Just as a small smile grew on Theo’s face at the thought of the competition, his phone buzzed.
His gaze shifted over slowly, landing on Joop’s na.
Without another thought, he opened the ssage and quickly scanned the contents.
’Two days... Isn’t that perfect?’
The teacher from Westridge would arrive in just two days.
Theo stared at his phone for a few seconds before lowering it slowly.
A faint smile lingered on his face as a full plan finally ford in his mind.
’Going to the pre-admissions should be fine.’
The national guard was still cleaning up the beach and taking care of the city for a little while after all.
’Once I co back here for the competition, I’ll get that contract broken and take them back with .’
His fingers tapped lightly against his leg, nodding as he thought it over.
There didn’t seem to be much that could go wrong with that.
If anything, it was the safest option he had right now.
’’Owen will probably do the sa,’’ he muttered, wandering through his room. ’’Now that he’s shown he can provide for them... there’s no way they’ll stay behind.’’
After a few more seconds, Theo ca to a halt and sat down on his bed.
Then—
A transparent window appeared in front of him.
He looked over at it imdiately, narrowing his eyes slightly.
The cooldown tir slowly ticked down, showing that the next Would You Rather would appear on the sa day the teacher arrived.
’Of course it lines up like that,’ he thought, shaking his head.
He let out a quiet breath before dismissing the window.
Without wasting any more ti, he sat back down on his bed and closed his eyes.
The mana threads rapidly began flowing out of his affinity, improving his core’s walls.
Ti passed quietly.
All Theo did was cultivate.
And before he even knew it, two days had passed.
Early in the morning, Theo walked down the street, his eyes locking onto a familiar figure waiting for him.
They greeted each other with a fist bump.
’’You ready?’’ Owen asked, grinning wildly.
’’Of course,’’ Theo nodded, smiling.
Without wasting any more ti, the two of them walked down the street, heading straight for the Hunter’s Association.
The streets were already filled with people despite it being early in the morning.
’’So, how’d your parents respond?’’ Theo asked as they walked.
Owen’s grin widened, unable to control himself as a faint chuckle escaped his mouth.
’’Let’s just say they were surprised,’’ he said, turning to Theo. ’’Yours?’’
’’Pretty much the sa,’’ Theo answered, smiling.
A few minutes later, they stepped inside the Association building once again.
Before they could even say anything, a different receptionist stood up and greeted them.
’’Theo and Owen, right?’’ she asked politely.
They glanced at each other, raising an eyebrow.
’’Yes?’’ Theo answered, tilting his head slightly.
’’Please follow .’’
Without hesitation, they followed her deeper into the building.
This ti, they weren’t brought to the sa office as before.
Instead, she stopped in front of a larger, more isolated room.
She knocked once... then pushed the door open.
The mont they stepped inside—
A thin pressure pressed down on them.
It wasn’t overwhelming, but it was enough to slow them down slightly.
Theo’s eyes narrowed slightly, locking onto an unfamiliar figure.
A middle-aged man sat beside the Association head, his posture relaxed, almost leisurely.
’Strong,’ he thought, the hairs on his arms standing on end.
Just then, a faint smirk appeared on the man’s face.
’’So these are the wonder kids,’’ he said, crossing his arms.
The man’s gaze lingered on them for a few seconds, moving from Owen... to Theo... and back again.
Theo’s expression didn’t change, but his body tensed up slightly under the pressure.
Then, the man’s eyes narrowed just a little as they settled on him.
’’You’re the dual affinity one, right?’’
Theo t his gaze without hesitation and nodded.
’’Yes.’’
The man’s smirk imdiately grew wider.
His head turned to Joop, clearly interested in Theo.
’’You mind if I test him here a little?’’
Joop’s expression instantly darkened.
’’Absolutely not,’’ he said, standing up. ’’This isn’t—’’
But before he could even utter another word, the man rose to his feet and pointed at Owen.
’’I’m aware of your situation,’’ he said calmly. ’’So you should step aside while you still have the chance.’’
Owen’s brows furrowed together, trying to process what was even going on at this point.
But Theo already knew what ti it was.
’Of course, it has to be a maniac,’ he cursed internally. ’And if he’s a teacher at Westridge... he must be a Diamond Core too.’
Knowing that, he reached for one of the weapons on his back while taking a step forward.
Instead of taking out his spear, however, he took out the umbrella.
’I’ll focus on blocking since I assu he just wants to see my affinities.’
’’Oh, what is this?’’ the man said, tilting his head. ’’An umbrella?’’
The man’s smirk deepened slightly, his eyes flicking over the umbrella as if he’d just found sothing amusing.
’’Planning to hide behind that?’’ he asked, a faint chuckle escaping him.
Theo didn’t respond, tightening his grip around the handle instead.
The man just watched him for a second longer.
Then—
A large, deep red fireball appeared above his hand.
’What the hell?!’
Theo’s eyes imdiately went wide.
Owen reacted quickly and took a few steps back, knowing he would only get in the way now.
The man didn’t hesitate, tossing the fireball straight towards him.
Theo didn’t have ti to think.
He channeled water mana, instantly forming a spiked shield around his umbrella.
But just as the fireball was about to reach him, it vanished into thin air.
’What?’ Theo thought, glancing around.
That’s when he saw it.
The fireball reappeared behind the man, who quickly absorbed it back into his body.
’’Good reflexes, kids,’’ he said, letting out a laugh. ’’You’ll both do just fine.’’
Then he turned to Joop, whose face had turned slightly red from anger.
’’Did you really think I’d recklessly break your building like that?’’
The elderly man nodded without hesitation.
The teacher let out a loud laugh, scratching the back of his head.
Then his gaze shifted back to Theo.
’’Let’s see your lightning affinity next.’’
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