'Hmm, nothing changed. That's good.'

Raven thought to himself after hearing Ruby's announcement.

'I can proceed with my plan then.'

He added, slightly nodding his head, as if that small gesture sealed his decision. His chest felt a little lighter, the kind of relief that comes after confirming something important.

...

[The Field Trip Arc].

In the novel, this is what happened— after coming to the City of Andres, the freshmen were informed of the real reason why they were brought here.

The sophomores and tertiaries were already aware of the true goal behind the field trip, since they had gone through this same process during their first year. The academy repeated this every year without fail, almost like a rite of passage.

It had become a yearly tradition for [Lunar Academy], a dangerous one, but one that shaped heroes.

Anyway, moving on...

This is how it goes: during this five-day field trip, the tertiaries are the first to head outside the Human Domain. Since they already experienced this as freshmen and sophomores, they only need to remain outside for a single day.

And after them—

It will be the freshmen's turn, followed by the sophomores. Both groups are required to stay outside for two full days. The order never changes.

But the true problem came on the last day. Just as the sophomores begin returning to the hotel, everything takes a sudden turn. The hotel ends up under siege, attacked by a group of terrorists led by three majins!

The attackers use a powerful demonic artifact to seal the entire area, preventing anyone from the outside from interfering immediately. Most of the professors aren't even present in the hotel during this time, since they are out supervising the sophomores outside the domain.

In other words... only the freshmen and a handful of tertiaries are left trapped inside.

And originally— only a few tertiaries even attended this particular field trip.

'A lot of freshmen students died in that incident.'

Raven mumbled inside his head, his jaw tightening as he recalled the scenes from the [Field Trip Arc] he had personally written in his novel.

'And that's when the story slowly started taking a dark turn.'

His brows furrowed slightly, the weight of his memories— both as an author and now as someone forced to live it— pressing heavily on his mind.

He could almost see flashes of the chaos; blood on the hotel floors, terrified students, the helplessness of those who weren't prepared to face true enemies.

For a brief moment, a shadow of dread settled over him.

But he quickly shook his head, forcing the thoughts away.

'But this time, it'll be different. A lot of the tertiaries attended, which means the balance of power inside the hotel is stronger. And more importantly... I will do my best to change the outcome of this field trip.'

Raven declared firmly in his heart, a quiet flame of determination igniting in his eyes.

*****

After Ruby finished briefing the freshmen on their itinerary, she left with Keara and Levina to organize their own rooms.

Before leaving, she instructed the students to go ahead and have their lunch, reminding them that they were free to explore the city afterward. The only condition was to return to the hotel before [8 PM] sharp, since curfew would be enforced.

The announcement eased the tension in the room. The moment Ruby left, Alec and the others eagerly began eating.

Plates clattered softly, conversations rose here and there. Raven, on the other hand, calmly unpacked his own meal that he had brought along beforehand. He didn't mind eating different food; in fact, he preferred it.

He joined the group, eating quietly but still present among their chatter. It was a simple lunch, but the sense of camaraderie in the air made it feel somewhat warmer.

They spent a whole week in a Labyrinth, after all. They all got closer to each other.

Anyway, after finishing their food, the group exchanged quick glances—

there was no need to even ask. Everyone had the same thought.

They wanted to explore the city.

...

...

...

[1:25 PM]

Raven and the others now wandered through the bustling market area of Andres City. The streets were wide and lively, filled with the constant hum of activity.

Merchants shouted out prices, people bargained loudly, and the metallic clinks of weapons being displayed rang through the air.

Because this city thrived on both heroes and monsters, it was only natural that most of the stalls specialized in selling weapons, armor, and artifacts.

"Whoa..."

Blake's jaw nearly dropped, his eyes darting from one polished blade to another. A large shield decorated with monster fangs caught his attention, and he practically froze on the spot.

"..."

The same look of awe and curiosity spread across the others. It was obvious in their eyes— everyone wanted to run off and explore a stall that caught their interest.

Sensing it, Raven raised a hand slightly.

"Let's all split up so we can check whatever we want freely. Let's just meet back here after a few hours."

His calm voice brought order to the group's excitement.

The responses came almost instantly:

"I'm fine with that." -Alec

"Me too!" -Blake

"Me three!" -Adelle

"Same here." -Curtis

"Yeah, let's do that." -Aoi

"That's a good idea." -Eve

They all turned to him with eager grins, agreeing without hesitation. The unity of their voices almost made it seem rehearsed.

And after confirming—

"See you later, guys!"

"Yeah!"

Tap- Tap- Tap-

Tap- Tap- Tap-

Tap- Tap- Tap-

They all dashed off in different directions like children set free in a toy shop, each chasing after whatever stall captured their interest.

"..."

Raven stood still, speechless for a moment as he watched them scatter. Their excitement was so pure it was almost amusing. A small, genuine smile curved on his lips.

With a small shrug of his shoulders—

"Well then, time to do my first goal of coming here. Get ready, Sariel."

He muttered softly.

[I'm already ready, duh.]

Sariel responded smugly, his voice echoing in Raven's head with a hint of arrogance.

...

...

*****

"We're here."

Raven stopped in front of an inconspicuous shop. From the outside, it looked rundown, its walls worn and its structure barely holding together.

There wasn't even a proper sign hanging above the door, only a small paper posted outside that read: [Artifacts For Sale Inside.]

It looked like a place most people would overlook entirely. But Raven knew better— he had written this detail himself.

Without wasting time—

Tok- tok-

He knocked firmly on the wooden door.

"Come in."

A voice answered almost immediately from within.

Creak-

Tap-

Raven pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The scent of dust and old wood greeted him first, followed by the quiet hum of magical energy lingering in the air. And right away—

"Ah, Raven!"

He saw a familiar face.

"What a coincidence, haha."

It was Alec.

"True, I didn't expect this."

Raven replied flatly, his expression calm. It was a lie, of course. He already knew this was where Alec's little encounter would happen.

But then—

"...?"

His eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed someone else standing beside Alec.

"Raven! Haha!"

Blake's loud voice echoed inside the shop as he waved at him like an excited child.

Raven's lips twitched.

"Now... that's a real coincidence..."

He muttered under his breath, his tone dry.

*****

In the novel, during the first day of arriving in Andres City— Alec stumbled across this very shop.

As an old mage in his past life, Alec had always been drawn to mysterious places, so the rundown exterior piqued his curiosity. He entered the shop and began browsing through the artifacts displayed.

This was one of Alec's first lucky encounters.

Here, he discovered a ring that emanated a strange, eerie aura. Driven by instinct and curiosity, he purchased it.

And right now, at this very moment...

Raven can see Alec stood at the counter, the ring in his hand.

"Owner, I would like to buy this."

He said firmly.

"Hmm?"

The old man behind the counter raised his gaze, examining both Alec and the ring. The two soon started negotiating its price.

Meanwhile...

'Appraise the ring in his hand, Sariel.'

Raven ordered telepathically, keeping his gaze fixed on the item.

Swoosh~

Sariel complied instantly, a wave of appraisal energy sweeping over the artifact.

=====

[Ring of Greed]

-Has a unique skill <Life Force Steal>.

<Life Force Steal>

-Every time the wearer kills something, this ring will use the Life Force of that entity to boost the growth of the wearer.

=====

"It's the same as I remember."

Raven muttered with satisfaction.

Yes, this was indeed one of the artifacts originating from the majins, just like his own [Ring of Gluttony].

As for why such a thing was being sold here...

'This city is often invaded by majins. Heroes kill them, and when they die, their weapons and artifacts remain. The dead don't need them, so this shop specifically buy and sell everything they can get their hands on, without even realizing the true origin and what they do.'

Raven explained silently inside his head, his gaze sharp as he observed.

Then after that, his eyes went toward Blake, or to be more specific... In Blake's hand.

There was a necklace in it.

'Now, what the hell is that...?'

Raven asked himself, seeing that.

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