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Chapter 181: A Warm Welcome Part Two

At the back seats of the transport sat Ren, his team, Yuuto, and Lady Aiko, while the other hover transport trailing behind carried the guild\'s healers and support staff.

Inside, there was silence. It wasn\'t the peaceful kind, but the heavy, suffocating kind that lingered after a long, exhausting battle. Everyone seemed lost in their thoughts, replaying the chaos they had just survived.

Yuuto, choosing to lighten the mood, cleared his throat. The sound, though soft, echoed in the quiet space, drawing a few eyes his way. His expression was casual, almost amused, as if he was trying to brush away the tension.

The way he acted seemed to hint that this silence was caused by something other than exhaustion.

Hiroshi, sitting beside Ren, shifted in his seat and let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. He finally broke the silence with a smirk, turning toward Alister, who was staring blankly out the

window.

"So, Alister," Hiroshi began, his voice playful, "how does it feel to be famous now? Dragon Lord and all that, huh?"

Alister shrugged, still staring out at the city lights passing by. "Odd," he said simply, as though fame was something entirely foreign to him—an inconvenience more than anything. Hiroshi chuckled, shaking his head. "Odd, huh? Well, you\'ll get used to it," he said with a grin. "I remember back when we cleared an event like this for the first time. Man, the ladies were swarming all over me-practically begging for my attention. Couldn\'t keep them away!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Just as Hiroshi puffed his chest, clearly relishing the memory, Kaida cut him off with a sharp snort, arms crossed. "That wasn\'t you, idiot. That was Ren. No woman in her right mind would fawn over you."

"The hell? You make it sound like I\'m some kind of monster. Let me tell you, a lady in a suit tapped on my shoulder back there, she clearly wanted to get me to look her way!" Hiroshi said with a smug smile.

"More like she wanted you to get out of the way so she could see Alister. If my now ringing ears do not deceive me, they were all calling out \'Dragon Lord,\' not \'Hiroshi.""

The group erupted into chuckles, the tense air finally breaking. Even Yuuto couldn\'t hide his amused smirk. Hiroshi blinked, caught off guard, before throwing his hands up in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay, I get it! But one day, mark my words, I\'ll be the one they\'ll all be after!" Hiroshi spoke with confidence, yet none of them could take him seriously.

Ren, who had been silent up until now, glanced sideways at Hiroshi. Adjusting his glasses, he said, "Maybe your goal should be getting more kills than Alister\'s dragons combined."

"Definitely then you\'ll be the next hot topic," he added, his voice calm but with a touch of amusement.

Hiroshi groaned, rolling his eyes. "Not you too, Ren! Come on! Where is your pride as team leader? Throwing hurtful jabs at my dream is not cool."

"Really? That\'s your dream?" Razorgrin asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "Don\'t you think you\'re setting the bar a little too low there?"

"Buff guys like you wouldn\'t understand, Razorgrin," Hiroshi countered, waving his hand dismissively at him.

Yuuto looked at the group with a playful gleam in his eyes. "Ah, it\'s nice to see you all easing up a little, but tell me, is that all you five have to say?"

The laughter died down, and the transport fell into silence once more. The mood inside shifted, becoming heavier as they neared their destination. For a while, no one spoke; the only sound was the soft hum of the engines as they cut through the city.

Ren, seated at the middle opposite Alister, adjusted his glasses. His fingers lingered on the frames as if he was buying time, carefully choosing his words. Finally, he turned to Alister, his voice calm but with some weight behind it.

"Alister."

At the sound of his name, Alister blinked and looked at him. The others followed suit, their gazes settling on him with an intensity that made the moment feel even heavier.

Ren paused for a moment, his eyes meeting Alister\'s before he continued, "Thank you... for saving us back there."

The words hung in the air, and for a brief second, no one else spoke. Then Hiroshi, Kaida, Goro, and Razorgrin exchanged glances, their faces reflecting a touch of relief and awkwardness.

"We\'ve been meaning to say it..."

"...but I think we were all a bit... embarrassed."

"Yeah... We were quiet because..." Hiroshi said, pausing, rubbing the back of his neck. Letting out a sigh, he decided not to beat around the bush.

"Well... we showed you some pretty... incompetent sides of ourselves out there. It wasn\'t exactly our proudest moment."

"We let you carry too much of the burden on your own. And you had to step in when we couldn\'t handle it. You saved us... twice." Kaida finally spoke up as well.

Alister, who had been quiet throughout, watched them closely, his gaze moving from one to the next. He could see the sincerity in their eyes, the unspoken apology behind their words.

"We didn\'t know how to face you after that..."

"But... we want you to know how grateful we are." Ren finished, his expression softening.

"I\'m grateful as well, and I apologize for my previously rude behavior towards you," Razorgrin said, bowing his head slightly. "I hope you can forgive me. I look forward to working with you in the future."

Goro also spoke up. "Although you and I haven\'t spoken much, I can\'t deny that I didn\'t exactly have a high opinion of you either. I\'m sorry for that."

There was a collective silence again, but this time, it felt different. It wasn\'t heavy; instead, it felt warm. Each of them waited, their eyes on Alister, unsure of how he would respond.

Alister looked down, the weight of their words sinking in. Finally, he let out a sigh and said, "Seriously, you all had me worried that the sandworm left you traumatized. That you might

never speak again."

"Geez," he added with a faint smile. "Seems I was worried for nothing."

Alister paused, then suddenly spoke up. "I won\'t be taking the apology."

The sudden statement caused Goro and Razorgrin to tense up, sharing an awkward glance. Their earlier relief faded as they exchanged looks of confusion and unease.

Alister, noticing their reaction, quickly followed up. "How you acted was harsh but completely natural. There\'s nothing to feel sorry for. To be honest, even I wouldn\'t have

trusted someone like me completely-someone who climbed so high out of nowhere. I get

it."

His words hung in the air for a moment, easing the tension. Goro and Razorgrin slowly relaxed, their expressions softening as they listened.

Alister continued, "And as for thanking me..."

"There\'s no need. Like Ren said back in Sector X, we\'re a team after all... Right?" he smiled.

Hearing this, Ren couldn\'t help but pause, looking in shock. Suddenly he chuckled.

"You\'re right."

As he calmed down, Ren then extended his hand toward Alister. "I didn\'t do this properly the

first time we met. I\'d like to set things right."

Ren straightened up, his gaze meeting Alister\'s with sincerity. "Ren Tanaka..."

"...team leader of the White Comets\' first attack team. And you are?"

Alister smiled, reaching out to grasp Ren\'s hand firmly. "My name is Alister Hazenworth, and

it\'s a pleasure to be a member of this team."

Ren\'s smile widened. "The pleasure is all mine. Welcome to the White Comets, Alister."