At the second hideout, Moon settled into a quiet corner and addressed the group.

"I need silence for the next few hours. No disturbances unless it’s an emergency."

Nobody questioned it. The team had learned by now that when Moon asked for quiet, something important was happening. They spread out across the shelter, some eating, some resting, some tending to their equipment. Conversations dropped to whispers, then to nothing.

Mirage lay beside Moon, his large white body curled against the stone wall. The team had gotten to know the horse over the past two days. They had seen him fight, seen him carry Moon across the island, seen the doppelganger split from his body and charge into battle. Nobody was suspicious. To them, Mirage was simply a powerful beast companion, and that was all they needed to know.

Moon didn’t return him to the beast taming space. Having Mirage close felt good.

He closed his eyes and turned his focus to his inner body.

The second acupoint waited. The Thunderclap Raiju foundation had been building steadily over the past days, each use of the skill in combat strengthening the threads between the lightning element and the acupoint’s base. The spiritual energy inside had thickened into a visible current, flowing around the partially completed structure.

It was time to push it further.

Moon began to channel. Lightning crackled inside him, directed toward the acupoint. He guided the energy carefully, threading it through the gaps in the foundation, filling each one with precise bursts.

The work was different from his first acupoint. Advanced Elemental Body had required five separate layers, each element needing its own space. Thunderclap Raiju was a single element, but that simplicity was deceptive. Thunderclap Raiju was volatile, and very difficult to tame. It wanted to arc, to jump, to discharge in every direction rather than sit still inside a foundation.

Moon had to hold each thread in place with his focus while the spiritual energy bonded it to the acupoint’s walls. Every time his concentration wavered, the raiju would try to slip free, and he would have to start that section over.

An hour passed. Then two.

The foundation grew denser. The threads stopped fighting him as much, settling into the structure with increasing willingness as the pattern took shape. The raiju was beginning to recognize the acupoint as home, no longer trying to escape.

By the third hour, Moon could feel the difference. The foundation wasn’t complete yet, but it was really close.

♢♢♢♢

Inside the Second Sanctuary, Marcus and Sarah had just returned from hunting. Their armor was scratched, and dried blood caked their boots.

"We managed to hunt our first C-Rank beast together." Marcus said, rolling his shoulder where the creature’s tail had caught him. "Our growth speed has been solid."

He paused, his brows tightening in worry.

"But it’s still not enough for the tournament."

Sarah walked beside him, her face blank and composed as always. "The future is unknown. You never know what may happen."

"Excuse me."

A woman stepped into their path. She was tall, well-dressed in light armor that looked pretty and functional, and carried herself with confidence. A polite smile sat on her lips.

Marcus’s eyes narrowed. His hand drifted toward his weapon on instinct.

The woman raised both palms. "Relax. I’m not here to cause trouble." Her smile widened. "Quite the opposite, actually. We’ve been keeping an eye on the two of you."

Marcus’s glare didn’t soften. "Who is we?"

"We’ve heard about your progress. A C-Rank beast taken down by a duo at your stage is impressive." She tilted her head. "We would like to invite you to join one of the groups that falls under the subjection of Alaric."

Marcus went still.

"Alaric?" His voice dropped, as well as his guard. "The Light Sword Saint? The Monster of the Second Sanctuary?"

The woman nodded, her smile never wavering. "Our group operates under a member of his direct team. We’re a secondary unit, connected to his network. Not his inner circle, but close enough to benefit from the association."

Marcus stared at her for a long moment. "What are the benefits?"

"Oh, they are many." She gestured toward a building at the edge of the settlement. "Why don’t we talk inside? It’s easier to explain in detail over a table."

Marcus glanced at Sarah. She met his eyes, considered it for a moment, then gave a small nod.

He turned back to the woman.

"Alright."

The three of them walked toward the building, the woman leading the way with that same smile on her face.

♢♢♢♢

Back on earth, Alaric sat in a large, luxurious room adorned with all sorts of advanced modern technology, his body wrapped in layers of medicinal bandages that glowed faintly with healing energy. His injuries had improved drastically since the incident, but the damage from forcing a branch path inside the River of Paths had been severe. Full recovery was estimated to take a few weeks at minimum.

It had been worth it.

After successfully branching out, Alaric had gained a new skill. A skill that didn’t exist on his original pathway, forged from the collision of his two disciplines. The possibilities it opened were staggering, and he wanted nothing more than to return to the River and expand on what he had started.

But his body wouldn’t let him. Not yet.

To recover faster, he had pulled every connection he had and spent deeply.

"You should have let the team help you pay the price for the healing, Alaric." Emma sat across from him, her legs crossed, a teasing grin on her face. "Five billion dollars is not something light."

She leaned forward.

"You’re on the verge of bankruptcy. And women don’t like broke men." Her grin widened. "But don’t worry, I’m not any woman... I’ll still lov—"

"Emma. Quit it." Alaric cut her off without looking up.

She pouted, leaning back in her chair with an exaggerated sigh.

Five billion was the cost of securing an Ascender healer who could repair the kind of internal damage that the River inflicted. It was an astronomical sum, one that had gutted his personal reserves and left him with barely enough.