Although everything around him was pitch-black, Lux stably walked in a calm manner.
Gaap didn't tell him anything after entering the Gate, but he could tell with every fiber of his being that he knew exactly where to go.
It was as if there was an irresistible force that was calling out to him, serving as his light as he traversed the dark world, where not even a single speck of light existed.
After an unknown amount of time, Lux found himself in what seemed to be an ancient city.
At its center was a giant World Tree, whose leaves were as black as the night.
A few people could be seen standing at its base, and all of them were looking in their direction with curiosity.
"Let's go," Gaap said. "You are my Disciple, so don't get intimidated by them. Just beware of the people who wear rings similar to the one that is hanging around my neck. They are members of Memento Mori, and those people are a different kind of breed among Necromancers."
"Are they strong, Master?" Lux asked.
"… Very," Gaap replied reluctantly. "They are very strong, and they won't bat an eye while destroying entire cities just because they felt like it. Master didn't like their attitude, so she left their organization. Although they didn't make any move to make her life difficult, they also didn't help her when she needed them the most."
Lux could sense that Gaap detested the members of Memento Mori, which explained why he suddenly became angry when the old Halfling thought that Lux was one of their members.
When they arrived near the base of the tree, some of the Necromancers gave Gaap a nod of greeting, which he returned in kind. However, there was one Necromancer that stood out from the rest, and from his stance alone, Lux knew that this was the "different breed" that his Master was talking about.
"Well, if it isn't the little Halfling who was imprisoned in Zangrila by the Dragon King," a Necromancer, whose age could not be defined, said with contempt. "You should have stayed there. At the very least, your rotten body could have served as a snack for those lowly Abyssal Monsters."
"Your body will be a better fertilizer than mine will ever be," Gaap replied. "The current Head of the Divine Army must be incompetent if you are still alive, Kieran."
"Heh~ those fools can only hunt weaklings," Kieran replied with a smile. "The ones who tried to hunt me down are all dead. I was even kind enough to send them back to their organization in order to kill their own subordinates. You should have been there—it was such a great show."
Kieran had long black hair that was tied up with a black band. His looks were above average, and there was a sharpness on him that was similar to what Lux had felt when he first saw Keane's Master.
The only difference was that the person in front of him was not a Pseudo-Saint, but a real Saint, who could easily kill Lux with just a sneeze.
"And this boy that is still wet behind the ears is your Disciple?" Kieran asked as he eyed Lux from head to foot. "Peak Initiate at such a young age. At the very least, you found someone decent. But he doesn't smell like a Necromancer."
"What he smells like is none of your business," Gaap snorted. "He is still better smelling than you, lousy fart."
"Haha, it seems that you still haven't been punished enough," Kieran replied with an evil smile. "How about it? Want to have a go? I want to see how long you can use Antero before you croak."
Gaap ignored Kieran's taunt and made a gesture for Lux to follow him.
As one of the people who despised Gaap, Kieran knew exactly what the old Halfling's weakness was.
Lux didn't know why his Master, who was only an Apostle, was enemies with a Saint. Even so, it seems that the grudge they had against each other was deep. Although Gaap tried to hide it, his body would shiver from time to time as he walked while being supported by his walking stick.
Clearly, he was very angry, but for Lux's sake, he held it in and silently led his Disciple toward the base of the tree.
Kieran, who seemed to understand how Gaap felt, laughed as he followed behind the Halfling and kept on saying provocative words to him. Clearly, he wanted Gaap to snap so that the two of them would have a good fight.
"My Disciple might be older than yours, but I'm sure she is more talented," Kieran stated as he walked beside Gaap. "I don't know if you just fed that child Beast Cores until he reached his Rank, but mine is the real deal."
As if reaching his limit, Gaap stopped talking and glanced up at the World Tree in front of him.
"You said your Disciple is more talented than mine, right?" Gaap asked.
"Of course," Kieran replied with a confident smile on his face. "What's wrong? Are you unwilling to acknowledge it?"
Gaap didn't reply to Kieran's question. Instead, he glanced at the Half-Elf beside him.
As if knowing what was in his mind, Lux gave his Master a confident smile and spoke out loud.
"I don't want to toot my own horn, but I believe that your disciple isn't as strong as you believed her to be," Lux stated. "I'm sure that if we fought one-on-one, the one who would win would be me. That also means that my Master is a better teacher compared to a black-haired nobody."
"Hoh~ black-haired nobody?" Kieran's smile widened after hearing Lux's reply. "Those are some famous last words, boy. Are you sure you can back that up?"
"Of course," Lux replied in a heartbeat. "Is she perhaps undergoing a Ranker Trial right now?"
Kieran nodded. "She is."
"Then after both of us become Rankers, we'll have a duel with each other," Lux said. "Let's see. How about the loser following the winner's orders for a day? Your Disciple will follow my orders, and you will follow my Master's orders. How about that?"
"Quite the arrogant one, aren't you?" Kieran sneered. "I don't mind accepting your bet, boy. However, allow me to confirm it once. You're fine with the bet, Gaap?"
"Of course," Gaap replied. "I can't wait to use your back as my chair."
"Hahaha! It seems that you have found the right Disciple. Both of you are weak and foolish and only know how to talk. Very well, I agree to this duel," Kieran smirked before shifting his gaze to the Half-Elf who thought that he could beat his Disciple.
Kieran then walked towards Lux until they were only a foot apart.
He then looked down at the Half-Elf, as if trying to intimidate him.
"My Disciple is very rough on the edges. Don't worry, I'll make sure to tell her not to accidentally kill you," Kieran said in a confident tone.
"Don't worry," Lux replied. "It will take more than killing me to kill me. I want to see just how strong this Disciple of yours is."
Lux looked up fearlessly at the Saint who was looking down on him. Kieran chuckled before grabbing the Half-Elf's clothes.
"We'll see just how long you can act cocky," Kieran commented before throwing Lux towards the World Tree.
Before the Half-Elf could even understand what happened, his body merged with the World Tree and entered the place where all Necromancers undertook their Ranker Trial.
