"The only one who was invited by the captain was…" They couldn't help but turn to the woman.
"It was me." She nodded while putting down her pipe. "To think that you would bring him here as a new member. It's quite surprising, Evelyn. Is it because of his master?"
"Not really. If I have to say the reason…" Evelyn turned to the assassin. "It's because Sonia almost died in his hands."
"Almost died? What? Is he that strong? But isn't he only a first-year student? Even if he is strong, he shouldn't be enough to harm Sonia."
"That's right. He can't do anything to me," Sonia protested.
Evelyn simply glanced at her friend. "Bella. Clean her up."
"Hmm?" Isabella tilted her head in confusion, but she soon inhaled her pipe before blowing it all out. The smoke expanded and moved like it was alive, enveloping Sonia.
All of a sudden, there was a fluctuation of Ena that was soon neutralized by the smoke itself.
"!!!" All of them couldn't help but widen their eyes.
"A mark?" They were alarmed and hurriedly raised their weapons, as if they were ready to fight. They finally understood why Evelyn said he could kill Sonia. If Evelyn didn't intervene and Nathan wanted to kill her, she would probably have died.
And it seemed Nathan didn't want to cause any harm to this organization. The fact that she mentioned a new member meant Nathan intended to join this organization.
"I can't accept this. If he is intending to harm this group… No, his identity is rather sensitive. If we accept him into one of us." The tan guy frowned.
"He will be our messenger and a double agent. Besides, this will be a good thing. As long as he doesn't reveal our names, it doesn't bother me. And what piques my interest is not his familiars; it's his brain."
They never thought Evelyn would have such a high evaluation of Nathan.
"However, he still needs to pass the test." Evelyn added.
"A test, huh? His personality and character are questionable, but if he is useful…" The tanned guy crossed his arms. "What kind of test will he need to pass?"
"I'm thinking about it," Evelyn replied, wondering what kind of test would allow her to see Nathan's potential.
"How about I bring him with me?" The muscular man asked.
"Dior? Are you insane?" The big man asked with a wry smile.
"How about letting him hunt some aliens?" Bella gave a suggestion. "Considering his strength, let's just make him kill a few mutants by himself."
The others thought it was reasonable, but Evelyn suddenly grabbed her seat and pulled it thirty steps from Nathan.
After that, she sat down while crossing her legs. She looked down as if she were on a high throne, saying, "The test is simple. Stand in front of me. If you pass, I'll let you become a part of the Sleeping Garden. What do you say?"
Nathan's expression brightened, thinking it wasn't a big deal. Besides, it would allow him to finish the task in just a few minutes.
However, the others had a rather bizarre reaction.
"Captain. Are you serious?"
"That'll be bad, isn't it? He is the Forest Queen's disciple."
Bella nodded. "Even though I know you are harsh, I don't think you need to be this harsh."
"…" Nathan blinked his eyes a few times, thinking, 'Ehm, guys. Why are you reacting that way?'
Nathan started to panic, wondering what kind of torture he had to go through just to reach her.
"What's wrong? I've given you a simple task. Stand before me and you can join the Sleeping Garden. Isn't that what you want?"
Nathan took a deep breath. It seemed she had made up his mind. Then again, he knew it wasn't supposed to be easy, considering he was clearly coming as a double agent. There was no way she would trust him that easily.
Hence, Nathan nodded his head. "Alright. I will take it."
The others looked at Nathan as if he were foolish for accepting this task.
"In that case, do it. You only have thirty minutes. You can use your Ena however you want, but you can't summon your familiar."
'I should have read this type of scenario back on Earth. The moment I step forward…' Nathan lifted his right foot. As he was about to take the first step, an immeasurable pressure fell on top of him, causing him to stomp the ground instead of lightly step on the floor.
"Kh!" Nathan clenched his fists. As he expected, there would be this kind of pressure that stopped him from going.
"You shouldn't be reckless. You only need thirty steps, but each step will have more pressure than the previous. If you continue, you might end up with some broken bones. No, even your life might be in danger, especially with your organs bursting from the inside. I suggest you not take this test," Bella suggested.
"You sound like a good person, especially to an outsider who has just threatened one of you." Nathan smirked.
"You never intended to kill her, and your identity is somewhat special. Even then, they might not be able to do anything against Evelyn." Bella shook her head helplessly.
"Well, this task seems simple enough." Nathan took a deep breath. Since he was allowed to use his Ena, he started revolving his Ena to boost his physical strength.
As a result, the pressure had become more bearable. He took the second step. It was heavy, but it was something he could handle.
Once he reached the tenth step, Nathan could feel their worries increasing. The reason was rather simple.
Their worries were explained the moment he took the eleventh step. The pressure jumped by at least five times.
"Kh!" Nathan stomped the ground so hard that he ended up cracking the ground. His Ena was blazing in full force, trying to balance this power.
"The power she receives from her familiars is 'Gravity' and 'Teleportation.' It's already straining your body. Even if you use all your Ena, it's only enough for the next ten steps. And after that, your organs will begin to fail, your bones will be broken… You might not want to continue, considering you will be too injured to even study once you're back." Bella came again, warning him.
"Is that so? I'm worried that I'm unable to finish this, but it seems to be easier than expected. Thirty minutes, huh? I will end this in two minutes." Nathan grinned.