Not seeing Juliette anywhere, Ethan ambled into the large corridor and made his way toward his booth. Once he felt the eyes on him withdraw, a faint frown appeared on his face as he tried to analyze his talk with Prince Henry.

There was something off that he couldn’t pinpoint.

He believed that the guy actually wanted to give the mask of evanescence to him as a gift but why keep bidding against him even after the third party had called off? Was that intentional so that Ethan could accept his offer to make it up easily? From the short conversation, Henry seemed sharp enough but not really shrewd. Maybe it was the old man who had convinced him.

Then there was this Voidwalker identity that seemed to stick on him for good and would likely blow at some point, causing big trouble. Though as many risky deals, this one also carried good opportunities within, and he didn’t really have any choice but to keep riding the tiger. Ideally, he’d rather get off the tiger when he had nothing to fear.

What he didn’t understand was the fact that everyone seemed to be sure that he was from higher realms. The rumors about him in the free cities didn’t have such a detail, and Travis would never spread such news as it wouldn’t do him any good.

Katherine, maybe? he thought, narrowing his eyes. Not necessarily. There are still Travis’s guys from the time I bluffed my way out in the Primordial Realm pocket world. Or it might even be that kid Jeremy who probably tried to show off to his friends. Whatever the case, I’ll just play along for now and try to take advantage of it, but I’ll need some backup plans before talking to any high-tier people. Something like Katherine’s [Divine Eye] could expose me right away.

He opened the door’s lock by showing his card and entered the room. His lips spread into a wide smile as he saw Beet floating around on top of a tiny coffin while Rachel was circling around him excitedly.

‘’God! This so cute!’’ she exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

‘’Cute?’’ Todd murmured. ‘’More like creepy as hell.’’

‘’I love it. Did you check its defensive abilities?’’ Ethan asked, inspecting the coffin. ‘’How about the inside of it? Any hidden compartment or something like that?’’

‘’No idea. After connecting his mana, Beet just jumped on it and started flying around,’’ Adrian replied. ‘’Why did you come back so quickly, boss? Is everything okay?’’

‘’Yeah. Turns out Henry just wanted to invite Voidwalker to the palace,’’ Ethan said, ignoring Adrian’s grimace.

‘’Who is Voidwalker?’’ Rachel asked, turning her head between them.

‘’I am,’’ Ethan said, wincing slightly. ‘’If anyone asks, remember that we’ve met in Niamaris and you don’t know much about me. I’ve never talked about where I am from before. All you know is that I am a chill dude who doesn’t want any trouble, but I do hold grudges... deeply.’’

Rachel blinked for a moment before nodding. ‘’C-Can I come to the palace with you?’’

‘’No.’’

‘’Why not?! You know that I played many VR games. I can act damn good, okay? What are you afraid of?’’ Rachel started rambling, but Ethan had already turned back with a smile and started learning the skills on the table.

Information poured into his mind in an instant as he finally gained a movement and a defensive skill. The two stone tablets crumbled into dust, leaving behind yet another two on the table, [Detain Effect] and [Skin Fortification].

Soon after, Beet and Rachel also learned their skills while Ethan collected the rest of the items after a quick inspection. The auction was still going on, but as the prices of the items were mostly around a thousand mana stones, the party decided to leave early. More accurately, Ethan urged them to do so.

After giving his goodbyes, he quickly returned to his hotel along with Beet and Todd, entering the VR promptly. He opened his eyes at where he’d exited last time, the Primordial Realm. Everything was just the same, including Veronica’s copy who stared at him blankly.

The first skill he tried was [Nightfall Armor]. With a command from his mana, the shadows started to move around his body and covered him from head to toe. It required 10 mana for activation and didn’t seem to consume anymore as time passed.

‘’Can you get me a mirror, Ani?’’

A simple-looking large floor mirror appeared in front of him, hovering slightly above the ground. Looking at his reflection, Ethan smiled contently. With its bulky chest piece and wide shoulders, the matt-black armor had a menacing vibe but it didn’t stand out too much. When he asked Ani to get rid of sunlight, it became much more apparent that this skill was more than just armor. Even he himself was having a hard time focusing on his reflection. Almost like the body armor was blending with the background, hiding him in the dark night’s embrace.

In every small movement, something like a smoky substance was dissolving behind it, and making his appearance even more abstract. Of course, it wasn’t enough to mislead the enemy he would fight head-on, but it was perfect for surprise attacks and sneaking around.

Taking out Devi, he slashed at his left arm. Unfortunately, while the armor slowed his dagger’s momentum, it wasn’t able to stop it completely. Frowning at his small injury, ‘’That’s it?’’ he murmured and sent back Devi before calling his other dagger. The same motion with a different dagger brought an entirely different outcome. His new armor’s dense shadows became solid just before the contact and blocked the attack along with a sound of clashing metals. Which also consumed a small amount of mana.

Curious, Ethan tried to push his hand over the armor and managed to reach his cloak underneath. Huh… Devi is also part of me. Did the skill notice that and allow it to bypass, or was it something else? I should ask Adrian tomorrow to show me his [Shadow Armor] and try Devi on him.

‘’Shut down the pain receptors,’’ he said and tried to cut his arm off again, but with an [Overcharge] this time. Another clang sounded yet his dagger reached his skin regardless. It wasn’t enough to sever his arm but still made a deep wound. Not bad. If I had actual armor beneath this skill, this attack probably couldn’t hurt me. A good armor, that is. Not the trash I’d bought for 10 mana stones in Niamaris. This time I should spend good money on it and get some quality stuff.

Ethan did a lot of experiments with [Nightfall Armor], figuring out its limits and weaknesses. Overall, he liked the skill quite a bit. His only disappointment was the fixed shape of it. He would love to add some scary horns but it didn’t seem possible. Not yet, at least. He still hoped to unlock that feature during its advancement to rank-2.

Once he thought he understood enough of it, he switched to the next skill, [Umbral Shift]. Nothing happened when he used it for the first time. He quickly figured that he had to be moving around to activate it because this one was accelerating his body movements. Indeed, not just the steps but he was even able to accelerate his other motions like slashing his daggers.

However, it wasn’t like [Overcharge]. It actually changed his position in the space dimension every time and teleported him slightly through… shadows. He had no idea how that part worked and it somewhat worried him about the progress of this skill. But even as a rank-1 skill, it was already covering one of his biggest weaknesses.

Different from the [Blink] that required 25 mana, this one only needed a single unit of mana, and there was no dizziness like the times he used [Blink] to change his position constantly. His mind was adapting to the new position easily because his body was already trying to achieve that. The rapid use of [Umbral Shift] made him feel like getting rid of his chains. In a sense, it was doing just that. Now that the speed of his body motions was on par with his thoughts, there weren't any physical limits holding him down. Well, there were limits to the skill itself, but it still gave a liberating feeling when activated.

Another good thing was that every time he used it, it left behind a shadow image of him. That blended perfectly with his [Nightfall Armor], causing his flurry of movements to be more unpredictable. Ghostly, even.

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Sadly, as the auctioneer had mentioned before, its range was only an inch at best. Although he could use it in smaller ranges, its mana consumption stayed the same. Despite the low amount of mana it required, abusing this skill wasn’t an option because even with his full mana, he was only able to travel around 60 yards through it. He had to find a balance between [Blink] and [Umbral Shift], and use them in the most efficient way.

I should condition myself to not use them against easy foes and learn the best ways against the strong ones. Ethan turned his head toward Veronica’s copy and cracked his neck, his mouth turning into a savage smile. ‘’Thankfully, my man Travis sent me such a good sparring partner. Ani, don’t allow her to use any skills for now. I’ll let you know once I get used to my new skills.’’

‘Understood.’

Ethan started his battle against the virtual Veronica eagerly but quickly realized that he wasn’t as good as the first time. The slight edge he had before was gone and instead, he was being pushed back.

There shouldn’t have been any mistakes in Ani’s calculations, because he had fought against her before for a long time and it was immensely intense. With that much of a close call for both of them, there was no doubt that they used everything they had, and there was more than enough data for Ani to perfectly imitate her.

Hmm… Am I relaxed because my life isn’t in danger? he thought as he got another injury. Doesn’t matter. I was planning to increase the difficulty anyway. ‘Ani, change the pain receptors to 10% and make her more realistic. I’d rather see her twisted expressions than this blank face.’

The battle resumed ever fiercely. Whenever Ethan’s reserves dropped low, he made a restart. Whenever he had an idea, he stopped the fight and tried it. It was just like the old days. He trained himself with an abnormal focus and enjoyed the process very much. By the time he was mentally drained, a day had passed already.

Taking a break, he lay down on the grass and supported his head with his hands while casually checking his status.

Tier 4 - Level 45

Health: 1500/1500

Mana: 2200/2200

Stamina: 1500/1500

Vitality: 150

Strength: 122

Endurance: 120 (+30)

Agility: 220 (+20)

Intellect: 220

Perception: 100

*Available stats: 0

Skills(Rank 1): [Fabric Tear], [Mana Sense], [Mana Conceal], [Mana Connection], [Void Mute], [Blood Rush], [Nightfall Armor], [Umbral Shift]

Rank 2: [Void Wrap], [Mana Aura], [Blink], [Overcharge], [Shadow Army]

His level was actually pretty close to 46 but he wasn't in a hurry for another grinding session. The essence he needed to reach tier-5 could be gathered with a few months-long hunt. Since there was still a bit more than a year until Meteora, this wasn’t an issue. What he desperately needed was another void skill at rank-2.

Fortunately, his new items like the incense sticks and the tea leaves that helped comprehension, along with the time distortion ability of the VR gave him good confidence to manage that.

‘’Not good enough,’’ Ethan mumbled idly as he gazed at his skills. ‘’I need to advance quite a few and buy even more rank-1 skills. A long-range skill is a must, but rather than something like a [Fireball], I need something small enough to pass through my [Fabric Tear]. And preferably a void-related skill. Just the mana reduction is enough to carry those to the top of the list but they are damn hard to find. I also want an overkill skill that eats a ridiculous amount of mana but deals a huge amount of damage. I bet there are skills like that but it’s best to confirm it with those Blue Crab guys first and ask them to point me in the right direction.’’

Ethan spent some more time in the VR with more musing and training before waking himself up. He opened his eyes in his bed, finding Beet and Todd already awake.

Beet was looking outside from the window while Todd was furiously taking notes on the table with full concentration.

‘’Mornin’ Todd,’’ he called, sitting up. ‘’What are you up to? Leaving your will?’’

Losing control of his tier-3 strength, Todd broke his pen and turned his head sharply. ‘’N-No,’’ he said and smiled wryly, noticing that he was joking. ‘’I’m– I was making plans for your mission. You said to Adrian that we’ll make an outline in the lobby today and start with the small tasks.’’

‘’Good that you were listening,’’ he said while getting out of bed. ‘’Do you know what Adrian would say in this case?’’

‘’What?’’

‘’No man can be wise on an empty stomach,’’ he said with a deep tone and a straight face before making his way to the bathroom. ‘’Get dressed. We’ll go grab some food in the lobby and wait for Adrian there.’’

After a lavish breakfast–enough to make Beet sleepy again– Ethan took out his mask of evanescence and inspected once more. He was hoping that it’d be usable again with the other 13 void wisps it had gained access to, but sadly, it was still on cooldown. Maybe that limit was related to the item itself. But what did the void wisps do then? In any case, he was planning to examine this mask for a long time. There was a lot to learn from.

Adrian joined them shortly and ordered a green tea, but before the waitress, another staff member came to their table and passed a note to Ethan.

‘’Change of plans,’’ Ethan said in a good mood. ‘’My friend's caravan has arrived. Let’s go meet them. We’ll continue this afternoon.’’

Todd seemed to hesitate. ‘’A-Are you sure?’’

‘’Relax,’’ he said, patting his shoulder. ‘’You’ll have your time to shine. The more I delay the more time you’ll have to prepare, and I can assure you that I won’t start this operation if I don’t like the odds. Though if I decide to cancel it thoroughly, that won’t be good news for you either.’’

‘’You don’t have to bring him everywhere, boss,’’ Adrian pointed out, standing up. ‘’We can find some place to detain him.’’

Todd’s fox eyes switched between them rapidly, a drop of sweat flowing down to his fake beard.

Ethan waved his hand. ‘’Nah, I like his company.’’

In the streets of brightly illuminated Miri, they walked at a slow pace and chatted casually before arriving at one of the most crowded places, the Adventurer’s Guild. This was the place where they’d planned to meet which Ethan visited just two days ago and even hired a messenger to inform him.

He found his friends quickly in the guild’s bar and introduced everyone to each other. A small chat about their journey after he’d left, revealed that it was fast, safe, and tense. Looking at their exhausted faces, Ethan knew what they needed and dragged them out without taking any excuses.

‘’A-Are you sure about this, Ethan?’’ Hayley asked, looking at the grand building with a slightly red face.

‘’Hell yeah,’’ he said and pushed open the ornate doors of the bathhouse, causing the group to immediately be enveloped in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Soft lantern light illuminated their way as they walked down the dimly lit hallway, following the sound of running water. As they approached the next door at the end of the hallway, the faint sound of laughter and splashing water grew louder. A young girl welcomed them with a smile and opened the door, showing the edge of a private pool with steaming water.

Separated by a small wall, the pool had one section designated for women and the other for men. Surrounded by lush greenery and soft music, the spacious place offered a cozy and intimate atmosphere. Despite the separation between other pools, the sound of conversation and laughter could be heard, muffled but present, adding to the tranquil ambiance of the space.

The young girl named Mila explained everything they needed to know and left to get their orders.

Soon, everyone was inside the pool, chilling with bliss on their faces. Well, the faces of Fraeya and Hayley were a mystery to Ethan because the simple-looking wall that stood between them was blocking everything but their sounds.

‘’You can come over here, Beet,’’ Hayley called. ‘’There is more space here. You don’t need to cramp over with those guys.’’

With a small white towel covering half of him, Beet kept taking a nap on top of a small coffin that floated over the water, not bothering himself at all.

Irritated, Ethan kicked his coffin and urged him with a motion of his head while Liam was giving a thumbs up.

Throwing them a confused look, Beet still made his way toward the other side slowly.

Liam smiled behind his back and placed his elbows on the pool’s edge, turning at Ethan. ‘’You sure that you don’t wanna come with us to the Mighty Domains?’’

‘’Yeah. I want to focus on my skills for now. Even when I need to hunt, I’m not sure if I’ll go there. I heard there are other places with more controlled habitats.’’

‘’Controlled habitats…’’ Carl repeated, rolling his eyes. ‘’You want tier 5 and 6 creatures that stay close to each other. So that you can slaughter them without wasting any time.’’

Ethan grinned. ‘’I’m on a tight schedule, you see. I still want to go to the Union before the Meteora opens.’’

‘’What for?’’ Liam asked.

‘’To see an old friend and make a new one. The old one will probably come to Meteora with us. As for the new one, she works in a place called Golden Crafts Pavilion which supposedly is a small branch of a huge company from higher realms. I’ll try to get some information about higher realms from her.’’

‘’Information?’’ Liam said, raising an eyebrow. ‘’Why don’t you ask me?’’

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’I came from a higher realm as well. I bet I know more than that small-time merchant chick.’’

Looking at the honest and silly look on Liam’s face, Ethan felt like he was joking around, but then again, this bastard always looked like this. He gritted his teeth in frustration. ‘’You are telling the truth, aren’t you?’’

Liam nodded, looking at others' dropped jaws in confusion.

‘’You…’’ Ethan sighed and turned to the wall. ‘’Fraeya, did you know about this?’’

‘’Well, he’d told me once. I thought he was fucking with me,’’ she answered, seemingly still not caring at all.

Despite his twitching eye, Ethan managed to calm himself down but still planned to give them a good beating before their departure, thinking that he’d call it a spar. ‘’Alright, listen up–’’ he said and stopped, turning at Todd with narrowed eyes.

Todd’s eyes widened. ‘’Oh, not again!’’