"Sir, do you think we should invite him? Many major forces are paying attention to him. It could create problems for us."

"Are you defying my order? Just do your work. You don't need to use your mind in these matters."

Inside a hotel room, a man wearing a casual T-shirt and gray pants instructed his subordinate not to overthink.

Upon hearing that, the subordinate began to feel pressured. He realized he had underestimated his own abilities and that he shouldn't have questioned his boss.

"Hmph, this is my last warning. If you question my decisions again, I'll cripple you."

This threat made the subordinate even more fearful—he knew these were not just empty words, but a genuine threat.

"Yes, sir!!!"

"Hmph, foolish people and their foolish minds. You cannot understand my reasoning. Just do as I say. Invite him, and that kid named David, too. I want both of them in our Association.

They definitely possess some secret that allows them to grow stronger. I want to know that secret. There's a possibility they have teachers, but I don't care about that.

Once they join our organization, I'll be able to uncover all the details. Just make sure you stay away from the children of the warrior families. Their families keep a close watch on them, and I don't want to draw their attention."

Hearing his orders, the subordinate nodded and left the hotel room.

'Hmph, ignorant fool. Does he think it's easy to uncover our secret? Even those Saints know nothing.

If both kids join our organization, we'll have two more talented sacrifices. Hahaha… using them, we can become even stronger. After that, we won't need to fear the Warrior Association or any of those Saints.

Hahahaha… just wait until we summon our lord. He will solve all the problems on this planet.'

That man began to laugh maniacally. A normal person would think he was insane, but if Sam were here, he would immediately recognize this man as an important member of the Dark Association.

Naturally, Sam was unaware of this, as he was focused on his training. From day to night, he concentrated solely on self-improvement. Thanks to Alexa and Fiona, he already had enough information about Lisa.

A year ago, Lisa's power level was roughly the same as it had been in the story. But unexpectedly, that changed—she broke through and became much stronger.

There's a chance she has been able to improve all her spells. Fighting her won't be easy.

Sam trained by imagining Lisa in front of him, visualizing the moves she might make during a fight and planning how to counter them.

'It would be really useful if I had some kind of image training technique—like in those manga and novels—where I could create an image of Lisa who could use all of Lisa's moves.

Unfortunately, I didn't find any such technique in the system shop. Besides, I don't think I have much time before the beginner period ends.

There's a possibility that after breaking through to Soldier Grade, the beginner period will be over. The problem is, I haven't seen any suitable techniques for myself in the system shop.

It seems I've already purchased all of the good techniques available, and now I have to wait for the beginner period to end.'

Unable to find any new, powerful techniques in the system shop, Sam felt quite disappointed. If possible, he really wanted to acquire more techniques of Elite or Epic Grade.

Meanwhile, David and the others were also busy training. They each had their own ways of gathering information about their opponents.

As you know, nobody intends to kill anyone; they only want to defeat their opponents. For this reason, they each have to give their all in battle.

Yesterday, Sam had already hinted to Alexa about David. While he didn't reveal much information, he suggested that with her current abilities, she wouldn't be able to beat him.

Fortunately, Alexa wasn't like those arrogant warriors. Instead of becoming overconfident, she focused on her training.

Sam implied that David could be much more powerful than he seemed. Furthermore, there was a chance David had a blessing that could double his power. Although this wasn't confirmed, he advised her to be cautious.

Sam also shared further details about David.

Yesterday, both Fiona and Alexa looked startled. For a moment, they couldn't believe Sam had managed to gather so much information about David. But after hearing what he had to say, they agreed with him.

'I just hope she can bring out Sam's full strength. That would showcase her capability, and it would also help her earn a spot at one of the top Academies.

On the other hand, did Lisa learn any new techniques? Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing. There's a chance she's mastered those tornado techniques.'

*******

"Sorry to disturb you like this, but I just received another invitation. This time, I'm really surprised—it's not from a normal Association.

Someone from the Antique Association reached out. This really surprised me, and more importantly, they even prepared an S-grade contract for you.

Are you interested? I know you haven't wanted to join any of these associations so far, but I think you should consider it. It could help you in the future."

Base City's Principal was currently informing Sam about the person he'd met a few hours earlier.

Normally, the principal wouldn't want to disturb Sam, but this time the invitation was very insistent. The representative had offered to prepare an S-grade contract for Sam.

Because of this, the principal decided to contact Sam. The representative from the Antique Association said they would provide resources as soon as Sam signed the contract.

This was another reason the principal reached out to Sam.

He had already given Sam as many resources as he could, but, as you know, resources are never enough for any warrior.

Moreover, if the Antique Association could provide high-grade resources, it might help Sam break through.

"Hmm…"

Even though the principal happily shared the news, Sam wasn't pleased. Instead, his expression was serious.