The evening air was cool, carrying the faint, humid scent of the nearby Mestizo River as I watched the city lights flicker to life. I was perched high on the roof of the old Customs House, a spot Juts had secured for our contingency plan. Below, the ancient cobblestone streets of Vigan were emptying, preparing for the silent tyranny of the night guards.
Juts was on a lower roof section, setting up signal flares—simple, low-tech reminders of the desperate contingency plan I had forced upon him. He was becoming competent, focused, and quietly afraid.
I leaned against the brickwork, the smooth, cold surface of the Shadow Locket Ring(Storage ring) a grounding presence on my finger. This moment of silence was not for rest, but for reflection and recalibration—a necessity for any reborn being whose presence fundamentally shifted reality.
---
I closed my eyes, focusing inward on the power thrumming within my Rare Gauntlet. It was no longer simply a tool; it was a complex, living machine.
The key to my survival and ascent was not the power itself, but the Essence Absorption mechanism. In my past life, this was a brute-force function—consume, grow stronger, repeat. Here, however, the process was refined:
Rare Essences (Gorgon, Polaris Ursus, Miasma Shroud): These acted as the Dominant Fusers. They were the foundation, providing the primary powers (Kinetic Force, Ice Defense, Disruption) and the inherent Rare status of the gauntlet.
Common Essences (Rock Rabbit, Alpha Ape, etc.): These acted as Refiners and Stabilizers. Their easy absorption was not for power, but for control. They stabilized the volatile fusion of the Rare essences, allowing me to execute precise, low-energy maneuvers like the controlled kinetic pulse and the silent movement.
This insight was revolutionary. I wasn't limited to a single combat style. My philosophy, Offense is the Best Defense (through Overwhelming Control), was only possible because my artifact could handle complex, disparate energies without tearing itself apart. My true power wasn't a sword; it was functional mastery over the very laws of artifacts and essences.
---
The Guild Master's organized dungeon schedule—the 48-hour respawn timer—was the most troubling piece of information. In my previous life, dungeons were chaotic, unpredictable events. This new, organized predictability meant that someone, either the Guild Master or someone higher than him, had introduced a system to control the harvest of power.
This realization led to a chilling thought: My choices had altered the world.
Scenario 1: Minor Shift. The Vigan Guild simply accelerated their organization due to my presence, establishing the timer to control my rising power.
Scenario 2: Major Global Shift. A major, overarching Epic-rank power structure had been implemented globally, fundamentally changing how hunters operated. The controlled environment was not unique to Vigan.
My strategy had to account for both. If it was a global shift, my current path—focusing on local leverage—was correct, as local chaos would draw in global attention. If I could secure the Epic Essence tonight, I would gain the power to handle the unknown.
I looked at the smuggling route map again. The Guild Master was not just smuggling essences; he was smuggling power. His greed was my opportunity.
The knowledge from my past life was not a blueprint; it was a hypothesis. I had successfully tested my core combat power, but the test of my infiltration and control abilities was next.
"Dax," Juts whispered from the lower roof, his voice tense. "The patrols are passing below. The change of shift is in five minutes."
"Understood," I replied, my voice a low rumble. I pushed off the wall. Reflection was complete. The time for contemplation was over.
I activated Silent Form. The ambient noise of the city seemed to dull around me, my movements becoming entirely soundless. I was no longer a hunter; I was a ghost, a predator moving through the darkness. The Obsidian Gauntlet pulsed, ready to turn simple human flesh into collateral damage in my ascent.
The Guild Master's operation was the only barrier left before true power.
"Let's move," I ordered, dropping lightly onto the narrow alley roof below. "Offense is the best defense. We begin with the neutralization."