The three of them strolled down the crowded hall where hunters went about their routines, completely unaware of what was truly happening behind the scenes.

The Hunter Association had taken careful measures to keep every detail of the exploration mission away from the public, a restriction that included the hunters themselves.

As a result, despite the arrival of an entirely new and friendly race, none of the hunters present were aware of such a monumental development.

It took them about ten minutes before they finally arrived at a smaller, quieter hall.

Inside the hall stood two guardians, both appearing to be in their early thirties, their presence alone imposing a silent pressure on the space around them.

They were widely known and respected across the entirety of Arden.

The first was Douglas Payne, a famous hunter who had ascended to the rank of guardian twenty years ago during the Lunaris Visit.

He was the owner of one of the largest potion companies in the Heartland Nation and was also the father of Max Payne, a genius new generation hunter.

The other guardian was Merlina McGrath, known as the Black Ice Queen, who observed their entrance with a gentle yet firm expression settled on her face.

The two guardians nodded at them in acknowledgment.

Douglas Payne paid particular attention to Marlon, his gaze lingering as though he were carefully observing and evaluating his powers.

'C-rank in less than two months. He truly is an anomaly.'

On the other hand, Marlon's attention was not on the two guardians, but instead on the young alien floating a few inches above the surface in a lotus position, his eyes firmly closed. He noticed that there were no aether crystals around him, which meant the alien was meditating purely for the sake of meditation itself.

Aside from his peculiar posture, it was his appearance that stood out.

His skin was the finest shade of black and shined as though it had been laid with the finest oil.

As Axel Storm and Norian Sterling had described, he looked closer to humans than the Lunaris, and this detail was particularly true.

The Lunaris looked more like amphibians than humans. The only things that made them resemble humans were their build, height, and the fact that they walked on two limbs.

But this individual was different.

If an alien from an entirely different planet were present, they would undoubtedly pick him as the perfect race based solely on his appearance and demeanor.

He had long, shiny white hair that contrasted sharply with his dark skin. It rested perfectly on his well-shaped shoulders, which were draped in a fine white robe with gold embroidery that displayed royalty, or perhaps something even more.

There was a glowing tattoo at the center of his forehead.

It was shaped like a crescent moon, and the tattoo possessed the same glow as an actual moon.

As Marlon continued observing his features, the alien's eyelids fluttered open, revealing a set of eyes with crescent-shaped pupils that shared the same hue as the mark on his head.

Their gazes locked, and for a split second, Marlon felt as though everything about him, his being and his secrets, had been laid bare before him.

Marlon's eyes furrowed slightly at the unsettling sensation.

Unbeknownst to him, the others in the room had been observing the brief interaction from the sidelines.

Each of them reacted differently.

Douglas Payne and Merlina McGrath maintained firm expressions, their true emotions hidden beneath their calm exteriors.

Crimson Sterling's red eyes glowed faintly as she observed the two.

Lastly, Anna had a visible blush on her face as she gazed at the face of the Vereena, her eyes tracing his masculine features, from his uniquely colored eyes to his chiseled jawline.

This was the first time she was seeing the Vereena, despite being the one who had learned of his arrival first. Of course, this excluded the two guardians who had escorted him inside.

A tense silence hung within the small hall.

Until Marlon stepped forward and stretched out his right hand toward the Vereena.

"Name's Marlon Ashleigh."

The Vereena remained floating. He paused for a few seconds as he observed Marlon's features.

Then he descended, his feet, adorned in fine white leather shoes, landing softly on the ground.

He extended his hand and shook Marlon's.

"Orion Cresvalor."

He introduced himself in a deep yet gentle voice.

Marlon nodded slightly.

Orion then turned his attention toward Crimson Sterling and Anna.

Crimson's expression remained firm, while Anna's blush deepened.

"You must be the leader of this organization they talked about."

Crimson nodded and stepped forward to shake his hand.

She then properly introduced Marlon, since earlier he had not mentioned that he was the one representing Arden.

Orion turned to observe Marlon once more without speaking. He simply gave a subtle nod of acknowledgment, with no discernible emotion or motive behind the gesture.

"Do you have a facility with stronger aether?"

He asked Crimson.

Crimson understood the reason behind his question. She had done her assignment beforehand, learning more about the Vereenas and their reliance on aether.

"There is," she nodded. "She will take you there."

She pointed toward Anna.

Anna quickly composed herself and gestured for him to follow her.

They were on one of the uppermost floors of the massive tower, where other hunters and staff did not have the right of entry unless permitted. As a result, they could walk freely without disturbance.

As the two walked toward the door, Marlon used [Inspect] on Orion.

[ Orion Cresvalor ]

[ Race — Vereena (Pathos Lunar) ]

[ Power Level — 230 ]

[ Power Rank — A-rank ]

Those were the only details the system provided. Neither talent nor blessing was displayed.

However, there was another tab positioned beside the race.

Thinking about it, the mark on his forehead was that of a moon. Lunar was another word for moon.

Additionally, the system used power level and power rank instead of threat level, meaning it did not recognize Orion as a threat.

While Marlon was still considering these details, Orion suddenly halted mid-step and turned toward him.

Their eyes met once more for a brief moment before Orion continued walking alongside Anna, who was too lost in her fangirling to notice the short pause.

Once the two had left, Crimson and the two guardians turned their attention to Marlon.

"You tried analyzing his powers?"

Douglas was the one who voiced the question lingering in their minds.

"Yeah."

Marlon nodded. There was no reason to hide it in this context, especially since Orion had made it clear that he noticed something.

"What did you see? Anything useful?"

Marlon shook his head.

"No."

Fortunately, Douglas Payne and Merlina McGrath did not push the matter further. Crimson, however, observed Marlon for a few seconds longer before turning away.

"When are you planning your next raid, kid?"

"Very soon. Any reason you're asking?"

"I would appreciate it if you let my son go with you. I am sure you know him."

Marlon nodded. Max Payne was well known at the training camp and was also one of the top scorers of the survival matrix exam.

He had definitely heard of him, though he had never spoken to or seen him face to face.

But should he really allow him to join the raid?

Marlon wanted to refuse, but upon noticing the look Crimson was giving him, he nodded.

He accepted and requested Max's contact information, which Douglas happily provided.

"Max is already here at the Hunter Association, just in case you're leaving for your raid now," Douglas added.

Marlon responded with a calm nod and a faint smile.

"Alright then. I suppose my business is done here. If the Hunter Association needs my assistance, you know what to do, Ms. Sterling."

With that, Douglas strolled out of the room.

A few seconds later, Merlina followed.

That left only Crimson and Marlon inside the hall.

"You saw something, didn't you?" she asked.

"You don't believe me?"

She shook her head and continued, "The Vereenas have a special innate ability to detect skill usage, especially powerful ones directed at them. The way he looked at you earlier proved that he knew you inspected him, not just attempted to, but succeeded. You saw something, so tell me."

Marlon was amused by her deductive ability and eventually revealed what he had discovered.

After listening, Crimson helped confirm some of the suspicions he had already formed regarding Orion.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.