Sokram quickly steadied himself, shaking off the remnants of tension that had momentarily gripped him.

As he approached the girls, he noticed how visibly shaken they were by the brief surge of killing intent he’d released earlier.

For a fleeting moment, doubt crept into his mind.

Had he gone too far?

Could he have overstepped while trying to safeguard himself and secure their loyalty?

Shaking off these thoughts, he opened a warm smile, adopting the same friendly tone he always used with them.

“How are you two holding up?” he asked gently, though his voice was laced with concern.

“Good!” the girls replied in unison, nodding so vigorously it bordered on desperation, a transparent effort to avoid upsetting him further.

Their strained expressions spoke volumes about the lingering effects of his earlier display.

He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair as he considered his following words carefully. “Look, we’ll talk more about what you saw later. For now, I only need you two to swear an oath of secrecy. I have no intention of harming either of you, but I must protect myself. You understand, right?”

As Sokram spoke, fragments of memory surfaced in both Savannah’s and Amber’s minds.

It was as if their thoughts were momentarily linked, recalling the same event in the past: Pioneer of Chaos.

The weight of those words hung heavy between them, filling the air with an unspoken understanding.

Sokram extended a small dagger toward them.

They accepted it unhesitantly, gripping its hilt tightly as they drew blood from their palms and made their oaths.

Watching their sincerity and eagerness, Sokram nodded approvingly, a genuine smile spreading across his face. “Thank you,” he said warmly. “Since you’re willing to go this far, I’ll reward you even more. But let’s discuss that later, alright?”

Both girls nodded again, though their eyes betrayed their inner turmoil.

They still struggled to reconcile the kind-hearted boy who had shared his knowledge so freely with the terrifying figure they had witnessed only minutes prior.

How could someone embody such stark contrasts within themselves?

That went way beyond his personality's duality.

“C-Can I ask you something?” Amber’s voice quivered, trembling despite her best efforts to steady it.

“If it can’t wait until we’re somewhere more private, go ahead,” Sokram replied, his tone warm and reassuring.

His calm demeanor eased her nerves, if only slightly.

“Are you… the one? The pioneer?” Amber blurted out, her curiosity burning brighter than her fear.

“Yes,” Sokram answered matter-of-factly, "Do you want to learn it? Sign a blood contract with me."

His nonchalant tone only made them more certain he was telling the truth.

Savannah hesitated, her gaze flickering uncertainly between Sokram and Amber.

However, emboldened by his earlier words and driven by her own determination and ambition, Amber decided to take the leap.

“Yes! I’ll sign whatever you want if you’ll take me under your wings. You said it yourself, the rewards of the path are just for those with the courage to take the leap at the opportunities presented. So here I am, jumping as far as I can to reach them!”

Despite the nervous quiver in her voice, her resolve shone brightly.

Sokram’s smile widened at her declaration, but his gaze shifted to Savannah.

“Please!” she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper.

Yet, it was enough for him.

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“Alright,” he said firmly. “But remember, becoming one of my people comes with responsibilities. Loyalty means everything to me.”

His piercing gaze locked onto theirs for a moment before turning back toward the ambush site. “We’ll talk more about it later.”

Soon after, the rest of the ambush group emerged from behind a cluster of pine trees.

Gathering everyone together, Sokram announced, “We’ve gathered enough prey to make a solid profit. Let’s head back home.”

However, not everyone was pleased with this decision.

Nora, Lara, and Kiana exchanged disappointed glances.

“We still have two runestones each,” Kiana argued.

Nora added, “We could hunt one more group and still make it back to the city before midnight.”

But Sokram remained resolute.

“Don’t get greedy,” he warned. “Save the runestones for our next mission, they might come in handy. Remember, this is just the beginning. If we train together, our teamwork will improve significantly by the time our next mission comes.”

His gaze then fell upon Savannah, who, although better still, looked very pale.

“Besides,” he continued, “Savannah has reached her mental limit too, and the runestones powering the barrier are starting to crack. I don’t have any spare moonstones to replace them.”

Seeing that his reasoning was solid and noting Savannah’s weakened state, the group agreed.

Amber, too, appeared mentally drained, further reinforcing the need to return.

Unbeknownst to the others, however, Sokram’s real reason for cutting the mission short was that oversharing his mana would cause his Chaos Energy to start leaking again.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the forest, Sokram addressed the group again.

“We hunted a total of forty-four boars, eight of which are males. We’ll visit the butcher together and split the butchering costs and meat equally by weight. Any objections?”

As he spoke, he retrieved another spatial ring from his glove, this one containing the bodies of the slain boars.

To his surprise, Savannah spoke up in disagreement.

"I’m fine with sharing the butchering costs, but not the profits. This entire operation succeeded because of your plan and leadership. You deserve half the earnings, and we can split the rest among ourselves."

The suggestion earned nods of approval from the group, but Sokram shook his head firmly.

“Thank you for your suggestion, Vice-Captain, but I decline. Anyone else?”

“What do you mean by ‘decline’?” Savannah frowned, her frustration evident.

Sokram met her gaze steadily. “The plan was mine, yes, but without your help, this mission wouldn’t have been nearly as successful. An equal share of the spoils is only fair.”

Kan chimed in, offering a compromise. “Ok, I see your point, but you also gave us these.“

Kan showed his remaining runestones, "Since we didn’t use all of them, it’s only fair that we compensate you for the unused ones. So, we’ll cover your portion of the butchering costs, and we’ll split the profits equally since you insist. I’m not taking no for an answer on that.”

The team murmured their agreement, and Sokram finally relented with a nod.

The journey back to the city passed smoothly, with Kan and Kiana reminding Sokram of the training technique for tamed beasts he had promised.

He assured them he would visit their family compound soon, accompanied by one of his grandmothers.

Similarly, he extended the same promise to Nora and Lara.

Lucy reminded him to stop by the slums, mentioning that her mother would be expecting him at the Purple Pavilion.

This upcoming reunion excited Sokram, particularly given the possibility of encountering his long-lost brother, Luke.

Meanwhile, he instructed Amber and Savannah to rest the following day and meet him at his house the day after.

As they approached the city gates, a wolf-kin guard stepped forward, blocking their path.

"Are you Kazzah’s team?" The guard demanded gruffly.

Savannah stepped forward to answer. "Yes, we are. What’s this about?”

The guard studied her closely before turning his piercing gaze to Sokram, his frown deepening.

"The city lord has summoned your team to the palace hall immediately. Your captain has lodged a formal complaint of insubordination against you. Refusal to comply will lead to a two-month imprisonment."

Anger rippled through the group, their expressions darkening at the blatant injustice.

Sokram, however, remained composed.

While he hadn’t anticipated it, it wasn't surprising either.

Rather than arguing with the guard, he merely instructed the team to hurry to the palace hall and discover the truth behind the accusation.

They arrived within minutes, riding swiftly yet adhering to the speed limits.

After leaving their mounts at the paddock outside the palace, they identified themselves to the palace guards and entered.

One of the guards escorted them down a grand hallway adorned with intricately carved wooden walls painted in white and gold.

A few chairs sat near a massive door, where the guard knocked and waited to be summoned.

Moments later, he reappeared, instructing them to wait until called inside.

Shortly thereafter, Lycius emerged from the office where they had been waiting outside.

Spotting Sokram, whose scent mingled with beast blood and roasted meat, Lycius chuckled heartily.

“Hilda’s son, it seems you’re as much of a troublemaker as she was, eh? If you need help getting out of this mess, how about marrying one of my daughters? Or perhaps all of them? Dragons love forming harems, don’t they?”

Sokram grinned broadly, unfazed by the teasing.

“Thank you, Uncle, but I’m still too young. I wish to explore the world first. As for your help, I believe it won’t be necessary; we haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Heh, exploring the world, huh? Good for you,” Lycius mused, patting Sokram on the shoulder. “But there’s one thing you’re mistaken about: the only person in trouble here is you.”

With that cryptic remark, he departed, leaving Sokram and the team to stew in anticipation.

Tension mounted as they realized Kazzah was likely attempting to frame Sokram to safeguard his position.

Yet Sokram’s unwavering calmness inspired confidence.

Though his backing was greater than Kazzah's, he didn't expect his family or even his master to show up.

But he wasn’t relying on external intervention either.

Instead, he intended to demonstrate the true meaning of preparation.

But contrary to his expectations, Leona and Hannah came, followed closely by the Silverfang's alpha, Kazzah, Timothy, and several wolves.

Among them were Karini and Layca, Kazzah’s mother and Karini’s second-in-command.

The stage was set for a confrontation, but one that Sokram was fully prepared to reveal the depth of his strategic foresight.