What Are You Trying to Do?

Not long after, Irina and Hyria found themselves in a deserted and silent alleyway.

Upon arriving, Hyria felt uneasy for some reason. She had no idea why this mysterious, hooded girl had led her here. Didn't she say she needed help? What kind of help could she possibly offer in a place like this?

Before Hyria could figure it out, she suddenly tripped over something and let out a startled cry as she fell forward, landing face-down on the ground.

Before she could get up, she felt a weight press down on her back. The little girl who had brought her here had straddled her, pinning her down. Her arms were forcibly twisted behind her back, rendering her completely powerless.

"What are you trying to do?" Hyria gasped in shock, struggling instinctively.

Irina remained silent, simply keeping a firm grip on Hyria's arms with her left hand. With her right hand, she reached forward and caressed Hyria's face, feeling its smooth texture beneath her fingertips.

A shudder ran through Hyria. She felt incredibly uncomfortable. The moment she applied even the slightest resistance, a sharp pain shot through her arms, making her fear that they would break if she struggled too much.

So, she didn't dare to resist. But at the same time, she had no way to fight back.

Feeling Irina's hand grazing her face, Hyria's anxiety surged. What was this girl trying to do?

"Please… don't do this," Hyria pleaded, twisting slightly under Irina's grip. "If you're in trouble, just tell me. I can help you."

But Irina ignored her.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but eventually, Irina emerged from the alleyway, feeling quite satisfied.

In reality, she hadn't done anything excessive—she had merely teased Hyria to farm some experience points.

Now, her remaining experience was at 50 points. Without hesitation, she opened her Transcendent Panel and allocated 20 points into the "Spirit Channeler" progress bar.

Immediately, the panel underwent a subtle change. A new progression ritual appeared—once completed, she would officially advance to the second-tier class, Spirit Channeler, gaining its corresponding abilities.

However, the moment she read the details of the ritual, her expression froze.

Spirit Channeler Advancement Ritual: Sleep overnight in close proximity to a confirmed enemy.

"What kind of advancement ritual is this? How am I supposed to complete it?"

Irina was completely dumbfounded. How could she sleep next to an enemy? Wouldn't that be asking to get killed?

What if the enemy just stabbed her in the middle of the night?

Was she supposed to tie up an enemy and sleep next to them? But if they managed to escape during the night, she'd be in serious trouble. This seemed like a straight-up suicide ritual.

What Irina didn't know was that most apprentices attempting to become Spirit Channelers had mentors to guide them. Under normal circumstances, the enemy would indeed be restrained—but the mentor would watch over the ritual, ensuring nothing went wrong.

Unfortunately, Irina had no mentor to rely on. She couldn't tell anyone about her Transcendent abilities, so she would have to figure this out on her own.

Lost in thought, Irina wandered through the city, eventually arriving at the Iris Street District.

In Seraphite's central region, there were seven major districts. The Wutong District, where Silverleaf Academy was located, was near the northern zone. Iris Street was right next to it.

Upon entering this lively district, where neon lights and countless shops illuminated the streets, Irina became more cautious, carefully sticking to the shadows to avoid exposure to the light.

Her second reason for sneaking out tonight was related to Fred's letter.

Before he died, Fred's letter mentioned that there was a secret gathering spot for Transcendents in Iris Street. This was where he had obtained the "Door-Painting Pen."

"Since I'm already here, I might as well check out this gathering."

According to the letter, this meeting was held once every three days. And today happened to be one of those days.

With a clear objective in mind, Irina followed the directions from the letter and turned into a narrow alleyway.

Before long, she arrived at an unlit building.

She knocked on the door following a specific rhythm—three quick knocks, two slow ones, then three more quick ones.

"Click."

The door opened slightly, revealing a figure dressed similarly to Irina—fully covered in black robes, concealing their entire body.

Without introducing themselves, the cloaked figure rasped in a hoarse voice,

"No matter who sent you here, now that you're inside, you must follow the rules. Do you understand?"

The rules weren't specified—as if everyone should already know what they were.

Irina knew better than to ask unnecessary questions. She nodded silently, pretending to be completely familiar with the process, and followed the cloaked figure into the building.

The figure led her to a hidden underground passage, gesturing for her to enter.

After a brief hesitation, Irina stepped forward.

The tunnel was dark, but it wasn't very long. Soon, she found herself inside a medium-sized underground chamber.

There were already four other individuals seated inside.

All of them were wrapped in cloaks, concealing their appearances.

At a glance, there was no way to differentiate them—they might as well be called "Black Cloak No. 1," "Black Cloak No. 2," and so on.

Taking on the identity of "Black Cloak No. 5," Irina quietly chose a corner seat and settled in.

As time passed, the clock ticked past midnight.

"Looks like no one else is coming. Let's begin."

The cloaked figure who had guided Irina stepped into the chamber.

Now, there were six people in total.

"You may call me 'Guide.'

Some of you may recognize me, while others may be here for the first time. It doesn't matter. Just refer to me as 'Guide' while you're here.

For now, introduce yourselves using codenames."

Guide spoke smoothly, not in a hurry.

Irina narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Why does this guy sound so sure that there's a first-timer among us?

Is he talking about me?"

It seemed unlikely that Guide knew her real identity, but his certainty still made her uneasy.

One by one, the other members stated their codenames, their gazes shifting toward her.

Without hesitation, Irina lowered her voice and spoke in a deliberately altered, slightly fake tone:

"Doll."

That was her codename.

No one questioned her choice, nor did they care about her obviously fake voice.

As soon as she spoke, their gazes moved away.

"Now then… let's start the transaction."

Guide let out a low chuckle, signaling the beginning of the underground gathering.