The transport crystal breaks in my clenched fist, and I'm teleported back into the main lobby of the Galeheart tower.
I can feel the dense layer of Qi around my body get pulled through the instant transport rift with me, and I stand alone in the center of the white-walled room with both lobby men looking around with startled gazes.
The teleport platform registered a user arrive, but no one is visible in the room.
I deactivate my stealth skill and let my concealment items and skills deactivate too, revealing my regular form but keeping my Qi barrier strong while walking forward toward the elevator. As I become visible, one of them speaks up.
"You're just in time. Mr. Galeheart got back just half an hour ago, I'm sure he'll be ready to meet with you on the top floor."
I nod with a smile as the elevator doors open and close, and I walk inside.
While the extremely fast-moving room brings me to the top floor, I adjust my mana control to about 1/3 of its natural output. This is greater than it was the last time I met with Lith. Showing off a bit of growth is better than suppressing it much lower.
As the doors of the elevator open with a ding to Lith's office, the walls are already showing off the holograms of the nighttime city lights, and there are two other people in the room aside from the MErcenary Guild Leader sitting down.
The people sitting in comfortable chairs, facing Lith, are two figures I'm very familiar with but haven't seen in a very long time.
They turn their heads as I walk in the door.
"Lydia, Fisher, nice to see both of you still in one piece."
I activate my inspect and appraisal skills to see them both at exactly level 602, but wearing the same gear as I remember them wearing before. The water-wielding swordsman and white-haired ice mage get up from their seats as I walk closer, and their eyes open wide.
Fisher is the first to reply.
"You look almost as old as me now! It's only been like 2 weeks... What happened to you? And where'd you get that fancy cloak?"
He looks me up and down as the flowing magic manifested fabric of the cloak wavers in non-existent wind.
Before I reply, Lydia is already eyeing me up and down too with her arms crossed.
"Your mana control has risen quite a bit. You managed to find more Mana-imbued Essence stones? Or is this just from training in that Arena Lith keeps talking about in the Silver District?"
She turns to Fisher, then back to me with a light chuckle.
"And yeah, I agree with Fisher, it looks like you've been training in the mountains for years or something. Whatever it is, it's working."
She shrugs as I finally make my way over, seeing Lith watch our interaction with a thin smile from his desk. I reply to my old teammates.
"Yeah, training in the mountains alone, basically nailed it."
I roll my eyes and chuckle to brush her comment off as a joke, but in reality, I have been training in isolation for almost a year's worth of time over the last few days, and much has happened since the last time I saw these two.
The last time we talked was before the Sector 2 leader was even killed. They look a bit different themselves, but unfortunately, I can't sense much change in their mana control.
I reply.
"On a real note, I've gotten my hands on some interesting items and done my fair share of training recently. The arena and resources in this city have been very useful in gaining strength; I've been using a lot of unique methods to get stronger while you were gone. I'd like to share them with you when you have time to train. However, I think you have the more interesting story to tell today. What'd you find in Sector 2?"
As I raise the question, both of their expressions shift to one of surprise and Fisher is about to speak up, but Lith interjects before he can reply.
"How about we all sit down and wait for the remaining 3 members to arrive before we start our show and tell?"
My eyes turn to Lith, and I already have my inspect and appraisal skills instinctively activated. I'm hit with the usual [??? Access Denied] screens all over his status because of the use of some concealment enchantment, but for a moment I see the lettering flicker. It feels like if I were to use 100% of my control,i could easily break through it and see what Lith is hiding.
*Ding*
My concentration is interrupted by the sound of the elevator, and I don't try to push my mana control any further than it is in fear of revealing my full power. So, I let it be and get seated on the opposite side of Lith's desk.
Both Fisher and Lydia get comfortable on the other side again too, and the elevator door opens, and I sense 2 fairly strong mana controls enter the room with Qi cores less than 1/5th the size of my own.
It is a bit off-putting how well the dense shielding of these walls blocks the presence of others even just in another room, but also convenient so that I'm sure no one outside the tower can sense my own power inside.
Abby and Maria come walking out from the Elevator and make it halfway through the room before they stop dead in their tracks, seeing the massive flowing waves of Qi surrounding my body. I immediately open my telepathy link between all 3 of us and send a message.
"Don't say anything about it until we're alone. As you can see, I've had quite the breakthrough... but it's going to take some time for me to teach you how to do the same."
They both keep their eyes locked on my aura for a few seconds while walking toward the desk at the back of the room, but understand and then turn their gazes to Lydia and Fisher.
Maria hugs Lydia, and the 4 of them have a normal greeting and update as well. The duo that was sent out for Sector 2 reconnaissance can't help but comment on Abby and Maria's mana control increase just like mine.
Fisher is the most interested.
"So it wasn't just Jay. That Arena is really that efficient for training? Maybe I can give it a shot too! I leveled up quite a bit while away last week, I'd like to test out how far I can get."
They continue to talk back and forth, but Fisher's comment that he's leveled up this week catches my attention. I saw on his status that he and Lydia were both over level 600, but didn't comment on it before.
I join the conversation as Maria and Abby sit down on two other chairs, leaving only one seat open.
"You leveled up too? There are high-level dungeons out in Sector 2? Or a Labyrinth? Or enemy hunters? How'd you manage to gain so many levels?"
Fisher turns to me from across the room with a grin.
"Oh, all of the above and much more. It's a chaos-filled gold mine out there... Especially with the Leader gone, every day we stayed out there got worse... I don't know how anyone survives in a region like Sector 2."
He turns to Lydia, and she gives a nod, confirming his points and opening her mouth to add to it, but another ding of the elevator draws all of our attention to the opening doors.
I turn my head the quickest, as an energy I haven't felt in a while seeps into my senses.
Arie, the team's archer put in charge of leveling up Chester to secure Sector 4 as a guaranteed trade route, walks out of the elevator into the Office to greet us with a very serious expression on his face.
His sharp eyes focus straight ahead not looking at any of us in particular. His physique looks much more toned and buff than before, and the faint aura of refined Demonic Energy lingers all over him.
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PrismHeart· Mar 20, 2024
