The successful manipulation of the Academy Trials resulted in my immediate promotion to E-Rank. The reward was not the rank itself, but the coveted Level 3 Data Access within the Jade Feather Clan's servers. This access was the key to my ultimate objective: locating the Query Card and initiating the final Mythic Synthesis required to seize control of the Central Authority.
The search for the Query Card would be a long, invisible war of information. But before that, I needed to complete Phase 3 of the Essence Convergence Doctrine: the acquisition and integration of a single, powerful Mythic Essence.
My past life knowledge pointed to the perfect, untraceable resource: Primeval Stones. These were not the common essence fragments hunters traded; they were crystallized remnants of pure, chaotic energy left over from the original formation of the System, predating the current Hunter Hierarchy. They were raw, ancient power, and extremely rare.
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Using my Level 3 Data Access—granted to me as a diligent, "promising" E-Rank—I initiated the search. I focused on archived, corrupted, or "junk" data files, knowing the Central Authority would never waste processing power protecting useless noise.
I ran sophisticated, randomized queries through the Clan's discarded logistics reports, focusing on anomalies:
Energy Spikes: Looking for historical data points of immense, localized, and unexplained energy spikes that were officially logged as "sensor malfunctions."
Logistical Failures: Searching for records of expeditions where the entire team vanished without a trace, often signaling a chaotic, unpredictable Primeval encounter.
Obscure Mineral Records: Cross-referencing forgotten geological surveys that logged unique, non-standard mineral deposits in remote, high-risk regions.
My Hyper-Focus cut through millions of data points in hours. I found three highly promising anomalies, all pointing to a single location thousands of miles from The Ascendant City: the Whispering Abyss—a deep, geologically unstable rift in a desolate, abandoned continental zone.
The Clan had only vague historical warnings about the region, listing it as "Extreme Hazard: Do Not Approach." For me, it was a confirmed source of Primeval Essence.
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I immediately ceased all unnecessary public activity. My external mask remained intact—I was still the quiet, diligent E-Rank preparing for my next advancement. However, every ounce of my effort was poured into preparation for the expedition.
Funding the Trip: I utilized the immense, liquid funds generated by the Apex Brew distillery. I purchased high-end, discreet travel equipment and, crucially, secured a long-range, disposable dimensional anchor—a necessary tool for the rapid, unmonitored transit I planned.
The Shadow Stalker Utility: I began leveraging my Shadow Stalker Lynx spirit not for combat, but for its core, invisible utility: perfect sensor negation. I spent days training the spirit to create a localized field that neutralized the magnetic and arcane signatures of high-tier surveillance drones and satellites. This was necessary to ensure my transit to and from the Whispering Abyss would leave zero trace for the Central Authority to follow.
Physical Reinforcement: The Primeval Stones were inherently chaotic. To survive the initial exposure, my Kinetic Anchor Technique had to be pushed to its absolute limit. I spent my "free time" in my private quarters running intensive, bone-crushing gravitational exercises, ensuring my body was the perfect, stable Mythic-grade anchor for the incoming infusion of raw, chaotic power.
The Clan saw an E-Rank hunter taking a well-deserved break after the Trials. They saw mediocrity and compliance. They never realized that the simple E-Rank was finalizing preparations to acquire the necessary power to challenge the gods. My hunt for Primeval Stones was the final phase of my physical evolution; the moment I returned, the Mythic War would escalate from an information war to a direct conflict.