The tattooed man led Drew down a secret elevator at the back of the pawnshop behind one of the massive steel shelves filled with antiques. As it descended into the depths of Ozwarth, Drew leaned his back against the wall of the rickety elevator, watching the lights marking each floor pass before his eyes. No words were exchanged between the clerk and him during the ride.

Finally, after what felt like ages, the elevator stopped.

The sound of the bell chiming synced with the metal doors opening.

Upon stepping out, Drew was welcomed by a whole house of what could be assumed to all be assassins minding their own business. Some sat at the all-necessary bar that came along with virtually every business in Yerburn while others were mingling and playing card games with each other, betting their earnings made off of spilling the blood of others. Each one was equipped with weapons of choice, ranging from cold weapons and firearms, all tainted with an aura of death.

A circular table projecting all available Requests was located in the center of the grand room Drew had stepped into. The Avian managed to skim a few holograms floating around. Some Requests had rewards into the billions of Kalas with familiar images of well-known politicians and business people in Ozwarth. Of course, he wasn’t even surprised to see Heartman’s face up there and his own.

“Why, if it isn’t the kiddo the Head Butler has sent me~!” A jolly voice from a lanky olive-skinned man greeted Drew with an outstretched, gloved hand.

Unlike Neilson, who was approximately two heads taller than Drew, the man before him stood at exactly his eye level. Drew couldn’t identify his race since his eyes were closed and his ears were covered well by his gray hair. However, what he could tell was that the man before him, wearing black from head to toe, was skilled. The Avian wouldn’t have noticed his presence if he hadn't said anything since his footsteps were utterly silent.

So, he must be the Founder of the Harbingers. Drew commented to himself as he accepted the man’s hand. It would be improper for him not to answer the greeting of someone more powerful than himself.

“Say, what’s your name again?”

The Founder continued as Drew let go of his hand.

The Nightengale wanted to laugh, but it wasn’t appropriate in the obvious test presented before him.

“It isn’t good to casually give out one's name before so many folks.”

The Founder snickered at Drew’s answer.

“Follow me!”

As instructed, Drew did just so.

After weaving through the crowd, the duo relocated into a private room. Inside the room was nothing but cold cement walls, a metal table, and two chairs facing each other. It was no different than a prison cell.

Upon sitting in his seat, the Founder walked over to Drew and bowed his head.

“Forgive me for my rudeness, Young Master Winter!”

“Please,” Drew, who had enough of the formalities, let out a sigh. “No need to be courteous. Raise your head and have a seat.”

The Founder shot up like a stick and stiffly walked to the metal chair farther away from the door and sat down.

“Let me reintroduce myself.” He collected himself, clearing his throat. “I’m the Founder of the Harbingers and former Janitor of the Winter Family, Rowan Erthe. I’m honored to be graced with your presence, Young Master.”

Goodness, Drew exclaimed internally. Are all Winter Servants like this?

“I’ve heard much about you from Senior Neilson and the Head Butler!” He bowed even more, banging his head on the metal table. “They’ve made me aware that you’ve come to learn from me.”

“Indeed. Also, while we’re in public, refer to me the same way that you would any other recruit. I don’t desire any preferential treatment.”

“It appears all the hearsay has been true about you.” The Founder grinned, raising his head once again.

Drew folded his hands and leaned in.

“I wouldn’t want you to come to that conclusion so easily. Didn’t they say actions speak more than words.”

“Haha!” Rowan laughed, his eyes shutting even tighter than before. “So, how will you prove it?”

“Teach me everything from the beginning, and I’ll show you.”

“Fantastic! Let’s go, you fletching!”

It had begun.

“Understood, Boss.”

>>>

Many kilometers from Ozwarth, Elias had set his foot into Gillikard.

It was just as Sylvia described.

The air was crisp, devoid of any smog or pollution that Ozwarth had. Like the sky, the water flowing through the pristine brick canals is light blue. Wooden canoes with extinguished lamps hanging from the bow floated lazily on the slow-moving water alongside the Arbolia flowers whose petals had yet to bloom. Old brick cottages lined all sides of the canals, along with smooth cobblestone paths and intricate street lamps that hung high above Elias’s head. In the distance, a grand stadium, where the 40th Royal Selections would take place, was covered in colorful flags and banners could be seen.

It was hard to believe such a place existed on the small planet of Kraus. However, Elias wasn’t here to sightsee. He was a contender in the Selections that takes place once every ten years,

He wouldn’t be entering as himself, though.

Not when everyone he knew was watching.

If they knew what he was doing, he could be assured he wouldn’t come out alive.

It's such a shame.

It's such a shame he couldn’t say anything.

But now wasn’t the time to fool around.

He had learned everything he could from the Hunters, the Crows, and even his friends. Even with all the deception, he wouldn’t let the things his friends had shown him go to waste.

Drew’s defense and dodging techniques.

Sylvia’s hand-to-hand martial arts.

Jay’s ability to spot pressure points.

Brix’s footwork.

With their assistance in filling in his gaps, he had no intention of losing.

>>>

“You’re all set!” The receptionist at the circular desk smiled, passing a holographic card to Drew.

The Avian observed the ID the receptionist had made for him.

“Code name: Raven.”

That would become his alias for his time at the Harbingers. He would start from the bottom and work his way up as he desired. No special treatment like Rowan said he would guarantee.

The next step was to assess his skills to receive a rank. Unlike the Intergalactic Warrior Guild, where one's rank was determined solely by one’s Otrio Capacity, in the Harbingers, an individual’s rank was determined by one’s ability regardless of the amount of Otrio.

In the grand scheme of things, even if a person had a lot of Otrio if they couldn’t wield it correctly, they were no better than an inexperienced child holding a knife. Hence, the skill was a better way of determining one’s ability since, as everyone knows, there have been many instances where someone with less Otrio defeated someone with more.

“Your assessment will begin in a moment. Can I get you anything in the meantime?”

“No. Instead, can you brief me on the details of my assessment?”

“Of course," She smiled, "You’ll spar with an instructor for five minutes. Your rank will be determined by how long you last against them or if you defeat them. All weapons and Abilities are permitted.”

“Look at that twig,” Drew overheard one of the assassins comment about his appearance.

Insults were no stranger to him at this point, but the assassin did have a valid. Sure, he wasn’t a stick, but relative to many who resided in the Underworld, he didn’t exactly have the bulk they were familiar with. It was understandable how they would doubt his capabilities since a typical kid his age wouldn’t have acquired all the necessary skills to conduct an assassination.

It was true that Drew was inexperienced, but he certainly knew he could kill. What he needed wasn’t that ability but the conviction to do so without shaking his mind. Gerald didn’t say it to him, but that is why he was sent to the Harbingers. To learn how to be indifferent to death and the necessity to be so in an era where death is expected.

The Avian needed to act as an Observer to understand.

“Hey, Kid!” An assassin wearing all black came up from behind Drew. “The Founder told me you would be the one I was assessing!”

Drew jolted away from the assassin who snuck up on him. His eyes widened as he put some distance between himself and the person in black. A flying knife was brandished in his hand from his bag. His legs staggered one in front of the other as he locked eyes with the assassin. Even though the assassin wasn’t holding a weapon, he felt his neck grow cold as if a blade were pointed at it. However, there was none.

“Ah, he gave me a sharp one!” The assassin remarked, turning his foot towards Drew. “This is gonna be fun~!”

I knew it. Drew clutched his dagger even harder. The assessment began the moment I finished speaking with the receptionist. The assassin is probably at Leader Rothe’s level, if not higher.

Before Drew had time to think about his next move, the assassin, no, the examiner had vanished from the reception desk and appeared only centimeters before Avian’s head. At this point, Drew had only indirectly dealt with individuals stronger than him, watching from afar while he remained safe away from their eyes. This was the first time he was going face to face with someone many levels above him aside from Gerald.

He wanted to move his arm, swing his arm up, yet all he could muster was a single twitch.

“Stop thinking. It’s only going to slow you down!”

A voice rang in Drew’s ear.

As the examiner's hand grabbed Avian’s throat, Drew felt his body being turned upside down. The ceiling was now in his view. Yet, the Avian wouldn’t let his back hit the ground like this.

Without much thought, Drew tossed the knife in his hand at the examiner's leg. To none of his surprise, the examiner avoided it with ease, and the blade dug into the floor below. In doing so, he loosened his grip around the Nightengale’s neck. Taking this opportunity, Drew knocked aside the examiner’s arm with his elbow till his hand was in the corner of his eye. However, the examiner didn’t spare any second and aimed again at Drew’s body, this time his heart.

With no other way to quickly protect himself, Drew deployed [Aegis]. His feet had yet to touch the ground, but like a bullet, the examiner's hand penetrated [Aegis], shattering it like glass. If the examiner were only a few Ranks above Drew, then blocking his attack wouldn’t have been a problem. Though, against someone much stronger, [Aegis] would fail to hold up.

That wasn’t the scariest part about this assessment. The examiner before him wasn’t even going all out. He was toying with Drew. Drew would’ve stopped breathing in those first few seconds if he were serious.

“All weapons and Abilities are permitted.” The receptionist’s words echoed in Drew’s head.

That wasn’t just a rule. It was also a hint.

A wave of deja vu hit the Avian in that instance.

He recalled the Practical Exam from January.

Professor Varias’s lesson was loud and clear: “In combat, one must know how to use whatever is around them to defeat their opponent. How you use your weapon is up to you as long as you win. Anything can become a weapon if one knows how to utilize it.”

This isn’t the Crow’s Eye or the Academy. Drew’s mind raced as he snatched one of the beer bottles off the table where a few spectating assassins were sitting and tossed it at the examiner. The arena isn’t fixed.

Drew grits his teeth and hurls the bottle at the assassin assessing him.

I have to take control of the field before he does.