"Is this because of her previous injury or a result of this procedure?" Christian thought, unable to decide. "Let me check." Christian checked her throat and stomach, but he saw nothing different, except for a little soreness and swelling. "Everything looks alright, but I'll keep an eye out. Tell me if you feel any different."

"I understand," Kallista nodded.

"Are you hungry? Do you want to join us for dinner?" Christian asked.

"No, I don't want to impose," Kallista immediately replied. She knew how important food was in this test, so she would not be selfish and ruin their chances.

"Don't worry, we have plenty. Although it tastes horrible, it is fulfilling," Christian replied as he summoned more ant meat from the bag.

"Is that a spatial artifact? I thought they were prohibited?" Kallista asked.

"I made it myself," Christian explained. "Come. Sit and eat." Kallista hesitated briefly before acquiescing. After the resting area, their team had to traverse a world of lava, which drained their energy. After arriving at this place, she didn't have time to eat, so Kallista felt hungry.

Like Christian said, the ant meat was terrible, but the sweet apple juice made it more palatable. "I wish our team were as capable as you," Kallista sighed. They tried to preserve their food, but could only carry a small portion, which quickly ran out.

"What was your trial like?" Christian asked, slightly curious.

"Well, it started with our team being teleported to a puzzle room. At first, we were…" Christian listened attentively and realized most of the tests were different, except for the labyrinth, the Troll Guardian, the Resting Area, and the current location.

"After landing here, two of my teammates were nearby and we united, but soon, I…I encountered an enemy, and he, I mean, they killed my teammates, and I ran away."

"It was Orphelia, wasn't it?" Christian asked.

"What?"

"The person who did this to you. Considering how potent the poison in your body was, it's obvious."

"Don't worry about it. Now that my team is dead, I'm officially out of the test. " She sighed deeply. "I guess I should consider myself lucky I can at least be a [Second Class Apprentice]. I can retake the test two years later, which will only give me 3 years to study for the [Novice Trial]. Although the window is short, I can manage if I work hard enough.

"Can I have some more? I suddenly feel like I'm starving."

Christian cooked more meat for. "Do you still have your identification card?"

"Hmm? I do, but why?"

"You can join my team." As soon as he uttered these words, he felt two sights locking on him, one more intense than the other.

"Pardon me?" Kallista.

"They gave me a reward for being in first place in my group during the second test. I can add one more person to my team."

Kallista opened her mouth to say something, but someone beat her to it. "You can't invite her to the team."

Christian slowly turned to look at Lucretia. "And why is that?"

"She-She…She's a Veela," Lucretia replied as she rapidly stood up, almost jumping to her feet.

"And why does that matter?" Christian asked, his voice calm and measured.

"Look," — she pointed her finger at him, — "I know you're ignorant, but Veelas are some of the vilest creatures alive. They lure men with their power of seduction before absorbing their life energy. That's who they are!"

"What do you mean by absorbing life energy? We're not Succubus," Kallista sneered. She took one more bite of her food before standing up and facing Lucretia directly. "Are you forgetting how you humans enslaved us to use as mistresses or sex toys? Only the Gods know the depravity you have enacted on my people throughout history. You demonized us as vile creatures to justify your depraved actions."

Lucreatia felt something stuck in her throat as she was unable to refute. Then, her face turned red before lashing out: "I don't care. All I know is your people are responsible for my 3rd brother's death."

"Then, it must have been his fault," Kallista replied.

"What did you say?"

"Our people will not attack humans for no reason, and that goes for even extremist groups. So, if your brother died at the hands of one of us, he must have done something wrong. What was it? Did he keep one of us as a plaything? Did he participate in the secret Veela Trade? It's a very profitable business, and many members from powerful clans will participate to amass wealth for their competition."

"My brother would never do such an unlawful thing," Lucretia argued. "All he did was visit your island, and you people murdered him."

The sneer in Kallista's face became even more apparent. "So, I was right. Our kingdom is off limits to all outsiders. We've made this abundantly clear, and the only people who break those rules are the ones who want our natural resources or those participating in the slave trade."

"No, it can't be. Stop lying, you liar!" Lucretia yelled.

"Only three humans have ever set foot on our kingdom: The Curator, Taoist Master Liu Xing, and Great Spiritualist Kerma. You should have recognized these names, right? The three greatest wizards of the world. Tell me, what did your brother do to be honored on the same level as these three and receive an official invitation to our little island?"

Lucretia's body trembled as she took a small step backward. "No, it can't be. It can't be the truth. You must be lying." Her voice trailed off as her mind went blank, leaving her standing there with a dazed expression.

Kallista had no sympathy. Her people were suffering, and she had experienced it firsthand. So, she had no sympathy left.

"Xin'er, take care of Lucretia," Christian ordered, and the little girl rushed to take Lucretia next to the bonfire. Christian then looked at Kallista: "What do you say? You want to join my group?"

"After everything else I said, you still want me to?"

"Why not?" Christian replied with a smile. More than anyone here, he understood the Veela race's ploy as a marginalized group treated as a commodity. So, Kallista's words did not have the same effect as they had on Lucretia or even Xin'er.

She looked him directly in the eyes. "You know you're an odd person, right?"

"You're not the first person to call me that, and I doubt you'll be the last one," Christian smiled.

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"What about them?" Kallista motioned to Xin'er next to the bonfire.

"I'll smooth things out with her," Christian reassured. Kallista was quiet. She had a falling out with her family, so she came to the library with a purpose. Kallista had a grand plan to follow, with strict deadlines in place. If she fails this trial, she'll be behind and forced to work five times harder to catch up. But Christian's offer was an opportunity to keep the schedule.

"Fine," she said before removing the card from the cloth wrapped around her bosom. Christian blushed a little but hid it very well. He took out his identification card to touch it to hers. But he suddenly paused and moved away slightly, making Kallista's face twist with malice.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Don't get too excited. I would like to remind you that all members are required to hand over their cards to me, and you must sign a basic contract. I can't afford for anyone to quit and risk failing this trial. You can refuse to join if these terms are unacceptable to you."

Kallista's face finally relaxed. For a moment, she thought she had misread him and he was just another cruel human who liked to play with others' emotions. "That's not a bad approach to ensure the team's cooperation. Let me see the contract.

Kallista read the entire thing in under a minute, as it was essentially about not forfeiting the trial and the rule that no teammate can attack another. "It's not as bad as I imagined," she commented as she signed her name.

Then, Christian finally took her card. "14, huh? I thought you would be older." Kallista rolled his eyes. Didn't he learn he should not comment on a woman's age? Especially a beautiful woman.

Christian brought the cards closer until one part touched the other. His identification card released a yellow light that entered Kallista's card. Then, a message entered Christian and Kallista's minds, informing them they were now teammates and bound by the trials' rules.

"Welcome aboard."

"Thanks for having me," Kallista smiled.

"Can you tell me what kind of magic you know?" Christian asked.

"No problem."