"Did you understand everything?"
Anna's voice came from behind just as Max finished looking through the Bloodstone City Rankings.
Max turned around and saw her walking toward him with Daniel, Damian, and Revona nearby. He nodded calmly. "Almost."
Anna grinned, like she'd already expected that answer. "So do you get now why I said entering the inner layer is so hard?"
Max glanced back at the information screen for a moment before nodding. "I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I honestly didn't expect the difficulty to run this high. Guess I underestimated the outer layer."
"You're not the first newcomer to think that way," Anna said. "Most people assume the outer layer's just a starting region, but after they stick around for a while, they realize this place alone is enough to trap countless geniuses."
"You two talking about Ascension Seals?" Damian asked as he walked over.
Anna nodded. "Yeah."
