While Sokram and his team tracked their new prey, a heated discussion unfolded at the center of the galaxy, within the grand hall of the Star Palace.

The hall was a marvel of mystical architecture, its walls shimmering with starlight and its air thick with the weight of ancient power.

Before Nhiria’s throne, two rows of ten smaller thrones lined the hall, each occupied by a being above the Legendary Level of Existence.

Seated within the hall were ten Paragons, Nhiria’s chosen, examples of virtues she wished to nurture in all of her children.

Opposite them, the Queen and Princess of the Nether sat alongside the eight Lords, Agents of Chaos who pursued evolution with no mind for ethics and never minding the costs, even if the price was the blood and lives of innocents.

“Unacceptable! That boy, so gifted, so full of promise, and he chooses the Nether of all paths? Has he gone mad?!” An angry dwarf with a long reddish-brown beard and hair slammed his fist against the armrest of his throne.

His voice echoed through the hall, filled with frustration and disbelief.

“Harten, calm yourself!” Nhiria’s authoritative voice rang out, forcing the dwarf to recompose himself.

Her tone was firm but not unkind, a reminder of her role as the guiding light of the galaxy.

“I’m sorry, milady,” Harten said, his voice more controlled but still tinged with frustration.

“But you can’t allow this to happen. I’d much prefer that good seedling to pursue the way of the hunt than to see him lost to the darkness of the Nether.” Harten’s anger was rooted in history.

Mentyr, Belladona, and Harten had shared the same era and homeworld, rising together on the path toward Paragony.

But Mentyr’s ambition had made her the villain of that era, a shadow that still haunted them.

Harten and Belladona had lost many loved ones to her schemes, their grief a constant reminder of the cost of her actions.

“Harten, their path is not ours to interfere with,” Belladona interjected, her voice calm but carrying a hint of sadness.

“Our duty is to guide them, not to force them onto a path.” Even she, however, was surprised by Sokram’s declaration.

“Bella is right,” Azulla added, her tone soothing as she leaned forward on her throne.

“Besides, he is not seeking the darkness but the light that shines upon the unknown. The Seekers of Knowledge are scholars and Agents of Chaos who strive to push evolution forward wherever they go.”

Eliora, seated across from Azulla, nodded in agreement. “He also mentioned your Magitech, my Heartlink, and many other arts that raised us to Paragony. He seems to have a kind and well-intentioned heart, despite his mischievousness. If guided properly, he may become one of the good Seekers.”

Though her words were supportive, a faint disappointment lingered in her voice as she noticed the shy smile that appeared on Nhiria’s face when Sokram’s words were mentioned.

But then the voice Harten least wanted to hear filled the hall. “Hahaha, how… delightful. It seems Sokram and I share the same hunger.”

Mentyr, the stunning wood-elven Princess of the Nether, leaned back on her throne, her azure eyes gleaming with mischief.

At 1.75 meters tall, with a slender, curvy frame and a face that radiated both beauty and cunning, she was a figure of undeniable allure, a legend of both beauty and destruction.

“I've paid in the eternal darkness an eternity for the evil I’ve done to you, Bella, and for all the destruction I caused in our homeworld,” Mentyr continued, her melodious voice carrying a rare note of sincerity.

“In the darkness of the Nether, I found the light of evolution, a light I never could have found otherwise. I know no amount of apologies will ever bring back those you lost because of me, Harten, but the children who seek the unknown are not to blame.” She paused, her gaze softening.

“They are the hope I never had, the chance to make amends for my past.”

“Heh, you speak as if your followers haven’t caused as much tragedy as you did!” Harten shot back, his anger flaring once more.

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“True,” Mentyr conceded, her tone calm but firm. “But that was before the light reached me in the Nether. Now, we strive to repair the damage we caused. And the children who came after the light… They have been the source of Nhiria’s smiles and praises. You know I’m not bragging or gloating.”

Harten grimaced, her words like nails on a chalkboard to him.

But Mentyr turned her attention to Nhiria, her expression thoughtful. “What most of you may have overlooked is the boldest of his statements, the reason our beloved guardian is smiling.”

At her words, Nhiria’s enchanting smile returned, captivating everyone in the hall.

Her beauty was unparalleled in the galaxy, and even the Paragons, men and women alike, could not help but be drawn to her radiance.

"Generous, isn’t he?” Nhiria’s eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Most prodigies are spoiled, selfish creatures. But this one? Mature, kind, even charming in his own way. How could I not smile?" Her gaze softened as she added, “He reminds me of the best parts of all of you, your curiosity, your determination, and your capacity for growth.”

Her gaze shifted to Agorath, the Second Paragon, who shared Sokram’s traits, such as his golden-brown dark skin, ashen-white hair, and silvery eyes.

The 2-meter-tall dragon in human form smiled humbly at her.

“He reminds me of the young Agorath,” Nhiria continued, her tone fond. “Sometimes, he even reminds me of Eliora, helping people in her village before she became a Paragon.”

Her eyes returned to Mentyr, and she smirked knowingly. “His mischievousness reminds me of you when you were his age. Although he doesn’t show interest in spreading gossip, he’s a prankster at heart.”

Her gaze then turned distant, as if she were looking through the galaxy itself to where Sokram stood. “But his learning ability… that amazes me.”

“True,” Mentyr agreed, her tone thoughtful. “But I wasn’t talking about that. He wants to claim your bloodline for himself. You heard it, milady, and yet you smiled. Do you think he deciphered the codex he found inside that glove? He did thoroughly analyze it before Hannah took it away.”

Nhiria chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “No need to try and read through me, Mentyr. You know it doesn’t work, at least not on me. But yes, as impossible as it sounds, I believe he might have deciphered in a few years what took you two hundred.”

Mentyr raised an eyebrow, a playful grin tugging at her lips. “Heh, if I were as gifted as him…”

Nhiria cut her off with a teasing smile. “You would still be a living nightmare to me and the galaxy, and you know it.”

“Maybe I would have turned out differently,” Mentyr mused, her tone light but her eyes serious.

“But what I don’t understand is why you seem so calm about it. If Sokram manages to become a Grey Dragon, the galactic portals will open again, and this time, your siblings won’t be as unprepared as before.”

Her words carried the same worry shared by the others in the hall.

Nhiria stood and walked toward Mentyr, her presence commanding yet gentle. “You worry too much about things that are out of our control, child.”

Mentyr shrugged, her expression softening. “It’s part of who I am, milady.”

Nhiria cupped Mentyr’s face with both hands, her gaze meeting the Princess of the Nether’s. “Then worry about what you can help our galaxy with. Guide him well for me, yes?”

Without waiting for a response, Nhiria planted a kiss on Mentyr’s forehead, drawing jealous glares from most of the others.

Mentyr held Nhiria’s hands and kissed each one before replying, “It shall be so, milady.”

“Great, good girl,” Nhiria said, returning to her throne, she muttered, “My galaxy must evolve, even if it risks my siblings’ wrath.”

As she sat down, her gaze turned back to the galaxy under her protection, her smile lingering.

Back on Sokram's planet, he and his team had just finished off another boar and were about to kill the fourth one when Sokram sensed a Tier 7 Common Male Boar charging at them from the rear.

“Guys! Watch out!” Sokram shouted, raising multiple Earth Walls in the boar’s path.

But the beast ripped through them like paper.

Without hesitation, Sokram charged at it, casting his Dark Lightning.

Appearing on the beast’s left side, Sokram knew magic would be useless this time. Instead, he attacked using a different method.

A black hue enveloped the blade of his katana, outlining its shape like a perfect bold line, Aura Blade.

‘Killing Blade Art – Bloody River: One Slash!’

Sokram aimed to slash through the beast’s heart, but the boar’s momentum and speed suddenly increased.

Still, Sokram managed to cut off one of its left arms.

‘This boar already learned how to use Dash. This is going to be troublesome if I’m not fast,’ Sokram thought.

But then he saw his team, exhausted after killing the fourth boar of the day but determinedly rushing to aid him.

“I’ll hold him back and keep him focused on me. You guys try to do as much damage as you can without becoming a target,” Sokram instructed as the boar lunged at him.

Its clawed hands struck with fury over its lost arm.

Sokram fire-coated his Mana Shield and kept sustained on his left hand, deflecting the blows but being pushed back with each strike.

This defensive style was far from his preferred approach, but that was one of the reasons he stalled on choosing a weapon when he began his training; mastering the basics of every weapon allowed him to become more diverse in cases such as this one.

Kan and Kazzah reached the boar first, their blades flashing as they slashed at its weak spots.

But the beast’s thick hide turned their strikes into shallow cuts, barely drawing blood.

The team’s exhaustion was evident, their movements sluggish but driven by sheer determination.

Lara and Nora flanked the beast, their heavy weapons swinging with all their might, but the blows only seemed to enrage it further.

Whenever Sokram saw the boar’s attention shift away from him, he manipulated the fiery shield to bash against the beast, reigniting its rage as the sensation of being burned infuriated it.

Sokram knew he couldn’t hold out for long.

Each direct strike drained a chunk of his mana.

And while using an Aura technique, he couldn’t breathe in mana properly or circulate his spirit essence without risking a leak of his Chaos energy. His muscles burned with exertion, and his breath came in ragged gasps, but he refused to falter.

‘Just a little longer,’ he thought, his mind racing for a solution.