Aiden blinked in disbelief. "Then what was it for? There must've been a reason." He wondered if there were any other secrets. Thor scratched the back of his head, avoiding eye contact. "Well… if I'm being honest, we just couldn't find the way out." Aiden froze. "You're joking." He wasn't joking. Aiden's mind went blank. Of all the explanations he'd imagined—divine punishment, ancient curses, forbidden secrets—this was not one of them. A whole race of master craftsmen, lost in their own backyard. Incredible. "So let me get this straight," Aiden said slowly. "You still can't find your way back, can you?" Still, one thing caught his attention. Thor had mentioned "useless gold ore" earlier. That forest had to be full of untapped mines. And if the Dwarves weren't going back, that meant opportunity.Thor grinned. "We'd probably get lost again before we even reached the treeline." Aiden smirked. "Sounds about right." He wasn't hoping to get anything out of the Dwarves. He already had a plan. The silver-armored guard who'd escaped the forest probably remembered the path. He'd question him later. Right now, his priorities were clear. Find the Temple of Hephaestus. Finish his advancement. Then keep the Dwarves under his protection. Neither task would be easy. But both were worth the trouble. He gave Thor a polite smile. "Enjoy your feast. I'll let you get back to it." He turned and walked toward the far end of the hall. Away from the noise and laughter, he stopped by a tall window, pulled out his comms talisman, and activated it. … The Hall of Supremes.Water trickled gently through a marble fountain, filling the courtyard with a serene rhythm. Birds chirped above as sunlight poured over the polished stone floor. Merrick, dressed in a flowing cobalt robe, paced slowly in front of a towering silver mirror. His grin stretched wide across his face, practically glowing with satisfaction. "Now this," he said, raising a small glowing relic in his hand, "this is perfection. Whoever made this deserves a d*mn monument. Just keeping it in my inventory, and it's already working." He turned the relic in his hand, admiring the soft shimmer that rippled across its surface. A Legendary item. And not just any Legendary item—one that didn't even need to be equipped to activate its effect. Even for someone like Merrick, one of the top-ranked powerhouses in the realm, that was extraordinary. His vaults overflowed with high-tier gear, and he even owned an artifact. But nothing like this. He still couldn't believe it had dropped from that eerie creature—the Lord-level monster that had torn through Leafport. The battle had been brutal, but this? This was worth every drop of sweat. This was a great powerup. He chuckled under his breath, eyes gleaming with pride. "If I keep this up, those old fossils in the temple won't stand a chance against me." He started to hum a tune, savoring the moment, when a sharp voice suddenly crackled from the communicator on his belt. "Merrick! Merrick! Can you hear me? "We've got a job!" He groaned. "Oh, for crying out loud." He looked down at the glowing talisman and sighed. "Not again." The moment Merrick heard that voice, his scalp prickled like static. No one else on earth could make his nerves snap like that except that little troublemaker, Nighthale. Of course it was him. He already had an ominous feeling since morning.He knew this was coming. But then this also meant another opportunity. He muttered through clenched teeth, "What now? Which cosmic nightmare did that brat piss off this time?" With a sigh heavy enough to bend steel, he pulled out his comm talisman and answered. For weeks, Nighthale had been wearing him down. The kid was chaos wrapped in charm. Merrick hadn't felt this exhausted in three decades. His bones ached like old wood, creaking every time he moved. But the payoff had been huge. His strength had grown beyond anything he'd dreamed of. That was why he still answered. Top-ranked powerhouses did not fall for just any scam. Nobody climbed from a gate guard to an elder of the Hall of Supremes without learning how to spot a profitable mess. He lived by one rule. The bigger the storm, the fatter the fish. And the fatter the fish, the better the feast. Even so, Merrick was still annoyed at Aiden."Alright, kid. What kind of disaster did you drag me into this time?" "Disaster? That's harsh, Merrick. I call with good news, and you start slandering me? Where's the trust?" Merrick rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. "Good news? Sure. The day I buy that again, my name is not Merrick Jones. "Stop wasting my time and talk. Why'd you call me? And I'm not falling for your tricks again." "Relax," Aiden said, his tone smug as ever. "Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you. I swear." "Save it," Merrick snapped. "Just say it straight. Who'd you mess with now? A Dragon? Some eerie creature boss?" "Neither," Aiden replied, still calm. "Then what is it? Don't sugarcoat it. I've fought Dragons head-on. I've killed a level 100 Lord-level boss. Whatever it is, I can take it." He wasn't bluffing. In the entire Hall of Supremes, only a handful could match that record.His nerves were iron. Aiden laughed softly. "None of that. You think I go around picking fights all day? I'm not that kind of person."