Chapter 728: Entering The C-Rank Gate

The reporters understood the threat and lowered their equipment, but they still pressed forward with their questions, unwilling to let the opportunity pass entirely.

"Sir Moon, is it true you’re in a relationship with the Sword Saint’s sister?"

"Sir Moon, what are your plans for the future? When do you see yourself Ascending?"

"Sir Moon, can you tell us more about the B-Rank gate you cleared at Rivergate? The readings were unprecedented!"

Moon answered patiently, but evasively, giving each question just enough to count as addressed without revealing anything of substance.

He was a friend of Selene and Alaric, he said. His plans were to keep growing and serving where he could. The Rivergate gate had been difficult, and he was grateful the team had made it out. Nothing they could build a headline on, delivered with a smile that left them satisfied enough to stop chasing.

Then he stepped into the command tent, leaving the journalists and their ruckus behind.

The representative followed him in, and once they were away from the cameras, his professional demeanor became closer to frivolous and lighthearted.

He was a Five-Star Evolver, and technically he was in charge of the gate’s preparation and clearance. But in reality, Moon occupied a status far above his own, and the man knew it.

"Sir Moon, it’s an honor to host you for this operation," he said, practically beaming internally. "I’ll keep things brief so you can rest before entry. Allow me to introduce your teammates for this gate."

He gestured to two figures waiting near the command table.

The first was a lean man with sharp eyes and a pair of beasts, a hawk perched on his shoulder and a lean hound at his side, marking his profession before the representative even spoke.

"This is Karl. Four-Star Evolver, as you can already tell from the pair of beasts, he is a beastmaster. He’ll handle scouting and forward engagement with his pets."

Karl inclined his head. "Looking forward to working with you, heard plenty about that gate you cleared, my beasts and I will keep the perimeter clean for you."

Moon nodded with a smile on his face, "I will count on you then."

The second was a calm woman dressed in a beautiful, elegant blue robe, a healer’s staff resting against her shoulder.

"And this is Cian, she is a Four-Star healer. She’ll keep the team standing through whatever the gate throws at you."

Cian offered a warm smile. "My pleasure, I’ll do my best to make sure none of us leave this gate worse than we entered it."

Moon returned both greetings with an easy nod. "Good to meet you both. I’m sure we’ll work well together."

"There’s one more member on the way," the representative added. "They should arrive within the next ten minutes or so. We’ll begin the briefing once the full team’s assembled, if that suits you."

"No problem," Moon said, settling into one of the chairs. "I’ll wait."

He leaned back, glancing at the two teammates, and idly wondered whether the fourth member might be the rising talent Tom had hinted at, the one supposedly seeded into the roster by the Association.

He’d find out soon enough.

The fourth member arrived a few minutes later, and it was no one special.

A broad-shouldered man with a heavy shield strapped to his back, his gait steady and grounded, the bearing of a frontline tank.

"And here’s our last member," the representative said. "This is Bran. Four-Star tank. He’ll take the heavy hits for you."

Bran gave a gruff nod. "I’ll hold the line. That’s all you need to know about me."

Moon returned the greeting, and internally, a small flicker of disappointment passed through him.

So the rising star Tom mentioned isn’t on this gate after all. A beastmaster, a healer, and a tank. Strong, competent fighters, but none of them are the prodigy he was hinting at.

He was curious about that rising talent, the one the Association had supposedly been seeding into gates. But it seemed that curiosity would have to wait for another day. For now, he had a more immediate decision to make.

Which teammate’s class to copy.

The representative began the briefing once the full team had assembled, walking them through what little was known about the gate through their observation. As he spoke, Moon activated Eye of Truth on each member in turn, quietly evaluating their classes, their skills, and what each could offer him.

Cian, the healer, carried standard support skills, useful but nothing Moon didn’t already have variants of through Minor Mend and Cleanse.

Bran, the tank, had defensive skills that were solid but redundant against Moon’s existing kit and Weaponmaster foundation. His platinum skin was stronger than his skills, which left him with one clear choice, Karl, the beastmaster.

Karl had two beast-taming skills Moon didn’t possess. Moon’s own beast-taming arsenal was limited to just two skills, Beastmaster, which he shared with Karl, and Calmness, used to soothe an agitated beast.

Karl carried two others beyond that, and while Moon couldn’t see their exact effects without copying them, the simple fact that they were skills he lacked, both Rare-ranked, made them worth acquiring.

With Honeybun and Mirage both bonded to him through his beast-taming class skills, Moon knew that gaining powerful skills within that path would be incredibly useful.

Moon made his decision and activated his Classless copy on Karl during the briefing, the transfer completing silently.

[Class Slot {1/1}]

[Class: Tamer]

[Skills: Beastmaster (Rare), Hive (Rare), Shared Senses (Rare)]

[Duration: 24 hours]

Moon stared at the notifications in silence.

Hive and Shared Senses were the ones he wanted, and they were both Rare.

He kept his expression neutral, nodding along to the representative’s briefing as though he were doing nothing more than listening attentively.

Two new beast-taming skills to learn inside the gate. Perfect. Between mastering these, field-testing Honeybun, and clearing the gate itself, this C-Rank just became a lot more productive than I expected.

The briefing ended, and the representative bid them farewell.

"I expect you guys to return soon. You are overqualified for this gate, you got this."

Moon and the others nodded before walking with Moon at their forefront, having been assigned as their leader with no complains from any of them.