A week passed.

In that time, Nova had done nothing but train. He barely left his room except to eat, dumping all responsibilities onto Alaric, who, in turn, wordlessly passed them down to the commanders. Elric, as usual, ended up shouldering the brunt of it.

The commanders couldn't quite explain it, but something felt off. It wasn't just their Boss who seemed to have disappeared, Cassidy and General Alaric had also thrown themselves into relentless training, monopolizing the Gravity Room for hours on end.

As for the captains, they didn't ask questions. To them, the sudden intensity made sense. After what had happened with Slade a week ago, it was only natural that the leaders would want to push themselves harder. In fact, many found the behavior reassuring. Inspiring, even. Some had already begun stepping up their own regimens, unwilling to be left behind.

Wearing nothing but a pair of pants, Nova gasped for breath, his body drenched in sweat. Yet his movements never faltered. The spear in his hands blurred through the air, dancing with such speed and precision that even Alaric, the current strongest in Nova's army, would've struggled to follow its motion.

'I want the next title.'

That single thought drove him back to train in the spear.

Ever since Erevan remarked that he might still be seen as a child by the standard of an Orange portal, Nova had reflected deeply. The conclusion of his thoughts was…

'If I can reach the next threshold with the spear and earn a new title, I might unlock a massive boost in my Stats. Maybe enough… to start closing the gap.'

With that thought seared into his mind, Nova threw himself fully into mastering the spear. The air split with the whoosh of the weapon's swift thrusts, each movement sharp and precise, while his ragged breaths punctuated the relentless rhythm of his training.

Suddenly, a sharp buzz cut through the sounds.

"Hmm?" Nova muttered, breaking his focus and reaching for the source of the interruption. His fingers found the Distance Token vibrating in his pocket. Pulling it out, he answered hoarsely, "What is it?"

"Boss, good news! General Darius, General Adira, and General Nox have just reported back!" Elric's eager voice crackled through the device.

'A group is finally back...' Nova thought. 'They did take over a month to complete a Blue portal, though. I suppose Cassidy's experience had raised my expectations, the time difference wasn't exactly on their side.'

"Bring them to my room, along with Alaric." Nova tucked the Distance Token away and let his body relax, arcs of lightning flickering across his skin as they evaporated the sweat clinging to him.

'This trick's handy,' he thought wryly as he drank some water, 'but it'll never beat the feeling of a proper shower.'

Knock knock

"Boss, I've brought the four Generals," Elric said, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

On the other side of the door, Elric swallowed hard. Standing behind him were four Generals, one of them, Darius, his direct superior. Even after talking Alaric during the tournament's final day, speaking with him still wasn't easy, especially with multiple generals present.

"They can come in. Elric, you can go back now. Thanks."

The door creaked open, revealing Elric bowing low. Just as he was about to step out, Darius's voice cut through the silence.

"Little guy, prepare something good to eat. We've got things to discuss after I'm done here."

Elric nodded hastily and hurried away without another word.

Darius stepped inside after Alaric, muttering under his breath, "Why does he look so scared?"

Behind them, Nox and Adira entered. Adira closed the door with a smile before turning to Nova and happily saying "I've missed you, Boss!"

'Is she back to her old self?' Nova wondered, then nodded and said, "Glad you're back."

As the three generals settled in the room and stared at Nova, they felt an unexpected heaviness, thick and palpable, rendering them speechless.

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Noticing this Nova's gaze flicked to Alaric, silently seeking an explanation. Alaric gave a subtle shake of his head.

Turning back to the generals, Nova broke the silence with a sharp edge, "What are you staring at me for?"

Adira smirked and said, "Boss… why do you feel like you've doubled in size?"

'Double the size? What is she talking about?' Nova wondered, confused by Adira's remark but he soon pushed the thought aside. With a nod, he said, "Welcome back. How did your first Blue portal go?"

His eyes now scrutinized the three generals more closely. At first glance, he hadn't noticed the subtle changes in each of them but now he finally did.

Nox stood slightly apart, more attuned to the space around him. In fact, he was standing on the only spot that had a bit of shadow as if wanting to hide in it.

Adira, meanwhile, carried herself with renewed confidence, her cheerful mood seemingly having returned but it couldn't hide the sharpness in her eyes.

And then there was Darius. Appearing relaxed on the surface, yet Nova could sense the tension beneath. His muscles were coiled, ready to spring into action at any moment.

The more he observed, the more Nova nodded to himself. 'The trip was worth it. Now it's Alaric's turn.' His gaze flicked briefly to the General, who met his look steadily.

Taking a confident step forward, Darius began, "We entered a civilization of beast-kin. They kept looking down on us for no reason, but honestly, they weren't as strong as we expected. If the mission hadn't required us to find and free their ex-chief, we'd have been out much sooner."

Nova nodded thoughtfully. "How long were you inside?"

Adira stepped forward this time. "A little over a week."

'So it wasn't the time difference working against them, the mission itself simply took that long,' Nova mused.

A faint smile touched his lips. "Good job completing it and coming back in one piece. But there's something you need to know as soon as possible." Without hesitation, he launched into a detailed account of everything that had happened while they were gone.

The three generals listened intently as Nova spoke for over two hours, carefully selecting only the most crucial details while leaving out the rest. When he finished, he tossed each of them a Distance Token.

"These are the tokens I mentioned. They already have my contact saved, if you need to reach me, just call."

None of them reacted with surprise or relief. Instead, they nodded firmly as they caught the tokens.

"Boss," Adira said, turning the token over in her hand, "does this mean there's no danger now that we've partnered with that group?"

Nova shook his head slowly. "Not necessarily. Just as that group exists, there could be others out there. And then there's always the Federation, they could still cause trouble."

Darius snorted, a note of disdain in his voice. "Can't we just settle it once and for all?" His words revealed the contempt he felt for those who had broken their word to their Boss, something he refused to forget.

"If we strike now, we might destroy their HQ and take out Jonathan," Alaric said quietly from the side, his voice calm. "But then we'd have to work twice as hard to keep the world stable. The fragile peace we have now would shatter. Honestly, with our current numbers, wiping out the Federation might cause more harm than good."

Adira nodded thoughtfully before asking, "What if we just threaten them? Show some strength to keep them in check?"

"It's no use," Nox shook his head silently, saying nothing further, his dismissal clear enough. Adira shrugged, unconvinced but unwilling to push.

With a long sigh, Darius felt like explaining and added, "What Nox means is that as soon as we're distracted, they'll get cocky and go back to their old ways. It would be just a waste of our time."

Nova listened carefully, then nodded. "It's better to focus on getting stronger rather than trying to placate people. The Federation stopped being useful the moment they limited the number of people training. We don't need anything else from them."

The four generals exchanged looks and nodded in agreement.

Switching topic, Nova asked, "Did any of you unlock new nodes?"

A unified, resolute "No" came from Darius, Adira, and Nox.

'I should've expected that, Nova thought. They need to catch up on their nodes and Mana manipulation as soon as possible. That can be Alaric's final task before I send him out.'

"Alaric."

Alaric's gaze locked onto Nova, attentive and ready.

"I've explained everything I know to you up to this point. Do you remember it all?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, I remember."

"Good. Teach all of it to your colleagues. When you're done, report back immediately. Understood?"

The three generals listened in silence.

"Understood," Alaric replied firmly.

With a nod Nova's gaze swept over the others. "Listen to Alaric, he'll bring you up to speed on your training. Given the current situation, I can't personally oversee it, but if you have any questions, use the Distance Token. I'll do my best to answer."

Adira stared at the Distance Token as if it were a priceless treasure, her eyes gleaming. Nox and Darius nodded.

"Boss, before I forget," Darius said, producing a large haul of ores, beast parts, and various rare materials. "This is what you told us to gather before we entered the portal."

Nova quickly scanned the collection, his eyes lighting up. "You didn't forget, haha. That reminds me…let me give you some gifts."

At the mention of "gifts," the ears of Darius, Adira, and Nox perked up instantly. Meanwhile, Alaric shook his head with a knowing smile, he already anticipated what was coming next.

Nova approached them, handing out armor pieces and weapons. "I personally crafted each of these. If any of it's worse than what you're currently using, then pass it along to one of your commanders or captains. Frankly, I don't care."

'Boss personally forged these?' Darius thought, eyes wide as he inspected the finely crafted armor and sword in his hands.

Nox and Adira stared at their weapons, a sleek pair of daggers and an elegantly carved bow, with the same mixture of awe and disbelief, barely even registering the names of the items.

Snapping out of her daze Adira thought, I knew he would sooner or later tell us why he needed materials! Boss is too predictable. Then she lightly chuckled by herself.

Alaric watched them, expecting some kind of reaction. Instead, all he saw was excitement lighting up their faces. He couldn't help but wonder, Did spending so much time among beast-kin make them forget how to read?

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