Danial leaned back in his chair, listening intently as Liam, now more composed after realizing Danial’s true identity, began to explain."Sir… Chairman," Liam started, still trying to get used to the idea of addressing Danial with such reverence, "Luna Hale is from the Hale Family, one of the Greatest Families in the Capital. They're known for their large-scale manufacturing empire, which includes the biggest and most advanced facilities in the region. We’ve been developing cutting-edge drone technology here at Sterling, and the demand for it has been overwhelming—everyone from corporations to the military has been lining up. Our current manufacturing capacities simply can’t keep up with the scale required. That's why we reached out to the Hales. They have the infrastructure and expertise to handle production at the scale we need, which is why Luna Hale was here today to finalize the deal.”Danial nodded thoughtfully, processing the information. “You mentioned the Greatest Families. C
Danial stood up from his chair, adjusting his suit jacket as he looked at Liam and Letty, who were still standing by the desk. "Alright, I’ll be heading back to my office now. Don’t worry about any formalities. My mother’s in there, and she’s got a sharp eye. If you both come down looking too serious, she’ll get suspicious for sure.Liam nodded quickly. "Of course, sir."Letty gave him a nervous smile, her eyes still wide from earlier. “Yes, Chairman. Understood.”Danial smirked slightly at how different their attitudes were compared to the beginning of the day. He turned and left the chairman’s office, walking through the long corridors with the air of someone who belonged. His confidence had grown, especially after all the information he’d just learned about the Greatest Families. But all of that would need to wait for later.When he reached his office, he opened the door and immediately spotted his mother sitting in his chair, scrolling through her phone lazily. She looked up the m
Danial’s heart thumped in his chest as the tension in the room thickened. Sara’s saber gleamed under the fluorescent lights as she pointed it at him, her eyes lit up with excitement."Fight me!" she declared, her voice ringing with anticipation.Danial blinked in shock. “What??” he exclaimed, standing up in disbelief. He had been mentally preparing for a tense briefing, not a duel with a sword-wielding maniac."Why?" Danial continued, shaking his head, still trying to grasp the situation. "I understand that what happened that day was my fault, and I’m ready to apologize, but why do you want to fight me?"Sara chuckled, a gleam of amusement in her eyes. "I never took the incident seriously," she said with a shrug. "I want to fight you because I’ve heard much about you. You stood up against Elysia during the trial fighters, even though she was just toying with you. Then you went ahead and defeated one of the Emsgate representatives in single combat and martial techniques, not to mention
Sara’s saber began to glow with a golden hum, its light pulsating and radiating power. Danial’s eyes narrowed as he analyzed the situation. The sword had transformed, and something in its aura warned him to be cautious. He took a deep breath, instinctively stepping back as he realized this was no ordinary blade. He could feel the energy crackling around it, vibrating in the air.Sara’s lips curved into a confident smile. She waved her saber in a swift arc, the light from the blade shimmering in the dim underground training hall. "Don't blink, Danial. You’ll miss it," she said, her voice filled with thrilling anticipation.Danial didn’t respond, his focus entirely on the saber in Sara’s hands. In an instant, she leaped toward him, her form a blur of speed. The golden light of her sword gleamed brightly as she slashed downward in a powerful vertical strike.Danial barely managed to dodge, the wind from the blade brushing past him as he dived to the side. He rolled to his feet, glancing b
General O'Malley took a deep breath and then addressed the room with a tone of finality. "Now that we know the ‘little things,’ let’s move on to the main topic of this meeting."Danial straightened in his seat, his easygoing demeanor vanishing in an instant. His thoughts raced, and he muttered to himself, "If those were the little things, what on earth are the main things?"O'Malley didn’t miss a beat. He turned and pointed to the screen behind him, where a rough, incomplete layout of the ruins came into focus. Danial and the others leaned forward, studying the details closely. A portion of the ruins, notably the sections leading deeper underground, appeared blurred and distorted, almost as if the scan had hit an invisible wall."This," O'Malley began, gesturing to the map, "is the only possible map we’ve been able to create using ultra-deep scanners. The Arcane Array laid out around the ruins prevents us from directly entering the site or conducting any physical reconnaissance, but w
After everyone’s order arrived—ranging from steaks to sandwiches and, of course, a couple of pizzas to settle the “great debate”—the group started to dig in. The lively chatter at the table carried on with everyone throwing in jokes and stories between mouthfuls of food. However, Maria, mid-bite of her sandwich, froze when her eyes landed on the restaurant’s door.Standing there, like a silent shadow, was Sara, watching Danial with a look of intense seriousness, her arms crossed, and an unreadable expression on her face.Maria blinked and thought, What the hell is Sara doing here? She racked her brain, remembering that Sara was supposed to be in the middle of training with Gareth for the upcoming Ancient Ruins mission. She shot a glance at Danial, wondering if he knew.Curiosity sparked, Maria cleared her throat and asked, “Danial, what have you been doing this week?”Danial blinked, momentarily caught off guard. He thought for a second, clearly trying to come up with something casual.
Danial took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then asked, while tapping the table, "Enough about me. What have you all been doing?"The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere shifted. It was as if the entire restaurant had dropped a few degrees. The cheerful chatter around them became background noise as Danial's friends seemed to collectively shrink into themselves. Heads lowered, shoulders tensed, and no one dared meet his eyes. It was as if a cloud of dread had settled over them. Danial, now unnerved, blinked in confusion.Danial leaned back slightly, eyebrows raised, as the dark and ominous atmosphere weighed on the group. His curiosity was quickly turning into dread as his friends all seemed to shy away from his question, evading his gaze as if they had been through something unspeakable."Guys... seriously, what's going on? Did something happen?" Danial asked, his voice tinged with concern. His eyes darted to Kuro, who looked like he was sweating bullets, keeping his h
Leonard returned from the washroom, his usual cool smile in place, only to be greeted by the sight of Danial and Pavan still bickering like children. Kuro was visibly stressed, sitting between them, desperately trying to calm the chaos. The tension in the air was thick, but there was also an underlying sense of absurdity that made the whole scene almost comical.Leonard raised an eyebrow as he slid back into his seat, nodding toward the group. “What did I miss?” he asked, his tone light but curious.Kuro, with a deep sigh of exasperation, threw his hands in the air. “These two buffers are arguing over the most useless topics ever!” He gestured toward Danial and Pavan, who were still glaring at each other with arms crossed. “And now it's escalated into... whatever this is. Honestly, I should’ve reconsidered my life choices before joining this group.”Maria burst out laughing, clutching her stomach with one hand and wiping a tear from her eye. “Kuro, you should have reconsidered ages ago