The way back was much better. While the air was still as dense as back then, Ben changed. He was now like a fish in the water.

However, when he finally arrived at the tunnel made by the monsters, he encountered a surprise.

The whole thing fell. The path was blocked since something destroyed the tunnel.

'Did they destroy the whole thing to hide it?' Ben sighed.

'No wonder I wasn't interrupted!'

---

The path ahead was long. But looking for a way out, Ben eventually reached an immense underground area. Well... It was hard to call it a tunnel since it was so high.

'Having such strong emotions is too tiring. I've been bored for too long! I'm like a starving person over-eating.'

Awe truly overwhelmed him this time.

What he saw in front of him was a Spirit Vein that could fit a small castle on it.

The tunnel he was in was just a little thing anyone would ignore.

Similar holes were everywhere, despite one being already shocking by itself.

Yet, a similar small-sized vein got out of the big one every few meters. Some brought energy in, while others took it away.

'Would people believe me? I shouldn't look down on those poor bastards. How could they find this place? The Empire was insane. This place is too difficult, even when you know it. Why make this inverse Swiss cheese?'

The capital of The Sunset Empire became a dangerous ground mainly because no one wanted to take care of it. The fighting was to such a degree that abandoning the place was more viable than dealing with the consequences. The winners got the land but found no use for it.

'Their equation would change if they knew of the existence of the dual vein. Public knowledge mentions only the existence of 2 of those. However, after seeing this, I see no way they could've found it without prior knowledge or an insane sky-high price.'

Crouching down, Ben's right hand touched the ground.

Runes began to flow from within his heart. They connected to the ground leaving a mark.

And once finished, the small rune faded into the ground, disappearing.

'I would rather not leave a clue, but I'll not find the way back otherwise. It feels like I'm defiling a piece of art!'

---

"Testing. One. Two. Three." Ben's voice had adjusted to its new tone.

"I CAN TALK!"

His pain was gone, and so was his fear of needing to hibernate.

'With this harvest, I gained up to a thousand years. I took a heavy load from my shoulders this time. I feel so much better!'

He found his way out eventually, after much trial and error. Fortunately, there were enough connections to the outside that it wasn't as difficult as finding that room.

He was now aboveground inside the ruins' inner section, trying to avoid danger.

His movement was swift since he knew this zone very well. He quickly left this area but couldn't overlook the desolate situation around him. Signs of vicious battles were everywhere.

He didn't see many people around either. He only saw a few people going around being extra cautious, but Ben made sure to stay hidden from them.

Ben also heard some roars. But disregarding those, he just left as quickly as he could.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

'They failed.'

---

A young man slept in white undergarments on an oversized bed.

Even while sleeping, his eyes beneath his long hair still looked like they hadn't rested in ages.

He slept deeply. But the fancy chamber couldn't disguise his mess.

Unfortunately for him, a red-haired guy destroyed the quietness when he arrived yelling. "Wake up, Ginn! We likely found him!"

Startled, the black-haired man bolted from his bed. After revealing his eyes, the signs of sleep deficiency were accentuated. Quite lost, Ginn Aravyz looked at his childhood friend with confused eyes.

"Matt! Stop this yelling. Are you going to kill me?" Ginn placed both hands on his head, not delighted by his headache firing up.

He tried to calm down by taking a few deep breaths.

But not even glancing at his friend's reaction, Matt went around the room to get water, a cup, some towels, and a container. Once witnessing that his friend got up, he came nearer, offering the items to the semi-naked youthful man.

"Quick, wash, and dress up!"

"Calm down, and explain yourself clearly!" Ginn clamored, running out of patience. His enhanced grogginess was due to not having had the time to sleep lately.

"We believe we located the man that healed the idiot! People you planted around town six months ago contacted me saying they found another suspicious person. Another one. But the distinct aspect was that Dinna passed by and noticed some weirdness before she left, so we need your eyes to confirm it." Matt explained with his big red eyes wide open and a wide smile. He knew what this meant if they found the guy. Hope.

"Where are my clothes?!" finally understanding the situation, Ginn hastily moved into dressing himself.

"Clean yourself up too, because you look like garbage! You didn't even shower when you got here this morning!" Matt repeated himself.

Ginn looked disoriented. It had been a while since this young man took some time to sleep. But even he couldn't keep up and had to stop before it was too late.

"We don't..." But Matt interrupted before Ginn could finish his sentence.

"I sent Yuri straight there as he was outside patrolling this place. He should stop the old man if he tries to leave the town. So please, at least make yourself not look like a dying homeless person!"

Ginn tried to compose himself after stopping for a moment. But his anxiety was apparent.

"Hopefully, Yuri doesn't mistreat the physician! You should've sent Yukk!" Ginn said, remembering that Yuri had a volatile temper, different from his twin.

"Come on. I didn't have the time! I sent the first one I saw. And then I came here since I knew the importance of this news!"

Looking at his friend, Ginn understood he had been too rash. So he placed the garments he already had in his hand down.

The man used both hands to restrain his messy hair as he went to catch the water and other things Matt had prepared.

"Alright, I'll take a quick shower!" He said as he left for the bathroom.

Ginn didn't even take two minutes to get out. Now in towels and using his spirit energy to dry his long hair. His appearance was a bit less hectic.

He saw a new set of clean clothes in the bed while his friend was long gone.

Not wasting time, he put on the purple outfit, the design mandated for those of the inner circle of the New Horizons Sect.

With his conditioned skills, it didn't take long, and by the time he finished dressing up, his hair was already dry.

He then tied his hair in a notch. And before getting his shoes, he went to the side table with a mirror and used some cream from a bottle to disguise his unsightly appearance. It worked like magic, hiding his fatigue superficially.

Before he left the room, Ginn's tired appearance and the sweaty smell were gone.

And outside, a small crowd was already waiting for him.

"Ready?" Ginn asked after seeing them all.

[ "Yes!" ] They all responded together.

---

After arriving in Aurora town, Ben Higgs went to a public bathhouse.

Having cleansed himself further, he was now in one of this town's small restaurants, feeling rejuvenated.

He now went by his new identity, Leo Moon. And he came here specifically to look for information.

He discovered that the task force was much bigger than he initially presumed. And that the outcome was what he had guessed, that they failed. But his trick seemed to have had some impact since the group retreated without catastrophic losses.

Suddenly, in the middle of what others would consider an early dinner. Ben's expression froze as he noticed a group surrounding him while creating a Spirit curtain.

Leaving his food be and straightening up his posture. Ben's expressionless face looked at the young man entering the isolated area.

'How?' He thought. His new identity should've been flawless. He trusted himself that much. And he had thousands of years of experience to back up that sentiment. He wasn't overestimating himself at all, as he knew his limits.

Ben saw the dark-haired young man sporting the not so easy to forget purple attire. He immediately connected him to the team he met a while back.

'Should I hate purple?' He questioned himself. He felt even more baffled after knowing this was them.

The young man beamed while his two emerald-like eyes shined with inquisitiveness.

Those were the kind of eyes that Ben despised the most. Overly curious with sharp intent. He knew this guy wouldn't let him go.

"Good afternoon, Sir. I'll avoid using your name since you seem intent on hiding it. I'm Ginn Aravyz, and I initially only intended to say I would like to talk to you about some serious business. However, how could I've guessed that I would be this surprised? Oh well, how should I put this..."

< "Hello, my fellow Earthling. What's up?" > Ginn Aravyz greeted this elderly using the commonly known language from Earth, English.

Dumbfounded, Ben's spoon slowly began bending.