It was still midnight, and seated inside a luxurious restaurant were none other than Marlon and Ashton.

Marlon scrolled through the news feed on Ashton's phone, catching up on everything that had happened while he had been asleep, while Ashton sat opposite him, rambling on and on, trying to strike up a conversation.

He was so deep into his own speech that he did not notice Marlon was actually not paying attention.

"So much chaos online…" Marlon muttered to himself as he observed the trending headlines.

⟨⟨ Hot: Axel Storm wipes out the entire planet of Lunari to prevent chaos… read more ⟩⟩

⟨⟨ A flashing golden star spotted over Sunbay City… Axel Storm returns ⟩⟩

⟨⟨ Why is Marlon Ashleigh the strongest new generation? ⟩⟩

⟨⟨ Rumors spread online as an individual claimed to see a Lunaris wandering at night… ⟩⟩

⟨⟨ Popular singer found dead… ⟩⟩

⟨⟨ Property damage at Eldertree City has been estimated at 20 billion credits… See why ⟩⟩

Marlon's eyes shone as he scrolled through the feed. His mouth widened as he saw the news about the strongest hero and his accomplishments.

He finally understood why everywhere seemed so peaceful. On his way to this restaurant with Ashton, he had been surprised to see people moving freely on the street; everything seemed calm, as though the entire Lunaris ordeal had never occurred.

He wasn't able to ask Ashton at the time, as he was busy rambling about some nerdy stuff, like a new sci-fi documentary featuring the life of one of the Heartland Guardians.

Marlon dug deeper into all the posts about Axel Storm. Unfortunately, there was not a single picture of him — not even a video showing how he had defeated the Lunaris, which he wanted to see most at that moment.

Though he had never seen Axel Storm, after hearing about his feats and knowing his position as the strongest man in Arden, he was naturally curious to see how he fought.

He was disappointed by the lack of sources but continued scrolling, learning a lot about what he had missed in the nearly two days he had been asleep.

He lingered on the post about the rumored sighting of a wandering Lunaris. There was a video attached, but it was unclear, taken at night, and looked edited. He discarded it and returned his attention to Ashton.

"Bro… you and Logan have to come with me to see the movie. It's going to be a blast!"

"…"

"Are you coming?"

Marlon didn't reply and just stared blankly.

Finally, he asked the question that had been on his mind.

"Where's Logan?"

The name seemed to hit a nerve as Ashton shot up from his seat, slamming the table. Luckily, there were no other guests around, as the VIP section was all theirs. The owner of the restaurant had given it to them for free because of Marlon's new fame.

"Bro… Logan had a reawakening!"

"Really?" Marlon's interest sparked.

"Yeah, dude! You won't believe it. He said he had some kind of revelation, and when he woke up… boom! A new talent. I forgot the exact name—beast king… beast lord… something like that. And get this, it's A-rank!"

Reawakening was very rare in Arden, and most of the time, talent reawakening only surpassed previous talents by at most two ranks. Only a few lucky ones had gone up three ranks, but Logan had increased by four.

Before he could respond, Ashton's expression crumbled as he realized something. He slumped back in his seat, shoulders sagging, head lowered, gradually falling into depression.

"I am now the weakest in the group," he said quietly, his voice low.

Marlon finally understood the reason behind Ashton's sudden mood change and decided to offer a few words of encouragement.

"It's not bad to be the weakest…"

"…"

But it only seemed to make things worse. When is it ever good to be the weakest?

"I mean, I was the weakest in the entire preliminary training camp. Now, everything has changed. With enough hard work, you can grow stronger too. Having a weak talent doesn't necessarily mean you're destined to be weak."

This time it seemed to work a little as Ashton processed his words.

After a moment, he smiled weakly and responded, "You're right. With enough grinding, I can keep up with you guys," feeling a little better.

They continued talking for quite some time.

Ashton shared his progress with Marlon. He was currently at level 9, two levels higher than Logan, who was still the weakest even though he now possessed the second strongest talent.

Overall, compared to most trainees at the preliminary training camp, Ashton wasn't that weak. His talent was D-rank, not very low and not very high, somewhere in the average range.

As they discussed, Marlon learned that the academy's resumption had been shifted to Monday, barely two days away.

He also learned that students who had failed the survival matrix would be given a chance to undergo the normal entrance test to qualify for the academy.

Their discussion lasted about an hour.

When it was finally time to leave, Marlon realized he had nowhere to go. He didn't want to return to the Ashleigh estate, and the preliminary training camp had closed, leaving him with no destination.

At that moment, he recalled his deal with his parents, but he had no means to contact them.

Fortunately, Ashton wasn't returning home either, as his family lived in Shadowfen City, at least a three-hour drive away.

Both decided to stay at a nearby 4-star hotel just a few minutes from the restaurant.

They entered the splendid building.

Just like at the restaurant, the hotel staff treated them well after recognizing Marlon. They were attended to quickly. Marlon got a free room in exchange for a picture with two of the staff, while Ashton had to pay for his own, though he received a thirty percent discount.

The two of them went to their respective rooms.

Marlon fell onto his bed with a gentle smile.

'Fame is really good,' he thought to himself, clearly satisfied with the free room and the cozy treatment from everyone he had met so far. He had become a celebrity.

Nonetheless, he knew very well not to linger on such satisfaction, as he was only the strongest amongst his peers. There were still millions stronger than him, and even more people who could take over his position if he started getting comfortable.

If he wanted to keep enjoying these benefits, he had to remain at the top.

"Open character status."

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