One more day passed by at the Bluedge Forest before it was finally time to depart.

Ainen officially reached the peak of Ascendant-rank in terms of both stats and level. He had leveled this fast only because he hunted Lord-rank Monsters.

If he had hunted just Ascendant-rank monsters, he wouldn't have reached level 350 this quickly.

His SSS-rank class upgraded to level 2, and it did two things. First, the power of his class perk that increased buffs on him by 200% rose to 300%. Second, he gained a new class perk.

[ Mystic Chef ]

Class rank: SSS

Class level: 2 [117 / 2,000]

Class Perk:

— All kinds of buffs on you have their effects increased by 300%.

— All kinds of debuffs on you have their effects reduced by 50% if you have a buff from your food ongoing.

Class Tree:

Active Skills

— 1. Perfect Ingredient Execution

— 2. Precise Ingredient Fusion Pot

Passive Skills

— 1. Recipe of Everything

— 2. Mystic Chef's Eyes

Being more powerful than ever, Ainen was ready to continue the journey.

Ainen created a flying carriage using Water, Earth, and Sand, on which everyone could sit comfortably and fly to the next destination.

Labyrinth City Javaxin

Ainen slowed the carriage as the city came into view. Towering ramparts of deep silverstone encircled it, glinting faintly with magical light. From above, the city sprawled in an intricate pattern of wide streets, canals, and bridges, all arranged with geometric precision.

Massive sky-towers rose from the heart of the city, crowned with orbs of soft blue flame that burned without smoke. Between the towers, floating walkways carried merchants and travelers from district to district. Streams of translucent water coursed through elevated channels, powered by mana turbines that shimmered like glass flowers.

"So the labyrinth's entrance is at the center?" Ainen asked.

"Yep."

The carriage descended as everyone got off before Ainen dispersed it.

The group approached the city's gate and paid the entry fee before entering.

"Brother, we want to see! Let us out."

"This city is so full of magic, brother Ain!"

Ron and Syl, who were in the kitchen, were watching the TV, but they wanted to come out.

"Alright, come on out then." Ainen smiled.

He snapped his fingers, and they appeared next to him.

"Are we going straight to the labyrinth's entrance?" Sofia asked.

"Do you two want to go somewhere else first?" Ruoin asked Dylan and Sofia.

"We just wanted to meet the seniors of our Mistbound Magic Tower here," Dylan chuckled. "Wanted to shock them before entering the labyrinth."

"And there are always some events held here jointly by the four Magic Towers, so we wanted to know if there's anything upcoming," Sofia added.

Naturally, Dylan and Sofia had also reached the peak of Ascendant-rank, at least in terms of stats. Their levels hadn't reached 350 yet.

"Then let's go there," Ainen said with a chuckle. "I'm not in a hurry to enter the labyrinth."

Soon, the group arrived at one of the four mini-towers that stood on the west side of the labyrinth entrance.

This tower belonged to the Mistbound Magic Tower. It was essentially their branch, but the head here was the vice tower master — an Emperor-rank powerhouse.

The other three magic towers also had an Emperor-rank powerhouse stationed in each.

The group entered the magic tower and soon met with some middle-aged people who were Lord-rank.

The labyrinth here was Tier-5, so mainly Lord-rank Adventurers from all over the continent would arrive to enter it.

"We heard about Lady Yelvina. Sigh, I hope she rests in peace."

"Were they also the ones who kidnapped you, Lady Ruoin?"

"No." Ruoin shook her head. "I was captured by the people of the Belrik Kingdom."

"Those bastards. How dare they grow such guts?"

"It's over now. The ones responsible are dead."

"I see."

"So, who exactly were those people who messed with the labyrinth and killed many of ours?"

Dylan sighed. "They called themselves members of Cradle. They were strong and disastrous."

"And they can't even be tracked. We know nothing about them, but they probably know everything about the continent," Sofia said helplessly. "According to the information we got, they aren't even from this world. At least, the origin of the organization isn't in this world."

To others and the public, both Yelvina and Lilian were declared dead. Only those who had arrived at the labyrinth later knew the truth, but their lips were sealed by contract.

Aside from those people, the truth was known only to the upper echelons of the Mistbound Magic Tower and Sacred Aurelian Magic Tower.

…

After meeting with some people and talking, the group left together and arrived at the labyrinth entrance.

"It's pretty luxurious here, eh?" Ainen looked around the area surrounding the labyrinth entrance.

Within one kilometer of the entrance, he could see big inns and restaurants frequented by Lord-rank and Ascendant-rank Adventurers.

Ascendant-rank Adventurers entering the labyrinth were courting death if they went past the first floor.

The first floor was relatively safe, so many Ascendant-rank Adventurers would also come to challenge it.

Ron and Syl were excited to see this magically advanced city.

Ainen saw a luxurious restaurant that boasted the tastiest food in the city and decided to check it out.

He had actually never eaten food made by others after arriving here, so he wanted to try it once.

Dylan and Sofia wryly smiled.

"You're going to be disappointed, Ainen."

"We've eaten here before, and it was indeed very delicious," Sofia said as she shook her head. "But after eating your food, our perception of taste has changed to a new level. This doesn't compare to your dishes at all."

Ainen laughed. "Well, I don't doubt that. Still, let's see what they've got."

The group sat down on the second floor's open dining pavilion — the VIP section of the restaurant. There were only twenty such open dining pavilions in the east and west open gardens on the second floor of the building.

"When will Saffa, Clovelle, and Fraisea finish their evolution?" Ainen curiously asked.

The trio had disappeared, but he could still feel their connection with him since they were bound by soul bonds.

Ainen could sense they were with Ruoin, but not exactly present physically.

"Hmm, they should be done with their evolution within a couple of hours." Ruoin smiled.

"Will they also become humans like you once they evolve?!" Syl asked excitedly.