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nAurora stood ready in front of the gate of the academy. She had everything of importance packed into her inventory and she was prepared to make a quick round of the abyss.

nAva was the one who would be accompanying Aurora initially. But somehow, the group of two had become a group of 4.

nAnd by that, Aurora meant that she had been joined by Rita and Natasha’s self-invitation.

n“Are you sure it is a good idea to take them along? It will slow us down considerably since Rita and Natasha’s divine powers are bound.”

n“Even if it is not alight, it is necessary. It’ll be bad if the corruption got out of hand for you.”

nAurora opened her mouth to argue but nothing came out of her mouth. All Aurora could do was stand there like a goldfish and look foolish.

n“Still. It’s too dangerous with such a small group and where two of the people cannot even right.”

n“That’s rude to say. Outlander’s technology is suitable for me and I even got taught how to use some of the fighting tools. I will be able to take care of myself.”

nNatasha’s aura felt annoyed and offended at the same time. Her puffed-up cheeks looked cute so it negated any threat that was present in her voice.

n“Who said I was talking about you? Rita will not be able to protect herself since the Outlander’s tech is not compatible with her and Ava is useless anywhere outside of the first 5 floors.”

n“Hey, I’m not useless.”, “I will restrict your access if you said anything like that again.”

nRita sounded annoyed but it was surprising to see Ava speak up as well. Aurora had not expected the white-haired girl to ever get offended at anything anyone said.

nBut maybe Aurora’s sentence had finally made Ava break her mask of indifference. And it left Aurora pretty baffled to see.

n“Let’s hurry up and leave before that annoying brat comes to bug us again. I am not going to become a babysitter for that annoying prick.”

nAurora shook her head at Rita’s words. It seemed like the redhead was still angry with Damina. Their relationship had never really improved after their first few encounters.

nBut unluckily for Rita, the young master of the outlookers had been selected as the one who would train her in magical weapon usage when she had asked for one.

nAnd it just so happened that Rita had been unable to use any magical weapon ever since that day.

n“Who are you calling an annoying price, you talent-less hag? It is not my fault that you can’t currently protect yourself. So let me tag along and protect you all.”

nThe now 11 years old heir to the outlanders stepped out from the corridor he had been hiding in. His pissed-off face said that he might have heard every word Rita had said about him.

nAurora could feel hurt and anger coming from the young child. There was no doubt that Rita’s words had hurt Damian’s pride.

n“Huh? What did I do wrong? Isn’t it because of you that I cannot learn the magic weapons? Otherwise, why won’t they respond to me? I don’t have magic currently.”

n“You fool. The magical weapons we create are not for everyone. Don’t let your lack of talent slander our clan’s name.”

nThe fight was getting more and more intense every second. Natasha looked uninterested in stopping the fight while Ava looked to be enjoying the fight.

nAurora had a bad feeling about the glint of mischief in Ava’s eyes so she decided to put a stop to her actions before she could do something extreme.

n“It is enough. We will likely be moving in a group inside the abyss so try to get along. Ava can take us directly to the end of the fifth floor and then the real struggle will start.”

nIt was clear to see from Rita and Damina’s actions that they were not taking the threat of the abyss seriously enough.

nThey were both young and inexperienced in many ways. And they were also the most vulnerable and carefree of the bunch.

nIf possible, Aurora did not want to take them both into the abyss but they were a calculated risk.

nAurora had to take Rita in case of her condition worsened.

nAnd as for Damian, it was a request from GoV. Aurora had not asked much when GoV had asked her to take Damian with them. Aurora was too indebted to GoV to not consider this request of hers.

nThe crack that the group took to enter the abyss was the same one Aurora had taken the first time she had snuck in with Rita.

nHowever, this time the entry was easy. It road had been cleared by Ava in advance and no monster dared to attack them since the overlooker was on their side.

nIt did not take the group long to reach the fifth floor and the end of Ava’s governance. This was the end of the safe road for them.

n“I must remind you all again. The journey till here was a breeze because I was the one protecting you all. From here on, we will be entering a different world. Floors 6-10 are different from the first five floors.”

n“From here on, every 5 floors will share a theme, be it culture or its setting so be vigilant. I will not be able to keep you company any longer.”

nAurora instantly turned to Ava with a shocked and betrayed expression. What did Ava mean by these words?

n“What do you mean you will not be able to keep us company? You-”

nBefore Aurora could finish her words, the door closed behind her and the group. Ava, who was still standing on either side didn’t even give Aurora a last look.

n“Did we just get abandoned? I knew we should not have trusted that snake.”

nRita’s voice was full of disbelief. Aurora felt shocked as well but she shook it off pretty easily. There was nothing to be done except keep on moving ahead.

n“I guess we should keep on moving ahead for now. Ava cannot betray me completely because of our contract and she cannot let me die as well. Maybe she has a plan she cannot execute with us around.”

nThat was all Aurora could hope for. Getting betrayed by Ava this far into the journey would really be such and Aurora would also have to somehow end Ava’s life for that.

n“We should all cheer up and get moving. Here, have some candy to life your mood.”

nAurora took the candy and instantly chewed it up. But maybe because of her foul mood, the candy tasted slate and tasteless.

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