Without wasting time, he brought out the skill upgrade core and activated it.

[ Select a skill to upgrade: Drain (A), Eclipse Vision (A), Adamant Body (A)… ]

When the option arose to pick a skill he wanted to upgrade, he did not hesitate and chose the new skill he had just obtained.

[ Are you sure you want to upgrade Bloodsteel Physique (A) to Crimson Sovereign Physique (S)

YES / NO ]

"Crimson Sovereign Physique. A cool name as well. Yes."

The upgrade process was immediate, far quicker than the fusion.

[ Crimson Sovereign Physique (S-rank, Passive): Your blood ascends into a sovereign state, permanently reinforcing every cell of your body. All physical damage from attacks below S-rank is massively reduced, while blood circulation reaches a supreme level, allowing instant regeneration of non-fatal injuries and accelerated recovery even from severe wounds. ]

He felt the same ethereal sensation he had experienced when he first obtained the skill.

This time, however, his body went through even greater changes.

His blood flowed with intense vitality, and his skin appeared younger and more refined.

Unknowingly, a powerful presence wrapped itself around him.

As he observed his body and then re-read the description of the skill, he concluded that he had indeed made another good decision.

Of course, he was elated.

But he could not fully indulge in it with the thought of a planetary-level threat lingering in his mind.

He sat on the bed and brought out his phone.

He searched through different topics online.

Aurax.

True history of Arden.

True power level of Axel Storm.

Planet eater.

Possible threat to Arden.

There was nothing about Aurax.

Even when he refined the search to include descriptions, there was still nothing.

As for topics like planet eaters and possible threats to Arden, there was nothing tangible to be found.

<<The planet eater; powers and flaws.>>

He arrived at a website with such a heading, but after checking the contents, he realized the author was merely writing a fictional story born from imagination. None of it correlated with what he had seen.

He spent quite some time online, and after finding nothing concrete, he finally put his phone down.

He still had tasks to carry out later, but for now, he needed to rest.

After about five hours, he had gotten enough rest.

He contacted Ashton and Logan.

The two of them rushed to his room immediately, and together they went down to the restaurant to eat.

The staff at the hotel gave them a generous discount on their meal because they knew they were students of the Hunter Academy and future protectors of Arden. However, the discount was even larger because of Marlon, who was a celebrity.

They ate until they were completely satisfied.

Marlon ordered takeaway for Lyra. He bought grilled salmon and vegetables, along with the best chocolate cake the restaurant had to offer.

Ashton and Logan watched from the side as he placed the order.

The two exchanged glances and smirked.

"Let's go."

After Marlon finished ordering, he said to the two of them as he walked upstairs.

He noticed the strange looks they were giving him, and as a guy, he already understood what they were thinking.

Nonetheless, he did not have the time to explain anything to them.

They led him to Lyra's room.

Standing outside, Marlon could feel pure aether drifting from within.

He knocked on the door.

"Go away. I am meditating."

Lyra's voice came through, sounding annoyed.

Marlon could only suspect that his two bespectacled friends had been disturbing her earlier.

"It's me, Marlon."

He made sure to let her know who it was.

He heard movement inside the room as she stood up and rushed toward the door.

She opened it and stood motionlessly as she observed his face.

She felt there was something very different about him, like he was someone whom she hadn't seen for a longtime.

She wanted to hide it but she had missed him and without even checking if there was others around, she threw herself at him and hugged him.

Ashton and Logan grinned mischievously as they watched the two of them. They even made strange noises that quickly drew Lyra's attention.

Once she opened her eyes and noticed the two of them standing there, she immediately released the hug. With a flustered expression, she greeted him properly.

Marlon was unbothered and simply nodded.

"Can we come in?"

He asked calmly.

She was momentarily dumbstruck by the question, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded.

====

The four of them took different positions inside the spacious room.

Lyra sat on the bed, eating the chocolate cake while occasionally glancing at Marlon, who sat opposite her.

Ashton and Logan stood nearby, giving their friend enough space to speak with his woman.

"Level 27. You're growing faster than I expected."

Marlon spoke after observing her.

"Cough."

Lyra nearly choked on the cake.

"You can see my level?"

"Yeah."

Marlon responded nonchalantly.

"What is the level of your inspect skill?"

She asked after regaining herself.

"A-rank."

She fell silent and studied him quietly.

Skills like that could be purchased from the Hunter Association, and many people possessed them.

Including her own sister.

However, Selena could only tell her rank, not her exact power level.

Even her parents possessed similar skills, yet they were no different from her sister in that regard.

And yet, Marlon was able to tell her exact level.

From the side, Ashton and Logan were equally surprised.

"How is that possible? I heard the Hunter Association does not have inspect skills of such a high rank. Even if you used your connections to obtain one, it would cost at least one hundred million credits."

Logan spoke up.

His mother was a businesswoman who frequently dealt with the Hunter Association, so he knew how rare high-rank skills were.

"The skill upgraded by itself."

Marlon replied calmly.

This response left them even more dumbfounded.

"Nonetheless, that is not the reason I came here today."

Marlon smiled.

All three of them immediately focused on him.

"I have some items I want to share with you."

Their interest was instantly piqued.

Ashton and Logan stepped closer, eager to hear more.

Ashton, in particular, seemed the most interested, and Marlon understood why.

Thankfully, among everything he possessed, Ashton would be receiving the most powerful item.

With a smile, Marlon opened his inventory and equipped the awakening crystal.

The red orb instantly drew everyone's attention.

They stared at it in amazement, as none of them had ever seen anything like it before.

"What is that?"

Ashton asked.

"An awakening crystal."

Marlon replied with a smile.

The three exchanged confused looks.

What was an awakening crystal?

"If you activate it, you will be able to awaken the talent within it."

"W-what!"

Ashton exclaimed.

"How is that even possible?"

Logan followed immediately.

"If what you're saying is true, it would cause a worldwide uproar if exposed."

Marlon observed their varied reactions with a gentle smile.

Keeping that smile, he activated Venom Rage.

His body transformed instantly. His skin turned pale green, his eyes glowed brighter, and a faint green hue appeared at the tips of his hair.

Lyra's eyes widened as she watched the transformation.

Ashton and Logan wore the same shocked expressions.

The power radiating from Marlon was dense and overwhelming. They felt it clearly.

They were all stunned.

The power he was using was poison-type, a rare affinity possessed by only a handful of hunters.

However, that was not what Marlon wanted to show.

He clenched his fist and activated Blood Infusion.

His fist glowed with a bright red light.

This time, even Lyra stared at him with her mouth and eyes wide open.

"Two different affinities!"

"And rare ones at that."

"Aside from Norian Sterling, no named hunter possesses a blood affinity."

They exclaimed in disbelief.

"These two skills I'm using right now come from my secondary talents."

Marlon explained calmly.

"As you can see, one is poison affinity, and the other is blood. It is already rare for someone to awaken a talent that allows them to wield more than one element, even basic ones. Yet I can use two rare affinities that do not even correlate with each other."

With a faint smile, he asked, "So, do you believe me now?"

The three of them nodded vigorously.

Marlon smiled.

Then he turned to Ashton and extended his hand toward him.

"I specifically kept this for you."

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