Sean stood there in stunned silence for a moment before finally snapping out of it.

"Are they insane?" he blurted out. "Don’t they know Noah Hudesman’s brother is Jasper Hudesman? An S-Class hunter? They’re all going to end up dead."

His father chuckled softly. "You really are still a child."

Sean frowned. "What does that mean? Are they all S-Class hunters too? Or at least two to three of them?"

"No."

Sean blinked. "No?"

His father shook his head. "The entire squad consists of A-Class hunters."

Sean stared at him as though he were looking at a fool. "And they still dare to come here planning to kill Jasper Hudesman’s brother?"

A faint smile appeared on his father’s face. "You are underestimating them. They may only be A-Class when it’s just about mana measurement, but every member of that squad possesses a unique and terrifying ability. You can’t become one of the Bloodhound Guild’s elite assassins without extraordinary talents."

He paused briefly before continuing. "Take squad leader Jacob, for example. His ability is Stealth. His opponent won’t even realize what hit them till death."

Sean felt a chill run down his spine.

"And then there’s Eira. The Poison Queen. Unless you’re a long-range attacker, fighting her is suicide. Your rank doesn’t matter. The moment she gets close enough, you’ve already lost."

Sean’s father looked up at the sky before continuing. "But the most troublesome? It’s Henrick. His ability is Command Magic. If you hear his voice even by mistake, you won’t be able to deny his command. The other three? I don’t know what their abilities are. But you can be sure of one thing. They all are dangerous in their own way."

Just as Sean was about to ask another question, the distant thumping of helicopter blades echoed through the night sky.

Whup! Whup! Whup!

Sean and his father instinctively looked up.

A black helicopter emerged from the darkness, descending from the sky like an eagle diving toward its prey.

As it approached, powerful gusts of wind swept across the area. Dust and loose debris were thrown into the air. The surrounding trees bent violently beneath the pressure of the roaring blades. The helicopter slowly descended toward the helipad.

A few moments later, its landing skids touched the ground.

"They’re here," Sean’s father said quietly. Sean immediately fell silent. His eyes remained fixed on the aircraft. He wanted to see the people his father had spoken so highly of. The helicopter’s engines continued to roar as the cockpit door opened. A metal staircase unfolded and touched the ground.

One after another, six figures stepped out. The last to emerge was a woman. Before stepping off the staircase, she glanced through the cockpit window at the pilot.

"Leave," she said calmly. "We’ll notify you when the mission is complete."

The pilot nodded.

Moments later, the rotors accelerated once more.

Whup! Whup! Whup!

A storm of wind erupted across the helipad, sending dust swirling into the air. Then the black helicopter rose into the sky and disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the six silent figures standing beneath the moonlight before Sean and his father.

The man at the front of the group stepped forward and stopped before Sean’s father. "Did you complete the task?"

"Yes, Mr. Jacob." Sean’s father replied.

But...

Suddenly, the temperature around them seemed to drop instantly. The man’s expression darkened slightly. "Simon, don’t you know you’re not supposed to address us by our real names?"

The moment he spoke, a terrifying pressure erupted from his body.

Sean’s face turned pale. His knees trembled violently, and for a moment, he felt as though an invisible mountain had been dropped onto his shoulders. He almost collapsed to the ground. Only by gritting his teeth and forcing every muscle in his body to obey did he manage to remain standing.

Cold sweat dripped down Sean’s Father, Simon’s forehead. "I-It’s my mistake, Alpha," he said hurriedly. "It won’t happen again. Please show mercy this once."

Several seconds passed. Then the pressure vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. Everyone present secretly let out a breath of relief.

"Report." Alpha’s cold voice rang out once more.

Simon straightened immediately. "Five individuals were trapped inside the hidden realm. Noah Hudesman was one of them."

Alpha remained expressionless. "Continue."

"Four of them belonged to the Razor Wolf Guild. The fifth was an outsider." A cautious look appeared on Sean’s father’s face. "We believe that outsider may be the person you’re searching for."

"And the survivors?"

"Out of the four Razor Wolf members, only two returned alive. Noah Hudesman. And Meridith Soalace. However, our investigation suggests that Meridith doesn’t know anything about the outsider’s identity."

Alpha interrupted him. "It doesn’t matter."

His voice was completely devoid of emotion. "She was there when my cousin died. My uncle wants everyone involved to pay the price." A dangerous glint flashed through his eyes. "Capture her as well."

Simon’s heart skipped a beat. "Y-Yes, Alpha."

Alpha gave a small nod and said nothing further. Standing behind his father, Sean remained silent. But inwardly, his thoughts were in complete turmoil.

’What a disaster... This is going to become huge.’

His gaze swept across the six members of the Bloodhound Guild.

’Once they complete their mission, they’ll simply leave the country. A guild powerful enough to ignore national borders... I just hope my family isn’t the one left behind to deal with the consequences.’

Back inside the gate, Leon remained seated in the lotus position.

Days passed.

Throughout it all, Leon never moved. He didn’t feel hungry. He didn’t feel tired. All of his focus was devoted to a single goal.

Enduring the heat.

The flames continued to rage around him day and night, relentlessly testing the limits of his body and bloodline.

Finally, on the twelfth day, Leon felt a change.

The fire was no longer harming him. The scorching flames that had once melted his flesh and exposed his bones now felt like nothing more than a warm breeze brushing against his skin.

Slowly, Leon opened his eyes.

A notification appeared in the panel.

[Fire Resistance: 9%.]