"You're from the center?"
Seris gave a small, knowing smile. "Born and bred," she said, stepping out from behind the desk. "Which ans I know things the rest of this universe only whispers about."
"What do you want from ?" he asked.
She stopped in front of him, close enough that he could sll her—sweet, and fresh.
"I want your loyalty," she paused, tilting her head just slightly. "But before that… I want to see for myself if you have the ability to be useful to ."
"You an a test."
"I an a crucible," she replied. "The mission briefing I gave the others? It wasn't complete. There's a secondary objective—covert, dangerous, and perfect for soone like you that has affinity with space."
"You're already gambling on ?"
"I'm not gambling. I wont lost anything if you fail." She stepped even closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "There's a difference."
"And if I pass?"
"I'll make sure your na reaches the right ears. The ones that open locked doors. If you fail..."
She leaned back, like he was appraising his worth.
"You'll die. So tell —does that scare you?"
Asher tilted his head, showing no emotions. "I've died more tis than I can count. So just tell that secret objective."
Seris studied him. Not with awe. Not with pity. But with curiosity .
"Nice answer," she click a panel on the side of the table.
A hologram display materialized.
"The secret objective is infiltration."
His eyes narrowed. "Infiltration where?"
She let out a grin. "Where else? Inside the Astral Beast itself."
"You're kidding, right?"
Just moving the damn thing was already dangerous—and now she wanted him to go inside it?
Seris's smile widened, but the glint in her eyes had nothing to do with humor.
"This thing isn't just a creature. It's a living fortress made of flesh—and sowhere inside it is sothing that could push soone all the way to SSS Rank."
She wasn't smiling. No smug grin, no hint of humor—only a deadly kind of resolve.
"If this is legit, why isn't every powerful beings in the universe chasing it down? There's no way sothing that powerful goes unnoticed."
Even Pantheon didn't know about it.
She gave a small, sly smile. "It's top secret information—only a handful know the full truth."
"And you're just telling ?"
"Well, it's not like no one's tried before. The problem is, once it detects SS-rank beings, the beast fights back harder—making everything exponentially more dangerous."
"How about the top ranks?"
Seris shook her head, letting out a deep sigh.
"Even if they manage to kill it, the beast would just self-detonates—destroying everything nearby. Not even an SSS Rank would walk away unscathed. When it explodes, it's like a dying star going supernova."
She paused, letting her words hang in the air before continuing, "That's why I need soone who can slip inside without setting off alarms."
"And who better than you? You can bend space —faster than even the top (S) Rank assassins—and you've got a lot of spells up your sleeve."
Her words made sense, and the chance to jump ranks was tempting.
But the risk?
It was just too high.
'Maybe I can do it?. I've got enough tricks and items in my arsenal,'
This wasn't the first ti he faced stronger opponents—and sohow, he always found a way to win. Using wit, strategy, and a little luck.
"So, just to be clear. I don't have to kill it? I only need to grab sothing inside it?"
"No, you don't have to kill it. In fact, if you do, the whole thing detonates—wiping everything out including you. You only need to slip inside, grab the materials, and get out without setting off any alarms."
Asher contemplated, strategy already taking shape in his mind. And this thing inside… what exactly is it called?"
"It's called Genesis Crystal," she tapped the table to change the image.
A basketball-sized, smooth black object appeared—gleaming like a polished pearl.
"Astral Beasts constantly release massive energy from their cores just to stay alive. This crystal forms from the excess—a byproduct of that overwhelming power."
He leaned in slightly. "And how can it help soone jump straight to SSS Rank? Just by absorbing it?"
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "If only it were that simple."
"Absorbing it directly would fry the body from the inside out. It's like trying to drink molten stars. You'd burn before you even felt the power."
She tapped the table again.
"You need a specialized environnt—a room that can regulate the energy and inject it slowly into your system. Even then, only those with certain physiques can handle it. "
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. "But they're already powerful enough. They don't need shortcuts. For people like us—born without so legendary bloodline, without fate handing us power on a silver platter?"
Her gaze locked with his, intense and serious. "This could change everything."
"What do you an, legendary bloodline?"
She leaned back, fingers drumming lightly on the table. "You know… the ones born with it all. Bloodlines that trace back to ancient beings—Primordials, Dragons, Titans. People born with bodies that naturally resist cosmic energy."
She gave a dry laugh. "They grow stronger just by existing. They don't need shortcuts like Genesis Crystals."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "We? We have to claw our way up. Bleed for every inch."
Judging from her tone, it was obvious she had issues with these so-called Ancient Beings. Not just envy—resentnt.
Asher hesitated, about to say sothing, when Pantheon's voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
(Brat, accept the mission. That Genesis Crystal… it might be the solution to my weakened body. If I can absorb it, I could return to my old form—maybe even push past SSS- and hit SSS Rank. I could then teleport you straight to the center.)
'Is that true?'
(Of course it's true. If there's anyone you can trust here, it's —not that sly woman nursing a grudge against us Ancients. It's not our fault we were born blessed and talented. Don't hate the player—hate the ga.)
Pantheon was right. The dragon had been by his side through every battle, saved him more tis than he could count.
Still, that second part? Just the usual overblown pride talking.
"I'll take the mission,"
She was caught off guard but quickly masked it. "Good. I hope you succeed—if you do, you'll beco both famous and filthy rich."
"Cut the nonsense. I know you just want the crystals for yourself to break through. I don't need empty promises. Just make sure you get to the center after this."
She smirked, a spark of amusent flickering in her eyes. "Straight to business, huh? Fine. You get what you want, I get my crystals"
Asher leaned back, folding his arms. "Deal. But if I'm walking into a beast that can blow itself up, I'm taking every precaution. "
"Check your account," she ordered.
An additional 50,000,000 Starpoints were added.
"That's just the signing fee. You'll get much more after you complete the mission. I've also removed your rit rank restrictions, so now you can go to any store and buy whatever you need. I advise you to spend all your points to increase your chances."
"Okay," he nodded.
On the surface, he acted like he was ready to see the mission through.
But deep down, he had other plans. He would let Pantheon absorb the crystals—maybe even himself, if it was possible.
There was no way he would risk his own life just for a pile of starpoints and soone else's gain.
And even if she caught on, there'd be nothing she could do once Pantheon reclaid its power.
Without wasting a second, he headed straight to the guild store, already picturing the items he would need to slip inside the beast—and co out alive.
Asher step through the automatic glass doors of the guild store.
The cool air inside wrapped around him, mingling with the low murmur of (S) Rank shoppers browsing rare weapons and enchanted artifacts.
A few heads turned, expecting him to dive into the sa high-end gear as everyone else.
But when he flashed his ID, everything changed.
An attendant appeared almost instantly.
"Right this way, sir," she greeted, leading him toward the VIP room.
One leaned closer, whispering, "Why's he getting VIP treatnt? I thought he was just an (S) Rank like the rest of us?"
Another shrugged, eyes narrowing. "Maybe he's got connections we don't know about."
A third muttered with a smirk, "Or maybe Seris made him her boytoy. I didn't see him leave the eting room."
Trax, standing nearby, scowled and grumbled, "Enough with the gossiping already. You're all high rankers, but you act like a bunch of kids. "
"What did you say, Trax? You want to beat the shit out of you, huh? Find a planet, and I'll bury you there," the challenger snarled, stepping into his personal space.
Trax didn't flinch. Instead, he t the glare head-on "Try ."
"Enough!" soone shouted, stepping between them.
"Co on, what are you doing? We're supposed to be allies. No need to fight here."
Trax just snorted and walked away.
anwhile, the person behind all this chaos remained clueless.
He was led to a soundproof room. In front of him, a sleek screen glowed softly, offering a vast array of options to choose from.
A gentle chi sounded as the screen showed what seems to be an AI.
[Welco, Mr. Asher. My na is Alice, and I'm here to assist you. Just tell what you need, and I'll do my best to find it.]
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