"Good candidate?" she scoffed. "With that barely-there Force fluctuation, what is he—Level 2? If you couldn’t find anyone decent, just say so. No need to bullshit us."

  “Jade, don’t say that.” Wesley turned to stop her, but Jade just shrugged, looking at him with a hint of resentment. “Captain, you’re always looking out for outsiders.”

  Rosaline took a deep breath, about to say something, when a tall, sharp-featured man approached at a leisurely pace.

  Jade’s eyes immediately lit up. She straightened up and called out proudly, “Elijah! So? Were there any decent opponents?”

  Elijah, unfazed, crossed his arms. “Not bad. Pretty average. A little weaker than I expected.”

  His tone was calm, but there was no mistaking the arrogance in his expression. Elijah was Jade’s younger brother, already at mid-tier Level Three Awakening. His strength put him on par with veteran members of many teams, and among the current candidates, there weren’t many who even registered as competition in his eyes.

  “There are four Level Threes. They’re okay, I guess. The rest? Forget it.” He scoffed, dismissing the entire group with a single glance.

  Jade sighed dramatically. “Yeah, this batch is pretty underwhelming. Not many ‘good seedlings’ at all.” Though she wasn’t looking directly at Rosaline, the meaning behind her words couldn’t have been more obvious.

  Rosaline gave Jade a long, unimpressed look, then turned to Axel. Without warning, she smacked him—hard.

  “The hell are you standing around for? Still listening to their bullshit? Let’s go.”

  Axel winced, rubbing his arm. That slap had some serious weight behind it—clearly fueled by frustration.

  Wesley watched Rosaline walk away, then turned to invite the group to dinner, but Jade tugged at his sleeve, pouting.

  “Captain, what’s so great about her? She’s got a face like a damn ice sculpture. Not like me.” She batted her eyelashes playfully. Elijah, standing beside her, looked away, pretending not to notice his sister’s antics.

  Wesley sighed. “You always screw up my plans.” Then, shaking his head, he muttered, “But you’re not wrong about one thing—the Obsidian team really dropped the ball this time. If this is who they’re recruiting, their lineup’s bound to fail again.”

  Jade smirked. “Yeah, if word gets out that they let some Level Two weakling into the selection process, they’ll be a laughingstock.”

  In the world of pre-selection, the strength of a team’s recruits was a direct reflection of their power and connections. That was precisely why Rosaline had been so pissed at Vince.

  .....

  Obsidian Team’s Hotel Room

  The team had gathered in the room, but the atmosphere was still heavy. Rosaline stood near the window, her expression cold as ever.

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  Vince was the first to break the silence, smiling as he walked over. “Don’t let their bullshit get to you.”

  Vincent and Kaia chimed in right after. “Yeah, just treat it like hot air.”

  Both of them knew Wesley was arrogant, but he was powerful. They also knew that, despite her icy demeanor, Rosaline had never outright dismissed his advances. So whenever she and Wesley clashed, the two of them stayed out of it.

  Rosaline, however, shook her head. “You think I’m mad at them?” She turned, eyes locking onto Axel. “You think so too?”

  “Uh… I… I don’t know,” Axel stammered, caught completely off guard. Compared to these guys, he was still a nobody. Whether or not he belonged here… that was something time would tell.

  Rosaline scoffed. “I heard about the mission. Look, kid, you might be sharp, but if you think everyone else is an idiot, you’ll end up dead.”

  She folded her arms. “And if shit hits the fan and you still insist on playing hero, you’ll die even faster.”

  She turned to leave but threw one last warning over her shoulder. “You chose this path yourself. Don’t die on it and make us Obsidian look bad.”

  With that, she walked out.

  “Uh…” Axel was speechless.

  Vince chuckled. “Axel, we’re heading to Sin City tonight. After tomorrow, it’s all on you.” Then he glanced at Vincent and Kaia. “And don’t think I didn’t see you two hiding something.”

  Vincent grinned. “Captain, your eyes are too damn sharp. Hehe. Axel, here, I made you something.”

  He pulled out a sleek, black-frosted bracelet and tapped it lightly. In an instant, the bracelet transformed into a fully loaded Desert Eagle pistol.

  Axel’s eyes widened.

  Vincent smirked. “Press this button again.”

  Axel did as instructed, and the pistol instantly retracted, shifting back into an ordinary-looking watch around his wrist.

  “It’s got serious firepower, but it burns through Force like crazy. Use it wisely,” Vincent warned.

  Kaia stepped forward next, smiling as she lightly flicked Axel’s forehead. “Physical strength comes back with rest. Force can be replenished with raw stones. But your spirit? Only sleep can restore that. I’ve stored three reserve mental energies for you.”

  No wonder… No wonder they all looked so damn exhausted.

  Looking at the slightly drained Vincent and Kaia, Axel felt an unexpected warmth rise in his chest.

  "Here, this is for you—a bionic soft armor."

  Axel glanced at the armor in his hands and hesitated. The thing looked disturbingly similar to those fake ab muscle stickers sleazy guys wore at nightclubs.

  Vince smirked, catching his expression. "It’s standard Whisper Syndicate gear, but I upgraded it. It’ll adapt to your body, wraps tightly, and is practically invisible under your clothes. No one will even know you’re wearing it."

  Axel ran his fingers over the material, noting how flexible it was. Unlike the bulky combat gear, this was sleek—almost organic.

  Vince had burned through nearly half his Force reserves crafting this. With the mission coming up, replenishing that would cost him a small fortune. But he didn’t mention it.

  "Thanks, Captain."

  The way the three of them looked at him—with genuine concern—felt... strange. Unsettling, even.

  For years, Axel had lived in a world of betrayal and bloodshed. A place where kindness was a weakness, and trust was a death sentence. This kind of sincere care? He didn’t know what to do with it.

  Vincent let out a laugh. "No need for thanks. Just make sure you stay alive long enough to pay me back."

  Kaia, watching the exchange, gave Axel a reassuring smile. She could tell he felt a little out of place after Rosaline had scolded him and walked away.

  "Rosaline’s a good person. You’ll see eventually," she said.

  Vince chuckled. "Kaia, if you think about it, Rosaline’s gift is actually the most valuable one."

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, ice-blue cube. The second Kaia and Vincent saw it, their eyes widened in shock.

  "No fucking way—Rosaline’s Life Ice Coffin?!" they blurted out in unison.

  Vince nodded. "Yep." He handed the cube to Axel. "She’s had this since the day she awakened. Carries it with her at all times. If you’re ever critically wounded—as long as your heart or brain aren’t completely obliterated—inject your Force into this, and it’ll keep you alive."

  Axel turned the cube over in his palm, feeling the chill seeping into his skin.

  Vincent and Kaia fell silent. They knew exactly what this meant. Rosaline had never given this to anyone before.