Chapter 165: Chapter 165: System's Ploy

The door opened slowly, revealing two hooded figures in max-level armor. Their invocations - a fiery salamander and a golden one - peeked out from beneath their cloaks, alert and ready.

Then, the figures removed their hoods, unveiling the familiar faces of Zara and Lila.

"What the hell is going on here?" Zara demanded, her gaze sweeping across the scene before her: Elio tense and confused, the three girls on their knees, Kriz and Brok with expressions of shock, and Ren with a mixture of relief and suspicion on his face.

Lila, noticing the presence of her friends, visibly paled. "Oh, no," she murmured. Her golden salamander curled tighter around her neck, as if trying to hide.

Zara cursed under her breath. "This was supposed to be discreet. We didn't want anyone to see us together to avoid raising suspicions, but it seems suspicions are already well raised."