“W-What do we do, sister?”

“I don’t know! How would I know, damn it!”

Not far from the crumbling fortress, Erica gritted her teeth. Following Theo's orders, all hostages had been safely moved to a secure area. But just then, the enemy bombardment began, and the fortress itself started collapsing. It was a dire situation, especially for Unit Five, which was likely to suffer significant casualties.

Naturally, they needed to go help, but how to approach was unclear. Acting rashly could worsen the damage. After all, as a rookie of only three days, Erica felt there was nothing she could do effectively.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! This battlefield wasn’t supposed to be like this…!"

She had thought she would shine on the battlefield right from the start, but the reality was grim.

“What’s going to happen to us?”

“Where are the other members? The terrorists seem to be launching a counterattack; shouldn’t we be getting out of here quickly?”

“What are you doing just standing around?”

“If you came to rescue us, do it right!”

The hostages, agitated, were causing a commotion.

Grinding her teeth, Erica's eyes filled with red.

Boom!

Holkus slammed his sword onto the ground with force.

“Shut up, you bastards!”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

“Who do you think caused this mess, huh? If you didn’t want to be hostages, maybe don’t get captured in the first place!”

Holkus’s fierce gaze swept over the hostages. Instantly, they withdrew, avoiding his eyes.

“Act up one more time, and we’ll leave you here. Got it?”

Most of the hostages were merchants who had only learned basic self-defense. They didn’t dare protest. Holkus glanced over at Erica, with a smirk that seemed to ask, *Didn’t I do well?*

Erica felt a mix of amusement and exasperation, yet somehow her head cleared a bit.

*If it were Theo… What would Theo do here?*

A fellow rookie, yet always calm and clear on what needed to be done. Thinking of him, a plan started to take shape.

“Let’s go.”

“What’s the plan? We can’t do much from here.”

“No rescue needed. The White Armored Knights from the north aren’t that easy to take down.”

“So? Are we going to attack the enemy?”

“No. If they laid this trap, they’d have prepared countermeasures against our dragons too.”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell me the plan already.”

“We wait until they think it’s all over.”

“…?”

Holkus couldn’t quite understand his sister’s words, but Erica was already mounting her dragon.

Then, she spoke to the hostages.

“This place is hard to spot from the outside, so please wait here. Do not, under any circumstances, come out.”

Before the hostages could react, Erica and her dragon took to the sky.

---

In the shelter, Unit Five was having an unexpected encounter.

“Captain?”

“Is that… Evelyn?”

Inside the shelter, they found an unexpected guest—the former captain of Unit Five, Trainer Isben, who was presumed dead, along with four of his team members and several hostages who hadn’t been accounted for during the rescue.

“It’s the captain!”

“Captain’s alive!”

Trainer’s survival brought joy to the group, but right then, members of Black Skull, who had been secretly observing them, made a move, hoping to catch them off guard.

However…

“Who do you think you’re messing with, without even your leader around!”

Slash! Slash!

The ambush from Black Skull wasn’t even a threat to Unit Five. Selpherd casually wiped the blood off his sword and approached Trainer.

“What happened to you, Captain?”

Despite his grumbling tone, Selpherd’s trembling lips showed his concern. The survivors were in rough shape, with no one unscathed, and several suffered from fever, barely able to stand.

“What a mess, isn’t it? Still, it’s good to see you all again, especially you, Evelyn,” Trainer said, giving a smile as he touched his missing left leg.

“Is that an artificial arm?”

“Yes, it is.”

Evelyn removed her glove, revealing a metal left arm.

“Impressive.”

“It was crafted by the Mach.”

“The Mach? I knew they had hidden skills, but I didn’t expect this.”

Such replacements could restore lost strength and offer a chance at recovery. For those as gravely injured as Trainer, it offered hope.

“I’ll try asking the Mach for you later.”

“Just the thought is kind enough. Haha!”

Trainer chuckled lightly, then his expression hardened.

“But first, we need to get out of here. Do you think that’s possible, given the chaos outside?”

Evelyn nodded solemnly.

“It seems Black Skull was just bait; the real enemy is someone else.”

“The real enemy…?”

“Do you have any idea who?”

“Well, I have my suspicions, but we were ambushed too, so it’s hard to say.”

Evelyn’s eyes sharpened.

“So, you were also caught in a reverse trap?”

“Yes. The troubling part is that they knew precisely when and where we’d arrive.”

“Do you think the information was leaked?”

“There’s no other explanation.”

Evelyn pressed her lips tightly together. Trainer’s implication was clear: there was a spy deeply embedded within their clan. Given that even the White Armored Knights didn’t receive mission details until the day before, this spy had to be in a position of significant trust.

“They knew us far too well, like they knew exactly how to handle us. They even knew our equipment.”

Nothing could be more convincing. Evelyn gritted her teeth at the thought that her subordinates had been put at risk because of such treacherous informants.

“It wasn’t Black Skull. Their organization is capable, but they couldn’t possibly have such detailed knowledge of Ragnar.”

“So another third-party group subdued you and handed you over to Black Skull?”

“That’s the idea, but it’s still uncertain.”

“Hmm…”

“It seems this third party now plans to dispose of both Black Skull and us.”

Trainer chuckled bitterly, looking up at the ceiling. Even after the fortress’s collapse, bombardment continued, causing dust to trickle down as the ceiling trembled.

“They didn’t know there was a shelter here, apparently.”

But they would find it soon enough, to confirm the kill.

“So, how did you find this place? It wouldn’t have been easy amidst the chaos.”

Trainer shifted the topic, trying to lighten the mood and give Evelyn and her team a moment of rest.

“Our rookie helped us.”

“Hm? A rookie?”

Trainer raised an eyebrow, noticing the smiles spreading across the faces of Evelyn, Selpherd, Arin, and the other team members. Curious, he followed their gaze and saw a young boy, hardly past his training days.

*What could someone like him possibly have done?*

Trainer was puzzled until he noticed Theo’s unsteady condition. As he was about to speak—

Thud!

Theo staggered and fell to his side.

“Theo!”

“Hey! Rookie! Get a grip!”

Evelyn and the team quickly rushed to Theo’s side.

---

“Hah… hah…”

Theo was drenched in cold sweat, breathing heavily. The team made room for him to lie down, loosening his armor and clothing to help him breathe easier.

“This kid… held off a hammer-wielding brute, sensed an ambush, and led you all to the shelter? In the middle of that chaos?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And he broke Torquel’s record in the Awakening Ceremony?”

“Yes.”

“How is that even possible…?”

“It seems it is.”

“A monster, then.”

“Yes, a monster indeed.”

Trainer shook his head in astonishment, realizing how fitting the term “monster” was for Theo. Despite his delicate appearance, this boy was a prodigy.

“But we must get him back alive. He’s a blessing to the White Armored Knights.”

Trainer rolled up his sleeves.

“I’ll check his condition.”

“Please do.”

Trainer, who had also trained in medicine, had the best medical skills among the White Armored Knights. After a moment of examination, he hummed in thought.

“Is it serious?”

“Captain, we must save him. This is the friend who saved me and Arin,” Evelyn and Selpherd looked at him anxiously.

“No need to worry. He’s just exhausted. A bit of rest, and he’ll recover.”

The team sighed in relief. It made sense that Theo, after enduring constant tension and struggles, would be worn out.

“But…”

“…?”

“No, this is something I’d rather discuss once he’s awake.”

Evelyn felt uneasy, sensing Trainer was hiding something, but soon Theo regained consciousness.

“Are you alright, Theo?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I apologize for causing trouble,” Theo replied, bowing his head.

Since entering the shelter, Theo had felt unwell, and his body still ached all over. The magic venom, while giving him enough strength to endure, had taken its toll, leaving him completely drained.

Above all, his headache was intense.

*The magic venom seeped into my brain, expanding my cognitive field, but… the aftereffects are overwhelming.*

Theo felt sharper and more intelligent, likely due to the Hatchling Sync evolving, but the influx of information from the outside world now caused him unbearable headaches.

*What should I do?*

Finding a solution was urgent; otherwise, it would be difficult to escape Ed’s looming grasp.

“You.”

At that moment, Trainer leaned in, his tone serious.

“How did you open the *Gate of the Mind*, something only masters can access?”