?Kyle gazed at Jian with a sigh, but amidst this, there was a barely visible smile at the corner of his lips. When was the last time he saw Jian? He couldn't help but remember the time. Just like in the tower, Jian was still so cheerful.
'I can see it from his bright face that somehow even though he was chased around by almost everything, he managed to avoid the cruel sight I witnessed.'
'It's better that way, I guess.'
With another laugh, Jian was ready to jump at him for a big hug, but his wish went unfulfilled because after carrying him for so long, Bia was too tired. So, the moment she spotted Kyle, she threw him away without any care. Also, as a considerate person who did not like blocking someone's path, Kyle immediately stepped away to give Jian enough space for a good crash.
"Wh-!"
Jian cried out in shock, but before he could crash into the gate, he flipped mid-air and landed perfectly on his feet. With an exaggerated sigh of relief, he gave his chest a little rub.
"Almost gave me a heart attack."
Behind him, Bia instantly decreased her size and pounced at Kyle with lightning-fast speed.
-'I am sleeping for a whole day! Don't you dare to wake me up! Or else I am going to pluck all your hair!'
Kyle could not help but chuckle at her actions. At first, she made herself comfortable on his shoulder but it was not enough.
-'Why are you not wearing a hoodie?'
A gasp sounded beside them and Bia finally noticed the new faces standing with Kyle. Her eyes wandered around Yue's pointy ears before finally stopping at Sia's white tail.
-'Wow? I was just gone for a while and you already found two beau-!'
Her sentence was cut short because she lost her balance when Jian punched Kyle from behind.
"So, Kyle how have you been? Also, what did you do with your hair? I almost failed to recognize you if not for Bia!"
Kyle hurriedly grabbed Bia before she could crash on the ground and assault his head with countless complaints. He placed Bia on his shoulder and glanced at Jian from head to toe with surprise. Jian was already (C+)-Rank. Moreover, from the dense and powerful aura around him, Kyle knew he needed just one little push and he would break through to (B-)-Rank.
"I am fine. How about you?"
He paused for a second.
"Where is Kelvin? I remember both of you always stayed together."
Jian froze and tears welled up in his eyes. He clutched his chest and looked in the distance.
"I contacted him a while ago. He said he found a spring that raised his rank with just a single dip. I wanted to go find him but he.. he..."
Jian wiped his tears with a hardened expression.
"He did not tell me the location!"
Kyle's eyebrow twitched when Jian suddenly grabbed his arm with a wronged expression.
"As a good brother, I always shared everything with him! But now that he has found something good forget about sharing he is not even responding!"
Awkwardly, Kyle tapped his back and hurriedly pointed at the gate behind him to avoid any further drama.
"Now that you are here. Do you want to enter together?"
Instantly, the tears in Jian's eyes vanished as if they were never there to begin with. He straightens his body with a serious expression.
"Of course! Let's go let's go! Don't worry my mana is almost full because I took a quick nap while hanging on Bia's feet."
However, inwardly, he was grinning madly. Finally, he found his lucky charm! How could he let such a precious opportunity slip away? That's why even though he had to beg, he clung to Bia almost as if his life depended on it. Suddenly, Jian looked back at the girls who had been watching their interaction for a while, and whispered slowly in Kyle's ear.
"What about the ladies standing behind you? Are they with you?"
"Yes, they are with me."
Jian gave him a nod before hastily leaving his side to introduce himself to the girls. Kyle's eyebrow twitched when Jian placed his hand in front of his chest and lowered his head slightly in a polite gesture.
"Hello, my name is Jian."
He even went as far as to flash a beautiful smile at the girls, making them laugh out loud. The moment, Yue and Sia introduced themselves, Kyle grabbed his shoulder and dragged him away because if he left them alone at this rate they would never enter the treasure land!
Jian grumbled under his breath.
"At least let me befriend some beauties."
Kyle rolled his eyes and pushed the castle gate open. In an instant, everyone around him turned serious. Their weapons appeared in their hands, ready to face all the dangers that were present in the treasure land.
As a mage, Yue preferred to fight with a bow and Sia was a spear user to begin with that's why she held her spear in her hand firmly. Jian's face fell when he grabbed the plain-looking wand hanging on his waist. It's because whenever he fought with a wand, he always remembered the not-so-beautiful memory of the tragic incident that happened to him a long time ago.
Like the observant person he was, Kyle noticed the wand in his hand almost immediately. He couldn't help but question with a raised brow as he stepped in the gate.
"Hmm, where's the blue (SS+)-Rank wand you used in the tower? I remember it was quite powerful..."
Kyle's sentence faded behind him as he vanished into the gate. The girls entered after him, leaving behind the sulking red-
haired youth who was glaring at his wand.
"I also want to know where's my precious wand! Okay!"
Jian wiped his invisible tears before jumping in the gate behind the trio while cursing the person who stole his and Kelvin's storage rings in the past. Not once but twice.
"I swear one day I will find the person who stole the ancient map and our precious strange rings!"
