Chapter 144: The Price of the Sun

The morning after his advancement, Jet was sitting across from Adesewa in her office, explaining everything that had happened during his breakthrough.

The two Star Marks on the back of his left hand were clearly visible, their appearance confirming that he had officially become a 2-Star Awakener.

Although he had spent most of the previous evening becoming accustomed to his improved physical capabilities, he was still adjusting to the increased Mana circulating through his body.

Even ordinary movements felt noticeably different, and he had already discovered that controlling his strength required slightly more attention than before.

Adesewa listened carefully as he described reaching maximum Star Saturation, encountering the bottleneck, and eventually overcoming it.

She occasionally asked questions about his Mana consumption and the improvements to his attributes, but otherwise allowed him to explain without interruption. When Jet finished, she leaned back in her chair and examined the two stars on his hand with a satisfied expression.

"Congratulations, Jet. Reaching 2-Star at eighteen is an impressive achievement, especially considering how recently you awakened," Adesewa remarked. "How are you adjusting to the increase in strength?"

"Pretty well, Captain," Jet replied, flexing his fingers. "My Mana reserves have increased considerably, and my physical attributes are much higher than before. I still need some practice controlling everything, but there haven’t been any problems."

Adesewa nodded before her expression became more thoughtful. "There’s something else I wanted to ask. When you advanced, did you experience anything unusual? I’m referring to the phenomenon I and the others experienced when our Star Ranks suddenly increased."

Jet understood what she meant. The mysterious advancement surge had affected several experienced Awakeners, including Adesewa herself, allowing them to leap two entire Star Ranks under circumstances nobody had managed to explain.

Although the Palladium Fruits were initially suspected, reports of similar advancements among unrelated Awakeners suggested that something much larger might have occurred.

"No, Captain," Jet answered, shaking his head. "Nothing like that happened. I reached maximum saturation, overcame the bottleneck, and advanced normally. I only gained one Star."

Adesewa considered his response before nodding. "I see. I was curious whether the phenomenon might affect younger Awakeners as well, but apparently it isn’t that simple. We’ll have to continue investigating."

Jet glanced toward the documents scattered across her desk. "Any progress with Corvin?"

"Some," Adesewa replied, gathering several papers. "His information helped us identify additional properties and financial intermediaries, but whoever commands the organization has been careful. Corvin met him personally without ever seeing his face, and the locations used for those meetings have already been abandoned."

Jet frowned. "So we’re still nowhere near identifying him?"

"We’re closer than we were last week," Adesewa answered. "But I’m not going to make assumptions without evidence. For now, focus on getting accustomed to your new strength. You’ve earned a little time to yourself."

Jet thanked her and left the office shortly afterward. Although the assassination organization remained a concern, Adesewa and the others had considerably more experience handling such investigations.

He could assist whenever necessary, but constantly worrying about enemies he couldn’t locate would accomplish little.

More importantly, his advancement had finally given him an opportunity to pursue something he’d been considering since awakening his ten Divine Runes.

The second Rune.

---

By late morning, Jet arrived at Darkstar Guild headquarters, where Alessandro had invited him to demonstrate his newly improved capabilities.

The building was as busy as ever, with Awakeners moving between training facilities, administrative offices, and mission departments.

Several employees greeted Jet as he passed, having gradually become familiar with his visits over the preceding days. He returned their greetings before making his way toward one of the reinforced training arenas.

Alessandro was waiting near the entrance, speaking with an instructor. When he noticed Jet approaching, he dismissed the man with a friendly nod and turned toward his young visitor.

"There he is!" Alessandro greeted him warmly. "Let me see those Star Marks. I heard you finally managed to break through."

Jet smiled and raised his left hand, revealing the two symbols. "Yesterday afternoon, Guildmaster. It took longer than I expected, but I managed it."

Alessandro examined the markings before giving an approving nod. "Excellent. You’ve made remarkable progress in a short time. Now I’m curious whether your control has improved alongside your attributes."

"You’re going to test me immediately?" Jet asked with an amused expression.

"Of course," Alessandro replied, laughing. "Did you expect me to congratulate you and send you home without seeing what you’ve learned?"

Jet shook his head before following him into the arena. Alessandro selected a practice weapon from a nearby rack and instructed Jet to perform several familiar movements.

Rather than repeating an entire training session, he observed how Jet handled his increased speed and strength, occasionally correcting his positioning whenever the younger Awakener overextended a strike.

The difference from their previous sessions was immediately apparent. Jet could accelerate more quickly, maintain stronger movements, and circulate greater quantities of Mana without exhausting himself.

After several minutes, Alessandro raised his hand and brought the exercise to an end.

"Your improvement is obvious," Alessandro remarked, returning the practice weapon to its rack. "But you’re still adjusting to your new strength. That hesitation before your third strike wasn’t there last week."

Jet nodded. "I noticed it too. My body moves faster than I’m accustomed to, so sometimes I have to correct myself halfway through."

"That’ll improve with experience," Alessandro assured him. "Don’t confuse having greater strength with needing to use all of it. A controlled strike will always be more useful than an unnecessarily powerful one that leaves you exposed."

They continued discussing the advancement while walking toward the Guildmaster’s private lounge.

Alessandro shared several stories about young Awakeners who had struggled to adjust after advancing, including one particularly unfortunate recruit who had accidentally destroyed an expensive training apparatus immediately after reaching 3-Star.

Jet laughed at the account, and the older man seemed pleased to see him relaxing.

Their conversation eventually turned toward more ordinary matters, including Inez’s recovery and Frey’s improving condition.

Alessandro listened attentively when Jet mentioned that his sister had begun sleeping better, expressing genuine relief that the children affected by the attacks were recovering.

"You should bring her to visit sometime," Alessandro suggested as they settled into their seats. "We have several recreational facilities for employees’ families. She might enjoy spending an afternoon somewhere other than that secluded base."

"I’ll ask her," Jet replied. "She’s still uncomfortable around unfamiliar people, but I think she’d enjoy getting out occasionally."

Alessandro nodded understandingly. "There’s no hurry. Let her decide when she’s comfortable."

Jet remained at Darkstar for another hour before taking his leave. As he departed, Alessandro reminded him that his invitation to meet his nephew remained open whenever their schedules allowed.

Jet agreed readily, unaware that the seemingly ordinary suggestion would eventually become far more significant than either of them could have imagined.

---

That afternoon, Jet returned to his room and opened his Divine Rune interface.

Ten Divine Runes were displayed before him, although only the Eight-Armed Asura was currently available for use.

The remaining nine were sealed, their abilities inaccessible until he satisfied their respective awakening requirements.

He had examined those conditions several times before, but until now, most had seemed beyond his immediate capabilities.

His recent advancement changed that.

Jet selected one particular Rune.

[Ilios — The Undying Sun]

[Rank: SSS]

[Status: Sealed]

The information expanded, revealing the conditions associated with its awakening.

Unlike the Eight-Armed Asura, which had awakened during the initial process, Ilios required an external source of extraordinary power. Specifically, Jet needed a Fire-aligned Origin Treasure possessing sufficient purity and intensity to stimulate the sealed Rune.

Ordinary Fire Mana Crystals wouldn’t satisfy that requirement. Neither would common treasures obtained from low-ranking Dungeons.

Origin Treasures were fundamentally different resources, formed under rare conditions and containing concentrated elemental power far beyond ordinary Mana materials.

Jet studied the requirement thoughtfully.

"An Origin Treasure, huh?"

He had encountered references to such treasures during his previous life, although only through reports and accounts involving powerful Awakeners.

Their rarity made them enormously valuable, and the most desirable examples were frequently controlled by major Guilds, wealthy organizations, or individuals possessing enough strength to claim them.

Obtaining one wouldn’t be easy. However, Jet possessed something most Awakeners lacked.

Knowledge of events that hadn’t happened yet.

He closed the Rune interface and began searching through his memories, recalling reports concerning valuable treasures discovered during the years following the Second Red Moon.

Most were unsuitable for his current circumstances. Some had appeared in extremely dangerous Forbidden Zones, while others had been obtained by powerful organizations before their existence became public.

Then he remembered something.

During his previous timeline, reports had circulated about an extraordinary Fire-aligned treasure discovered within a volcanic region.

Its appearance had attracted considerable attention because the treasure possessed unusually concentrated elemental energy, and several influential organizations had competed for ownership.

Jet immediately retrieved his communication device and began searching public information concerning the region.

After several minutes, he found what he was looking for.

A recently published notice mentioned unusual increases in Fire Mana activity near an inactive volcanic formation. The report was brief, and the authorities had attributed the disturbances to fluctuations following the Second Red Moon.

However, Jet recognized the location. It matched the area associated with the treasure he’d remembered.

His expression gradually brightened. "If it’s the same place, then it hasn’t been discovered yet."

---

Jet spent the next hour examining available reports, transportation routes, and the surrounding geography.

The volcanic region was situated outside Zenith’s immediate territory, meaning reaching it would require considerable travel.

More importantly, the area contained Mana Beasts and unstable environmental conditions that could make exploration dangerous for inexperienced Awakeners.

Nevertheless, the opportunity was difficult to ignore.

If his memories were accurate, the treasure would eventually attract the attention of several powerful organizations.

Once that happened, obtaining it would become considerably more difficult, particularly for someone who had only recently reached 2-Star.

Jet opened the Ilios interface again and reread the awakening requirement.

A Fire-aligned Origin Treasure.

The discovery appeared to satisfy exactly what he needed, although he couldn’t confirm its suitability without examining the treasure personally.

He leaned back in his chair, considering his options.

Traveling alone would be unnecessarily dangerous, especially while the assassination organization continued searching for the expedition survivors.

He would need to discuss the matter with Adesewa and determine whether leaving Zenith temporarily was feasible.

For now, however, he had identified a promising opportunity.

Jet looked once more at the sealed Rune displayed before him.

Ilios — The Undying Sun.

He had finally found a possible way to awaken it.