The early morning was dark, as it always was in the Vampire State.
There was no sun to herald the start of a new day.
Instead, the sky simply shifted—from the deep, impenetrable black of midnight to a slightly softer shade of dark that signaled the passage of ti. Faint silver light bled through the clouds like a wound that refused to close, and the air was sharper than usual.
Colder, too.
It was the kind of morning that demanded you be awake for a reason.
And today, there were plenty of reasons.
The gathering point was a wide expanse of flat terrain at the outermost edge of the Crimson City’s borders, where the paved roads gave way to cracked, untad earth.
The Shattered Road.
It was a transitional zone—neither city nor wilderness—and it felt appropriately in-between for an occasion such as this.
The Mutated Mountain Range lood in the far distance.
Since there was a Spatial Loophole in front of them—one that directly led to their destination—everyone held their breaths.
Even from here, it was impossible to ignore.
They could all see it.
The mountains rose in jagged, dark silhouettes against the bruised sky, their peaks swallowed by the churning black clouds that roosted above them permanently. Every few minutes, a low rumble rolled across the horizon—not quite thunder, but sothing adjacent to it.
Sothing that had no na yet.
It made the earth tremble in the faintest way.
Just enough to remind you that this place was alive.
’So that’s it...’ Richard stared at the distant range with wide eyes from beneath the shadow of a deep hood. His hood was a dark forest green, his cloak layered and road-worn in appearance—an aesthetic he had deliberately crafted.
The travelling clothes of a mid-tier Adventurer.
It was nothing too flashy or morable.
Exactly the point!
He adjusted the strap of the pack on his shoulder and surveyed the crowd that had gathered around him with quiet intensity.
There were a lot of people.
Far more than he had anticipated, honestly.
Hundreds, at least, spread across the gathering point in distinct clusters that had naturally ford along organizational lines. The contrast between these clusters was imdiately apparent and sowhat amusing.
On the left side of the field were the Adventurers.
They were a loud bunch.
Boisterous and broad, many of them were built like siege weapons—large, scarred, and equipped with weapons that seed almost irresponsible in their size. A two-handed axe resting casually over soone’s shoulder. A woman with twin blades strapped to her back who was currently in the middle of a loud argunt about the best way to skin a mutated beast. A group of n in the back had already broken out so kind of fernted drink despite the early hour, and were toasting one another with the easy camaraderie of people who had almost died together on multiple occasions.
The noise from their side was considerable.
On the right side were the Explorers.
The contrast was almost codic.
They were organized.
Quiet.
Many of them stood in deliberate formations, consulting maps and journals with the focused expressions of scholars preparing for a thesis defense rather than an expedition into mutated wilderness.
Their equipnt was precise—specialized tools clipped neatly to belts, asuring instrunts, cataloguing kits, and reinforced satchels built for preservation rather than combat.
Their clothing was uniform in spirit if not in design; practical, refined, and notably clean.
They spoke in low tones.
They did not toast anything.
’Sigh... Now I wish I had joined the Explorers instead...’ Richard felt troubled.
These Adventurers acted too much like ruffians for his liking.
He was initially excited to be one of them.
But that feeling quickly died out.
They were too loud and pushy, and most of all... they slled!
’Sigh... At least Neia’s having a much better ti...’ He glanced in a certain direction and spotted his friend, who was currently disguised as him.
Between these two groups of Adventurers and Explorers, the Noble representatives had congregated in a small cluster of their own. Among them were also two Special Investigators in all-black attire who silently watched everything that was going on.
This was the third party that didn’t quite belong to either side.
They carried themselves with the practiced composure of people who had been trained from birth to never look out of place, though the subtle rigidity in their shoulders betrayed the fact that they were calculating every variable around them at all tis.
Richard scanned their faces briefly.
The Special Investigators barely had any noticeable facial features, so he didn’t focus on them.
There was also a young Noble from the Rouge Family who had no special traits. He recognized Mira, from the Noir Family, almost imdiately. However, he didn’t recognize the other girl in the group who stood inconspicuously, as though trying to hide herself.
However, there was nothing inconspicuous about the girl!
The first thing Richard saw when he stared at her was "Gyatt!"
The girl was thick, with curves that would make anyone’s jaw drop. She was also dressed rather skimpily, making his mouth nearly water. Still, he controlled his expression and maintained the mystique of what he considered a proper Adventurer.
’I didn’t know anyone in this world was built like that, though. Judging from her appearance, she must be from the Bleu Family...’ He gulped slightly. ’I wonder what her na is.’
Despite thinking this, Richard didn’t dwell on her for long.
His eyes naturally flowed to a separate position where he spotted soone of interest.
There, standing slightly apart from the others, was the person his parents had sent in to protect him.
His cousin.
’Sigh...’ Richard let out a breath of turbid air as he looked at the young man. ’... Why is he so handso?’
The young man was, by any reasonable asure, impressive.
Tall and sharp-featured, with the white hair of the Blanc bloodline and golden eyes that surveyed the surroundings with the cool precision of soone who had been told he was exceptional and had chosen to believe it.
He carried himself with a quiet dominance, the kind that didn’t need to announce itself.
Standing at his side—posture impeccable, expression serene—was Neia.
’At least she’s representing well...’ Richard let out a small, involuntary exhale of relief.
She looked the part completely.
She always did.
The elegant bearing, the pale composure, the absolutely unreadable quality of her face beneath the sa life-like mask of Richard which had on at the Naming Ceremony—she was every inch the mysterious yet powerful ’Richard’ that everyone had speculated about.
Perhaps even more convincing now, given the context.
His cousin glanced at her occasionally, with the expression of soone trying to solve a puzzle he hadn’t been given all the pieces to.
Richard almost laughed.
’Good luck with that!’ He thought to himself. ’Neia is an expert at disguise. I’m sure she’ll even make look more badass in this expedition.’
Their eyes t briefly across the crowd.
Neia’s gaze flicked to him—just for a mont, imperceptible to anyone who wasn’t looking—and then returned forward without so much as a blink.
That was the signal.
She was fine. She was ready.
Richard turned away and readjusted his hood.
Ti to blend in.
As he delved deeper into the group, enduring their annoying banters, he observed two among the Adventurers who he found quite impressive.
Just like him, they had an aura of mystique about them.
’I should get close to them!’
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