Oliver clicked his tongue and said,

"Damn, all I saw was a blur. Was that even a person? It was so fast."

Theo nodded.

"Please understand, they don't want to be seen."

The others looked at each other with stunned faces.

"With that speed, could they beat a contractor of a high-tier demon? Theo, you would join them, right?"

"I don't know. I've only ever seen a low-tier demon once."

"It was as if someone was there with the leaves fluttering... Did you see it?"

"No. Honestly, I only realized someone might have been there after you mentioned it."

That was expected, as among those gathered, only Fyat and Maximin had better eyesight than Oliver.

Theo tapped his chest with his fist and said,

"I vouch for the person who just disappeared. They are an expert with experience in Demon hunting."

After asking the leaders of each group to explain things in detail to their members, Theo left.

He had someone urgent to meet.

After about 10 minutes of walking, Theo returned to a nearby mansion.

It was a mansion arranged by Taylor, big enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

Creak Theo entered a room on the top floor of the mansion.

There was a visitor inside.

A man with a robust physique, wearing clothes made of comfortable fabric.

He stood in front of an open window, his face mostly covered with a mask and hood, leaving only his eyes visible.

Theo bowed slightly towards the man.

"Thank you for coming all this way, Leader."

The man was the leader of the assassin group [Equilibrium], Jang Geon.

He was one of the strongest humans on the continent, a contact Theo had managed to make through Taylor's help. He was also Jang Woohee's father.

Jang Geon nodded briefly but precisely to Theo, still wearing his mask, and said,

"I listened to your speech, kid. Not bad for your age."

"Thank you for the compliment, Leader. Will you be staying in this room?"

"No. I don't need a room. When facing a great enemy, one must first be wary of allies. I'll take care of my meals and sleeping arrangements outside."

Jang Geon was a born assassin.

Armed with various secret techniques, he was extremely cautious about any information about himself leaking out.

Theo responded,

"Understood. How should I contact you if there's an emergency?"

Jang Geon shook his head.

"I've arranged surveillance around, so there's no need to contact me. I'll join in when the time is right if anything happens."

After saying that, Jang Geon got ready to jump out of the open window.

Theo bowed again towards Jang Geon's back.

"Understood, Leader. Thank you once again for making the effort to come here."

Jang Geon turned his head slightly and said,

"No need for further thanks. I'll be going now."

With those words, Jang Geon disappeared.

Then, Nay spoke up,

-Oh, to think such a person exists in a world filled with the weak. He is very strong.

-There's probably no one among humans who could beat that man in a one-on-one fight. Maybe he's even stronger than you, Nay?

Nay snapped,

-Damn it, kid! Where do you get off barking like that? No matter how strong that man might be, he's from this era. I was one of the strongest even when demons roamed freely across the continent!

-I didn't know that. You're not just bluffing, are you? You can't lie when I'm the only one listening.

-It's true!

-Hmm, I'll believe you.

Theo closed the door and sat down on the floor, crossing his legs in a meditation pose.

-I intend to resume my qi training. Please guide me, Nay.

-That's a good posture. Of course, I'll help. For now, let's focus on maintaining a small amount of qi for a long time. The main goal is to use qi efficiently.

Thus, Theo closed his eyes and immersed himself in continuous training.

After some time,

Brrr, brrr

The communication crystal nearby vibrated.

Theo, soaked in sweat, pressed the receive button on the communication crystal.

"This is Theo Lyn Waldeurk."

"It's me."

It was Aisha. She had been appointed as the representative of the academy students.

She continued through the crystal,

"I'm cold and hungry. I've almost finished talking to the kids; can I go back to the mansion? The other groups will take a while."

"Do so."

Then, Aisha's surprised voice came through the crystal.

As Theo was tilting his head,

"Theo, where are you?"

A different female voice came through the crystal, not Aisha.

Theo laughed silently and replied,

"I'm in a room on the top floor of a mansion. What do you need, Ao?"

"I've practiced swordsmanship a lot. Check if I'm doing well."

"Alright. I'll have a look when you get back. Should I be expecting a lot, Ao?"

There was silence on the other side of the crystal.

About 10 seconds later, Ao's voice was heard,

"Umm, not a lot. There are many strong people here, so my confidence has dropped a bit."

"Alright, I'll keep my expectations low. I'll hang up now. Head back to the mansion with Aisha."

"Okay, brother. I'm also busy."

Theo was genuinely curious why Ao was busy.

"Busy?"

"Yeah, there are a lot of strong-looking ladies here. I'm going to have a duel with the third prettiest one."

"Hmm."

Theo pondered for a moment.

'Ranking people by their looks? She's developing her own opinions.'

Having one's own opinions is an essential aspect of human nature.

'Trusting Ao to Aisha was the right decision,'

Theo thought, and then asked,

"What does she look like?"

"Her hair is light purple, and her eyes are sky blue."

The chances were 99.9% that it was Irene.

"Good, if you're going to duel, aim to win. Irene was also my swordsmanship teacher, so it'll be a good learning experience for you. A tip: Irene uses orthodox swordsmanship."

"Okay, got it. Brother, I'm going to hang up now. Purple-haired lady, come here."

The call ended.

Theo took off his sweat-soaked clothes.

'I should take a bath soon since the others will be arriving.'

Theo headed to the bathroom attached to the room.

Under Aisha's leadership, the academy students arrived at the mansion.

The mansion had four floors.

Theo allotted the 3rd and 4th floors to the students to stay.

The reason was simple.

Even with Neike and Piel around, the students were the weakest group among those gathered.

If enemies were to invade the 1st floor, it made more sense to place academy staff and outsiders on the 1st and 2nd floors for efficiency.

In the spacious lobby on the 1st floor, Theo told the students,

"Those I call out will use the 4th floor; those not called will use the 3rd floor. Decide among yourselves on the room allocation."

Theo called out some names, including Neike, Piel, Aisha, Jang Woohee, Eshild, Siena, Irene, Seria, Alice, Alphs, Noctar and his orcs, Lizardman Shagarod and his lizardmen, etc.

"Those whose names were called, go to the 4th floor. Those not called, the 3rd floor."

The students moved en masse.

When only Theo and Ao were left in the lobby,

"I'm back."

Isabella and Claire entered the mansion. Their voices sounded drained.

"Why do you seem so tired, senior?"

"What else? We were bothered by people introducing themselves as this and that."

"You've had a hard time, senior. We'll eat once everyone gathers, so please rest in your room until then. It's on the top floor."

"Alright, got it."

Isabella quickly went up the stairs, wary of being seen by others.

'I absolutely can't be found out.'

She shares a room with Theo.

And no one else knows this fact.

They believe she is staying in the room next to Theo's with Claire.

Given the mansion is filled with young and passionate individuals, Isabella was terrified of being discovered sharing a room with Theo.

However, Isabella's hurried steps came to an abrupt stop.

"Oh, the fifth prettiest sister."

It was because of what Ao blurted out.

Isabella's neck whipped around to face Ao.

"Are you talking about me right now?"

Ao responded without hesitation.

"Yes, the fifth prettiest sister. You're fifth because you don't use a sword. Among those who don't use a sword, you're top-ranked."

Though it was a naive statement filled with a young robot's sword superiority belief, Isabella couldn't just let it slide.

Though she didn't show it outwardly, Isabella had a lot of pride in her appearance.

Click, clack.

Isabella approached Ao and asked,

"I'm curious to know who the four before me are."