CHAPTER 344: A NEW RECRUIT

Her words carried warmth, but also relief. The kind that came from sleepless nights and endless worry.

The attack had left scars far beyond what most could see.

Two Elementalists had died that day. Bright talents whose names had been whispered with promise—snuffed out, just like that.

Their deaths had sent ripples across the world, shattering illusions of safety. And it wasn’t just them.

Another one was missing. An Elementalist of frightening potential. One whose sudden disappearance gnawed at the hearts of many.

The world was still trembling from the news.

Trust in the AMO, once a towering pillar, had cracked. Their failure to protect even their own had seeded doubt, and that doubt was spreading fast.

But despite all of that, Seraphina held on to one truth that gave her peace—her beloved sister had survived.

Miranda was still here. Still breathing.

Her dark eyes softened for a moment as she studied her sister, but then they sharpened again, flashing cold.

The Dark Guild’s movements didn’t make sense. Their strike had been precise, their power overwhelming—but what was their true goal? Why had they taken only one person alive?

Her fingers tapped against the armrest of her chair as her thoughts hardened.

’Why did they take that kid...?’

She sifted through her memory until the name came to her.

’What was his name again...? Ah. Trent Morton.’ she thought, leaning back in her chair.

Her fingers brushing against her lips as if to silence the storm of thoughts rushing through her mind.

’I need to find the truth about them...’ she told herself, her eyes narrowing with that same cold determination that had carried her this far.

Because this wasn’t the first time. Not even close.

For the past few years, the world had been marked with strange, inexplicable incidents—mysterious disappearances, sudden outbreaks of chaos, strange figures causing chaos around yet vanishing without a trace.

And every time she pieced the fragments together, the thread always seemed to circle back toward the same direction.

The Dark Guild!

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her nails lightly digging into the polished wood of her chair’s armrest.

’They’re behind all of it... I can feel it.’

But of all their moves, their infiltration of the tournament had been the most brazen, the most unforgivable. It wasn’t just another skirmish in the shadows—no, this had been an open wound carved into the heart of the AMO.

The biggest blow they had ever received.

And the scars were still bleeding.

Ever since then, more investigations had been carried out. Endless sweeps across cities and zones, desperate efforts to hunt down their motives, their hideouts, their leaders.

But none of them had borne fruit.

Every lead was like smoke in the wind. Every trail dissolved into nothing. It was as if the Dark Guild didn’t even exist—like they were phantoms haunting the world rather than flesh and blood enemies.

Seraphina exhaled slowly, but the unease in her chest only deepened.

A strange premonition was taking root in her gut, heavy and unshakable. Something was coming. Something greater, darker, than what had already been seen.

Her gaze softened when she looked at Miranda again, and for the first time since this conversation began, her lips curved into a wistful smile.

Her little sister. Alive, here, breathing. It was enough to give her some comfort in the storm.

Miranda’s lips parted, about to bring the conversation back to the Dark Guild—back to the frustration boiling in her heart—when Seraphina suddenly shifted the subject.

"...We’ve taken in a new recruit," she said lightly, as though she were speaking of something far smaller than it truly was. "From the tournament."

Miranda blinked, surprised enough that her train of thought cut off.

"A... new recruit?"

The Black Dragons Guild rarely ever gained new members anymore. That much was the truth.

If anything, they were losing more and more adventurers by the day.

Hope in them had dwindled. The people’s faith, once as steady as iron, was little more than ashes now.

Yes, they still carried the prestigious title of Platinum Rank, but that was only in name—an honor clung to by memory and pride, not by the strength of their present reality.

Which was why Miranda’s eyes lit up at once, shining with a faint spark of hope.

"Who is it?" she asked quickly, unable to hide the warmth in her voice.

For her, this wasn’t just about one adventurer. This was a sign. A chance that maybe, just maybe, the guild could rise again.

Seraphina’s lips curved into a knowing smile, her eyes glinting with something unreadable.

"Harry Ainsworth."

The name struck Miranda like a bolt.

Her breath caught, her body stiffening, and when she spoke again, her voice stumbled over itself.

"H–Harry... Ainsworth?"

Her thoughts spun wildly, disbelief flooding her mind.

’He... decided to join this guild?’ she thought, her eyes widening in shock.

Despite how much it stung to admit it, Miranda knew the truth all too well—their Black Dragons guild couldn’t compare to the likes of Adamantium or Mytril in terms of benefits.

Those two stood like towering giants in the adventurer world, gilded in wealth, resources, and influence. Their halls teemed with endless opportunities for growth, connections, and advancement.

Compared to them, the Black Dragons were but a shadow of their former selves, a relic clinging to memories of glory.

And Harry... from how poweful and outstanding he had seemed during the tournament, Miranda had been certain he would choose the side offering the greatest benefits.

Almost every student would actually, since it was the dream of many to get into an Adamantium or Mythril Guild.

"Really...?" Miranda asked, her voice low, disbelief dripping from every syllable.

Seraphina only nodded calmly, her eyes holding steady.

"Yes."

Her tone left no room for doubt.

And then she began to explain, slowly, methodically, laying out the details of Harry’s recruitment into the Black Dragons guild.

At first, Miranda only listened, still half-disbelieving, thinking surely there was more to it, some hidden condition, some overlooked clause. But the more her sister spoke, the deeper the confusion in her chest grew.