Each of them were given a room to rest after enjoying the sumptuous meal, and just like the halls, the rooms were in good condition.

Lying on the bed, Marlon opened his inventory and brought out the skill upgrade core.

It was white in colour and small in size, resembling a milk candy.

"How does this work? Is it a consumable item like the EXP orb?"

He wondered as he observed its appearance, and then, without hesitating, he threw it into his mouth, hoping to activate its effect…

Thankfully, it worked, as a window appeared in front of him.

[ Select a skill to upgrade — Drain (A), Eclipse Vision (A), Adamant Body (A)….. ]

All of his skills were listed, and as he stared at them, he realised it was a difficult decision to make.

He had to consider which skill would be more beneficial in his current situation, and which one would aid faster growth.

After some time, he arrived at a decision.

"The mirror clones are my best choice at this moment. If they're stronger, I can even send them into danger zones alone, and with that, I can level up faster."

There were also other benefits, especially how they were better and more reliable assistance during raids than even veteran hunters.

So, without hesitation, he clicked on it.

[ Are you sure you want to upgrade Mirror Clone (A) to Mirror Clone Unit (S) — YES/NO ]

"Mirror Clone Unit? Sounds interesting, but what does it actually do?"

To find out, he accepted the upgrade, and a new window appeared in front of him.

[ Mirror Clone Unit (S-rank, Active)

Summons a unit of 10 clones, each possessing 70% of your power and advanced autonomous intelligence, allowing them to operate independently. The clones can persist for up to 72 hours.

Other Effects:

— STEALTH: One clone within the unit can enter complete invisibility when required.

— REFLECTIVE SWAP: Instantly exchange positions with any of your active clones.

— LINKED INVENTORY: Your clones can transfer items into your inventory.

Cooldown: 30 Seconds

Requirement: 5,000 Aether Points ]

"Wow!"

Reading the description of the skill, his eyes widened.

It was more than he could imagine. He would be able to create ten clones at once, and not only that, the amount of Aether Points required was half of what it would usually take.

Not only that, the bonus effects were a cheat.

"With the autonomous intelligence added, I can even send them into danger zones alone, and with the linked inventory, obtaining loot would go smoothly."

It was unbelievable.

No wonder it cost hundreds of millions—perhaps even more than a billion credits—to purchase skills of such rank, and that was only if one even managed to find one in the first place.

As he was still caught up in his jubilation, a knock suddenly sounded at the door, followed immediately by the voice of its owner from outside.

It was Bola.

"Boss Tinubu asked me to bring the signal box to you."

Hearing the familiar voice and those words, Marlon allowed him in.

Bola stood at the entrance, holding a large black metal box in his hands.

The box looked really old, rust already appearing on several corners. It looked ordinary.

But right now, it was the only thing that could grant him access to the internet so he could phone the Hunter Association and make a report.

He had requested it from Tinubu after dinner, and now that it had arrived, he couldn't waste any time.

Bola placed the signal box on the table and helped set it up, then handed him a telephone that looked ancient in an age dominated by smartphones.

Regardless, Marlon dialed the Hunter Association emergency number, and after half a minute of ringing, the call connected, and a gentle feminine voice responded.

The lady spoke gently, fitting her job as customer service.

Marlon introduced himself and then explained the situation.

"Hold on a minute."

Hearing his words, her voice shifted from gentle to urgent. Marlon could hear the sound of hurried footsteps as she ran off to find Crimson.

====

"Twenty thousand recorded deaths and more than a dozen breaks in just a few days? What is really happening?"

Pacing back and forth inside her office, Crimson Sterling muttered to herself, her voice low and strained.

Dark spots were visible beneath her eyes, and her face had begun to lose its natural glow, the clear result of prolonged exhaustion and countless sleepless nights.

Anna stood opposite her, watching silently with worry etched clearly across her face.

She knew that with the alarming rate at which the danger levels of danger-zones were increasing, Crimson Sterling would never allow herself to rest.

"Should I secretly spike her drink with sleeping medicine?" she wondered.

At this point, it honestly seemed like the better option.

She had always tried to talk her out of overworking herself, but it never worked. Even when Anna suggested taking care of some of the tasks personally, Crimson Sterling never accepted.

Because of that, she had deliberately delayed several dire reports and prevented other hunters from disturbing her, hoping the chances of her resting would increase.

But Crimson was stubborn. Most of the time, she would personally call and demand those reports anyway.

Anna felt utterly powerless.

"The Sterling siblings… why are they so hardworking? Her brother was also like this, even when the situation wasn't this serious."

She shook her head and turned her gaze back to Crimson, who was still whispering to herself as she paced.

Anna was speechless and could only watch.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is that? Please come back later. Lady Crimson is occupied," Anna responded immediately.

Crimson paid no attention to the interruption and continued pacing.

"The matter is very important. Marlon Ashleigh is on the line and has requested to speak with Lady Crimson about something extremely urgent."

"Marlon?"

Crimson stopped mid-step and turned to face the door.

Anna felt helpless when she saw her reaction and stepped aside, allowing the knocker in.

The young blonde hurried into the room with the phone and handed it to Crimson.

"Hello, Marlon…"

Crimson spoke the moment it touched her hands. There was a faint hint of relief in her voice.

"Are you okay?"

She asked anxiously, and after hearing Marlon's response, relief washed over her face once again.

She then began to ask about the mission and the behavior of the dwellers in the Deadlight District.

Marlon revealed everything—starting from the hostility of the people, then the bond that formed because of his presents, and finally, everything that had taken place inside the portal.

He also told her about the Aurax and their immense power and advanced intelligence.

The blonde and Anna watched quietly as Crimson and Marlon spoke over the phone.

They noticed how the relief on her face slowly transformed into worry… and then into outright panic.

The call ended, and Crimson's expression hardened instantly.

She handed the phone back to the blonde, sent her out of the room, and then turned to Anna. Her red hair flickered beautifully as she moved, a sharp contrast to the ugly truth that had just been revealed to her.

"Send all available parties to the Deadlight District at once. Ensure each party has at least one healer and one enhancer. Make it snappy."

She ordered sharply.

Anna stood frozen, wondering what could have happened in the Deadlight District to provoke such urgency.

"What happened?" she asked carefully.

Unfortunately, Crimson was not in the mood to explain. She quickly sent Anna out of the office to carry out her orders.

Now alone, she replayed everything Marlon had told her, her expression gradually crumbling.

"Aurax…"

She repeated the word under her breath.

She recalled Marlon's description and pictured it vividly in her mind.

They weren't terrifying in appearance like most monsters. In fact, according to Marlon, one might mistake them for fellow humans at first glance.

The most shocking part was that they could speak human language, indicating a level of intelligence that was incredibly rare.

Since the Cataclysm fifty years ago, only a handful of S-rank monsters had been able to speak human language—and even then, their speech was crude and unclear. Yet the boss of a mere C-rank portal had spoken fluently, clearly demonstrating advanced intelligence.

Still, it wasn't their appearance or intelligence that unsettled her the most.

It was the familiarity.

"Twenty years ago…"

On the night she and Norian received their powers from the dying Lunaris, strange beings matching Marlon's exact description had been spotted.

Although their appearance that night was brief, she had never been able to erase it from her memory.

And now, it had resurfaced.

"What are the goals of the Aurax?" she wondered.

Then she recalled the last thing Marlon had said—that he suspected the Aurax might have already begun appearing in other danger-zones.

Judging by the rising death toll, especially in C-rank and B-rank danger-zones, she believed his suspicions were frighteningly accurate.

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