Leon remained frozen in stunned silence at Kim Min-sae's unexpected announcement. His brain struggled to process the information. Special Operations Unit? Me? After just being accused of being Vine-born and getting "examined" like a lab rat? What the hell is this woman thinking?
"Strange..." he muttered to himself without realizing it. "Why... why won't she let me go? Wasn't that preliminary testing enough?"
He felt deeply confused, not knowing whether to be happy that he was no longer seen as a threat, or to be suspicious of this "offer" that seemed to bind him inescapably to the Witherborn organization. He thought and thought, trying to find the reasoning or hidden intention behind Kim Min-sae's words, but the more he thought, the worse his headache got.
Kim Min-sae watched Leon's reaction with an unreadable thin smile. "Hey! Stop standing there daydreaming," she said, breaking his trance. "You can go now."
Leon startled slightly, looking at Kim Min-sae in confusion. "Huh? Go... where?"
"To find Xiao Yan, obviously." Kim Min-sae replied while waving toward the door. "He's at 'City A' on the north side of this dome. Tell him I sent you—he'll know what to do next."
City A? North side? How the hell am I supposed to find that? This woman didn't give me any details!
Leon thought irritably, but didn't dare say anything. He just nodded reluctantly and walked out of Kim Min-sae's office alone.
As he walked through the complex corridors inside the giant dome, Leon couldn't help thinking: Should I just run away from this place? Why is everyone here so weird? From that psycho doctor to this chief lady...
But that thought didn't last long. When he reached the main entrance where he'd first entered with Xiao Yan, Cyrus, and Raven, he saw the tall, dignified figure of the man with long hair tied back neatly... Xiao Yan was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, waiting by the exit as if he'd known Leon would come.
"What are you dawdling for?" Xiao Yan asked in his level tone when he saw Leon approach. He pushed himself off the wall and started walking out. "Hurry up and follow me. I don't like waiting long."
Leon hurried after him in confusion. So this guy was already waiting for me? Or was it just coincidence?
"Where's the sword?" Xiao Yan immediately asked Leon the moment they stepped outside. His sharp indigo eyes surveyed Leon from head to toe.
"Huh? The sword..." Leon paused to think before lightly slapping his forehead. "Oh right! I left it in that lab!"
"Let me go back and get it..."
"No need," Xiao Yan quickly objected. "That's just wasting time. Come to my unit first—I'll find you a new one that's better than the old one."
With that, he immediately continued leading the way, not giving Leon a chance to say anything else.
City A
During the walk to "City A," Xiao Yan began explaining some things to Leon. "At my unit... you'll be the fourth trainee."
"The... fourth?" Leon repeated in surprise. "You mean there were only three before me?"
"Yeah," Xiao Yan answered. "Normally, my Fourth Special Operations Unit doesn't take in new members or trainees very often. Like I told you before—we're a 'special case.'"
"Then what about... those people I saw training in the dome when I first came in?" Leon asked curiously.
"They're members of other units," Xiao Yan explained. "They have to prove their potential and abilities to their unit leaders, or sometimes pass tests much harsher than what you'll face, before they can join real operations. But you... you're an interesting exception." His eyes held a certain gleam when he said this.
As they walked through what appeared to be another small marketplace, shouting and commotion erupted from a nearby shop.
"Hey! You damn deadbeat! If you don't have money, why do you want to buy stuff?! Looking for trouble?!" A heavyset shop owner was yelling at another man who looked haggard and thin.
Suddenly! A small short sword shot through the air from behind Xiao Yan! It wasn't aimed at the heavyset man but flew past his cheek to slam into the wooden wall beside him with force!
"AAAHHH! What the hell?!" The heavyset man screamed in shock and fear, falling backward onto the ground. The man who was about to be hurt took advantage of the chaos to run away and disappear into the crowd.
Leon's eyes went wide watching the scene unfold before him. He turned to look at Xiao Yan, but the man maintained a neutral expression as if nothing had happened.
"Don't worry about it," Xiao Yan said in a cold tone. "It's just... normal human society still being selfish and taking advantage of each other. Learn to look past it sometimes."
"I... I see..." Leon mumbled. He couldn't understand why people here seemed so accustomed to this kind of violence. Or maybe... the world outside River Bend was cruel and merciless in different ways.
After walking through the city's chaos for about five to ten minutes, Xiao Yan finally brought Leon to the outskirts of one of the sub-cities. It was called "City A" and housed the headquarters of the Fourth Special Operations Unit.
The moment they entered this district, Leon heard the sounds of training echoing throughout the area—shouted commands, weapons clashing, and heavy breathing.
"Not good enough! You need to be faster! Stop being so tense!"
"Focus! Never take your eyes off your opponent! Don't blink!"
Leon followed the sounds and then he saw her...
A young woman stood breathing heavily in the middle of a wide training ground. She wore a form-fitting black training outfit that emphasized her proportioned figure, muscled from training. Her long, flame-red hair was tied in a high ponytail, small beads of sweat gleaming on her beautiful but fierce and determined face. In both hands she gripped large longswords firmly. Though she looked exhausted, her eyes still blazed with fighting spirit.
She was sparring with a bald, muscular young man holding a large wooden shield to defend against her attacks.
Leon stared with his mouth agape, feeling drawn by something... maybe her strength... her determination... or her dangerous beauty...
The young woman paused, breathing heavily, before raising her arm to wipe sweat from her eyes. *Haaa...* Her breathing was soft but powerful.
"That woman..." Xiao Yan spoke from beside him, breaking Leon's trance. "...is also one of the three members of my Special Operations Unit."
He paused slightly, looking at the red-haired woman with slightly gentler eyes—something Leon rarely saw from this man—before turning to speak to Leon.
"Her name is... Shion."
"Shion... huh..." Leon repeated the name softly, his eyes still fixed on the red-haired woman's figure. Some feeling he'd never experienced before began forming in his heart... it wasn't just admiration... but something more complex... maybe it was challenge... or the desire to get to know her...