Keon sat on a broken chunk of stone, watching the last traces of sunlight fade. His thoughts drifted back to the fight, to the way his Rift Barrier had effortlessly negated the wolf's attacks. Then there was his Rift Storage—where he had pulled out both an undead serpent and an hourglass that could supposedly manipulate time.
It all felt… unreal.
His Immortal Eclipse System had granted him these abilities, but where did they stand in this world's power scale? If Espria followed a nine-tier ranking system, where would his abilities fit?
He turned to the woman, who was still watching him with an unreadable expression.
"Hey," he started, stretching his arms lazily. "Based on what you've seen from me, what tier would you say I'm at?"
She raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the question. "You want me to rank you?"
Keon nodded. "Yeah. Curious to see where I stand."
She crossed her arms, considering. "Well, let's see… You tanked a Rank 5 Apex Beast without a scratch, flung it across the battlefield like it was nothing, and you pulled—" she gestured vaguely at the slowly regenerating mutated bone serpent "—that thing out of nowhere."
Keon smirked. "So?"
She exhaled, narrowing her eyes at him. "You're at least Tier 6, probably Tier 7. Maybe even Tier 8 if you're holding back."
Keon blinked. Tier 8? Cataclysmic Espria?
"That high, huh?" he muttered to himself. He wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or concerned.
She tilted her head. "Why? You think you're weaker?"
Keon scratched the back of his head. "Something like that. Just wanted to see how you'd measure it."
The woman watched him carefully, suspicion flickering in her gaze again. "Your Espria… it's not normal, is it?"
Keon smirked, leaning back. "You have no idea."
The woman exhaled sharply, her shoulders relaxing as she reached up and removed her headwear. As the sleek helmet came off, strands of silver-white hair cascaded down, catching the fading sunlight. She ran a gloved hand through it, taking a deep breath of fresh air, her expression briefly softening before returning to its usual sharpness.
Keon, still sitting casually, raised an eyebrow as he finally got a good look at her face.
She was striking—not in an overly delicate way, but with sharp, well-defined features that carried both strength and an unshakable confidence. Her piercing, icy-blue eyes seemed to glow faintly under the dimming sky, a hint of exhaustion behind them, yet still filled with alertness.
Keon tilted his head. "Huh… not bad," he muttered under his breath, mostly to himself.
She shot him a glare. "What?"
"Nothing," Keon smirked, resting his chin on his palm. "Just surprised you're human under all that gear."
The woman narrowed her eyes at Keon, clearly unimpressed by his casual remark. She adjusted the collar of her combat suit before finally speaking.
"Stella," she said, her tone firm but no longer hostile. "Stella Veydris."
Keon raised an eyebrow. "Fancy name."
She ignored that. "And you?"
Keon smirked, leaning back slightly. He considered playing mysterious again but decided to keep it simple this time. "Keon."
Stella crossed her arms. "Just Keon?"
"Just Keon," he replied with an easy shrug.
She exhaled, glancing at the ruins around them. "Alright, Keon. Now that the chaos is over, mind telling me what the hell you were doing fighting a Rank 5 Apex Beast like it was just another day?"
Keon narrowed his eyes. "How many were in your team?"
Stella exhaled, her fingers tightening slightly. "Thirty of us."
Keon's brows lifted slightly. "That's a solid number. So why are you alone here?"
She hesitated again, then spoke. "We were ambushed. At first, it was just a pack of low-tier monsters—manageable, nothing we couldn't handle." Her expression darkened. "But then, higher-tier beasts started showing up. Stronger, faster… things we weren't prepared for."
Keon tapped his fingers against his knee. "And what? You got separated?"
Stella nodded. "We scattered. It was the only way to survive. I don't know how many made it, but…" Her voice trailed off, the unspoken possibility lingering in the air.
Keon leaned back slightly, glancing around the ruins. "Sounds like you've had a rough day."
Stella scoffed, crossing her arms. "You have no idea."
Keon had a thought and tilted his head. "Wait… who do you even work for?"
Stella gave him a deadpan look, then scoffed. "Are you stupid? Did you learn nothing from the academy before graduation?"
Keon blinked, then let out a small laugh. "Academy? Graduation? Lady, I'm barely seventeen."
Stella's expression froze. "What?"
He smirked. "Yeah, surprise."
She stared at him, her sharp eyes scanning his face, as if expecting him to be lying. "You're telling me… you're just seventeen?"
"Last time I checked."
A deep sigh left Stella as she ran a hand through her hair. "Great. Just great. I've been running around this hellhole, and now I find out the guy I ran into is a damn kid."
Keon raised an eyebrow. "You're acting like you're ancient or something."
"I'm twenty-one," she shot back. "Youngest in my squad, actually. And yet, somehow, I still feel old right now."
Keon grinned. "Guess I just have that effect on people."
Keon leaned back, smirking. "You don't find it weird? I mean, I'm tall enough to pass for an adult."
Stella rolled her eyes. "Please. Plenty of people exposed to Espria experience physical growth effects. Some mature faster, others gain unnatural strength, endurance—you name it."
Keon raised an eyebrow. "Huh. So you're saying I could just be another case of 'Espria puberty'?"
Stella crossed her arms. "Exactly. And considering how you fought that Apex Beast, it's not a stretch."
Keon chuckled. "Right… about that."
Keon smirked. "Too bad you missed the best part."
Stella raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yeah." He leaned forward slightly, his grin widening. "I yeeted that beast a second time. Sent it flying like a shooting star."
Stella blinked, then frowned. "You… yeeted it?"
Keon nodded proudly. "With style."
She stared at him for a moment, then sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't even want to know what that means."
Stella's amused expression faded as she crossed her arms, her sharp gaze locking onto Keon.
"Alright, enough messing around." Her voice turned serious. "What the hell is someone as young as you doing here? Especially in a place like this."
Keon leaned back slightly, not expecting the sudden shift in tone. "What, can't a guy take a stroll in a monster-infested ruin?"
Stella didn't even humor the joke. "I've been trying to figure it out since I first saw you. There's no logical reason for someone your age to be here. A lost civilian? No way, you're way too calm for that. A rogue Esperia user? Maybe, but that doesn't explain how you survived."
Her eyes narrowed. "You were facing a Rank 5 Apex Beast—alone. And you weren't just surviving, you were toying with it."
Keon shrugged. "To be fair, I wasn't toying with it. More like… experimenting."
Stella exhaled sharply. "Experimenting with a creature that could rip a tank apart."
"Yup."
She gave him a long, scrutinizing look. "That just makes it worse."
Keon smirked but didn't say anything, letting her frustration simmer. He could tell she was struggling to make sense of him, and honestly, he was enjoying it a little.
As Keon was being led away by the heavily armored soldiers, he noticed Stella trying to follow. She stepped forward instinctively, her usual composed expression cracking just slightly.
Before she could take another step, however, a firm hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her in place.
It was the blue-armored supersoldier, his towering presence making it clear that she wasn't going any further. His voice was deep and authoritative.
"Stella Veydris, you still have a report to submit. Your debriefing is not complete."
Keon glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow." Veydris? Oh right that was her full name.. i forgot". He filed the information away for later.
Stella, caught off guard for just a moment, quickly regained her composure. She exhaled, nodding in understanding. But before she was taken away, she turned to Keon.
She gave him a small but reassuring smile—though Keon could still see a hint of worry behind it.
Then, just like that, she was escorted away by the elite soldiers, leaving Keon alone with his new 'escorts.'
He sighed. "Guess I'm on my own again, huh?"
Whatever was waiting for him ahead, he had no choice but to face it head-on.