*Noisier than a girl*

He turned his head and found it was Axel. He looked surprised, but not as surprised as Kevin. Normally, no one should have been able to spot him, so how did Axel see him?

Kevin walked up to him with a smile on his face, and when he got near Axel, the latter said, "Hi Kevin! It really was you. My senses didn't deceive me. What are you doing here?"

Kevin didn't respond to his question and immediately asked to understand how he had been spotted: "Your senses?"

Axel looked a little embarrassed by his question but answered him nonetheless, sighing, "Anyway, you would have found out eventually. Everyone knows about me in the Sun Sect. Kevin, I'm a shapeshifter—a wolf—and if I spotted you, it was because I recognized your scent."

Kevin looked at him in astonishment, but excitement quickly took hold of him, and a barrage of questions surged from his lips without him being able to hold them back: "Can you really shapeshift into a wolf? What color is your fur? Are you more powerful in your wolf form or your human form? Can you change shape at will? How can I mask my scent?"

Axel put one of his hands over Kevin's mouth to silence him, and with his other hand, he took off his hood and said, "It's better this way. You don't need to hide, you know. If you have problems, I can help you since you are part of the Sun Sect now."

In response to Kevin's stunned look, Axel continued, "You were trying to go unnoticed, right? If it's not to get away from someone, then why are you doing this?"

Kevin chuckled a little, embarrassed, and told him the truth: "It's just a habit I've had since I was little. I don't have any problems, I swear."

When he saw that Axel seemed dumbfounded, he took the opportunity to ask, "You don't want to answer my questions?"

Axel then smiled at him and said, putting an arm around his shoulders and guiding him to where the Sun Sect had set up: "Kevin, do you know that it's only 7:30 AM and that you are already noisier than a girl?"

Kevin had to admit that he had gotten a little carried away by his excitement. "Okay, I'm sorry, Axel. So you won't answer my questions?"

Axel smirked and said, "Tell me first what you were doing here, and if you want me to answer your questions, come have breakfast with me, okay?"

Kevin let Axel guide him, as this was where he wanted to go anyway, and he honestly told him, "I was looking for Alan. I would like to ask him how to meditate. All the manuals they have given me mention it, but they don't explain what it really is or how to do it."

Axel was pleasantly surprised by Kevin; he intrigued him more and more. Not only did he undeniably know how to fight, but he could also go unnoticed in a crowd, and apparently, it was something he enjoyed doing.

He had even asked if he could mask his scent. And now Axel found that Kevin had already looked at his books and was actively seeking explanations. This kid was a hardworking type; he liked that.

He said, "Alan is still at the hotel, but he will come and have breakfast here, so you'll have the opportunity to see him. And to answer all your questions, would you like to see me in my wolf form? Unless you're too scared."

Kevin, who was usually distant and cold with everyone, couldn't hide his emotions when he was with Axel. He grabbed his sweater at the waist level and looked at him with shining eyes of excitement. "Really? You're not kidding, right?"

Axel seemed surprised by Kevin's gesture and excitement but could only laugh out loud, swearing he wasn't kidding.

Just then, they arrived at the Sun Sect makeshift camp, and he withdrew his hand from Kevin's shoulders, patting him on the head. "Here we are, Kevin. Let's go eat; I'm starving."

Kevin nodded, a beaming smile on his face. "I'm getting hungry too."

Kevin followed Axel to a place that looked like a canteen, and he recognized the young man who had registered him first, along with Uncle Douglas. He greeted them both politely and followed Axel, who told him to wait at an empty table.

Once Axel left, Kevin found a table in a corner and sat down. He felt all the eyes turning to him; some were merely curious looks, while others were downright hostile.

He especially noticed a woman who could have been considered beautiful if her face didn't reflect the hatred he inspired. Pathetic, he thought. He didn't know Axel well yet, but he was sure the latter would never be interested in this kind of woman. A smirk appeared on his face, and he couldn't resist the temptation to look at her provocatively.

Axel returned just then with their breakfast and said to Kevin, "Don't mind her, and don't provoke her. She's a mage too, and she could make your life difficult. I won't always be there to protect you."

Kevin looked at him, stunned, and thought back to one of his Passive Skills. He used his Perception skill on this woman.

[ STATS ]

Name: IRINA

Race: Human

Level: 24

Class: Mage

She wasn't that strong; in a few months, he would surely surpass her. So he returned his attention to Axel and used his Perception skill on him instead.

[ STATS ]

Name: AXEL

Race: Shapeshifter (???)

Level: ???

Class: Fighter

Kevin smirked; he had suspected that he wouldn't be able to see Axel's level, and he assumed that the '???' next to Shapeshifter referred to his animal form—the wolf.

He saw that Axel was still looking at him seriously, so he chuckled and said, "Who says I need protection? Don't worry about me; I can take care of myself."

Axel shook his head and said, "Stay away from her as much as possible; she has very powerful backups."

Kevin looked at him, startled, and couldn't help but ask, "If she has such powerful backups, aren't you afraid that by rejecting her you'll get in trouble?"

Axel wanted to scold him. How could he think that he was that weak? But everything he wanted to say got stuck in his throat when he looked straight into Kevin's green eyes.