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"A Demonborne? So you hail from some sort of demon race? Are you embroiled in this so-called upcoming battle as well?" Lucian questioned. Though Vohr's answer pleased Lucian, he was more so interested in the fact Vohr revealed his appearance and race to him.

"Correct. If we are to gamble with one another, I must be able to confide in you and so should you. Furthermore, don't take what is written about demons in your worldly text as canon. Until you experience them for yourself, keep your mind open to different possibilities. Remember, a closed mind can hinder your future," Overseer Vohr answered with a faint warning.

However, his words rang truer than he realized.

"Precisely, I can't afford to be close-minded," Lucian smirked faintly before thinking to himself, 'After all, my abilities depend solely upon my imagination. If I inhibit my mind, how would it be able to blossom? I'd be essentially shooting myself in the foot.'

Afterward, Overseer Vohr put his mask back on and suggested for Lucian to release the barrier. If their presence was away from the surveillance of the higher authority Overseers and their superiors, then it'd arouse suspicion.

In response, the barrier dissipated gradually once Lucian relinquished his control over it. Once they reappeared on their spot, the clicking of heels followed by heavy steps were heard as a few individuals approached.

"Overseer Vohr," A deep voice called out. Faint tremors seemed to appear as the voice blasted the atmosphere despite the owner's lack of action.

"How may I help you, Mr. Geralt Andreas?" Overseer Vohr answered respectfully. After all, this male with a sturdy figure was one of the eight Extraordinary Guardians. He was shockingly large, standing over two meters. Yet despite his frame, he possessed features women would swoon over.

Composed silver eyes, long black hair extending down his back and a chiseled angular jaw to match his robust physique. Before answering Vohr's question, Geralt looked directly into Lucian's eyes.

"A commendable confidence. Keep your head held high and you'll advance far. I wish my last follower had the same confidence you exude. Nevertheless, I don't believe our paths are meant to cross, so I'll leave you be," Geralt said before shifting his gaze behind Lucian.

A faint smile appeared on his face, but it failed to affect the incoming individual.

"No matter how much you try to woo me with that amiable smile of yours, it won't work. You're better off chasing the skirt of that other bimbo. Oh, my mistake. I meant to say to you should only focus on her and not spread your attention too thin," A frigid voice containing a playful undertone sounded not far away.

Lucian didn't turn around because he remembered the owner of the voice well. While he wasn't one to drool over beauty since he was removed from society since young, she more than deserved a second look. Regrettably, he didn't do so lest he evoked the wrath of her suitors or even her beguiled fans.

Fandom led to some shocking events in the past, especially so for famous superstars. Even murders weren't outside the scope of consequential actions resulting from misconduct towards the subject of their idolatry.

"Ahem, no need to bicker. What brings you two here?" Overseer Vohr said with clasped hands, intervening before any conflict appeared. The last thing he wanted was for two such figures to clash and caused unthinkable damage to the lounge.

"We'll like to enter the second floor as soon as possible. This is no reason for us to dawdle in this area of respite. We have things to accomplish and the Delta Echelon is only limiting us," Geralt revealed.

From Aurora's expression, it seemed she came with the same thought in mind.

"Ah, so I guess you deny the opportunity to return to home for the time being then? As you know, now that you've completed the first floor, your ability to enter and exit the Monolith at your will is now operational," Overseer Vohr answered.

Both of them shook their heads as they were well aware of this fact.

"Very well. For future reference, my presence isn't needed to access the next floor. Only when attempting to solve the 5th floor do I have to be present. Otherwise, just walk to the grand gates over there and the system will register your current progress immediately."

Upon receiving this information, both Geralt and Aurora glanced in its direction before advancing towards it. However, Aurora turned back and inspected Lucian closely before touching a lock of his hair, "I don't remember this being your natural color. It resembles my color, but I believe I like yours more. Take care of it."

Before waiting for a response, Aurora already disappeared with a light gust of wind. It seemed one of her abilities was in fact teleportation. Compared to super-speed, this was a much more daunting ability to go up against.

Meanwhile, Aurora's action baffled a few because it was bizarre. If they weren't familiar with her attraction to unblemished things, they would have thought something was amiss.

When the coast was clear, Overseer Vohr chuckled lightly, "I guess the saying is true. Power is accompanied by some odd preferences. Despite the abundance of adequate males in her circle, she only focuses on two things, pristine items and acquiring the insurmountable power to survive."

"Does she possess a family with power back in my world?" Lucian questioned. Based on her etiquette it was hard to tell whether she received training in this department or not. It was almost as if she was unfettered, not chained down by the views of the socialite circle.

"No. She is one of the 4 anomalies to appear. As far I as know, the information linked to her existence lists her as an orphan. But, she was adopted by the leader of something called the Federation if that means anything."

Lucian's expression became one of interest, 'An orphan, but now the belle of the Federation? Interesting, I wonder how the leader realized her potential before it blossomed. Though fascinating, this isn't something I should be worried about.'

"What about you? Do you wish to continue or would you like to return home?"

"No, before that, I have a question. Is there a conversion system in place for Merge Tokens? Is it possible to turn it into currency for my world?"

"Are you sure that is something you want to do? I don't think your currency holds a candle to the worth of Merge Tokens. If you exchange them, you'll never have enough to gear yourself sufficiently."

Lucian's expression lightened into a faint smile, "So that's a yes then. How steep is the ratio?"

It seemed as if Overseer Vohr was reluctant to answer, but he had to regardless. "A single Merge Token is equivalent to 1,000 Credits of your current currency."

'So approximately 900,000 Credits exist within my hand. If I wish to reach my goal, it'll require at least 100,000 Merge Tokens… What a frightening number,' Lucian thought, only to sigh soon after.

After deducting the cost of everything—his requests, the additional arrows, all of his gear—Lucian was left with 900 Merge Tokens. If he relied solely on the rewards, it would take forever to gather the needed amount.

Thus, Lucian revisited his two options—climbing higher and visiting the anomaly rifts. The latter was the sealed information that only appeared after receiving his first Limit Refinement. It seemed the Monolith wasn't the only result of the Priming.

But, until he came in contact with one, Lucian pushed this knowledge to the back of his mind.

'I wonder…'

"Are you able to transport my new party here? I wish to continue and attempt the second floor," Lucian asked with a complex expression. Based on what he saw, his new party wasn't the best, but they were akin to blank slates that could be rewritten if done properly.

"No need, they're already here."

Lucian angled his head towards the two enormous gates and noticed a small crack as a few bruised and battered individual were ejected from inside. The person in the lead appeared to be a middle-aged man causing Lucian to inspect them closely.

'I'll have to use a different method. I doubt an older man would be willing to listen to someone younger than them. I'll have to first show my usefulness before presenting any demands.'

"They'll do," Lucian nodded before walking towards them.

As they stood inside the area of the Beta Echelon Lounge, their wounds healed at a visible rate, yet they still wore exhausted expressions. Obviously, losing their teammate weighed heavily on their minds as they wore dejected and almost helpless expressions.