After he gave his orders, all 9,000 nodded excitedly. Darian then turned to Eldu, who would be in charge of leading them. It was the first time they were in a place like this, and everyone wanted to go explore and see everything around.

"In a circle of 5,000 meters around here, you can explore in groups of five. Every group has to include someone born of the winds, so you can communicate in case of an emergency. If you run into trouble, your first option is to escape, while everyone else should immediately regroup."

Darian laid out the orders, and everyone got hyped. Communication between them was possible thanks to a technique the wind-born had picked up in some ruins. Within that range, they could all protect themselves and explore with relative safety… as long as they didn't do anything too stupid. Either way, Eldu would stick with them to prevent that.

Right after, Darian turned to Eleri, Awel, and Tir, and then focused on the system.

[Skill: Party Creation]

[Read description?] [Yes / No]

'Yes.'

[By using this, you can connect up to 5 people inside the system into a party. This party can freely communicate through the system and transfer Laws between each other. Whenever someone in the party gains primordial points, a 10% bonus will be added for each member. All benefits from those points will be the same as normal.]

"Oh?!" Darian's eyes lit up.

This was the new upgrade from the system, obtained after finishing the last special mission. Before, the system had made it clear that the primordial points recorded were just symbolic, adding +50 each cycle just to show how close someone was to the end.

But at the end of the Party Creation explanation, it was clear the benefits would be real, so…

'If I get 100 points and there's a 50% bonus, that's another +50… would the system itself feed me primordial energy to fill my core and complete a third cycle?'

Darian thought about it, almost certain that was exactly the case. Once again, he felt deep satisfaction for prioritizing the special mission. Another insanely useful and powerful skill had been unlocked.

The only problem was that there was still one spot missing in the group. He didn't want to just bring in a random Heavenly Elemental Spirit… Eldu would've been a good choice since he was experienced, but unfortunately, he was way too weak in combat now, having turned into a sabre.

As for the others, besides being naïve, they weren't abnormal or powerful like Awel, Tir, and Eleri. In complex and unpredictable situations, he couldn't count on them to improvise.

'40% is good enough for now.' Darian nodded and thought of the system again.

[Special Mission for Phase 2] – [Eliminate the 27 Blood Sins] [+System Upgrade]

Darian narrowed his eyes. He had no idea what the "Blood Sins" were, but he had just arrived and would find out eventually.

He turned to the three, and they saw a green party confirmation screen pop up in front of them, leaving them surprised.

"That was my reward for taking down that Abscess. Now that we're set, let's get moving."

Darian spoke and immediately turned toward a large cluster of karma, about ten kilometers away.

This time, he was luckier than when he first arrived in the desert. He could sense it within his range and didn't need a map like before. If this place was anything like the desert, then that had to be a city or village.

They said a quick goodbye to the others and left.

On the way, Darian tested the party system's communication. All it took was for someone to think about talking, and a confirmation screen would appear.

After accepting, they could freely exchange mental messages. Darian tested it by sending Awel more than 5,000 meters away, and even then, they could still talk normally.

Then, he experimented with sharing Laws through the system. Another confirmation screen appeared, and just like with communication, even at great distances they could send and receive.

It was a bit tricky though, since there was a time limit for using the system's runes before they disappeared; but in a fight, this would be really handy. Unfortunately, the runes Darian kept in his inventory couldn't be shared this way — only the daily ones still available.

They moved slowly across the land, even though they could fly. It would've been stupid to expose themselves in a place they knew nothing about.

A few minutes later, Darian sensed movement and turned in that direction.

There, he saw a demonic shadow — a giant falcon. As soon as they noticed it, Tir, Awel, and Eleri wanted to attack, but Darian stopped them and ordered them to hide.

That was because its power was many times stronger than the desert shadows. It was obvious: everyone here had already reached the Devil Realm and were much stronger. If the three fought that shadow alone, they might win, but it would be a tough battle.

'You're not at the top of the food chain anymore like in the desert. Don't be reckless, and always think about the consequences of losing. That'll make you feel fear — and fear's important to stop you from acting like idiots. In the end, arrogant people are always the first to die.'

The three listened, nodded, and apologized. They were still pretty naïve, and Darian had to constantly put them in their place.

After that shadow moved away, they continued on, now even more careful. After all, Darian could only sense the shadows once they were already very close.

Luckily, nothing dangerous happened until they spotted a small village up ahead.

It was really tiny, with about thirty houses surrounded by a simple five-meter wall. The only entrance was completely open, letting them see inside.

Strangely, even though it was small, there were over a thousand people gathered in the center. They were of all sorts of races and, when Darian focused on their bodies…

'Their cores look identical to ours… are they low-level people, or newcomers?' Darian got intrigued, took a deep breath, and decided to go in and ask.

Nobody questioned anything when the four walked through the entrance. It seemed like that was normal, and they didn't even spare them a glance.

At that moment, Tir's eyes went wide.

'Brother Darian! Over there, that girl looks just like me.'

Darian turned to where he was pointing. There was a woman using metamorphosis, appearing as a Chromaraic. Her form looked more mature, but she was indeed a Heavenly Elemental Spirit born of the earth.

So there really were Heavenly Elemental Spirits who had managed to reach this place. Well… Eldu, technically, had that same potential in the past. If he hadn't devoted himself to helping his race and had only focused on getting stronger, he would've made it here too.

In the same instant, the woman turned her gaze toward Tir, feeling the same connection he felt from her. For this race, those born of the same element were like very close relatives.

Then, when she saw Awel and Eleri beside him, her eyes widened in shock. It was obvious she knew just how hard it was for someone of her race to arrive in this world — seeing three at once was extremely abnormal. Then, she turned toward Darian…

She forgot to breathe, struck by a sense of closeness she couldn't explain. It was the same feeling the three youngsters had when they first saw him. That was the power of the blessing of Heaven's Will he carried.

A few seconds later, the woman didn't hesitate and slowly approached.

When she got close, she looked at Darian a bit shyly. He, on the other hand, felt her grayish karma and, from her cautious and hesitant gaze, understood she was an honest person. She wasn't naïve like the others; she had probably lived a long time and gone through all sorts of hardships to survive. Yet, even so, she hadn't been corrupted.

"I'm Darian. These are Tir, Eleri, and Awel." He introduced them casually. "We just got here from the desert."

She nodded politely. "My name is Pridd."

"What's going on here?" Darian asked straight out.

"You're very lucky. Today, the recruitment selection for the Great Chorus sect is happening here. This sect is home to all Heavenly Elemental Spirits. Any who appear are recruited without much trouble." Pridd said with a small smile, then turned back to Darian. "They also recruit hybrids and other races, though the selection for them is tougher."

"I was born in the Yang Desert more than two hundred years ago. When I arrived in this world a hundred years back, I naturally came out on the Yang side. I had to go through a lot to cross over and make it here. Fortunately, you guys came directly here safely." She spoke, genuinely happy for them.

Darian listened without being too surprised at the mention of sects. Remira had already said they existed in Phase Three; having them in Phase Two wasn't that unusual. He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but just as he was about to speak…

The entire place fell silent, and a bright green light spread across the skies.

Suddenly, a man appeared, floating above the village, wrapped in pulsing wind runes.

Awel looked up, captivated. He was a Heavenly Elemental Spirit born of the winds, just like her. But not just anyone — he radiated an aura of power, wearing clothes with a colorful emblem on his chest.

"The Elder of the sect is here!" Pridd said excitedly.

Until…

All of a sudden, the man's gaze shifted, startled.

Everyone noticed it clearly. His expression and even his energy fluctuations changed sharply. Then, his eyes began sweeping over the people below with extreme seriousness.

Soon… his gaze stopped.

On Darian.

A bloody light suddenly burst into the man's eyes.

Without hesitation, he reached to his waist, and a half-moon-shaped sabre came out threateningly.

In that instant, Darian's danger senses exploded at full force.

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