They continued chatting.

During their conversation, Ren and the others learned a few things about David and Lily.

First, they were childhood friends. Second, they were from lower-class families. And lastly, they wanted to become powerful shifters to give their families better lives.

In other words, Virelia was the richest person in the group, but Ren was the strongest one.

After talking for about two hours, they went home.

At 07:00 pm, Ren and Elara went to Sylvie’s house to tell her that they would take a quest tomorrow.

She told them to be careful and not to do reckless things.

It was fine to fail because their lives were more important than the quest.

After dinner, Ren and Elara went home.

That night, they slept with both nervousness and excitement.

----

Aether Organization, Aria’s Office.

Aria and Cassandra were talking about Ren and the others. They were the future of their organization, so they wanted to ensure the kids would not die on the mission.

"Then wouldn’t staying by their side openly be better than protecting them from the shadows?" Cassandra asked.

"No," Aria replied. "Your presence would make them feel safe all the time, and it would also make them depend on you. They need to learn to stand on their own, or else they will never grow."

Cassandra didn’t say anything anymore because what Aria said was right.

"Your task is just following them in secret," Aria repeated her words. "You can only save them when they are in a life-and-death situation."

"Aright." Cassandra agreed.

"I will treat you to dinner at a luxurious restaurant after the mission." Cassandra would sleep outside, so Aria decided to reward her. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Cassandra’s face turned happy. "Haha! You are indeed the best, leader!"

While Cassandra was talking to Aria, Isolde was waiting for Ren and the others.

Five minutes later, Ren and the others arrived.

They didn’t carry any bags with them.

All their stuff was stored in their space rings.

Like Ren and Elara, David and Lily also received space rings from the organization.

They both were shifters who could kill three magical creatures, so they were rewarded with the space rings for their talent and strength.

"You guys ready?" Isolde was assigned to send them to Northvale Village.

"Yes." Ren and the others answered in unison.

Isolde placed the small bamboo whistle to her lips and blew it.

*Peep...

A sharp voice echoed in the air.

A moment later, a massive white bird flew toward them and landed in front of them.

Ren and the others were stunned by what they were seeing.

They previously thought they would travel to Northvale Village by car. It never crossed their minds that they would be riding a huge bird instead.

Were they happy with their transportation?

Of course, they were!

They had never ridden a bird before, so excitement suddenly rose within them.

"Get on." Isolde smiled softly when she saw their expressions.

She knew how they felt since she was once a new member like them.

"What are you standing there for? Get on." Virelia was the only one who remained calm.

She had a few at home, so she was not surprised.

Ren and the others immediately came to their senses.

Once they were on its back, Isolde gave the command, and the massive bird soared into the sky.

Despite its fast speed, Ren and the others were not thrown off or affected by the wind pressure as if an invisible barrier protected them.

"So beautiful!" Lily and David said in unison.

The surrounding scenery looked even more stunning from above.

The buildings, forest, lakes, waterfalls, and mountains: everything was clearly visible, as if they had God Eyes skill, an ability to see all things in detail.

While David and Lily were mesmerized by the scenery, Ren was looking at Elara deeply.

She had Flight ability, so she could fly freely like a bird.

When Elara noticed his gaze, she lowered her head shyly. Despite everything they had done, she often felt flustered when he looked at her closely.

It was as if her body reacted on its own.

"Elara, why is your face red?" Virelia asked curiously.

"No...nothing," Elara replied shyly.

Isolde, who noticed everything, said nothing and only smiled softly.

’What a cute couple!’

She said in her head.

Several minutes later, they reached their destination.

Once they got off the bird, Isolde gave a communication token to Virelia. "There is no signal in this place, so contact us using this token."

"Understood." Virelia stored it in her space ring.

"Remember to wear the organization jacket before entering Northvale Village." Isolde reminded them. "That way, they will know you are sent by us."

Ren and the others retrieved their jackets and put them on.

After Isolde got on the bird, she gave one last piece of advice. "If you can’t handle the mission, give up immediately. Don’t force yourself too hard. Remember! Your life is more important."

"Understood." Lily and the others replied in unison.

Once she disappeared into the distance, they headed to Northvale Village.

A few minutes later, they reached their destination.

Northvale Village was located at the foot of the cliff, with a tall waterfall behind it.

The village was protected by a high wooden wall, and most of the surrounding area was dominated by trees.

When the people guarding the entrance gate spotted Ren and the others, they quickly approached them.

The moment they saw the emblem on their jackets, they knew who they were and immediately brought them to the village head.

"Thank you for taking our quest." An old man with white hair and blue eyes said politely.

His name was Bernard Cole, the head of Northvale Village.

Even though Ren and the others were much younger than him, he still treated them with great respect.

They had managed to join the Aether Organization, so their abilities were definitely above average.

"Thank you for welcoming us warmly, Village chief," Virelia spoke politely. "Can you please tell us more about the situation?"

"Sure. But let’s head inside first." In Bernard’s eyes, talking while standing was not a good idea.

It would not make them feel comfortable.

Ren and the others nodded.

Once they sat on the sofa, Bernard began telling them everything.

The ones attacking them were magical beasts and goblins. He didn’t know their numbers, but most of them were goblins.

They normally attacked in the morning or afternoon. So far, there had been about twenty casualties and more than forty people injured.

"We suspect they came from the gate that appeared near a neighboring village," Bernard told them that a gate had appeared four months ago.

However, it had already been dealt with by some awakeners.

In this world, magical creatures could walk out of the gate.

The moment a gate appeared, it would start absorbing the surrounding mana or spiritual energy.

Once it reached its peak, the barrier would shatter, and the magical creatures inside could pass through.

Under normal conditions, this process took a full day, but in areas with dense mana or energy, it could happen in just half a day.

"Are you sure it’s not from a new gate?" Lily asked.

"We explored the surrounding area last month, and didn’t find any gates." Bernard and the rest had thought the same before.

"Then, where is their nest?" David inquired.

"It’s about one and a half kilometers to the west," Bernard told them the place in detail.

As they were chatting seriously, a group from the Nexus Organization headed to the Northvale Village.