----

At this point, Lucian's most pressing worry was the weakened state. In total, he possessed approximately 10 Destiny Accumulations. Therefore, he could reduce the period by half in the best case scenario. But, that almost meant he would be left with zero destinies afterward.

And, based on the criteria of the Limitless Refinement, he needed 49 destinies to strengthen his limit once again. As of now, he possessed 20% of that number but if he reduced the weakened period, then the progress would be reset to 0.

Hence, Lucian was curious as to whether or not this matter was worth it.

'Should I just open the orb now instead of waiting like last time?' Lucian wondered. When he opened the bronze orb, there were 2 Accumulated Destinies inside. So, Lucian wondered if those destinies were a concrete reward while the rest were randomized.

If that was the case, then he would undoubtedly open the orb without a second thought. Since it would become a viable source of destiny. But, if it turned out to be a waste, then Lucian would still be stuck with his difficult decision.

However, before all of that took place, Lucian thought back to the notifications. To make his decision required more information. So, he sought some from the stone now that setting wasn't as dangerous.

〈The weakened period is determined by your vitality and the grading of your vessel. It is still within the lower levels of the Transient Realm, so the effects are stronger. As your resilience increases, the accompanied sequelae will decrease.〉

'Transient Realm?' Lucian thought. This wasn't the first time that he heard it. The ethereal voice mentioned it as well. Which only made him more curious.

"What is this so-called Transient Realm?"

〈According to the rankings of your planet, the universe's Transient Realm is equivalent to grades F through S. Afterwards, you'll enter what is known as the universe's Heroic Order―which is a realm of power available to you after advancing.〉

'So that's what all that means,' Lucian nodded slowly. For the most part, this was all information that he understood. Whereas the Awakened were inconsequential in the grand scope of things, Guardians were a different story.

Their ability to level up their abilities turned them into soldiers needed to defend their world, whereas the Awakened were simply becoming the new meta for the human race. Still, while the stone revealed the matter of Advancement, Lucian was still unsure of when or how that was accomplished.

Additionally, Lucian held some other questions but kept them under wraps for the moment. After all, Overseer Vohr's mention of the Great Merge still weighed on his mind. 'Could first Guardians be privy to this information? If so, truly a dire secret to keep.'

Meanwhile, Lucian soon shifted his attention away from this matter and instead turned towards his teammates while monitoring their actions. The excitement towards receiving a Silver Treasure Orbs was palpable because unlike their bronze counterpart, there was a chance to receive Tier 3 items at the very least!

Hence, the reason it was the highest possible achievement for the first 5 floors. Quietly, Lucian monitored their actions.

Out of everyone, Olov was the one with the least patience, smashing his orb the moment he received it as Lucian expected. In total, he received three 3 silver lights which blocked the information inside the lights until Olov revealed them.

However, Lucian could tell from his expression that he was disappointed.

"A wand?! Who the hell uses a wand? A shield, dammit. For the love of God, give me a new shield!" Olov shrieked with a distraught expression. Besides the wand, however, Olov was overall satisfied by what he was given.

Although it wasn't a shield, he received a sharp greatsword. It was a Tier 3 weapon, a great upgrade from his former one. But, it was also a weapon that required two hands to use, unless he possessed a C+ strength attribute, which he didn't.

"Is this place trying to tell me to abandon the shield or something?" Olov murmured while scratching his head. Though the monolith rarely interfered with the decision of the guardians, Olov was a superstitious fellow who took anything as a sign.

For example, the fact he received 7 Accumulated Destinies made him feel as if the system was truly telling him to abandon the sword.

"I mean, there is definitely a battle style available to you if you merge your ability with a heavy weapon like that," Lucian commented after giving Olov's predicament some thought. The leading flaw of heavy weapons was their abysmal attack rate.

However, Olov's ability allowed minute bursts of bizarre speed. So, if he coupled that with a heavy weapon to correct its flaw, he could potentially become a terrifying Guardian. Granted, it would take a lot of effort to familiarize himself with the timings and such.

"True. That is true indeed. But, breaking the habit of wielding a shield after a year of holding it isn't as easy as you might think. It has become part of my style," Olov answered.

"Well, I can't comment. I have no style, so whatever lands in my hands fits. Well, maybe except for a dress, I don't need that," Lucian chuckled softly.

Then, the others opened their orbs and sure enough, the outcome was tricky. It was luck-based system, forcing Lucian to take a chance.

Without further ado, Lucian crushed his orb. Similar to the others, three silver lights appeared. But, unlike the others, Lucian's eyes flashed with the same silver glow as the orb in the middle started to vibrate intensely.

〈Destiny Seeker activated.〉

'Destiny Seeker? Is that another ability or something?' Lucian wondered. Sadly, the stone didn't reveal any information to him. Aside from letting him know that a definite source of destinies existed, Lucian was in the dark regarding the relevancy of this name.

「You have received the following rewards:

Destiny Accumulations (8)

Mana Expander Potion

Silver Key 」

Unlike his first reward, there were no vouchers, nor was there any equipment. All of the items he gained were either usable or simply unheard of. For example, Lucian was shocked by the details of the Mana Expander Potion.

「Item Name: Mana Expander Potion

Item Rank: Tier 3

Effect: Permanently increases Mana Quotient by 100 points.

Description: A potion made from ingredients that augments Mana.」

Lucian nodded since it was a simple yet effective description. It gave him all the information needed. In fact, Lucian popped the cork on the potion and downed it immediately.

As a result, his Mana Quotient increased by 100 points. Though he was still weakened, his current mana pool was not far off from his original number.

'Decent,' Lucian thought to himself before looking at the glimmering silver key in his hand. Initially, he thought it was connected to a floor inside Monolith. But, it didn't seem to be the case at all.

「Item Name: Silver Key

Item Rank: Silver

Effect: Increases the reward vault of a cleared Anomaly Rift to a silver level. (The grading of the rift must be below oranger or this key will be rendered ineffective.)

Description: A key linked to the origin of the Fractured Monolith. Permits entry to hidden byproducts of the Monolith's presence.」

'Anomaly Rifts. I know it has something to do with the monolith, but what exactly are they?' Lucian wondered. Though he received some information after his Limit Refinement, it wasn't enough. It didn't detail the purpose of said rifts, it only revealed its origin.

Of course, there was one place for Lucian to acquire that information.

But, since this key held no purpose right now, he tossed it into his inventory before finally making a decision. 'I have enough, so I might as well.'

A moment later, a notification appeared before his eyes yet again.

〈You have chosen to reduce the effects. [30 days → 15 days.]〉

Just like that, 10 Accumulated Destinies were exhausted, leaving Lucian with 7.8 remaining.

Finally, Lucian looked towards the others, "I won't be able to clear the next floor. So, I'll be calling it quits for now."

"I agree! I'm too damn stressed. I'm too bald for this," Olov grumbled while shaking his head.

The others soon followed along because if Lucian and Olov left, the team's main offense and defense, there was no point in continuing. Or rather, they couldn't.

Therefore, just as Overseer Vohr explained to them, leaving the monolith was simple. All it required was a mere thought.

"Lucian," Ahri suddenly said before he completely left.

"Hm?"

"Will you be going to the Guardian Corps? If so, I'll meet you there."

'Guardian Corps?' Lucian thought to himself as he completely disappeared. A second later, he opened his eyes to a familiar sight.