It was no other than Crimson Sterling.

She had changed from the suit she was wearing into a more casual but stunning white dress that accentuated her untainted skin and tempting shape.

But at the moment, Marlon was least concerned about her appearance. Instead, he was confused about how she had managed to enter his room without him even noticing.

"When you get to my level, you can hide your presence like I did."

Noticing the confusion in his gaze, she stood up and explained with a smile.

"Fair enough…"

Marlon responded as he rose from his meditative position, staring into her eyes.

Out of everyone, he did not expect someone like her to come visit him. He was not surprised she knew his whereabouts, because he knew the Hunter Association ran the academy, and as the acting president, she could easily obtain such a tiny detail.

Nevertheless, he was confused… why was she here?

Could it be that they had tracked the IP address of those who managed to view the mysterious post before it disappeared?

Or was she here to ask about the mission?

Once again, she seemed to understand that he was thinking about the reason for her sudden visit, so she went straight to the point.

"You are going to attempt your second breakthrough trial?" she asked, though her voice sounded more like confirmation.

"Yes…" Marlon did not feel the need to hide it.

"What level of difficulty are you planning on taking?"

"The highest one."

She asked, and he answered just as quickly.

Crimson's beautiful face contorted into a frown. It was just as she expected.

But before she could continue and try to persuade him away from his brazen decision, Marlon asked the question in his mind. "How did you know?"

He never told her about his level. He didn't even share it with his own friends, as he planned to take on the challenge in secret. So he was confused about how she managed to learn about it.

"It was by instinct," Crimson said. "But my suspicions were solidified when I discovered your parents had purchased a large amount of high-grade exp orbs and aether crystals. I could only deduce they were bringing them to you, and when I arrived and saw you using one of them, it confirmed everything—that you're planning to attempt another breakthrough trial."

Marlon sighed inwardly. He should have warned his parents to obtain those items discreetly, but now it couldn't be helped.

"But attempting a breakthrough trial, especially at a low level, does not really call for alarm…" he said.

"You're correct, but I already suspected you were going to attempt something dangerous, which is why I came to try and persuade you," she said. Her tone was steady, but the worry in it was obvious.

"You do not believe I can succeed?" Marlon asked.

"You can't," Crimson stated plainly.

"So far in the history of Arden, there are only two people who have attempted a five-star difficulty breakthrough trial and succeeded. The first is Axel Storm."

Marlon listened attentively. Hearing the name of the strongest man in this world instantly sharpened his focus.

"What about the second person… and did Axel Storm share any details about his own trial? Maybe I can learn something."

'He is not planning on changing his mind,' Crimson thought.

'But once he hears about the outcome of the other person, he should rethink it.'

"The second person was an awakener with an Ex-rank talent just like yourself. He attempted the highest difficulty on his second breakthrough and succeeded, and then he attempted the same difficulty for his third breakthrough and—in less than a minute—he returned dead and transformed into a monster that took the life of his entire family and friends who were present to watch him break history…" Her voice rose with urgency as she spoke.

She kept observing his face, hoping to see some change, but he still wore the same expression.

She noted to herself that maybe Axel's experience would affect him.

She continued.

"Axel attempted and succeeded with the highest difficulty during his eighth breakthrough, from Guardian to Seeker. He spent more than a year in real-world time inside the breakthrough trial. Do you know how long that is?"

"That is roughly two millenniums," she continued without waiting for him to respond.

This time, she managed to get a reaction from Marlon, and it made her heart ease slightly. At least something got through.

So she continued.

"That breakthrough put the entire world on hold for months as people worried. If Axel had failed and come back as a monster, it would have been another catastrophic event. He was already the strongest Guardian before attempting it, and since the monster formed from him would be a rank stronger, it would have been the end of the world."

She added that it was during his breakthrough that the Lunaris first visited.

With her words, Marlon finally understood why Axel arrived only after the Lunaris had already caused havoc.

But he continued listening, as Crimson was still not finished.

"The experience he went through, even as the strongest among us, was something he could barely endure. I know you're still at a low level compared to him at that time, but the difficulty remains the same… I do not advise you take it," she concluded.

She observed his expression. It had grown more serious.

'He must have changed his mind,' she thought, relieved.

"Thank you for caring enough to tell me all of that. I appreciate it… but my mind is already set."

Hearing his words, her relief vanished instantly.

She stared at him blankly, unable to respond.

Why was he in such a hurry to give his life away?

And as if unbothered by the severity of the challenge he was about to face, he wore a calm smile and turned to Crimson. "It seems you coming here is fated. I need your help with something."

"What is it?" she replied immediately. For a moment, she wondered if he was about to ask for something that might change his mind.

"I have skill books I'd like to sell, they're all C-rank ones that can be used by every categories of talent holders," he said.

As he spoke, he equipped one of the skill books in his possession.

The book materialized.

It looked like an ordinary textbook except for the golden inscription glowing on its hardcover:

STRENGTH ENHANCEMENT (C)

Crimson observed the book in her hands, then shifted her gaze to Marlon.

"You got this from the serpigon you fought this morning?" she asked.

Marlon nodded.

"I have twenty more from where that came from."

Crimson froze, unable to form a response.

Obtaining a single skill book from a danger-zone was already something that required extreme luck. It was so rare that most hunters never saw one in their entire careers.

But twenty? That was simply unimaginable.

It made her wonder what kind of monstrous luck he possessed.

Just today alone, she had discovered so much about Marlon—things that placed him far above anyone she had ever seen in terms of talent.

Just who is he? she wondered silently.

"I want to swap some of the skill books for other skills and useful resources of the same rank," Marlon continued while she was still deep in thought. "I also have monster cores I'd love to sell."

And then, out of nowhere, he asked:

"Can I have your number?"

She frowned. Of all things she expected him to ask, that wasn't one of them. There had been rumors about him being good with women, and she didn't think he would actually approach her.

"There are specific items and skills I want," Marlon added quickly, realizing how it sounded after repeating it in his mind. "It would be better if I text them to you."

Crimson let out a quiet sigh.

She was still surprised, but she gave him her number anyway.

Marlon texted her immediately, sending the list of everything he needed.

"It would be of great help if you can provide them before morning tomorrow," Marlon said, placing his phone back on the table. "I was already planning to attempt the trial without them since getting those skills would've taken a lot of stressful processes. But since you're here, it would help a lot."

"You're still going to attempt it?" she asked.

This time, her voice held a deep concern, one that Marlon didn't fail to notice.

"I understand your concern, and like I said before, I appreciate it," Marlon replied gently.

"But I have enough confidence in my ability. I will survive. You don't have to worry about me."

Crimson listened quietly.

She wanted to persuade him further, but from everything he had said so far, she could already tell that no matter how much she pushed, Marlon was not going to change his mind.

So she made her decision.

To support in any way she could.

She accepted the offer, Marlon transferred everything he wanted to sell to her.

As she prepared, she warned him sternly not to attempt the breakthrough trial till she had returned with the items.

"Sure," Marlon responded, "Thanks for your assistance."

Crimson nodded and then left.

Since the hostel was still pretty much empty as only a few students had resumed, no one saw her arrive or leave.

Marlon heaved a sigh of relief.

He could not deny the fact that he felt a sense of warmth knowing that someone like Crimsom was concerned about his safety.

It made him recall his lonely life on earth as an orphan, someone who was bullied everyday and never had friends or families to show him love.

It was as a result of his uneventful life on earth that he quickly accepted the second chance he got.

It was also the reason he was ready to throw away everything at the beginning to complete the trial quest to obtain his talent.

He smiled faintly and then he went back to absorbing aether as time went by quickly.

He spent another couple of hours absorbing aether crystals and boosting his aether points capacity as well as its rate of regeneration.

Nonetheless, he reached a bottleneck.

He could not exceed 20,000 capacity at his current level and his regen rate suddenly stopped at 100 AP/ minutes.

According to the notification he got, he would've to be E-rank before he could begin increasing both of them once again.

"Not bad.."

He thought to himself.

Twenty thousand aether points was enough for him to use punch of judgement without worrying about when he was going to run out.

And also with one hundred points per minute regeneration rate was not bad at all.

Looking out the window, it was already past midnight so he decided to rest.

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