As soon as he finished speaking with Anna he reached out to Ashton and Logan.

Ashton was the first to return his call.

He sounded enthusiastic upon hearing Marlon's voice and even invited him over to the hotel he was staying at with Ashton.

Marlon boarded a taxi and headed there right away.

He soon arrived at a five-star hotel located at the heart of a calm and serene environment.

Logan and Ashton were already waiting for him.

The two rushed over and hugged him the moment he alighted.

"You left for more than a week…"

"Dude, you didn't even bother to call or send a text, and we couldn't even reach you."

"Where the heck did the Hunter Association send you off to?"

The two of them bombarded him with questions one after another.

Marlon responded to them as best as he could, deliberately skipping the completely unnecessary ones.

He even shared a few details about his raid in the deadlight district which came of great surprise to the two.

They led him inside the hotel.

As they escorted him through the halls of the exquisite hotel, Marlon noticed the changes the two of them had undergone.

"Logan had his breakthrough a few days ago. Blitz gained some cool new skills as a result of it," Ashton reported.

"My own breakthrough happened just a few hours ago. I was already on the verge of breaking through, but given the current situation at the academy, none of us were allowed to venture into any danger zones."

"Luckily, I found a kind student who was willing to sell some EXP orbs, so I purchased them and used them to complete my breakthrough."

Ashton continued explaining.

He also told Marlon that both of them had taken the two-star breakthrough trial.

"Ah, lest I forget… for some unknown reason, there were no five-star breakthrough trials listed."

Marlon's interest was immediately piqued.

He asked Ashton to explain further, and the flame wieler did not hold back any details.

Marlon also asked Logan if he had experienced the same thing, and his answer was identical.

"At first, we thought it was some sort of system error. It happened to Lyra as well, so we were confused. However, when it also occurred to Ashton, we could only accept the reality that something was wrong," Logan said.

"Have you made any reports about it yet?" Marlon asked.

His mind was already considering several possibilities, though he could not be certain at this point.

"Yes… through the online portal," Logan replied.

Marlon nodded.

Nonetheless, he knew that their reports would most likely be disregarded due to the overwhelming activities the Hunter Association was currently dealing with.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he asked about Lyra instead.

The two told him that she was also staying in the hotel, but she was currently meditating. As such, neither of them bothered to inform her of his arrival.

Marlon was fine with that.

He bade the two of them farewell and entered the room they had booked for him.

The room was luxurious, just as expected. The bed looked comfortable, and the lighting gave off a surreal glow.

Marlon lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a long while.

His thoughts drifted to the issues his friends were facing, as well as his own last breakthrough trial.

"Could it be that the five-star breakthrough trial disappeared after I completed it?"

Since no one so far had reported attempting the five-star breakthrough trial, he suspected that this might truly be the case.

"Anyway… enough of that."

Marlon brought out the awakening crystal.

In the next moment, a large red crystal orb with a luscious glow appeared, bathing the entire room in a deep crimson hue.

Fortunately, it was still afternoon, so it did not draw any unwanted attention.

With that settled, he focused on the information presented before him.

[ Talent: Bloodborne Monarch (A) ]

[ Revealing detailed description ]

Bloodborne Monarch (A)

Type: Hybrid Combat

Core Affinity: Blood | Vitality | Enhancement

Description:

Those who awaken as Bloodborne Monarchs wield blood as a versatile medium for combat and survival. They can shape their blood into weapons, barriers, or regenerative essence, allowing them to attack, defend, and heal seamlessly in battle. By channeling blood into their techniques, they enhance the power and efficiency of their existing skills.

[ Do you want to awaken talent: Bloodborne Monarch (A) ]

As he read through it, Marlon's interest in the talent grew even further, and without any hesitation, he accepted.

Instantly, the red orb in his hands glowed brighter.

The light soon became blinding, and in the next moment, it burst softly into a cloud of dense red energy.

Like a vacuum, Marlon's body absorbed the entire cloud.

[ Awakening process begins… ]

[ Awakening 1%… 3%… ]

As the awakening began, he felt a tingling sensation in his stomach.

The sensation was similar to what he experienced during his previous awakenings.

However, this time, it was noticeably less intense.

He could still stand properly, and his vision remained steady as the process continued.

He believed this was due to his current strength, as well as the potency of Adamant Body, which now had a pain-reduction effect after evolving to A-rank.

[ Awakening 99%… 100%… ]

[ You've awakened talent: Bloodborne Monarch (A) ]

[ You've unlocked the following skills ]

[ Blood Infusion (A-rank, Active): Actively fuse blood energy into existing skills, allowing them to unleash a significantly stronger impact.

Cooldown: 30 seconds ]

[ Crimson Recovery (A-rank, Active): As long as blood is present, you can recover health points and aether points ten times faster than normal. ]

[ Blood Manipulation (A-rank, Active): Gain direct control over blood, allowing it to be moved, shaped, or condensed at will. ]

"This…"

The talent was incredible.

Blood Manipulation alone could serve as a standalone talent, and with its current rank, he would no longer be considered an ordinary hunter.

As for Crimson Recovery, other hunters would definitely fight amongst themselves to obtain such a skill.

With it, they could continue raids without relying on healing potions or aether potions.

The only downside was that it required blood to activate, but even then, it was still an extraordinary ability.

Then there was Blood Infusion.

Marlon did not waste any time and immediately activated it.

He activated Titan Punch and infused blood energy into the skill. His fist glowed with a bright crimson hue, and he could feel violent power surging within it.

It was at least twice as strong as usual.

Unfortunately, with no target in sight, it was impossible to accurately measure the damage it could deal.

Even so, the result was more than satisfactory.

It was incredible.

After examining the new skills for a few more seconds, he brought out the true cores.

He picked up the first one and consumed it.

[ You've consumed an Index-2 True Core. ]

[ You've obtained the following:

1,000,000 EXP

1 Skill Fusion Card (has been transferred to inventory)

300 Strength Points

30 Free Stat Points ]

"Wow… a skill fusion card."

Yet again, he had discovered something he had never seen before inside a true core.

He did not even wait before checking it out.

Marlon opened his inventory and took out the skill fusion card.

[ Skill fusion Card: Once activated, you can merge two different skills of the same rank together to increase their potency and potentially unlock special effects.

Note: Due to the item's rank, after merging, the two skills are not lost. ]

Marlon stared at the item's description, his expression slowly turning into one of awe.

Almost instantly, he opened his skill tab and looked through all the available skills.

━━━〔 SKILLS 〕━━━

PASSIVE:

Drain (A), Eclipse Vision (A), Adamant Body (A), Strength Enhancement (A), Toxic Resistance (A), Venom Adaptation (A), Silent Movement (A), Quick Reflex (A), Danger Sense (A)

ACTIVE:

Mirror Clone Unit (S), Titan Punch (A), Divine Punch (A), Inspect (A), Venom Rage (A), Punch of Death (A), Blood Infusion (A), Crimson Recovery (A), Blood Manipulation (A)

There were simply too many skills.

Each of them already possessed massive effects on its own.

Choosing which two he should pick was proving to be far more troublesome than he expected.

He placed a hand on his jaw and fell into deep contemplation.

He stared at the skill list over and over again.

Rushing into conclusion would cause him great deal of regret in the future so he decided to take his time.

After a few minutes of serious contemplating, he arrived at a decision.

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