The schedule for the Gala was divided into three sections.
The first was the opening ceremony of the Gala, during which the invited families would spend their time in the mansions allotted to them.
The second was the Auction, set to begin in the evening, followed by the a quite a Night Party where mostly the younger generation would dance with their partners.
The Night party was 6 hour long event which was done to entertain the guests that attended the Kalvas Gala.
It was filled with various events and the Dance was the ending event for the Day 1 of the Gala.
This tradition has been upheld for many years at the Kalvas Gala.
Arthur looked around and noticed many eyes fixed on him, particularly due to his new SS Rank.
To them, Arthur reaching SS Rank was not good news.
"You seem to be attracting quite a lot of attention," David remarked, standing at the Seymour Family spot.
"What can I do, I'm just that attractive," Arthur shrugged his shoulders.
David merely smiled and returned with Arthur.
The Auction was about to start, and half of the SSS Rank Hunters had gathered in the Special Room designed for their assembly.
"It's been a long time, Nathaniel Greville," the SSS Rank Hunter of the Hargrave Family greeted Nathan.
"Looks like you're still alive," Nathan responded with a laugh, but none of these SSS Rank Hunters were friendly towards each other.
After all, only an SSS Rank existence could kill another SSS Rank existence.
"Seems like you and Dalton are still not on equal terms," Xarax Hargrave noted as his eyes fell upon Dalton Rothschild.
"Spare me your games, Xarax," Dalton countered, shutting down Xarax.
These rooms were made from the most robust materials to withstand the SSS Rank Hunters; they couldn't sit with anyone else.
"A lot of people are attending this time; I wonder why," Osbert Tarvian mused as he entered the room.
His gaze shifted to Silvus, who was already seated.
This room had only 11 seats, each placed far from the others.
After Osbert, the two Vice Chairmen of the World Association also entered the room.
"So you did attend the Gala, Sir Silvus," one of the Vice Chairmen said as he took his seat.
Despite all of them being SSS Rank Hunters, a few, like Silvus and Farnus, were noticeably older than the rest.
"I just wanted to educate the younger ones about the world," Silvus replied calmly.
In their eyes, they saw potential enemies. Even amidst friendly conversation, none of them were ready to expose their weaknesses.
Another SSS Rank Hunter entered; this time, it was from the Cranston Family.
Joseph Kimir Cranston, the Seat Holder of the Cranston Family.
The number of SSS Rank Hunters in the room now reached 8.
Soon, the SSS Rank Hunter of the Watson Family also made his entrance.
The only remaining SSS Rank Hunters were Dexter Wright and Farnus Calmort.
"I've heard about your grandson's talents," Joseph said, looking at Nathan.
"That kid is quite talented," Nathan confirmed with a wide grin.
"But what about him?" Nathan asked, his once vibrant energy taking a more sinister turn.
This was the Nathaniel Greville they all knew well.
One rule was upheld at the Kalvas Gala: no family could attack another during the Gala.
Only one family in history had ever broken this rule and survived: the Greville Family.
And the one who had broken the rule was Nathan's Great Grandfather, who had severed the hand of a man who had insulted his daughter.
The Greville family had always behaved this way, but back then, there were only five SSS Rank Hunters, and Nathan's Great Grandfather was one of them.
At that time, nobody could challenge the Greville Family, but people felt less threatened in the present with 11 SSS Rank Hunters around.
"Let's not get too worked up," Osbert interjected, halting their conversation.
"Do you, the Chairman of the World Association, wish to impose rules here as well?" Xarax Hargrave asked as he turned to look at Osbert Tarvian.
As one of the three strongest families, the only entity maintaining the balance and holding the Elite Families back was the World Association.
"When have I ever done that?" Osbert retorted.
"I only abide by the rules set forth by the High Council," Osbert stated as he returned Xarax's gaze.
"If you insist," Xarax said, choosing not to extend the conversation further.
It wasn't time yet for their talk to become threatening.
After all, the SSS Rank Artifacts they were all waiting for would only appear on the last day of the auction.
In another room, the seven heads of the Kalvas Gala were gathered, with Cristina from the Levoure Family also present.
"So, who will host the Auction?" the Martell Family Head asked the old man from the authority managing the Kalvas Gala.
The old man pointed to Kameron, who was standing behind him.
"Good luck," another head chuckled, aware of how intense the Auction could become on the second and third days.
"Well, our duties are fulfilled, so when will the next seven heads be announced?" he asked.
"Perhaps on the last day, we're still waiting for the final confirmation from Lord Dexter," the old man replied.
Dexter Wright was still working on the vault, trying to decipher how the intruders had breached it.
The conversation irked Kamden Whiteheart somewhat, but he could do nothing about it.
This was the final meeting between the seven heads; the titles would be passed on to the next chosen seven among the remaining 33 invited guests.
Back at the Soran Mansion, Asher arrived, stepping out of his car with Alyssa and Emmy, who had ensured that no one saw them leave the World Academy.
"Take her to the room on the second floor," Asher instructed Emmy, who nodded in response.
Alyssa had agreed to accompany Asher to the Kalvas Gala, but she was unaware of his intentions.
Instead of heading to Tom's room, Asher stopped at a room from which a strange sound emanated.
Asher opened the door to find Erwin inside.
The same Professor Erwin who would have killed Asher if not for Xander's intervention.
Erwin's eyes widened upon seeing Asher.
"It's been a while," Asher commented as he approached Erwin.
Erwin tried to move, but he was unable.
He had survived the past months without any food or water, but he had been constantly fed a drug that Asher had instructed Tom to administer.
However, he hadn't received anything for the past two months.
If Erwin were not an S Rank Hunter, he would have died long ago.
Even now, his body was thin, and odd black veins were appearing all over.
Erwin recalled when he fell into Asher's trap.
"I'm glad that the Chairman didn't abandon me," Erwin said, looking at the woman who had saved him.
He quickly surveyed the surroundings of the place they had arrived at. However, in the very next moment, the woman approached him. Unbeknownst to Erwin, she swiftly injected a drug into his neck.
The action was too swift for him to react. Having just escaped the jaws of death, Erwin was unprepared for the woman's attack. His sudden relaxation made him an easy target.
"WHAT!!" Erwin immediately pushed the woman away.
As he touched his neck, he felt his connection to mana disappear.
'It works,' Emmy thought as she observed Erwin wobble on his feet.
She had received instructions from Asher to trap Erwin by using the word 'chairman'. Somehow, Erwin trusted her immediately without questioning her identity.
"Go sleep for a while," Emmy commanded, knocking out Erwin and applying Mana Restraining Cuffs.
She didn't know why, but Asher told her to capture Erwin no matter what, before his grandmother could get to him.
Since then, Erwin was locked in a room at the mansion, while Asher experimented with his drugs.
"Be grateful, your time to be useful has come," Asher said, pulling out a dagger and stabbing it into Erwin's heart.
Erwin attempted to move, but he was linked to mana restraining devices and didn't have enough power to gather even a small amount of mana.
[Host has gained 120,000 EXP]
'As expected,' Asher thought as he read the notifications.
As the factors that led to Erwin's weakness were due to the drugs that Asher concocted himself, he received the full experience for killing an S- Rank Hunter like Erwin.
'It would have been better if I could have controlled him,' Asher thought as he received a message from Tom.
<Kai has arrived. We can start the final plan.>
At that moment, Kai arrived at the mansion using the teleportation artifact. He promptly made his way to the room Asher was in.
"May I devour it?" Rifir asked Asher, the tattoo on his right arm materializing.
"Not this one," Asher responded. He had other plans for Erwin's lifeless body.
As the tattoo receded, Kai stepped into the room, catching sight of Erwin's lifeless form. Tom had already briefed him on this part of the plan, so Kai was prepared to transport Erwin's body to the location where Dane was waiting.
"You have full control over it, right?" Asher asked Kai, resting the dagger atop Erwin's corpse.
"Yes, Boss," Kai responded as sense of satisfaction washed over him.
They had nearly completed their mission, and they were both still alive.
The past two months had been grueling; they had cheated death several times. The numerous injuries riddling Kai's body were a testament to the danger they had faced.
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