After watching the sentinels for another day, I realized that I did have a way to interact directly with the people watching the portal. There would only be a little bit of risk involved if everything worked out right, but a little risk was nothing new.

However, before I could make the attempt, I needed to prepare a few things. Namely, a new [Disguise] amulet.

I hadn’t used one of those since the rest of Earth’s inhabitants awakened, and I doubted the old design would work against high-tier individuals.

But I had also grown immensely since then, both in tier and in skill level. With my increased Enchanting knowledge and experience, I had little doubt that I could design something to fool all but the strongest of inspection spells.

That was where the risk really lay.

There was no way to account for every elite’s repertoire, and it was always possible that someone might have an advanced inspection spell that could bypass the effects of enchantments.

Would those people be involved in attacking a sect elite to steal their belongings like a bandit? I wasn’t sure.

To be fair, after watching a couple more groups of watchers, I realized they were probably more like mercenaries or assassins than bandits. However, when I was the potential target, they might as well be the same thing.

Once I had a rough plan in place, I waited for the next change in sentinels and followed the departing pair through the portal in hopes that their departure would hide the portal ripples of my own departure.

I traveled to the Mid-Tier (Crystal) zone to ensure my privacy, and set up my pod in the closest small alcove near the entry portal.

I didn’t expand the pod very far – just enough to gain access to my workstation and a bed. Once the wards to protect and hide the pod were activated, I settled inside the crystalline structure and got to work.

----------------------------------------

It took a week to design and craft a device that I felt would work, but I couldn’t know for sure without testing it.

Because I wasn’t willing to test the device against people who might attack if it failed, I was forced to wait for Zavira to reach the end of the first section of the maze so I could have her help me.

With little point in returning to the safe zone while I waited, I used the time to craft a few new items using some of the material I’d acquired during the first section of the labyrinth.

Since every new creation was worth a little extra alternate experience, even if the items weren’t directly useful, my time was not wasted.

It took Zavira several more days to reach the end of her instance and defeat the mini-boss. By the time we reconnected outside of Ano (the town at the center of the floor), I had my physical disguise fully in place.

Gone were the elegant sect robes marking me as a sect disciple. In their place was a set of sturdy leather armor enchanted with the same protections woven into my robes.

My under-armor was deep purple, reflecting my Space affinity, which I’d decided to use as part of my new persona. Like the last time I’d used such items, I felt it better to stick as close to the truth as possible.

I also changed my hair color to a deep purple since I figured the change was dramatic enough to aid in my disguise.

Such superficial alterations were easy with a few targeted spell effects, and the best part was that the effects could be made permanent, especially if they correlated with the user’s mana type.

I did something similar to darken my skin tone by a few shades, but the change wasn’t nearly as dramatic. Still, it would probably be enough to avoid heavy scrutiny if people were looking for a blonde-haired, fair-skinned woman.

I could have simply relied on a more complex [Disguise] formation, but I worried that too much obvious mana use might be noticeable.

The small changes to my features were easy enough to incorporate, though. A lot of people made use of such minor feature-enhancing enchantments, so I doubted anyone would even notice.

However, big changes like hair and skin color would stand out, especially since those things were not all that difficult to manipulate with a bit of effort and a trip to a Life Mage (or the proper training and access to Life mana).

“If you hadn’t told me, I would never have recognized you,” Zavira said before canceling her [Stealth] enchantment.

“Try identifying me,” I said.

A moment later, the icon on my interface meant to alert me of such spells flashed.

“Your name and professions changed. Also, it’s only showing your Space affinity.” Zavira paused. “You didn’t level up already, did you?”

I shook my head. “No. I changed it to show level sixty-two to throw people off.”

“Well, I think you did a good job. Nobody is going to associate you with… you.”

“Your identification spell is pretty advanced, right?” I asked.

It wasn’t the politest thing to ask, but since it was relevant, I didn’t think Zavira would mind.

“Yeah. I was gifted Inspect by my parents after awakening,” Zavira said as she rubbed her neck uncomfortably. “It’s geared more toward materials and items, but still works for everything else.”

“Is that the evolution after Assess?”

“I think so? I never really needed to ask…”

I didn’t get jealous of my friend’s small advantage. Doing so would be pointless. Besides, the spell did what I wanted it to.

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“So, nothing stood out or looked wrong?” I verified.

Zavira shook her head. “No, it looked perfectly normal. I think it's good.” After a pause, she added, “Do you think I should wear one too?”

I was startled slightly at the question. I hadn’t even considered the possibility that Zavira might need to hide her identity as well. The realization that I hadn’t considered something so obvious made me feel ashamed.

“I can make you one,” I said quickly. “Now that we know this design works against a Tier Seven Inspect, I can make another easily enough. Even if you don’t need it now, it couldn’t hurt to have such an item on hand, just in case.”

Because we couldn’t go back to our residences without alerting the people watching of our return, Zavira and I set up our pods outside of the central town, and I warded them to ensure our privacy.

It only took a day for me to make a second [Disguise] formation, even with the three separate pieces the device required to work properly.

It was not just a talisman since that implied a single enchanted item. Instead, the formation was spread over a set of items – a necklace and two bracelets.

I might have been able to get by with one very large pendant, but spreading the formation out seemed like a better option since it made expanding the ‘false information bubble’ much more mana-efficient.

When we were ready, I Teleported us to the closest portal so we could head our separate ways.

Once Zavira entered the labyrinth, she’d swap her [Stealth] talisman for the [Disguise] formation and use the portal to ‘arrive’ at the central platform like a newly ascended challenger.

While she engaged in whatever intelligence-gathering activities she had planned, I had my own sleuthing to do.

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Dressed in a set of enchanted leather armor and covered with a cloak enchanted to make the wearer less noticeable, I stepped through the portal and into the safe zone without any additional [Stealth] effects.

The cloak was a last-minute addition that I’d pulled from the elf’s hoard. It was plain enough that I doubted anyone would recognize it. If they did, I could always claim to have purchased it through the kiosk.

Putting on a tired visage, I casually walked over to the pair watching the portal from nearby.

“Hello. Are you one of the groups that buy loot?” I asked as I glanced around the small area.

“No,” the older-looking of the two elves sneered. “Do we look like Merchants to you?”

I’d hoped that a non-elf would be present when I approached, but it seemed like I was out of luck there.

The small icon showing I’d just been identified lit up, and I tensed slightly. I knew the formation worked, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking to test it against a potential enemy.

When neither of the elves jumped into action, I gradually relaxed.

“I guess not,” I said apologetically before shifting my demeanor to something a bit more upbeat. “Is anything interesting happening on the floor? It feels like I’ve been stuck in that maze forever, you know?”

“No. It’s the same boring floor with the same boring people,” the older elf said pointedly. The younger elf remained silent, though he eyed me with clear disdain. “Go away. I don’t know why the dungeon allows your kind here anyway.”

“My kind,” I asked incredulously. “You don’t like Space Mages? We make traveling so much easier!”

“Don’t be obtuse, human. Leave, before I make you regret your short life.”

I scoffed and shook my head before departing.

I knew that most elves did not act like these did. It was almost like having the Sovereignty Sect disciple among them had infected the rest of the elves on the floor.

It probably wasn’t all of them, though. At least, I hoped that it wasn’t.

Not bothering to go deeper into the safe zone, I headed back to the portal and used it to connect to the central portal.

Two watchers on opposite sides of the platform perked up at my arrival before quickly slumping back down after a quick glance. Neither bothered to identify me, which I thought was a good sign.

Oddly enough, one of the two watchers was a human. She was the first I’d seen among the watchers, which made me wonder if a second group was looking for me.

With the same casual confidence, I approached the woman sitting near the Trading Post.

“Hey. Anything new happening since I entered the maze? I feel like I’ve been gone forever. Being alone like that doesn’t do anyone any favors as far as mental health goes, yanno?”

“How long were you gone?”

“A couple of months, give or take. It all blurs together after the damn goblins respawn enough times,” I replied.

“I’m sure you heard about the duel before you went in?”

“Yeah. Something about an elf and a human fighting it out.”

“Well, everyone has been on the lookout for the human and her friend since then.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, somewhat surprised by the woman’s openness. She seemed almost eager to have someone to talk to, though I wasn’t sure why, considering her location.

The woman looked at me curiously. “Nobody told you about the pile of loot she got from the elf?”

I shook my head, and the woman scoffed.

“That figures,” she said with an eyeroll. “Everyone thinks they’ll be the one to collect the bounties. Nobody wants to risk losing out by sharing more details. Just reporting a sighting is enough for a reward, though a lot of people have it in their heads that they can take the targets out in secret and make off with a chariot full of growth items.”

“Growth items?” I asked with faux interest, though hearing that both me and Zavira were being targeted was of much greater interest.

The woman scoffed again. “Who doesn’t have growth items at this point? We’ve all gone into Trials. Anyone who has made it this far should have been able to perform well enough to earn their own.”

“So, people are just waiting for the girl and her friend to show up so they can sic the bounty hunters on them and claim a reward?” I asked. “That seems a little…”

I struggled to find the right words because I truly felt flabbergasted at the whole thing.

“It’s an easy payday,” the woman said with a shrug. “All I have to do is message my contact if someone in a white or mauve robe appears. That’s it. Even if it isn’t the right person, I still get a reward.”

“Honestly,” the woman continued, “I’m only sitting here because I’m tired of the monotony of the labyrinth. I’m a social person by nature, so every time I enter the labyrinth, it’s like torture.”

“I totally understand that,” I said before adding, “Don’t you feel bad for the people being targeted?”

“Why feel bad?” the woman asked curiously. “Those spoiled sect elites get everything handed to them their whole lives. Besides, all they have to do to avoid the bounty hunters is stay in the labyrinth. Nobody is making them enter the safe zones.”

I found the dissonance between the woman’s complaints about the difficulty of being alone for months and her callous claim that the elites could simply tough it out alone for decades to be quite striking. I doubted she even recognized the hypocrisy in her statement.

I hummed noncommittally to avoid saying anything in response.

After a few moments of silence, I asked, “So, where do I find out about this bounty?”

The woman’s expression shifted to a knowing grin. “You made it sound like you were so sympathetic,” she laughed. “Of course, you’re one of those kinds of people. I should have guessed by your cloak.”

I glanced at the cloak and shrugged.

“I’ll tell you, but you’ve got to pick watch times when I’m not here. Or,” she added, her eyes lighting up. “You can promise to split whatever you get with me. If you’re just going to observe and pass the information, that’s fine as long as you aren’t competing directly with me. But if you end up taking the girl or her friend out, I want some of the loot.”

“So people are definitely targeting the friend, too?” I asked. “That seems a little odd.”

“Yeah, she was the one selling off stuff to the dungeon. Since she’s apparently a half-breed dwarf, the elves are pretty pissed she’s benefiting from their friend’s death.”

My eyes widened. It was probably a good thing Zavira’s disguise marked her as a regular human. She looked close enough that it wasn’t unbelievable, especially with the small cosmetic changes I’d included.

I’d need to make sure to warn Zavira, though I wouldn’t be surprised if she already knew that she was being targeted.

“So, the bounty?” I asked.

“You gonna remember your friends if you get lucky?”

“I always remember my friends,” I said resolutely.

“Well, since I’m your new friend,” the woman smirked, “you should go visit the Alchemy shop and check their notification board. The Alchemist who runs it was one of the dead elf’s friends. I think he’s the one in charge of the bounty. Tell him Ember sent you.”