Fred placed the teacup back in its place for a few moments.
Eugene, Rin, and Rim exchanged glances, wondering why he had stopped.
But their questions faded when he resumed speaking, his sadness clearly visible.
"Greed… one of humanity's greatest problems. My parents… well… they were greedy in everything.
Greed and impatience blinded their judgment."
"The leader of the capital invited my parents to attend a ceremony honoring their achievements. During it, a heated argument broke out between my parents and the gang leader. My father, drunk, fired a shot that grazed the president's cheek."
Eugene's eyes widened for a moment.
"So they ran away from him, right?"
Fred rubbed the back of his head, then nodded slightly, confirming Eugene's words.
Rin asked curiously, "What happened after that?"
"They fled. And because he controlled most of the regions, they were forced to escape by boat to the Neptune Empire."
Rim said, trying to process Fred's words, "Wait—where are you from?"
Eugene looked at her in surprise and said,
"From the Monian Empire. Why do you think he's at the academy?"
Rim turned her head away, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"What were you thinking? He said they fled to Neptune, and he's here with us now—which means he's not from Monian at all."
"You're right. I wasn't born there, and my origins aren't from Monian. I'm from Ibs."
Rin's mouth opened slightly, his eyes widening as he placed his hands on the table in shock. Rim shared the same expression, unlike Eugene, who seemed completely ignorant of what Ibs was.
Silence fell for a few moments before Rin spoke:
"Wait… you're from Ibs? How did you survive in that place?"
"Hold on—you two. What even is Ibs? You know I've never opened a book in my life!"
Fred placed his hand on his head and looked toward Eugene.
"You need to read books. The world of cultivators doesn't rely on strength alone."
Eugene felt a slight sense of disappointment; Fred had ignored his question.
"Fine, whatever. Just tell me—what is Ibs?"
Rim raised an eyebrow, speaking with a tone of arrogance toward Eugene.
"Ibs is a continent that lives by the principle of the strong devouring the weak. There are no laws or order—only chaos. It's also known as the land of criminals and anarchy."
Eugene raised his thumb with a cold, sarcastic look mixed with some annoyance.
"Great. Amazing."
He placed his entire left hand on the table.
"You should learn some humility."
Rim interlaced her fingers, maintaining the same tone and gaze.
"If you start reading, I might try."
Rin stepped between them, leaning slightly forward, sensing the tension in the charged air.
To him, the relationship between Eugene and Rim was a strange mix of rivalry and kindness—each with their own side.
Eugene's pride refused to let him appear foolish or weak, even if he had to pretend otherwise.
Rim shared the same pride, but with a gentle and caring side.
A strange bond.
Rin's mind analyzed everything around him—something he had been used to since childhood.
Fred stood up, stretching tiredly as he headed toward the exit.
"I'll see you later."
Eugene, Rin, and Rim bid Fred farewell as he left. They continued chatting for no less than half an hour, then all stood up and left the restaurant.
"Oh… I'm really sleepy. What do we have tomorrow?" Eugene asked Rin.
Rin replied, feeling tired as well,
"I don't think there are any lectures tomorrow. I think it's a one-day break."
Rim adjusted her veil and said,
"What will you two do tomorrow?"
Eugene lifted his gaze to the sky and said,
"I think I'll go to the office."
A sarcastic smile appeared on Rin's and Rim's faces as they exchanged glances.
"Ha, looks like that argument made him realize how stupid he is."
"Hahaha, yeah. He should feel stupid—as long as he's talking to me, I'm extremely cultured."
Strange expressions appeared, mixed with disgust and annoyance.
"Thank goodness I'm not a bookworm like them," he muttered sarcastically.
Then he said goodbye to them and headed toward his apartment.
He arrived, opened the door, and entered.
"Looks like the harsh winter is approaching—the air is cold."
This time, Eugene headed toward the desk he was supposed to study at.
(Note: He hasn't opened a book since the beginning of the school year.)
A luxurious wooden desk with a single long drawer.
He opened the drawer, took out his notebook and pen, placed them on the desk, then opened the notebook and began writing:
"Months have passed since the village incident. I still suffer from many nightmares and feel a strange sensation. I don't know exactly what this feeling is,
but I know it isn't a good one. Anyway, many things have happened recently, so I want to summarize them. I don't know why I'm writing this, but that's fine.
First: What I know now is that cultivators can sense 'Rish,' a spiritual energy of the water type, present everywhere. This energy merges with the material concepts of the era to form a 'Mark.'
The Mark is also something intangible. They drink concocted potions made from specific ingredients in a certain way to understand and sense a specific Mark.
I took the Mist Mark. I don't know its abilities yet, but I'll discover them in the coming period."
—He turned the page and continued writing after a few moments of thought.
"Second point: There is something extremely bad about this place."
He began recalling the memory of the moment of terror that had seized Musa because of that symbol.
"Despite being one of the strongest cultivators, he was clearly terrified and confused upon seeing that symbol. I even saw it in my dream.
So now I have two options:
The first option—also the most dangerous—is to investigate and search for the secret behind his fear. But I don't think I'll find anything. If the symbol itself caused such terror to one of the Four Guardians, then what about the person behind it?
I might throw myself into a vortex I'm not ready for.
The second option—the safer one, or perhaps equally dangerous—is to forget the symbol and wait until I gain the necessary strength to investigate it.
But first, I must observe Rin. James must be nothing more than a diversion. And since I met Rin, it has become my responsibility, as the one who holds this information, to protect him—not just Rin, but Rim and Fred as well."
Eugene sighed, set the pen aside, and lifted his head, staring at the bright yellow ceiling.
"What can I say? I need protection before I protect anyone else.
I must focus now on developing my skills and abilities before anything else."
…
Rim opened her eyes as she waited for the tea to heat.
Her long, soft black hair and her pink pajamas were decorated with pink rabbit drawings.
She was deeply saddened, still unable to process the death of her cat. Her face was pale, exhausted, and sorrowful, her heart burning with pain and anger.
She clenched her hand, her veins clearly visible.
"What should I do now?
Should I focus on developing my abilities?"
"Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to hurt that bastard."
An image of Ralph came to her mind when she remembered finding his handkerchief near her cat's corpse.
"I think it's best to tell Musa or Eid… but Musa has been missing for a while, and he's wealthy and of noble origin. To them, it's just a cat. They won't do anything about it… unfortunately."
She remembered the looks of disgust and arrogance from her first day.
"Disgusting rich people!"
She pulled her hand away, shifting her attention toward Rin, who was stretching his arms while lying down.
"I think I'm stupid for thinking this. There's definitely something wrong. Eugene's shocked reaction when he saw the symbol proves he's seen it before."
He turned onto his right side.
"And Musa's reaction and denial confirm that he's hiding something too."
"Ah…" He sighed in sadness and confusion.
"Anyway, I must focus on understanding and training this ability."
Rin closed his eyes, which bore a crescent-shaped mark within the iris.
Distinctive eyes like his brother Eugene's—Eugene had solar eyes, and Rin had lunar eyes.
Sun and moon, light and darkness.
Is this a coincidence?
In the darkness of the night, footsteps moved calmly and steadily toward a tall, ancient tree. A man stood there, his features unclear due to the darkness.
Strange—at this time, one would usually be watching a movie or something similar.
Fred sat beside the tree where that person was seated.
The man spoke in a cheerful tone; his voice was the same as the young man who had spoken to Alex earlier.
"Oh, Fred. How are you?"
Fred picked some herbs from the ground and said,
"Fine. Life's been boring lately."
"Boring? Quite the opposite—it's exciting and fun."
"Are you talking about life, or one of the girls you know?"
"Hahaha, no, not like that… or maybe yes."
Fred sighed and threw himself onto the ground.
"You need to stop acting like a teenager."
The man replied with a light laugh,
"I am a teenager."
"I don't mean recklessness or carelessness. You're a powerful cultivator from a very wealthy family. Use your talent and wealth for something important—instead of women and late nights."
The man lowered his head slightly, crossed one leg over the other, and faced Fred.
"Forget about me for now. Tell me—why did you get close to those people?"
Fred tilted his head until his eyes met the man's and said in surprise,
"Who?"
The man pointed toward the apartment building where Eugene, Rim, and Rin lived.
"Oh, you mean Eugene and the others?"
"Yes, yes—Eugene, or whatever his name is."
"Nothing. I just like sitting with them."
The man adjusted his posture and sat on the ground facing Fred, placing his hands on his knees.
"You don't sit with us just to sit with them. You're really strange."
"Well, you're busy with women, staying out late, and training. As for the others, they're either busy or acting foolishly in ways that don't suit my style or personality."
"So what? You act excessively polite and orderly. You're a cultivator and a handsome young man—do whatever you want."
Fred shook his head in refusal.
"No. That's just how I am. Besides, I prefer spending my time improving myself."
The man sighed, clearly a bit surprised by Fred's way of thinking, then leaned his back against the tree.
"Improving yourself isn't important at your rank. And I know what you're going to say—you're rich and talented, so things are easy for you…"
He paused, thinking.
"You know what? You're right. My talent and wealth make things easy—and that's great."
Silence filled the place for a few moments—nothing could be heard except the calm of the night, the cold air, and the rustling of grass and trees, mixed with the chirping of crickets under the light of the full moon.
End of the chapter.
It's clear that the mysterious man speaking with Fred and Alex knows them…
Friend or foe? What do you think? 👤🔍