The Hidden Forces Move

Aurora stood in the empty alleyway, her mind racing with thoughts about the mysterious masked man. His words lingered.

"There are forces in this world watching you, Aurora Evernight."

Who was he? How did he know her true identity? More importantly, what were these "hidden forces" he spoke of?

She had kept her identity a secret, carefully using space-warping distortions instead of outright Herrscher abilities. Yet someone had still figured it out. That meant there were people—possibly organizations—with access to information beyond what was publicly available.

Letting out a breath, she decided to put this mystery aside for now. She had bigger concerns—the first wave was approaching, and she needed to get stronger.

The Rise of Power Factions

The world had changed drastically in the past few weeks. While most people trained their abilities and formed small groups, official power factions had begun to emerge, each with its own ideology and approach to survival.

The Hunters' Guild – The largest and fastest-growing faction. They focused on dungeon clearing, monster hunting, and training the strongest awakeners. Led by high-ranked fighters like Celeste Varian, they were gaining global influence. The Guardians – A faction focused on protecting civilians and maintaining order. Governments worldwide supported them, but many saw them as too restrictive. The Ascendants – A faction made up of rogue awakeners who rejected rules, seeking their own path to power, no matter the cost. They operated in secrecy and were rumored to be experimenting on dungeon monsters. Independent Awakeners – Those who refused to join any faction. Aurora fell into this category, but she knew it wouldn't last forever. Eventually, the world would demand that everyone choose a side.

Aurora's system quest had asked her to gather information about these factions, and she had learned enough to confirm one thing: conflict between them was inevitable.

Each faction had its own vision for humanity's future, but only one ideology would win in the long run.

A New Challenger Approaches

Aurora decided to return to the Hunters' Guild outpost she had visited before. Not only was it a great place to observe powerful awakeners, but she was also curious about Celeste. Their previous duel had been interrupted, and Aurora wanted to see how strong she truly was.

As she walked through the bustling outpost, she felt the weight of countless eyes on her.

Whispers followed her.

"That's the girl who fought Celeste!"

"She came out of nowhere, and she's already making a name for herself..."

"Is she really 'Kiana Kaslana' or just someone who looks like her?"

Aurora smirked but kept walking. The rumors weren't necessarily bad. If people focused on the mystery of Kiana, they wouldn't suspect Aurora Evernight.

However, before she could find Celeste, someone stepped into her path.

A tall young man with silver hair and piercing blue eyes. He radiated confidence and power. His presence made others step back as if they instinctively knew they weren't on his level.

Aurora stopped, her eyes narrowing.

The man smiled. "You must be the one who fought Celeste. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

She crossed her arms. "And you are?"

"Xavier Drayden. S-Rank Awakened, top Hunter in this outpost." His tone was casual, but his eyes studied her closely, as if he was trying to see through her disguise.

Aurora's instincts screamed danger.

This man wasn't just strong—he was smart.

An Unexpected Challenge

Xavier chuckled. "I heard about your fight with Celeste. A shame it got interrupted."

"What about it?" Aurora asked, keeping her tone neutral.

"Well, it just so happens that I love testing strong opponents." He grinned, stepping forward. "So how about a duel?"

The crowd stirred, excitement buzzing in the air.

Aurora glanced around. This was a terrible idea. She had barely avoided suspicion last time by limiting her abilities. Fighting someone as dangerous as Xavier in public? A single wrong move, and she could expose herself.

However...

If she refused, people would question why. Her reputation as "Kiana" would suffer. And if Xavier was part of these hidden forces, avoiding him now wouldn't stop him from digging into her identity later.

A notification appeared in her system.

[New Quest: Face Xavier Drayden in Combat.]

[Objective: Engage in battle without revealing your true abilities.]

[Reward: Gacha Roll x1]

Aurora sighed internally.

She looked Xavier in the eyes and smirked. "Fine. Let's see if you're worth my time."

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Aurora mentally prepared herself. This fight would be different. Unlike Celeste, Xavier wasn't just testing her—he was analyzing her.

And she couldn't afford to make a single mistake.