"This involves private matters, so please forgive me—I'm not in a position to explain."
Iris stepped forward and brushed past Leon.
"And as for the hundred gold coins—come here in five days. I'll return the full amount, with interest."
That left Bisce stunned.
She'd assumed Leon had Iris completely in his grip. She thought that once Leon asked, Iris would spill everything—what had happened, why she looked like this.
Bisce remembered what Leon had said: Iris went to track down her mother?
But why would you use the word "track" for your own mother?
And why, after "tracking" her, did Iris come back looking this drained and lifeless?
She hadn't even checked the suspicious cheque again—letting Leon's scam end in a perfect curtain call.
Thinking that, Bisce leaned in and whispered by Leon's ear:
"Leon, Leon… aren't you going to say something?"
Right at that moment, Leon spoke:
"Miss Iris—since you've already confirmed I can use divination, aren't you going to make use of it? From the look of you, there's probably something you need divination for, isn't there?"
Iris stopped.
But after a brief silence, she still said:
"No need. I appreciate your kindness, but these matters aren't something a first-tier can casually involve himself in—even if you're dual-classed."
Leon smiled.
Iris had refused, but it was clearly out of goodwill. That was a good sign.
Still, Leon needed a legitimate reason to get involved in the incident of Iris's mother falling into darkness and becoming a Dark Elf.
He couldn't complete that quest by himself.
After all, an elf's "corruption" could be resolved through family ties or love—but not through brute force.
If he tried to force his way in, it would only create resentment.
With that in mind, Leon said:
"Miss Iris, it seems you have some misunderstandings about my strength. How about another wager?"
The moment she heard the words "another wager," Bisce flinched and stared at Leon in shock.
Again?
"If you defeat me," Leon continued, "I'll cancel the hundred-gold debt you owe me—and I'll give you another hundred gold on top of it. How about that?"
Holy—
Bisce was blown away. You're really going to keep running this 'hundred-gold' scam on this clueless girl again and again?
That was dark. Absolutely black-hearted!
A fake cheque making someone work for free—and calling it "debt repayment"?
For a moment, Bisce even felt sympathy for the exhausted woman in front of them.
"And what's your stake?" Iris asked, unable to see Bisce's ghostly expression as she turned to Leon.
Her mood was conflicted.
Her mother's situation still wasn't resolved, and here she was gambling with someone—clearly not ideal.
But… if more money meant a better chance of solving her mother's problem, and if this could ease her pressure a little, maybe it wasn't so bad.
"My stake is simple," Leon said. "If I win, then Miss Iris joins my party and helps me explore dungeons. And as for the hundred-gold debt, you can pay it off through dungeon profits—deducted from your share. How about that?"
A first-tier challenging a third-tier sounded absurd.
But in the first three tiers, since mana capacity wasn't dramatically different, the gap wasn't always overwhelming. With differences in information, strategy, playstyle, skills, and class, upsets were very possible.
And Leon was exceptionally familiar with Iris's early-stage strength and combat patterns—he'd played with countless variations in his previous life.
So this proposal wasn't reckless.
He also didn't mention Iris's mother, Hamla.
As long as Iris agreed to join, following up on that matter would become almost effortlessly natural.
On one hand, Leon genuinely needed a strong, reliable teammate to help him raid dungeons for hidden-tier extraordinary gear and items—so he could raise his strength.
If he was late and someone else got there first, it would be too late.
And while Leon wasn't weak, he was still low-tier. Hunting those powerful items alone remained dangerous.
A suitable, trustworthy teammate was crucial.
If he pulled some random powerful stranger into these runs, the risk of being robbed and killed for loot would only increase.
So a teammate's character and reliability mattered.
On the other hand, this would also avoid triggering Iris's wariness.
When it came to her mother Hamla, Iris's behavior became extremely conservative—almost paranoid.
"So that's it," Iris said. "You want to team up with me?"
Now she understood Leon's intention, but she still didn't get one thing:
"Then why me? If you're such a capable astrologer, surely there are many stronger people who would make better teammates for you."
Leon smiled faintly.
"Simple. Because I'm a capable astrologer, I know you'll be an excellent teammate. And once you fight me once, you'll understand why I need someone like you."
"If you've gone that far, then fine. Let's do it." Iris's expression grew serious. "I'm third tier. You're first tier. By all logic, you can't beat me. I respect your courage and confidence. As a sign of respect, I'll let you take the first ten moves."
She stepped backward, widening the distance to a safe range.
Then she extended an arm, taking a stance ready to unleash elemental defensive magic at any moment.
"I'm sorry, but I really do need money lately. So after ten moves, I won't hold back! Leon Bellron—are you ready?"
Leon didn't answer. He simply flicked his hand.
A blazing, barrel-sized fireball condensed in an instant and shot forward at terrifying speed.
BOOM!!!!
The fireball struck the elemental light-shield Iris raised in a split second. It didn't break through—instead, it detonated and exploded outward.
Tongues of flame seemed to warp the moonlight itself.
"So fast…"
Behind the shield, Iris's expression shifted.
"Such fast casting! Such a powerful fireball!"
It wasn't merely chantless rapid casting—the power was far beyond an ordinary first-tier mage's spell.
Of course, no matter how strong a first-tier spell was, it still couldn't shatter Iris's elemental barrier.
Iris was shocked by Leon's strength, yet she still held the advantage firmly.
Elemental magic was inherently far stronger and faster than ordinary magic.
And with the class amplification of a third-tier elementalist, she could reliably tank even intermediate spells cast by a fourth-tier.
More than ten meters away, Leon saw the result of his opening shot and wasn't surprised. Iris hadn't begun her true "transformation" yet—but her foundation was already there.
If Iris couldn't even block a single spell from him, he wouldn't need to bother recruiting this future demigod at all—he could just brainlessly grind levels to the endgame.
"Again!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Six long, razor-sharp earth spikes burst from the ground near Iris's feet, stabbing in from multiple directions at vicious, tricky angles.
At the same time, two fireballs launched from Leon's left and right—sweeping in from both sides to pincer Iris.
Three spells, fired almost simultaneously!
Chantless, high-frequency casting—Leon's signature technique, honed through years of brutal training!
Just as Iris was about to face a multi-angle assault that her defensive magic couldn't fully cover—
Suddenly—
Iris sprang upward, leaping more than ten meters into the air.
Normally, placing yourself high up where movement was limited was an extremely passive move.
But the situation didn't become one-sided.
From above came a rapid yet beautiful voice of incantation:
"Radiant Feathers, weave the sky!"
"Six wings mirror the stars—four lights break the haze!"
"In the name of the spirits of light, grant me wings to tread the void!"
As the chant ended and mana surged, six wings of light unfolded from Iris's shoulders, beating beneath the lonely moon!
It was a light-element flight spell!
A third-tier Iris… had already learned an intermediate spell ahead of time!