"Oww..."

Della massaged her temples, trying to soothe the throbbing pain.

She had again been pushing herself to the absolute extreme, even though it felt like her brain was about to explode.

’I need to... get back to the training.’

She stood up from the bench and was about to head off, but then saw something strange that stopped her in her tracks.

Mikey was walking alongside a group of players—some that she didn’t recognize—but then she recognized someone that made her eyes narrow.

’Anna... Why is she here?’

And she wondered who the people with her were.

"Mikey!"

Della waved at the caretaker of the camp and walked over while the players looked over with surprised looks.

’Who is she?’

Chaewon immediately wondered with a frown.

When she looked at Della, she was stunned by her beauty, first of all, and had a really bad feeling about her.

She felt dangerous.

"Miss Della."

Mikey bowed respectfully.

"Tch."

Anna clicked her tongue with her usual unfriendly demeanor.

Meanwhile, Chaewon’s friends looked at Della with amazement in their eyes, but most of all, Marina looked like she was fangirling.

"Y-Y-You’re Della Rose... I’ve seen hundreds of your videos and streams!"

Marina said excitedly.

She never thought that she would meet one of her idols in here, middle of nowhere!

"Well, it is nice to meet you too. Same goes to the rest of you. If I may ask, what’re you all doing here?"

Della asked with a very friendly smile.

She immediately made everyone feel at ease, which was completely different from the vibe that Anna was giving.

She was like an angel. Anna was like a demon.

"I am here to see Raon."

Chaewon said with a smile.

"...You’re here to see Raon? Who are you?"

Della asked curiously.

"I am his girlfriend."

Chaewon said with a smile.

"...Oh."

Della said, her heart dropping for a moment, and as she looked at Chaewon, she felt self-conscious suddenly.

’It’s no wonder that Raon fell for her... She is so beautiful...’

Della then lowered her gaze to her chest and noticed that she was at least a few sizes smaller than her.

’He likes big ones?’

"Who are you to Raon?"

Chaewon asked with a smile.

She came off as friendly, but there was also a hint of hostility behind her smiling facade, like she was hiding a dagger.

"I am his guild master—he is part of the Rose Records, and he is currently training under my grandfather."

Della said.

"Is that all?"

Chaewon asked with a smile.

"Y-Yes?"

Della raised an eyebrow and wondered whether Raon had told her about the two of them but doubted he did.

They did, after all, kiss, and she doubted it was something that he would be sharing with his girlfriend.

It was just asking for trouble.

"Where is Raon?"

Anna then butted in and asked.

"He is training with Grandfather. He won’t be back for a while. I can get you all situated in your rooms if you’d like. There are more than enough rooms."

Della said.

"Miss Della, are you sure that your grandfather wants them to stay? He doesn’t like distractions, especially the girlfriend kind."

Mikey said.

He knew that Rock would be worried that Raon might be distracted by Chaewon and, therefore, wouldn’t like her to stay.

"It’s not my intention to be a distraction. Besides, I am not planning to stay here for too long."

Chaewon said.

"It’ll be fine, Mikey. They’re our guests. Besides, Raon is not easily distracted. He is very much committed to his training."

Della said.

"...If you say so."

Mikey said.

"Follow me."

Della said with a smile and then led them to the lodge, where she and Raon were staying during their stay at the training camp.

It had several vacant rooms available.

"Pick a room and get settled in."

Della said.

"Where is Raon sleeping?"

Chaewon asked.

"Uhm... In that room, right there."

Della pointed at the room across from hers, and Chaewon nodded, and she didn’t go to the vacant rooms but instead entered Raon’s room.

"What are you..."

Della looked puzzled.

"I’ll be staying in his room."

Chaewon said with a shy smile, and she looked around the tiny, yet nice, room, which didn’t seem to have been used much.

After all, Raon hadn’t really used this room for anything other than hanging out for about half an hour before he logged out.

’They’re close enough to be sleeping in the same room?’

Della thought in surprise.

She began to wonder just how far their relationship had evolved as it seemed like they were very, very close.

"Ahh, finally I can relax!"

Kevin flopped on a futon, his limbs sprawled out in exhaustion, and it didn’t take long for him to start snoring.

He was so exhausted that he fell asleep right away.

Aella, Bobby, and Marina also took their rooms, and they also laid down to wash away their exhaustion.

"If you’re exhausted, you may use the training camp’s special Healing Hot Springs. It is really effective!"

Della said.

"There is such a thing?"

Aella asked with excitement, and Della nodded with a smile, feeling like Aella’s cute excitement was contagious.

She excitedly grabbed her friend Marina’s hands and dragged her out of the lodge and headed straight for the Healing Hot Springs.

Bobby and Kevin, meanwhile, didn’t feel like going, as one was already asleep, and the other one had such painful feet that moving another meter would be agony.

"I want to have a word with you, Della."

Anna said with a cold smile.

"...Let’s talk in my room."

Della opened the door to her room and entered with Anna right behind her, and she then closed the door.

Chaewon, meanwhile, closed the door of Raon’s room and lay down on the futon and took a good sniff of the pillow.

"Ah... It smells like him."

She blushed and buried her face in the pillow with a contented smile on her face.

Inside Della’s room, the two girls sat on the table by the window, which showed the training camp’s vast yard.

"What is your brother, Rook, planning to do now?"

Anna asked.

"...Why are you asking?"

Della asked.

"Your brother is on the same boat as mine. Unwelcomed everywhere. A villain in the eyes of many. Is he joining Rose Records?"

Della asked.

"Rook would rather kill himself than be my underling. Rose Records is mine, and he doesn’t want to be part of anything that is mine.

"Rock also wouldn’t be happy to have him around."

Della said.

"So what is he going to do? Don’t tell me he will be guildless? That would be very foolish."

Anna said.

"My brother doesn’t take failure lightly. I don’t know what he is going to do, but I don’t think he is finished."

Della said.

"...He isn’t finished? You mean?"

Anna’s eyes shook.

"I think he will still try to kill Leon."

Della said.

"That’s suicidal."

Anna said.

"...One thing you need to know about my brother, do not underestimate. He is not some fool. He knows that in a frontal attack, he won’t stand a chance.

"Therefore, he won’t just attack. He will conjure a plan. A plan that will take a long time to execute, but it will succeed.

"After all, my brother does not fail."

Della said with a serious expression in her eyes.

"He is insane, then."

Anna stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and, without saying another word, walked out.

"...That’s exactly what he is."

Della said.

...

Somewhere in the woods.

"Huff!"

Blindfolded Fang Raon ran down the trail, barely evading the tree branches and loose roots that threatened to snap his ankles.

"Ahh... Huff!"

He gritted his teeth and kept running.

In that moment, he sensed something and instinctively snapped his head slightly to the left, and a tree branch just grazed past his cheek.

If he hadn’t moved right in that moment, he would’ve hit face-first into the thick tree branch that might’ve broken his nose!

He then stopped running and tried listening.

’Where the hell am I now? I’ve been running non-stop for thirty minutes.’

Fang Raon wondered with a frown.

Swoosh~! In that moment, he heard a swoosh behind him and sensed something hard approaching the back of his neck.

He quickly moved out of the way, and a thick-looking stick came down where his neck had just been.

"Not bad."

Rock said with a smirk.

"I am able to understand where the attack is coming more clearly now."

Fang Raon said with a slight smile.

"You’ve improved, but you’ve not learned Read yet. You’re only at the doorstep of it. You still have a long way to go."

Rock said.

"I know... Please, keep training me."

Fang Raon said.

"Of course... Dodge this."

Rock took out a small pebble from the ground and hurled it at Raon, which smacked against his forehead, leaving a small red mark.

"Ouch! Damn!"

Fang Raon collapsed to the ground in pain.

"Whenever you are sensing someone, your brain is doing the calculation of where the person is and in which direction they are moving.

"However, your calculation power is weak.

"You are unable to calculate anything that moves at fast speeds, and as a result, you’re getting hit. It means that your level of Read is extremely low.

"At the lowest level.

"The stronger your Read is, the faster you can calculate and react to everything happening around you.

"The strongest Read users can basically see everything happening around them in slow motion. Read’s true ability is to see the future."