"Oh? What kind of interesting things?" Ethan asked, his curiosity rising as he leaned forward slightly.

Yumiko chuckled softly before answering, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.

[Someone named Veldanava has appeared within the domain of the Dark Alliance and has taken complete control over it. He is currently searching for you, and in doing so, he intends to test the potential value of every single creature across the seven continents of the heroes.]

Ethan’s brows furrowed as he processed her words. Yumiko continued without pause.

[So any being who has reached above level 135 will soon be directly attacked or enslaved by him. The Founder, in particular, is about to face a rather desperate situation."

"Searching for me?" Ethan asked, confusion evident in his voice. "Why would he do that?"

Yumiko’s voice grew slightly more serious, though a faint trace of humor still lingered. [You have awakened the gray mist production talent. However, there is another individual who possesses a lesser version of that same ability. He is the one responsible for the mutated creatures that are infused with gray mist.]

She paused briefly before continuing.

[He believes that such a power should belong to him alone. That is why he previously sent one of his twelve generals to eliminate you. The amusing part is that you are not even within his radar of suspicion as the true origin of this ability, even though the Dark Alliance has already informed him about your unusual powers.]

Ethan fell silent as he considered everything she had said. The omniscient core was his own talent, which meant that anything Yumiko knew could also be accessed by him directly. However, he had grown accustomed to relying on her explanations, finding comfort in her guidance. Because of that habit, he had rarely used the talent on his own.

Now, however, the situation demanded clarity. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

He slowly closed his eyes and activated the omniscient core himself.

In an instant, an overwhelming flood of information surged into his mind. It was as though the entire outside world had been unraveled and laid bare before him. Countless details, histories, structures, and hidden truths flowed continuously, each piece of knowledge seamlessly connecting with the next.

Time seemed to stretch as he absorbed everything.

When he finally opened his eyes, he had gained a complete understanding of the continents of the heroes.

"Yumiko," Ethan said calmly, "find the materials required to upgrade Nini. I am certain she will be far more useful if she becomes stronger."

Yumiko responded immediately, her tone shifting into one of careful explanation. [Master, Nini has already reached the pinnacle of what can be considered a treasure. If you wish to upgrade her further, you will need to integrate her with your law strand. Once that is done, she will transform into a proto world, which is a semi infinite world that is nearly comparable to Elysium. However, you will require additional materials to achieve that transformation.]

Ethan’s expression grew thoughtful.

Without Nini, his personal time field could accelerate time up to one million times. That alone was already extraordinary. However, if Nini were included in the process, the acceleration would reach one trillion times faster.

Even so, Ethan knew that once he reached level 500 or beyond, even such immense acceleration might begin to feel insufficient.

He exhaled slowly before making his decision.

"Find the materials," he said firmly. "I want to make her as powerful as possible, and I want it done soon."

Yumiko paused for a moment before replying. [In that case, Master, there is only one place I can think of where you can obtain all the necessary materials at once. That place is known as the Hidden Sage Village.]

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Hidden Sage Village? Why does that sound like something out of a fictional ninja story? What is so special about it?"

Yumiko answered patiently. [Every being within that village is above level 300. Even newborn babies possess such strength. However, none of them are aware of how extraordinary they truly are.]

She continued, her voice steady.

[The hero of the sixth continent discovered that place by accident. After leaving the village, he rose to become a hero of his continent. He even wrote a book describing his experience there. Many powerful individuals attempted to locate the village afterward, but none succeeded. Over time, it became regarded as nothing more than a legend, and the name itself was given by that hero.]

Ethan’s eyes gleamed with interest.

"Then we will go there," he decided without hesitation. "On the way, we will also hunt the twenty monsters we need in order to break through to level 100.]

The moment he made his decision, his figure vanished from the tower.

...

Outside the castle, the Founder was busy hunting low level monsters in order to help Ethan advance more quickly.

Suddenly, his expression twisted in shock and anger.

He could feel it clearly.

Ethan had left.

"No!" he roared, his voice echoing through the surroundings.

"Why would he leave now?" he muttered frantically. "Did he suspect something? That should be impossible. I treated him perfectly."

He was just about to set out in pursuit when an overwhelming sense of danger surged through his entire body. Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to flee.

However, deep down, he knew it was already too late.

A presence stood directly behind him.

Slowly, with great reluctance, the Founder turned around.

What he saw was a middle aged man with an entirely ordinary appearance. There was nothing particularly striking about his features, yet his calm gaze carried an indescribable weight.

The Founder swallowed hard, forcing a strained smile onto his face.

"Friend," he said cautiously, "is there something I can help you with?"

The man regarded him silently for a moment before speaking.

"You are a chimera of different talents," Veldanava said in a calm and even tone. "You have devoured many talented prodigies."

The Founder felt as though he had been stripped bare, every secret exposed without resistance.

"Who are you?" he asked, unable to hide the fear in his voice.

"It does not matter who I am," Veldanava replied. "What matters is that you will die if you do not follow my command."

The Founder’s throat tightened.

"What command?" he asked carefully.

"Inspect every member of your clan," Veldanava said. "Find those who have recently reached level 10 or any major realms and report them to me."

The Founder hesitated for only a brief moment before nodding.

"Understood."

"Good," Veldanava said. "I have also heard about an interesting young individual in your clan. Bring him to me as well. You will find me at the headquarters of the Dark Alliance."

With that, he vanished without leaving a trace.

The Founder stood frozen for a moment before immediately deciding his next course of action.

Ethan was his top priority.

...

Meanwhile, Ethan had already appeared outside, altering both his form and aura to conceal his identity.

Yumiko’s voice echoed within his mind.

"The forest in this region has become extremely dangerous for hunting. It would be wiser to leave the continents of the heroes altogether."

Ethan nodded slightly. "Alright."

For an ordinary individual, leaving a continent would require an immense amount of time, potentially spanning eons, due to the sheer size of each landmass.

However, Ethan possessed knowledge of hidden teleportation points scattered across the world. With those, distance became irrelevant.

...

Inside the trial tower world, Ethan’s clone had completed its task.

It had created a comprehensive set of techniques for humanity and distributed them accordingly.

The clone stood still, deep in thought.

"My main body possesses the omniscient core," it murmured internally. "Would I be able to uncover the secrets of this tower using that ability?"

The idea was tempting.

Slowly, it closed its eyes and prepared to activate the talent.

At that moment, Yumiko’s voice rang out, carrying a rare note of caution.

[Master, be careful. The secrets of this tower are connected to beings who have surpassed level 500.]