CHAPTER 155: THORAN TWINS

"Hunting the Shadow Raven..." Elliot was thrilled, even Jenna. They didn’t remember that beast, but it is mythical among the Awakened of Awakened Rank and Master Rank. It is a very elusive beast that has many peculiarities.

They hadn’t considered it because, so far, no one had succeeded in hunting it because it was so elusive, but it would be interesting to try.

After all, being that kind of beast, it perfectly fulfilled, more than the basilisk, the kind of special beasts Elliot wanted for himself.

"Very well, then. We’ll give it a try, Mr. Steward." Elliot grinned.

"Haha, very well then." Steward nodded. "By the way, we’ve decided that the same five will participate in the Leveled Leagues. Do you have anything to say?"

"All five? This..." Elliot was taken by surprise, even though he partly expected it. "Have any of them managed to advance to Master Rank?" He asked.

Reaching that level was indispensable in those leagues, as almost everyone there was.

Of course, they could go to participate simply to gain experience, but that could be counterproductive for several team members.

"Yes. These days, we’ve invested a ton in training them. Chris and Andrew have already reached Master Rank. Rich is the only one who hasn’t yet, but he’s improved quite a bit in his assassin skills.

Of course, we know it is risky to do so, so we will have Rich and Chris not participate at all times, as they lose confidence very easily. That’s why two guys will go with you."

Just then...

KNOCK*

KNOCK*

The door echoed, and Steward smiled. "You must meet them right now." He spoke.

As he opened the door, two people walked in.

A woman and a man. Somehow...they looked very much alike.

As soon as he saw them, Elliot frowned.

"You..." For some reason, she felt like he knew them. Although to Jenna, they were strangers, they simply seemed like a brother and sister duo.

But Elliot soon had an epiphany of memories.

"It’s you, Thoran Twins."

Even though they were male and female, the truth was that they were nearly identical—a special kind of twins.

They smiled. "We didn’t expect to be known by the great Elliot, the King of Terrain."

’King of Terrain?’ He frowned.

Where did that strange nickname come from?

Both brothers saw why he was in shock and laughed.

"Hahaha, in town, they gave you that title. I saw your tournament, and I think they are quite right, even though we look up to you quite a bit. We didn’t expect someone from the city to be so good as to beat those foreigners."

Elliot felt slightly uncomfortable with the ’nickname’, but didn’t think much of it.

The thing is, he was up against the mythical Thoran Twins, who made a name for themselves about 6-8 years ago. Not only were they the people with the greatest rapport in the city and the entire coast, but they were also incredibly talented in their own right.

Rumor has it that they even developed an ability to communicate mentally with each other, so they always know what to do.

They are a well-known duo, not only because of their power but also because of their quirks. In addition, they have personal records of hunting quite strong beasts.

They... are not people to be benched. In fact...

"I didn’t know the Thoran Twins were in Angelic Wave. Didn’t they belong to The Cats?" he asked, looking at Steward.

He smiled.

"This is thanks to you two." He spoke.

Elliot looked at Jenna, just as stunned as she looked at him.

"Thanks to us? What do you mean?"

"Hahaha, Mr. Cat contacted me to make a change, after I announced that you two would be participating."

"He wanted to see the two best elegant players, with you. So he gave up part of the win they could get with these two on his team and gave them to us. If we can win the Leveled Leagues and show them what we are capable of, it will even give us a chance to buy them to bring them into the main guild." He spoke.

Just as Elliot was stunned to hear this, at the time, Steward was too. He honestly thought they were playing a joke on him.

After all, who would be stupid enough to give away the two most iconic characters on their roster to their possible direct rival in such important Leagues?

It later turned out that the Thoran Twins had also requested it. And Steward gladly accepted it; that’s why they are now here.

"I see. That’s why you’ll switch Rich and Chris occasionally."

"Haha, that’s right. It’s too bad they’re already 20 years old and I can’t put them in every game, because then we wouldn’t be able to take that small, but juicy prize to the guild."

Elliot nodded and looked at the Twins. They were smiling.

"Looks like we’ll be on the same team then. I hope I can count on you guys."

"All right, King of Terrain. We’ll be sure to prove ourselves to you. The Thoran Twins are ready to compete."

After that, they left the room, and shortly after, Elliot and Jenna did too.

They decided to go visit Andrew.

--

While that happened, Mr. Cat was having a "call" with someone important.

"I heard you sent those two boys to the Runic King’s guild." Said a thick voice coming from a small black raven perched on the Cat Lord’s shoulder.

He nodded.

"Yes. I also offered them the likelihood that, if they win, they can take them if they offer enough money."

"Oh. A trade with very favorable terms for them."

"Hahaha, I suppose so, Lord Hewber."

"Is there a special reason? Does it have something to do with that new summoner?"

"Summoners are short-lived, aren’t they?" Mr. Cat asked.

"Unfortunately. I guess SkyDome’s family has some kind of curse. The day they get such a talented man, he turns out to be a summoner, and on top of that, SkyDome is far away. It’s an inherited misfortune that."

"Haha, even if SkyDome was around, I think it would be hard for him to avoid his death. The kingdom has been very quiet recently, don’t you find it strange?"

"..." Hewber was silent for a minute. "Yes." He said, with a long sigh at the end of his words.

"Haha... that I think tells us all already. If no one in the empire moves against him and those crazy organizations are still in hiding... I think something big might happen before too long. That guy might die after the Leveled Leagues."

"..."

Hewber had nothing to say about that. He was okay with that.

Quiet doesn’t always mean no action. In fact, quiet is even worse in a magical world like this one.

For there is nothing quiet about the life of an Awakened One. You either kill or you die.

Life is simple, but unfair to those who gain abilities capable of besting their opponents just by existing.

"And why are you sending the twins there, then? If you think he’ll die, doesn’t it hurt them to be next to him?"

"Sigh. That’s the problem, sir. They are also peculiar. They are two, but at the same time, they are one. Their ability to outplay an entire team with their interpenetrating moves makes them such peculiar people that it’s hard to beat them. I’m afraid they’ll be targets, too."

"Oh, I see, do you think, if they are together, they will have a better chance of survival?"

"Yes. Do you think you can beat those people who might be entering the kingdom territory right now, to kill them?" He asked and received only silence from Hewber.

Naturally, he didn’t need to answer.

He couldn’t.

He was strong, but not that strong either.

That was something Mr. Cat knew, so he smiled.

"We can’t, to tell you the truth. I don’t think anyone in the kingdom can do it."

"And you think they can do it?"

"They have a saint. They’re powerful."

"...I don’t know that."

"Hahaha, the truth is I don’t trust them that much like that. I’m more confident that kid can somehow manage to survive. He has that aura about him."

"Him? Aren’t you overestimating him?"

"If you see him, you’d understand me. There’s something weird about him that tells me he won’t die so easily."

"Oh. That’s curious." Hewber said.

"Curious? His aura?"

"Yes. I recently heard that someone came in through Tall-Ar as a weak boy and came out at one end of Tall-Or... Does that ring a bell?"

"Hmm, well, it’s true that he survived those woods. That’s impressive. It’s one of the reasons that makes me believe he won’t die so easily. But what does that have to do with it?"

"Haha, the one who gave me the information is someone reliable, you know? According to him, there are traces of a Griffin of at least Rank A appearing at the same time they were inside. But somehow he disappeared after a fight against a B-Rank beast, which fled in terror. Some time later, that boy got out of there alive."

"Do you think he had something to do with it?"

"I don’t think so myself. It seems far-fetched and silly to me." Hewber scoffed with complete honesty.

If someone told him that some youngsters barely on their way to Master Rank could be responsible for the disappearance of an A-Rank Griffin, he would treat them as crazy.

It doesn’t make sense. What kind of fantasy was this person living in?

But... "The problem is, who believes it can’t be ignored."

"Who is it?" Mr. Cat frowned, confused.

"The Saint of Tanafler."