Author's Note: Do Not Unlock Yet.
--------------
And then Aleman added one final item:
> **ntor's Grace Token — Bound to Derrick**
Derrick frowned. "What's this?"
"You level faster when you're near ," August explained. "So grinding will be easy."
Derrick's eyes widened.
"That's cheating!"
"No," August corrected with a smirk.
"That's friendship."
---
### **The Adventure Begins**
Aleman motioned toward the village gate.
"Let's start your first quest. We'll grind to level 3 before lunch. By evening, you'll hit level 10 and unlock the main world."
"Seriously??" Derrick gasped.
"Yep," Aleman said. "You're learning from the best."
He started walking forward.
Derrick jogged behind him.
"Hey Aleman?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah?"
"…Thanks. For everything. For helping . For not giving up on ."
Aleman paused — just for a mont.
Then he smiled.
"That's what brothers do."
Derrick swallowed hard, then grinned.
"Alright then. Teach how to be a badass."
"Oh, I will," Aleman grinned. "By the ti we're done, even the Oni will think twice before touching you."
Derrick laughed.
And together, ntor and apprentice walked toward the shimring world of forests, monsters, and magic—
A journey that would change Derrick's life forever.
---ss
A week passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. Between the lines of code and magic that made up Enders Light, Derrick was slowly carving his own path. And during those days, in the real world, AM Coven quietly thrived as usual — except that one of its core employees was missing, buried neck-deep in a new life.
August didn't bla him.
A newbie had a mountain to climb.
And Derrick had more reason than anyone to get strong — fast.
---
A Week of Dual Lives
On the seventh morning, August sat on his couch in a relaxed slump, scrolling through mission boards on his tablet while glancing at his pod occasionally. Derrick was still inside his own pod at ho, pushing through the leveling grind like a man possessed. Every day, August logged in to guide him, carrying him through dungeons, escort quests, hidden missions, and rare monster hunts.
Derrick was improving. Slowly, awkwardly, but definitely improving.
Even so, he had a lot of catching up to do.
The world of Enders Light wasn't forgiving. Newbies were always fragile, always overwheld, always one mistake away from being sward by horned forest boars or wiped out in so beginner dungeon with too much confidence. But Derrick had sothing many didn't:
Aleman as a ntor.
Everywhere Aleman went, people whispered.
He was a rising star.
A player who just dominated the tournant without belonging to any guild.
A player who refused offers from giants and forged his own path.
And since the tournant, the whispers only got louder.
When word got out that Aleman was an independent, guild recruiters went feral. They sent friend requests. ssages. Bribes. Invitations. Threats disguised as politeness. Promises disguised as opportunity.
August ignored 95% of them.
The other 5% he rejected politely.
His focus remained on one thing:
Grinding.
Getting stronger.
Exploring unknown areas and increasing both his Assassin and Magic skill branches.
And secretly…
Keeping an ear out.
For anything.
Any ntion.
Any rumor.
About legendary fruits.
Or the Elven Kingdom Sylvalis.
Or any political movent tied to the strange event that had displaced him in ti.
So far?
Nothing.
And silence was more worrying than noise.
---
Juggling Two Worlds
Despite all of this, August didn't let his responsibilities in AM Coven slip. With Derrick gone, he handled most of the work himself with the rest of the staff. And when he wasn't running the business, he was diving into the ga to level, train, and explore.
But the real world wasn't patient.
Real problems don't wait for the grind to end.
And soon, he'd have to step outside Aleman's shadow and deal with a threat larger than any boss fight.
Because today — as soon as AM Coven closed — he had a eting.
One he couldn't skip.
One he definitely couldn't ignore.
---
Closing Ti
The final custor left and the chi of the door faded out. August switched the OPEN sign to CLOSED and exhaled softly. His day had been long — balancing work, texting Derrick tips, and ntally preparing for what ca next.
He walked to the back office and grabbed his outfit.
Business attire.
Tailored.
Black.
Sharp.
Authority radiating from every seam.
He fixed the collar, straightened the sleeves, and finally picked up the distinct helt — the one he wore during every eting with the supers or the Agency. It was part safety, part disguise, but at this point, it was almost iconic.
Clad fully, he looked like soone no one wanted to cross.
AM Coven emptied out one by one as the staff clocked out. The lights dimd to half brightness, the hum of AC lowered to its nightti setting, and the shop fell into a tense silence.
Until the front door opened with a distinct, deliberate push.
Detective Wright walked in.
But he wasn't alone.
---
Arrival of the Team
Four figures followed behind him, their steps synchronized and professional.
August recognized two of them instantly.
The supers from the island.
They had been part of the rescue operation to retrieve Derrick—
and he owed them for that.
But the other two?
He didn't know them.
Which ant they were either new to the team, or more likely—
High clearance operatives added for this mission specifically.
Wright stopped several feet away from August. Even without seeing the detective's face beneath his own professional mask, August could tell the man looked relieved.
"August," Wright began, voice firm but appreciative, "thank you for agreeing to et."
"I said I would," August replied, leaning casually against a table. His helt disguised any facial expression, but his tone remained calm.
The detective gestured to the people behind him.
"You already know Agent Linton and Officer Morales."
The two supers from the island nodded respectfully.
"And these," Wright continued, "are Specialist Haru and Specialist Kellan. They'll complete the strike team."
Haru, a slim analytical-type with glasses too sharp for soone in field work, bowed politely.
Kellan, a tall brick-house of a man, simply nodded once with a heavy, intimidating presence.
August took the mont to size them up.
Efficient.
Disciplined.
Capable.
Good.
They would need capability for what was coming.
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