Leon and Ira dismounted from the flying beast, landing gracefully on the top stair of the arena directly beside Archon Vyrra's elaborate throne.

THUD! THUD!

Leon approached the Archon without hesitation and asked,

"Should I provide the five percent tax contribution right now, Archon Vyrra?"

His tone was businesslike and respectful.

Archon Vyrra looked at him with her intense crimson eyes and replied calmly:

"You should wait for a while longer. We have an established tradition: we count the total number of monsters killed by each individual warrior. Whichever fighter achieved the highest kill count, their entire unit is completely exempt from paying the five percent tax for that cycle."

Interesting. A meritocracy system.

Leon, hearing her explanation, nodded in understanding and decided to wait patiently for the official counting to conclude.

Those cores are far too useful to give away unnecessarily. And given the sheer quantity of monsters I personally killed today, five percent represents a substantial number.

Even if he didn't need them all himself, there were many people who could benefit tremendously from such resources.

Especially Seraphine.

Thinking of her name triggered a cascade of concern. It had been almost an entire day since she'd entered the time dimension along with the others—Loriel, Sylphia, Bunbun, and the rest.

Seraphine had the Mark of Dimension. That grants her permission to access the subconscious link and send me direct intent messages—not words exactly, but emotional communication when she's inside the dimensional realm.

Leon knew with absolute certainty that she was aware of this communication capability. But she still hadn't sent any message indicating she wanted to exit yet.

She must be processing everything. Training. Growing stronger.

Leon understood her psychology well. She must have been feeling deeply inadequate after being so powerlessly kidnapped by that group of adventurers—warriors who had been overwhelmingly stronger than their party at that critical moment.

Well, that imbalance was only temporary. She simply didn't have enough time and resources to properly develop after successfully absorbing the Stormlight Seed.

The fact that she'd successfully integrated such a powerful treasure into her being without complications or losing control proved her exceptional talent beyond doubt.

She's gifted. Truly gifted.

He knew Seraphine was an intensely prideful woman—it was one of the qualities he admired about her. So he deliberately let her be, giving her the space and time she clearly needed.

When she feels confident and ready, she'll message me. I know it won't be much longer.

While lost in these private thoughts, Leon casually created an elaborate throne using his Ice elemental affinity.

SHIMMER! CRACKLE! FORM!

The frozen seat materialized with intricate crystalline patterns and elegant curves—its design was notably more sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing compared to the relatively simple geometric design that Archon Vyrra had created for herself.

Much nicer, if I do say so myself.

A faint hiss echoed as cold air radiated outward, frosting the stone underfoot. Ira gave it a curious glance, visibly impressed by the detailing.

Leon was just about to sit comfortably on his ice creation when suddenly Archon Vyrra's voice interrupted, starting a new conversation:

"Leon, before you settle in—"

Leon's immediate internal thought was somewhat petty:

Is she seriously jealous that my ice throne looks nicer than hers? She can't possibly be that petty while being an Archon-rank powerhouse, right?

His worry proved completely unfounded as her next words revealed an entirely different concern:

"Where are the loots and supplies you both harvested for your unit? You've returned empty-handed."

Oh. That's actually a legitimate question.

Hearing that inquiry, Ira's eyes immediately lit up with barely contained excitement. She was standing right next to Leon, practically bouncing on her feet.

She's really excited to see how Aunt Vyrra reacts to his overpowered ability.

Ira had been genuinely impressed by many things about Leon. Yes, he was extraordinarily strong in combat—that was undeniable. But this spatial storage capability impressed her even more profoundly than his raw fighting power.

Because I've witnessed someone even more powerful than him since I was little—my very own aunt, the Archon and leader of our entire clan. But this? This is unique.

Leon, instead of providing a lengthy technical explanation about dimensional storage mechanics or attempting to describe the cosmic system, simply said with a slight smirk:

"Well, you see—"

He casually pulled several hundred monster cores directly out of his inventory into open space, suspending them in midair using precise mana manipulation.

SHIMMER! APPEAR! FLOAT!

The cores hovered and rotated slowly, catching the red sunlight and creating a dazzling display—ranging from small gems to fist-sized crystals of concentrated power.

Their surfaces sparkled like cut diamonds, glinting with shifting internal glows. The colors danced across Vyrra's crimson eyes.

Archon Vyrra's eyes widened noticeably, seeing them materialize literally out of nowhere, appearing from apparently empty space.

That's... impressive mastery.

She wasn't nearly as dramatically surprised as Ira had been when first witnessing this ability, but her expression clearly indicated she found this capability extraordinary and valuable.

Leon made the entire collection disappear back into his inventory storage the very next second, just as casually.

SHIMMER! VANISH!

He didn't need to provide any verbal explanation—his demonstration spoke volumes.

A thoughtful remark came from the Archon after a moment of consideration:

"You possess remarkably high mastery over Space affinity. I genuinely didn't realize you had this extremely rare, particular element at all."

Her tone carried genuine curiosity as she continued:

"How is it that I haven't witnessed you utilizing this clearly powerful affinity during combat previously? Spatial techniques would be devastatingly effective."

Leon replied somewhat evasively:

"It's... a bit complicated to explain properly."

Archon Vyrra didn't press for additional details or try to make him elaborate further, respecting his obvious boundaries.

He has his secrets. Everyone does. I understand that perfectly.

However, the mysterious golden-white energy that had radiated so intensely from Leon during their earlier confrontation and his subsequent battles—that phenomenon she had absolutely no existing explanation for whatsoever.

I've never witnessed anything quite like that power before in all my centuries.

She made a private assumption that it might somehow be related to his spatial abilities or perhaps some unique hybrid affinity.

Space-Light combination? Or something else entirely? Fascinating.

After this brief exchange concluded, Archon Vyrra returned to her seat and resumed her previous activity quite leisurely—reading what appeared to be an ancient text or tactical manual.

RUSTLE... PAGE TURN...

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