Damon did not do as the old man told him. Instead, he willed for the tattoo to activate. The next second, his body disappeared from the real world.
"What a stubborn brat." The old man laughed.
On the other hand, both Kate and Mark began to panic. "What did you do to him?" Mark stepped forward, the crimson in his eyes glowing stronger.
"No need to worry. He should be back in a minute." The old man laughed.
Both Mark and Kate were still clearly unconvinced, but at this ti, there was nothing they could do except wait for Damon.
As for Damon, he was standing at the mont in the familiar landscape of the fla lord dungeon. The sizzling heat abundantly made it clear that he was not dreaming and everything was real.
"This..." Damon could not believe his eyes. He looked around all the drops they did not bother collecting were still littered around. It was the sa dungeon instance they had run. There was no mistake about it.
And yet, he was now able to access it, with just this tattoo? He did not need electricity or the gaming gear any longer?
Did this also an that he had access to unlimited ga ti?
He would have to confirm this tomorrow because right now it was already late, and the ga should be running on its usual ti.
Damon bitterly smiled at this thought. It has co to this point, so why was he calling this a ga again and again? Wasn’t this just another world he was teleporting to and forth?
Even so, how did this old guy get access to this skill crystal and the teleportation tattoo? Did that an all the super guilds had unlimited access like this?
His fingers clenched and unclenched as he processed what this ant.
Who created that crystal? Where had that power originated from? And most disturbingly, how many others had it too? If this kind of unrestricted access had already fallen into the hands of the old man and possibly entire factions, then Damon wasn’t just fighting players anymore.
He was fighting against those blessed by the so-called Gods and maybe the Gods themselves.
And gods do not play around.
He would be a naive fool if he believed he could stand up against a god in his current condition. No. He needed more training. He needed to devour more of his enemies. Most of all, he needed ti.
"I need to get stronger," he whispered, eyes narrowing. "Much stronger."
Then, just as instinctively as he had activated it, Damon touched the tattoo once more and willed himself back.
He vanished from the dungeon in a ripple of red smoke.
Outside, in the real world, Kate gasped as Damon reappeared with a low grunt. He was back. Alive. And his crimson eyes glowed brighter than before. Mark stepped forward, relief washing over his face, while the old man smiled, satisfied.
"Well?" the elder asked.
Damon t his gaze, not blinking.
"I’m listening now," he said. "Start talking."
The old man shook his head. "This is neither the place nor the ti. There could be more guests arriving soon. We should head over to soplace safe before sitting down and having a proper conversation."
Damon didn’t reply imdiately. His crimson eyes flicked once toward the hallway, then toward the windows. A slow exhale left his lips.
"I could be walking right into a trap."
"You could always go into the ga world." The old man chuckled.
"I could, but then I would be leaving my friends and family vulnerable."
The cold beauty’s face darkened. "You!" She started, but the old man stopped her. "Brat, don’t be so petty. Are you asking for a skill crystal for everyone you care about just to sit down and talk with us? You should not push it too much."
"It is what it is. What can I do?" Damon refused to budge. "If you did not think that I am worth the trouble, then you would have never co all the way over here."
A thin silence followed. Then the old man sighed. He scratched at his beard, muttering sothing about youth and stubbornness under his breath before finally raising a hand in a peaceable gesture. "Fair enough," he said.
"I can give you ten token skill crystals. That is my limit. And for these ten, I am going to need sothing from you in return." The old man imdiately added.
Damon’s eyes narrowed. "Of course you do," he said flatly. "What is it?"
The old man’s smile faded into sothing more serious. "We can talk about it when we reach soplace safe."
"Fine." Damon agreed this ti. Though he wasn’t keen on forming any alliances, he also did not want to let this chance go. From the looks of it, there were a lot of things that he did not know. He needed so answers. It was ti to get the full story.
"Let’s go."
The old man and the cold beauty led the three of them to the black rcedes waiting downstairs. Damon said nothing as they stepped into the car. The doors shut with a quiet thud, sealing them into leather and shadow.
The old man gave a short nod to the driver, who didn’t speak a word. The car just pulled away from the curb and rged into the late-night traffic like a ghost.
Kate clutched Damon’s hand tightly, her fingers cold but steady. Mark kept glancing between the two strangers and the city lights blurring past outside.
Fifteen minutes later, the car ca to a smooth stop in front of a glass-paneled skyscraper, one of those anonymous towers in the financial district that looked like every other.
Damon frowned. "This is your safehouse?"
The old man didn’t reply. He simply exited the car, motioning for them to follow. Inside, the lobby was deserted. No receptionist. No lights beyond the security panels that blinked faintly with green approval as they passed.
They took a private elevator straight up to the roof.
When the doors slid open, cold wind imdiately rushed in, whipping around them as the night sky stretched above. And waiting there, perched on the edge of the rooftop, was a sleek black helicopter.
"This way," the old man said, climbing in like it was a daily commute.
As they lifted off into the night, Damon leaned slightly toward the old man and asked, "Where are we going?"
The man’s eyes glinted. "To the edge of the veil, Blood God. Where real power sleeps. And where our future... truly begins."
***
End of Volu 1~~
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