This time, it wasn't practiced. It wasn't noble.
It was real.
The smile of a predator.
Well, Kael mused darkly, if I can't steal them… someone else can.
Venom, he thought.
The name echoed like a whisper in his mind.
And from the hollow depths within him, something stirred.
A slithering presence—half-sentient, half-malevolent—stirred from its slumber.
It didn't need to be told twice.
Venom had already tasted Kael's thoughts. Felt his intent.
It began to move.
A thin, shadowy thread crept through Kael's sleeve, inching slowly toward his hand, like a whisper crawling along his skin.
Robin cleared his throat behind him.
"As per the duel's terms," he said, tone formal, "you may copy the Rank 3 spell scrolls present here. Only ten are stored in the royal vault."
Kael turned, keeping his expression neutral.