Once I walk through the guildhall doors, I see Ember and my body double both sitting down on the new furniture, talking to each other.
My double has a concealment disguise on and looks like a random citizen, while Ember just looks like his normal self.
There are hardly any other hunters in the guildhall yet. Only a few are here, buying some gear and potions early in the morning before their farming expeditions begin, but the two are off in a portion of the lobby isolated by themselves.
Ember looks up at me as I approach and sit down in the seating area they're relaxing in, and he speaks up first.
"I can feel our soul energy capacity and potency have increased by almost double what it was... Emptying and regenerating your core must have taken an immense amount of Qi, but from the barrier I feel around us, it seems that expelled energy didn't go to waste. The population of this city has grown almost five times since I went under. It seems those young warriors you were training have managed to hit their second rank up too... Overall, very impressive."
I nod, but he adds on before I reply.
"There was also a labyrinth created... The high-grade dungeon below the others in that canyon is no more, so I assume you overcharged it, and well—"
He thinks to himself for a moment.
"Actually, I'm not sure how exactly it happened based on the rate of containment stones farmed from those Minotaurs. That wouldn't be nearly enough to...wait..."
More gears are turning behind Ember's eyes, and he figures out exactly what happened.
"It must have been another surge from the throne. That's what triggered this."
I smile and nod.
"Very perceptive as usual. I plan to work with the Demon inside and grow it to 100 floors."
Ember shrugs.
"Good trade. All demons want is to grow their labyrinths. As long as you make it easier for them to do so, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Well, that is until they're free, then they can be a pain."
Ember looks up to the ceiling like he's remembering something while speaking that last sentence, but I change the topic.
"So, a year inside the Isolation Pod. I assume because of your positive attitude this means it was a success? You managed to create the concealment item we need to suppress Soul Energy?"
Ember nods.
"Oh, yeah. We're set. Creating the items was the easy part. It took me less than an hour to get them both done."
I raise an eyebrow.
"What—what do you mean? What was that year of time inside all for then?"
Ember stands up from the white couch he's sitting on, stretches his arms, and looks around before replying in a low tone.
"Well, just because it only took an hour doesn't mean it wasn't one of the hardest things I've ever pulled off. A mere level 2000 channeling Divine Energy. Maybe you'll understand how impressive it was one day. I had to go into full hibernation for a year to recover from that."
He keeps stretching, then stares at me as I stand up from the couch across from him and grins.
"But damn, I do feel pretty good now after that nap."
He lets out a satisfied sigh while putting his arms down and continues.
"So, your double filled me in on everything we have to do now. Meetings with the Regional Directors and Sector Leaders today, then head off to the meeting point to get into the B-Class exams in two days. Then, a day later, they begin."
I nod.
"Exactly."
"In that case, I think we should activate the items now. It's going to take a bit of practice to get fully used to them. The longer it's on, the better. Might as well take them for a test run now."
Ember lifts a finger, and the air around it ripples like something is coming out of it, then stops moving.
He looks at the top of his finger like there's something there, but I can't see or sense a thing.
Next, he brings his finger to his forehead, and before my eyes, all traces of his Soul Energy and even mana control disappear entirely.
I boost my perception skills to the max, confused at the sight I'm seeing, but no matter how hard I try, nothing happens.
He looks like an ordinary human. Not even a drop of mana in him. He doesn't even look like he's an awakened...
My inspect and appraisal skills don't show any readings. His status is gone. It's like he's become a ghost.
The only thing that breaks this illusion for me is the fact that his name and geopoint in my Rising Emperor's Domain still show him to be the same level as me with all his stats and skills intact.
"What... just happened...?"
Ember smirks.
"Watch, it gets better."
His eyes glow red, and I witness the mana control grow in his body. In a matter of seconds, he begins to give off the energy readings of a level 250 hunter, then a level 500 hunter, to a 1000, then fully reveals his full mana control before my eyes for a split second.
My inspect and appraisal readings of him return, and I can see his full stats once he shows me them.
No Soul Energy at all was visible to me when he did this, then he brings himself back down to the levels of an average level 500 hunter.
Flickers of pure Qi start to form in his hand that rests by his side, then it shifts and changes into pure Soul Energy but is only visible outside of his body. I can't see anything that is happening on the inside. It's like there is an impenetrable facade that makes him look like he is just a mana wielder that has recently ranked up for the first time.
He watches my surprised expression and replies with an explanation.
"It's a Divine limiter. Temporary, maybe 30 days at most before the barrier begins to naturally decay, but it is close to impossible to perceive for mortals in the human world. To even dream of seeing through it, you'll have to get Soul Energy a hundred times stronger, or have Divine Energy of your own. Believe it or not, the Lich King could have seen through this disguise."
He chuckles.
"Not because that monster is stronger than you or anything, it is merely because of its past as a wielder of Divine Energy. It's not exactly something you can lose once you die."
Ember lifts the same finger and points it toward me.
"That's beside the point. If we're going to spy on this so-called Sun God in these exams, we have nothing to worry about. There is no divine beast with that title or ability. If it is Soul Energy we're trying to conceal, this will be the perfect cloak. Shall I activate yours? We need to start getting to those trade meetings soon, don't we?"
I nod, still not sure what this item is, but trust that whatever Ember has created is safe to try.
"Do it."
He pushes his finger forward, with seemingly nothing on it, toward my forehead, but it stops less than a millimeter from my skin.
Ember brings his finger back, and the instant it does, I feel absolutely nothing.
I look around in the early morning silence of the guildhall but feel no different.
I look down at my body, and I feel exactly the same.
However, from the wide grin on Ember's face and the shocked expression of my body double, I know something has drastically changed.
Ember speaks.
"Use your All-Seeing Eye. Look at yourself from the outside in. It may feel like nothing has changed for you, but the energy you're radiating out into the world has now been altered."
Confused, I do as he says and scan my surroundings, attempting to feel my own energy, but the only energy I feel is the energy beneath the invisible infinitely small layer above my skin.
From an outside perspective, I really do just look and feel like an ordinary unawakened human.
"This is... so odd..."
Ember and my double sit in silence and watch me continue to look at myself all over for almost a full minute.
"No... this is so awesome..."
A wide smile forms across my face as I realize that this kind of concealment is leagues above anything I can naturally create. While it doesn't change any physical features or numbers on my status, I can just fix that with my concealment skills and items.
Even the magic gear that I hold stays under this Divine limiter. However, I still can't figure out how to shift the perceived mana control like Ember did moments ago.
I'm able to summon mana and Soul Energy into existence like normal, even create shielding too; nothing has changed in my actual power, but anyone with any level of perception looking in can tell that something is seriously off. It looks like an unawakened is summoning extremely high-level magic out of thin air.
The difference in power is concerning, and doesn't look like it should be physically possible.
"I need to learn how to shift the mana control output like you did. Right now, this looks even more suspicious than going in and trying to hide my true power naturally."
Ember laughs to himself and points to the door.
"You're right, it doesn't look good at all yet. I told you it would take some getting used to. Two days should be enough to teach you how it works. Come on, let's head off to the trade deals, we don't have time to waste."
I let out a sigh.
"Couldn't this have waited until after?"
Ember shakes his head.
"We're visiting a lot of unknown regions today, it's best we prepare for the worst. Never know who will be waiting to meet us. Plus, like I told you before, it takes time to control this limiter. The longer you have it activated before actually having to use it, the better."
I nod and walk out the door with Ember after waving my double goodbye.
"Yeah, good point..."
I think to myself for a moment, and come up with an idea as to how I'll cover my lack of mana control once I get to the Galeheart Tower.
"Alright, I have a plan. Let's go pick up the rest of the finished orders from Bri."
I crush a transport crystal to Bri's bunker with my hand on Ember's shoulder and we go up to meet her in her office setting up shop for the day.
She doesn't perceive us coming, and is startled at first, but deduces it is the new concealment item that Ember mentioned last month when we were all together and is very impressed.
Ember shows her how it changes the perceived mana control, but does not explain any of the details on how it actually works. She approves.
"Fools me, I have quite the keen eye and I can't see through it at all."
She hands me the remainder of the goods that she's been crafting this week that settles all of the orders, and I leave telling her to prepare for more because I'll be working on getting next month's orders processed and automated before I leave for the B-Class exams.
Next, I use another teleportation crystal and it brings us to the Galeheart Tower.
Standing in the lobby, Lith is waiting for us in a new grey and blue suit with his blond hair combed back and a bright white smile on his face.
I walk over to him while pulling an assortment of labeled item boxes out of my item storage and setting them down on the lobby's desk beside him.
"There's Sector 1's order delivered right on time."
Lith motions for one of the guards at the back of the room to sort, count, and distribute the delivered orders.
He then nods and gives me an item box back in return.
"Good to see you're on time and have delivered without fail. I trust that everything is there. Here is the payment for the remaining 75%, plus the 25% down payment for next month's orders and a new list of goods I'd like to have crafted for Sector 1. It's over double the volume of last month. I predict many clients will be doing the same, so prepare your team for more."
I accept the item box and put it into my storage for later, then pull out a large black suit of armor from my storage.
It's one from the top of the loot tower from the Lich King earlier this month.
"The old Sector 2 leader always wore one of these. Even though they know I'm a new business connect, I might as well keep up appearances."
In reality, I want to wear this concealment armor so it doesn't look overly suspicious that my mana control is not perceivable. I know I wouldn't trust an unawakened to deal with magic items, so I don't expect anyone else to.
Even if someone has the capability to see through the black armor, the lack of mana control will look more like a second layer of security that they can't crack and will only add to my prestige rather than if they just tried to appraise me without the armor on.
However, even if no one can see through the concealment armor, I think it looks very professional to meet them in a recognizable Dark Continent disguise like this.
I use a small portion of my blood and imbue the set with it to create a bond, then step inside and the black armor fits around all of my gear very comfortably and naturally.
Ember nods.
"Good idea."
Lith replies too.
"You're right. Meeting the Directors like that is probably best."
They agree, but for entirely different reasons.
He thinks to himself for a moment, then pulls out five teleport crystals.
"Well, let's get to it. We have Sector 3 and 4 on the list first. Then we'll head over to the Bedrock and Talton Regions. Finally, our last stop will be the Vice Region. Ready to go?"
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Author's Note:
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