Greg froze, staring outside. His eyes pleaded for one simple thing—that his clanmate behaved properly. One miscalculation could destroy his cover.

Unlike the other times he had seen her, this time Greg was more composed, calmer. He had anticipated her arrival—she had informed him earlier. The clan captain wanted to recruit them all.

"Who's that?" Alexander asked, still digging into his food.

"Another clan recruitment," Greg answered, his eyes silently laying down the rules.

Be professional! they screamed at him without words.

"Another one?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Blue Jaguars—you came consecutively," Greg muttered as a cold breeze funneled through them.

The woman's voice cut through, carrying a shiver in its tone.

"Let's talk inside for a minute," she pleaded, her voice loud yet seductive, loud enough to reach the dining room. She knew Greg couldn't just let them in on his own authority.

The boys' ears perked immediately. A woman, with one of the most beautiful voices they had ever heard, was outside their walls requesting entry.

"Quick, clean yourselves!" they shouted, tossing towels to one another, desperately trying to look cleaner than they were. They rubbed their mouths as if erasing mistakes from a page.

"The plates too!"

Muttering, they hurriedly cleared the table, snatching away the utensils and plates still loaded with unfinished food.

The clatter of dishes rang from the dining room, mixed with the vibrations of running feet. Greg squinted his eyes in embarrassment. He hadn't expected the boys to stoop so low as to fall for her trap. Maybe Bray and Jamie, yes—but Alexander? That was rare. It was written all over her face; she was proud of the dirty trick she had played.

After a few seconds, silence fell. The boys had stopped their frantic cleaning.

"Should we let them in?" Greg asked, putting the nail to the cross.

"Yeah!" Bray's voice echoed.

She nodded her head, a smirk forming on her lips, signaling entry.

Greg took a deep, silent breath, then moved aside, opening the way for the recruiter to pass.

"Thank you for letting me inside," she said warmly as she stepped in.

The boys froze at the sight of her. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"You're welcome," they replied softly, as though this wasn't what they had expected at all.

"That was your voice?" Bray blurted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her brows arching.

"I imagined you differently."

Greg's face stiffened, but her own expression shifted instantly—annoyance flashing across her face as if she had been insulted this way before.

"Did you get those here or in the world of the living?" Jamie asked, his tone more curious than mocking.

At first, she thought it was part of the teasing. But then she caught his eyes—those weren't mocking eyes. She realized she was looking into the gaze of a true gym enthusiast.

"Got them before I ate the dust," she replied, contracting her muscles and flexing boldly. Jamie's eyes admired every second.

"Wait… what?" Greg thought, unbelieving what was unfolding.

"Out of all people, she connects with Jamie?"

It didn't add up at all. The awkwardness was mutual—even Alexander and Bray looked surprised.

"He did love going to the gym after all," Alexander mouthed, finding sense in the odd situation.

Their small talk was cut short as Eva explained how she maintained her physique.

"We have a lot of machines at the clan HQ. I work them to the limit. It's not simple to maintain this, you know," she said, enjoying every second of her lecture.

"Mhm-hm." Greg cleared his throat.

"You wanted to tell us about your clan," he reminded her.

Silence settled, flexed muscles giving way to business.

"I think I saw you in the hall too," Alexander added.

"Yeah, that was me," she confirmed.

"My name's Eva. I come from the Five Scorpions clan."

"Meaning you have five people?" Bray asked.

"No, we're a lot more than that."

"Then why call it 'Five Scorpions'?"

"It sounded cooler that way. Ten Scorpions, twenty Scorpions—doesn't sound appealing."

"Can I continue?" she asked dryly.

"Yeah, break a leg," someone teased.

Eva stopped, swallowing down the sharp words she wanted to unleash. She couldn't risk ruining the chance at an alliance.

"We are a respected clan—the second on the Midworld Rank."

"What's that?"

"A leaderboard for the strongest clans in this world," she said proudly.

"For second place, you seem a little too proud," Alexander muttered.

Her eyes shifted instantly—predatory, dangerous. Her words came out firm, edged.

"We are proud of what we are capable of."

"So, who's in first place?" Jamie asked.

"The Grid Lions," she answered.

The boys went blank—no recognition.

"The ones on the highest row, wearing black suits," she clarified.

"Oooh," they exclaimed together.

The memory of the Grid Lions returned—their smirks, their aura. Indeed, they were worthy of being called the strongest.

"Not for long they won't be," Jamie thought. It was even more reason to train, to raise his attributes to a hundred thousand.

"If you ever cross paths with them, you're dead meat. So I advise you to avoid them at all costs," she warned, her gestures sharp, making sure they absorbed every word.

"So, are you in or not?" she pressed.

Silence filled the room. The boys hesitated, weighing their answer.

"Please don't give me the usual 'wait until we decide,'" she added, showing her experience in recruitment.

"As of now, you're our first option—obviously, since you're the strongest. But we need to gather more information about other clans first," Alexander explained calmly.

Eva went quiet, processing the answer.

"All right. That's much better."

She handed them a card, numbers and coordinates written across it.

"Follow these when you make your choice," she instructed.

She stretched, then turned slowly toward the door.

"Off to recruit other players. See you later." She waved as she stepped out.

Greg closed the door firmly, his body sagging with exhaustion. His eyes were heavy, weighed down by sleep.

"I'm going to bed, guys," he muttered, heading upstairs and leaving the boys to finish the leftovers.

Muffled chewing filled the room again, though this time it was restrained. They didn't want to disturb Greg after he had woken early to cook for them.

"What do you think about the offer?" Bray asked, seeking opinions.

"She's great. Friendly. If her clanmates are the same, it'd be a great choice," Alexander admitted, though his tone carried doubt.

"But?" Jamie pressed.

"Her scent—that aura. I sensed it while I was sleeping on that chair."

"What do you mean?" Bray asked.

"I'm not quite sure yet," Alexander replied. "But Eva has been here before."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.