For the first ti since the conversation began, the Sword Saint’s expression beca completely serious.
"Surpassed it?" he repeated.
If those words had co from anyone else, he would have dismissed them imdiately. In fact, he might have even considered it an insult. Throughout his life, countless people had approached him claiming they had discovered so unparalleled genius, only for the so-called prodigy to disappoint him the mont he laid eyes on them.
But Zoey was different.
She wasn’t soone who exaggerated.
Nor was she soone who spoke carelessly.
If she said sothing like this, then she genuinely believed it.
That alone was enough to make him pay attention.
Of course, paying attention did not an believing it outright.
Perhaps the young man had impressed her. Perhaps she had encountered soone talented enough to leave a strong impression. But Zoey’s standards and his standards were vastly different things.
The Sword Saint had spent decades standing at the pinnacle of humanity.
He had seen monsters among monsters.
Geniuses who could shake entire generations.
Individuals who had been hailed as the future of mankind.
Most of them had failed to et his expectations.
So while he was interested, he remained skeptical.
anwhile, Zoey showed no intention of backing down.
Imdiately, she began explaining everything.
She spoke about Marcus.
About how Kael had fought soone well above Level Forty despite only awakening a few days ago.
She spoke about how he had carried both her and Adam all the way to Level Twenty in a single day.
Then ca the Giant Sand Worm.
A monster that was dangerously close to Level Fifty, if not already there.
She described how Kael had stayed behind to face it alone while everyone else retreated.
Finally, she recounted the encounter with the plunderers.
From beginning to end, she left nothing out.
The Sword Saint listened quietly.
At first his expression remained calm.
Then gradually it began changing.
His brows furrowed.
His eyes narrowed.
Several tis he looked as though he wanted to interrupt but held himself back.
Shock. Disbelief. Curiosity.
Rare emotions appeared on his face one after another.
A person who had awakened re days ago fighting a Level Forty Awakened?
Absurd.
Simply absurd.
Most people required close to a year of constant effort to reach such a level.
Even geniuses needed months.
Yet according to Zoey, this young man had crossed swords with such opponents almost imdiately after awakening.
Then there was the matter of the Sand Worm.
The more he listened, the more unbelievable it sounded.
And yet...
He knew Zoey wasn’t lying.
That left only two possibilities.
Either she was mistaken.
Or the young man she described truly possessed talent so monstrous that common sense no longer applied to him.
By the ti she finished, silence filled the dojo.
The Sword Saint remained seated with his fingers resting against his chin.
For several monts he simply thought.
Eventually, he looked up.
"This friend of yours..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You seem to think very highly of him."
Zoey nodded without hesitation.
"I do."
The Sword Saint chuckled.
"Perhaps he really is as impressive as you claim."
Then his expression beca serious once more.
"However, you must understand that your standards are not mine."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"So bring him to ."
Zoey blinked.
The Sword Saint continued.
"I’ll evaluate him myself."
"If he truly possesses the qualities you claim he does, then I’ll decide whether he’s worthy of becoming my disciple after I see him with my own eyes."
The mont those words left his mouth, Zoey’s face lit up.
A wide smile appeared on her lips.
"Really?"
The Sword Saint nodded.
"Really."
"Then I’ll make the arrangents!"
Before he could say another word, Zoey practically sprang to her feet and bolted for the door.
The Sword Saint watched her disappear with an amused smile.
However, in her hurry to leave the room, Zoey failed to notice sothing strange.
As she left, her shadow split apart.
One portion followed her. The other didn’t.
The other remained behind.
Monts later, the remaining shadow twisted and rose from the floor.
A figure erged from within it.
The man was dressed entirely in black.
The mont he appeared, he dropped to one knee.
"Sword Saint."
The Sword Saint’s gaze shifted toward him.
"Rise, Albert."
The man imdiately obeyed.
"I’ve completed the task you assigned ."
A faint smile appeared on the Sword Saint’s face.
"I know."
"You did well."
Albert bowed his head slightly.
"It was my pleasure."
The Sword Saint nodded before his expression turned thoughtful.
Then he asked the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"You were with Zoey in the Rift earlier."
Albert nodded.
"I was."
The Sword Saint leaned back slightly.
"Did you see this young man she keeps talking about?"
"I did."
For a mont, curiosity flashed across the Sword Saint’s eyes.
"And?"
Albert answered without hesitation.
"He’s impressive."
The Sword Saint frowned.
"Impressive enough to beco my disciple?"
To his surprise, Albert imdiately nodded.
"Yes."
The Sword Saint froze.
If Zoey’s recomndation had convinced him twenty or thirty percent, then Albert’s words pushed that number dangerously close to certainty.
Because unlike Zoey, Albert was not soone who praised people.
Ever.
The two had known each other since the earliest days of the Apocalypse.
Back when the world had first fallen into chaos.
Back when humanity had been desperately struggling to survive.
The Sword Saint had lost his wife during those dark years and had been left alone to raise their daughter.
Albert’s situation had been even worse.
He had lost everything.
His wife. His children. His parents. His entire family.
When they first t, they had both been broken n trying to survive in a collapsing world.
They fought together.
Bled together.
Survived together.
Over ti, they ford a bond deeper than friendship.
At least from the Sword Saint’s perspective.
Albert, however, had always insisted on seeing himself as a subordinate.
No matter how many tis the Sword Saint argued, Albert refused to change his mind.
To this day, he still addressed him formally.
And because the Sword Saint knew Albert better than almost anyone, he also understood one important fact.
Albert never praised people.
Never.
Yet here he was.
Approving of a young man after eting him only once.
That alone was astonishing.
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