Ezra followed behind the group quietly as they made their way into the classroom where they usually held their meetings.

They entered.

Chairs scraped lightly against the floor as everyone took their usual seats, filling the front rows almost instinctively, while Veda remained standing at the front of the room.

For a moment, he didn’t speak.

He looked at them, each face and expression.

Some were tired, while some, still shaken and some trying to look normal.

"So... the next trial begins immediately tomorrow," Veda finally said, his voice calm, though there was a faint trace of dissatisfaction in it that he didn’t bother hiding. He let out a small breath, as if pushing that feeling aside. "We don’t have much of a choice, so we move forward."

He lifted his head slightly.

"What do you guys think?" he asked.

The moment the question left his mouth, murmurs spread across the room. Voices overlapped as people began sharing their thoughts, some leaning forward, others turning to the person beside them.

"The trial is tomorrow, but thankfully, we don’t have to start immediately," one boy said, raising his hand slightly as he spoke.

"I think we should first rest... for at least three days before attempting it," another added, nodding as if to support his own idea.

"But if we wait..." a girl sitting on the left side spoke up, her brows slightly furrowed, her tone careful but firm. "What if the other groups also wait, and when we finally decide to go, it becomes crowded? We might not even get the chance to enter when we want."

Her words settled.

"True."

"Yeah... that’s true."

Several people nodded in agreement, their expressions tightening slightly as they considered that possibility.

"The first thing all of you should understand," Tracy suddenly cut in, her voice interrupting the overlapping discussion. She leaned back lazily on her chair, one leg resting on the table, her arms folded, but her eyes were sharp. "Is that, this sixth trial... is an individual trial."

The room quieted.

"So... everyone for themselves?" Mariam asked, turning toward her, one hand resting on the table.

"Yes," Veda replied before Tracy could continue, stepping forward slightly. "But that doesn’t mean I won’t be supervising everyone’s progress."

He walked closer to the long table, placing both palms on its surface as he leaned slightly forward.

"We need to understand how the trial works first."

"I think..." Nickolas spoke, rubbing his chin slightly as he thought. "The ranking will be based on how fast you clear each floor, and how far you can go before reaching your limit."

"In this trial..." Tracy muttered, her fingers tapping lightly against her chin as she thought, her head slightly tilted. "We’ll be doing Akai... quick alchemy... fast shots..."

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes lighting up slightly as if she had figured something out.

"We’ll most likely be using Novice rank guns. Something like revolvers."

Nickolas turned to her, narrowing his eyes.

"What exactly are you even thinking about?"

"I’m thinking about which gun would be fastest to create once the Akai starts," she replied, puffing her cheeks slightly.

"That’s enough of that," Veda said, cutting in with a small smile before the conversation drifted too far.

"The real issue is this...if the ranking depends on speed, then how do they evaluate higher floors? Because I’m sure not many of us can even pass the fifth floor."

"True..." Nickolas nodded slowly. "Now that I think about it... we’re facing the top ten of the family."

A quiet groan spread across the room.

"I can’t believe I’ll be facing Mr. Reggie on the first floor," one girl said, rubbing her arms slightly as if she suddenly felt cold.

Ezra had been silent the entire time, sitting quietly, listening, watching and thinking, but the moment he heard one of the names...

His interest shifted.

He raised his hand slightly.

"Sorry," Ezra said, his voice calm but enough to silence the room. "Can we go through the names of the top ten we’ll be facing?"

"Wait..." Nickolas turned to him in surprise. "You don’t know their names?"

"I’m a lowline," Ezra replied flatly.

"Well... even then," someone from the middle rows spoke, leaning forward slightly. "Most of us, lowlines, know at least some of them."

"Unfortunately... I don’t," Ezra said, his face unchanged.

Everyone seated there looked at each other in silence, not a single person saying anything more after Ezra spoke. Normally, this would have been the perfect moment for someone among the highlines who disliked him to throw a sharp remark, mocking him for not knowing something that was considered basic knowledge within the family, but strangely... no one said a word.

They just glanced at each other surprised...And this was because, back at the time the third wave ended during the fifth trial...

After Ezra had fainted, a large number of them had rushed toward his side, their hearts filled with urgency and a shared resolve to follow Veda’s last instruction—to fight the remaining Kalians together and turn the tide of the battle.

They had expected chaos, maybe a desperate fight and most especially they had expected his death, but when they arrived...

What they saw was something else entirely.

The battlefield was no longer a battlefield—it was something closer to ruin. The ground was torn apart, littered with deep cracks, broken traps, scattered weapons, and signs of violent clashes that had clearly not been small.

And the Kalians...Were gone.

Not retreating, not hiding.

Gone.

Only Ezra remained lying there on the grass.

Unconscious.

That sight alone told them everything they needed to know, there was no need for explanation, no need for guessing.

Ezra had defeated them.

All of them.

By himself.

From that moment on, the way most of them saw him changed. It wasn’t sudden admiration, nor was it loud praise, it was quieter than that. A shift in their eyes. A silent acknowledgement. Respect that settled in without being spoken.

Even those among the highlines who still disliked his attitude, who still felt irritated by how he carried himself, found that they could no longer say anything against him.

Because what could they say?

What argument could stand against strength like that?

If someone had the power to back it up...

Then even arrogance became something justified.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the two girls who had survived the sudden Kalian attack later revealed something else.

Something that spread quietly but quickly through the group.

He was the one.

The one who used that mysterious gun.

The one who had taken down the Ground Apes during the second wave.

The most.

With a single weapon.

The same boy sitting among them now, expression unchanged.

Veda’s voice broke through the silence, calm as always.

"The Gun Alchemists known as the top ten of Ashenlocke are the best talents produced by the family," he said, looking across the room as he spoke. "All of them are far grown into the path of Gun Alchemy, and all of them are recognized across Britannia."

"Talents?" Ezra asked, turning slightly toward him, his brows faintly drawn together.

"Hey, Ezra," Nickolas said, looking at him as if the answer should be obvious. "These people are talented, of course. Why else would they be ranked as the top ten of the family?"

Ezra stared at him for a moment, expression plain.

Veda let out a small laugh, understanding the reason behind Ezra’s reaction without needing to ask.

"In tenth place is Mr. Reggie Ashenlocke," Tracy began, taking over smoothly. "He’s the Captain of the Guards of the family."

She raised a finger slightly as if to clarify.

"And by guards, I mean the normal guards...not alchemists. But he himself is an Arcanist rank Alchemist."

"In ninth place is Elder Branthwaite," she continued. "One of the oldest men in the family, but still strong even at his age. He’s also an Arcanist rank... and he’s the grandfather of Lady Pamela."

As she spoke, her eyes shifted slightly toward Ezra, watching him.

Ezra lowered his gaze to the table.

Hmm... so she has a backing like that.

He tapped his finger lightly against the surface.

Is that why Vera insisted I didn’t kill her?

He paused for a moment.

Hmmm... Nah.

His finger continued tapping softly as he stored the information away.

"Why did you stop?" Ezra asked, noticing the pause.

"Eh?" Tracy blinked, slightly caught off guard, as if she had expected some kind of reaction from him but got nothing.

I really thought his expression would stiffen when I mentioned Pamela’s grandfather.

A faint drop of sweat slid down the side of her face.

"Yeah... I was just thinking of something," she said quickly, flipping her hair back and adjusting her sitting posture to recover.

"In eighth place is Mrs. Bianca," she continued. "One of the Head Commanders of Britannia’s Navy, Arcanist rank and She’s also an expert with sniper rifles."

"Oh, Mrs. Bianca!" one of the girls said immediately, her voice brightening.

"She’s the youngest amongst the top ten," another added, leaning forward slightly.

More voices followed, mostly from the girls, speaking in admiration, their tone noticeably lighter compared to before.

"I heard she got married recently," Nickolas said, scratching the side of his head. "And she’s expecting a baby."

"Really?" Veda turned to him, clearly surprised.

"Yeah," Nickolas nodded. "It was around the time you left with your master."

"Wow... time really does move fast," Veda said, letting out a small laugh.

"Enough about your elder cousin, Nickolas," Tracy cut in, glancing at him briefly before returning her attention to the group.

"The seventh rank is Mr. Stoke," she continued. "Another Arcanist Rank Gun Alchemist. He’s the Head Commander of the Black Cinder Corps, the strongest army that only answers to the Head."

"And in sixth place is Elder Fredrick," she added. "Felix’s grandfather, also an Arcanist rank."

She paused again deliberately; her eyes flicked toward Ezra once more, but just like before...

His expression didn’t change at all.

Still calm, blank, unreadable and that made her feel very awkward.

"Cough... Hm, Hm... In fifth place is Elder Paul," Tracy continued, clearing her throat as if steadying herself. "He’s half-step into the Grand Alchemist rank. Fourth is Elder Portia... also half-step Grand Alchemist."

She paused.

Her expression changed slightly.

"And for the top three..."

She let out a slow breath.

For the top three, these weren’t just names within the family anymore. These were names that echoed beyond the walls of Ashenlocke. Anyone who had ever stepped foot in Metallica knew them, even commoners living far out in rural areas had heard of them more than once. Their names carried weight, not just within the family, but across Britannia itself.

They were powerhouses, figures that stood at the peak.

"Third is..." Tracy’s shoulders stiffened slightly.

A faint shiver ran through her body.

"Lord Astraea..."

She winced the moment she said the name, her eyes twitching slightly.

"Argh..."

"You’re really scared of saying her name," Veda said, a faint smile forming as he teased her.

"Well, why not?" Tracy shot back immediately, her teeth clenching slightly. "She’s the most..."

She suddenly stopped, looking around like the walls could hear her, if she said anything that could be seen as an insult.

Her hand quickly covered her mouth, as if she had almost said something she shouldn’t.

Ezra stared at her, confused.

"That’s Felix’s mother," Veda explained, noticing Ezra’s curiosity without needing to be asked.

"Really?" Ezra’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. "So, that’s the reason he’s like that... his personality comes from her?"

"Sadly... yes," Veda replied, letting out a quiet sigh. "She’s a Grand Alchemist, a Royal Alchemist of Britannia, one of the heads of the Marine Corps... and also part of the Sky Order."

He paused for a moment, as if recalling something unpleasant.

"Her arrogance alone makes her one of the most troublesome elders to deal with in the family."

"Anyone who crosses her, never say daylight the next day" Nickolas added, staring at Ezra.

Ezra nodded slowly, not saying anything, but he stored it in his mind.

"What about the top two?" Ezra asked.

"That would be my master in second place," Veda replied immediately, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "Val Ashenlocke."

"Humph...It’s only you that can casually say his name like that," Nickolas muttered, sinking slightly into his chair as he stared at Veda with a tired expression, then he suddenly turned toward Ezra, pointing sharply. "Don’t go making Ezra think he can call him like that too. It’s Lord Val."

Ezra looked at him.

What exactly does he think I am?

Ezra shook his head slightly, finding the whole thing unnecessary.

"Don’t worry," Veda said with a smile. "My master can be really scary... but he’s also the kindest person you could ever talk to."

The room went silent, everyone stared at him.

Their eyes narrowed slightly.

Yeah...No, he’s not.

They all thought the same thing at the same time.

"Well... in first place," Veda continued, his tone shifting slightly, becoming more serious, "is the head of the family... my father."

"Valentine Ashenlocke."

"He is the second person in the family’s history to reach the rank of Alchemist General."

That name settled heavily in the room.

Most people felt the pressure of the name, causing a slight sense of discomfort.

"That’s all of them," Veda said after a moment. "But you don’t need to worry too much. We’ll only be facing illusionary versions of them... versions at our level."

He paused, then frowned slightly.

"Although..."

He lowered his gaze, thinking.

"We still don’t really understand how they intend to score this trial. Since it’s an illusion battle, it likely means people won’t die... but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some kind of hidden condition or trick behind it."

"Didn’t we already say it’s based on speed?" Nickolas replied.

"Yeah... but there are still too many issues with that," Veda said, shaking his head slightly.

Ezra remained silent, as the conversation continued. His finger tapped lightly against the table, his mind already elsewhere.

So... this is the strongest of the family.

He thought quietly, listing the ranks again in his head.

Hearing their levels... I can understand why the family is declining.

His brows lowered slightly and his eyes darkened just a little.

This is good info for me because with this... I already know who needs to be eliminated and people to watch out for... if the family decides to interfere with what I plan to do after this trial.

He paused.

His gaze lifted slightly.

Although... They are still strong.

He let out a slow breath.

I’ll wait and see how things play out, but I need to be careful... Especially with those connected to Felix... and Pamela.

Argh... This is getting annoying.

"Ezra."

Veda called his name.

"Yeah," Ezra replied immediately, his voice steady, as if he hadn’t been lost in deep thought just a moment ago.

"Any ideas?" Veda asked.

Ezra paused for a brief second, then nodded slightly.

"Yeah...I do have a guess."