others got sughtered like pigs…."

  "You shouldn't have attacked." Poli rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

  "Enough. Let's go back." Carthus stepped next to Xendar, ending the debate, "I'll report this to the Sect Head."

  "I'm first," Isha said suddenly, raising her hand.

  "Huh?" The others looked at her, dumbfounded.

  "I said, I'm first! When we get back, I want the first match. I'm tired of being left out of all the fun!"

  "Sure!" Ren ughed, winking. "Let's do a tag team, you and Zern, against two of them!"

  "Fine by me." Zern stepped up, standing shoulder to shoulder with Isha.

  "Good, the third will go to Leinor and Reignar… wait… where is Reignar?"

  "I don't know where he is." Carthus answered, "But I know where he will be when we get back."

  "Ugh…" They looked at each other, "I'm gd we woke up early…." Isha murmured, leaning close to Zern. "Thanks…" She whispered, kissing his cheeks.

  "Anytime." He chuckled while the same scene was happening between Ren and Leinor, leaving out only Poli, looking for someone to kiss... But in the end, he just shrugged, caressing his sword.

  "At least you are always with me." He whispered to it with a depressed expression. "My only love..."