The conversation winds down and basically settles on the fact that we have to go out to the Sector 2 region to make any more progress.

Abby and Maria are tired out from their training in the Arena, so they head back down to the Isolation Pods to rest until morning. As they leave, I send a telepathy message to both of them, asking to get Monk to offer more Qi pills for all of us to train with; but the condition being I won't be coming back to meet with him in the monastery.

If they want to learn my quick Qi capacity advancement method, they'll either have to come back to the Galeheart tower where our powers are concealed or somewhere very far away from the city.

I have an idea that I believe will simulate the environment of the Titan's Domain, boosting the cultivation time of my teammates, but it still needs some testing. The Isolation pods in this building are a key component of my plan.

Abby and Maria leave through the elevator doors, and both Fisher and Lydia are the next two to stand from their seats. Fisher is the one that talks first.

"Well, we've given you the map and all the information we can on Sector 2 so far. We'd be happy to tag along, but after 2 weeks of exploration, even a full day's worth of time in those isolation pods isn't enough of a rest."

He turns to me, then to Lith, then back to Lydia.

"How about giving us a day off? I just want to enjoy the city for a little bit. We've been hiding around in dark warehouses and dirty dungeons for as long as I can remember. Plus, it should take almost a week for us to get back out there anyway. We need to stock up on food and gear in the morning, right? What's the harm in waiting a day?"

I shrug, and Lith gives a similar reaction. I give the response.

"Fine by me. However, I think I can get out there a bit faster if I go alone. Take tomorrow off and enjoy the luxuries of this city, you earned it. Thank you for the valuable information."

Lydia points down at one of the maps showing the border between Sector 1 and 2.

"Suit yourself. If you find a faster travel path, that would make our life a whole lot easier. Though, if you just want to use the route we took, just trek straight this way, you can't miss it. But it's not like there are any teleport points out there, so travel time can only be shortened so much when moving in a straight line."

I nod as the two of them start to turn to leave.

"I know. I just may be able to find a faster way, you never know."

After Lydia and Fisher both leave the room, only Lith and Arie are left here.

The archer speaks up.

"I'll go with you."

Our telepathic link is still open, so Arie comments again right after without Lith listening.

"I assume you'll be using your teleportation skill once you find a dungeon out there to make an easy access point."

I nod and reply through the link.

"Yes. I believe it would be faster for you to stay behind as well. From the distances shown on these maps, I can make it to this place at full speed in just a few hours. I can come back and bring you after I make a teleport point."

I think to myself, picturing Ember's top flying speed if we just soar high above the sky. Then, reply out loud.

"You look exhausted from training. Maybe a break would be better for you too. Have you tried the isolation pods yet? If Abby and Maria still haven't gone in, I'm sure they could show you how they work."

He nods, replying to me with telepathy.

"Got it."

Then again a real answer out loud while stretching his arms in his seat.

"Maybe you're right. One of the guards did show me how the pods work when I first arrived, but I never tried them out. A good rest could do me well..."

He lets out a sigh and gets up to leave the room.

"I'll take a 6-hour break in the pods, so nearly a day and a half inside. If there are no updates by then, I'll join Fisher and Lydia for time off. But, if you make any progress, I want to be the first one on the scene."

As the elevator door opens for him, he replies with telepathy through our open link.

"I want you to teach me about this Demonic Energy. I need to get further into the Abyss."

Before I have a moment to even ask him why he wants to go into the Abyss so badly, the dense mana shielded doors of the elevator shut and our link is severed.

I turn back to Lith, as we're the only two people left in the Penthouse office room as finally get to the questions that have been eating away at me.

"So, now that we're partners, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

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I stand up from my seat and he does the same.

We walk over to the holographic depiction of city lights and towers below us.

He replies.

"I could tell you had a few things on your mind. After I watched that fight you had in the 8th stage of the Arena, I knew things were starting to get serious."

I nod once and reply.

"Yes, I did talk with the corrupted Royal Guards, and they even told me the Dark One is watching."

Lith's eyes widen, but I continue quickly to calm his nerves.

"They said it just views me as entertainment and not a threat, but that's enough of a hint for me to know it's time for me to leave this city until I'm strong enough."

"Good decision... So, if that's the case, then what are your real questions?"

I pause, looking over at him and seeing the [??? Access Denied] symbol on his status over his skills and items waver and flicker again.

I up my mana control just another 10% out of curiosity, and the symbol finally breaks completely, revealing a small portion of his status for just a fraction of a second.

Under the [Active Skills] section, [??? Access Denied] changes to [Combat Magic][Extreme Wind Summoning] then immediately turns back to [??? Access Denied] once I let up on my high perception skill use.

I get a peek at some of his gear like rings and amulets too, but they seem to be pretty standard 130-200% buff items for a Hunter of his caliber. Lith is over level 800 and the leader of the Strongest Trade and Mercenary guild in Sector 1.

Then, raise the question.

"Where did you get this status blocking gear? I didn't find it too weird that you, the Royal Guards, and even the old Sector 2 leader had it on. But I recently spotted an Association Director with the same symbol. I assume your gear was made by the Sector 2 leader just like the special armor for the royal guards, but I'm more curious about a single item that I saw on a Director's hand. It was a gold ring."

Lith's head turns to me quickly, and he immediately replies.

"The gold ring? You didn't encounter Mr. Freeman, did you?"

He takes a step back from me, looking me up and down and squinting at every one of my magic items. His vision moves to my neck, and his gaze tightens again. Without any extra words, Lith takes another step back and asks the same question.

"Well, did you encounter that man? How do you know about the gold ring?"

I stare back with a confused look and shrug.

"Mr. Who? Freeman? I don't know who this is. If you wanted to know who I saw it on, it was the Vice Region's Director, Mr. Matthews. Or, better known as Brutus... That backstabber."

Lith lets out a sigh of relief and takes a step closer to me, putting his hands back down at his waist.

"Oh, Brutus..."

He thinks to himself for a moment.

"That's interesting, I guess the vice Region has been growing quite a bit lately. They trust him with a ring, who would have thought."

He chuckles to himself but I interject.

"Well? What is it? Was it made by the Sector 2 leader? What does that thing do? It gave off readings more powerful and ominous than anything I've ever felt before."

Lith nods.

"Yeah, no wonder you were spooked. I've seen Items like that in some trade meetings and auctions. It's definitely the work of the old Sector 2 craftsman, but it's bonded with an energy that I'm still not quite sure how it works or where to find it. Similar to the Soul Stones you and your team managed to absorb, those rings give off power that makes pure mana attacks useless against it. I've seen countless A-Class Hunters in the Association fall in line without a second thought when faced against the gold ring you speak of. If you just ran on instinct, I'd say don't look back."

I think to myself about what Lith just said, but it doesn't confirm anything I couldn't have guessed on my own. Just looking at the ring on The Director's finger, I already knew it was bonded with soul energy, but the way Lith is speaking, it seems like he's in the dark about the intricacies of Qi. For the split second I broke through his concealment defenses, I did see an element skill at a rank higher than my own, and a very high mana control, but there was 0 presence of any other energy in his body.

I let out a sigh and decide to move the questioning to a different topic as I don't believe he'll have any useful insight on how to beat this power if he doesn't know how soul energy even works in the first place.

"Okay, anyway, the next thing I wanted to know is how you managed to get teleport platforms and crystals to go with them in the Galeheart Tower? Did you get Luminite from an auction and craft it yourself? Or do you have a special supplier? I'd like to purchase some myself if you have a link."

Lith clasps his hands and cracks a grin.

"A lot of hard-hitting questions today, huh? I wonder how you even heard of that element in the first place..."

He lets out a sigh and continues as his smile leaves his face and he becomes more serious.

"All of the teleport platforms in this building and in every city of the Dark Continent, as a matter of fact, were all installed by the Association quite a while ago. We have to purchase new teleport crystals to go with them whenever we run out. They aren't very pricey compared to the convenience they bring. If you set up a base of operations in the Dark Continent, I'm sure the Association would gladly install some for you too. However, that does mean they have access to your platform if they wish."

He turns to look me in the eyes.

"Purchasing some for private use isn't possible, sadly. I've seen small amounts of Luminite, the base for transport platform and crystal crafts, show up in some very high-end auctions, but I was always outbid over 10 times my maximum buy."

He pauses.

"You know my pockets aren't shallow. My guess is the Association plants small amounts in auctions every once in a while to see who's interested, then outbids them. They would never actually let the public get their hands on it."

I exhale, thinking deeply to myself before finally responding.

"But what about farming it from dungeons?"

Lith laughs out loud.

"That old myth? People have theorized that every once in a while, after a dungeon break trace amounts of the transport magic is left behind in solid form, yes."

He shrugs and continues to talk.

"I for one won't believe it till I see it. I've been around plenty of dungeon collapses and never once saw this so-called Luminite. I think it's just a story the Association spread around to keep people looking in the wrong place. You're better off trying to outbid the government in an auction. Seriously."

I look out at the night sky, wondering if Bri really was fed misinformation about this point, but the next words out of Lith's mouth make me believe she was on the right path all along.

"The same drunken A-Class hunter that told me this rumor also told me at the core of every Luminite crystal there is the potential to form an entirely new dungeon. You just need enough mana, and enough explosive force to be the catalyst. If this was true, I'm sure the Association would be making new dungeons every day."

He sighs.

"Then again, who knows what they do up in the Apex Region."

We stand in silence for quite a while after this point.

None of my questions were really answered directly, but a few things are starting to make a lot more sense to me. I finally nod and turn away from the window, asking the final question that's been on my mind all this time.

"This may not have sounded very productive to you, but I assure you, it helped a lot. I'm going to head off to Sector 2 tonight, but before I go, could I borrow an Isolation Pod? I'd like to take one apart and see how they're made. Maybe the time dilation could be tweaked if a larger amount of mana was used as an energy source. What do you think?"