The captain walked ahead, with Kogan following behind him, his expression grim.
'On his first day here, he will reach the first rank.'
'I couldn't tell him that his treatment cost 200 essence. That means he refined at least two thousand first-rank essence.'
The captain felt deeply unsettled. Granting ten thousand essence to a stranger in a single day was almost an insult to his decades of service.
More importantly, he wanted to conceal Kogan's strength as much as possible. It wasn't Kogan's rapid advancement to the first rank that bothered him—it was the fact that the ruler had already found out about it.
Previously, he had a rather clever plan. If he wanted to carry out something dangerous and forbidden, all he had to do was send Kogan—the weak one—to do it.
That way, when an investigation took place, he would be completely out of suspicion since he would be in a public place, visible to everyone.
And Kogan, the one who actually did it, would also be beyond suspicion, simply because he was seen as weak and deficient.
And more importantly, the burden of the curse and sin would be divided, making it far less severe.
But now, Kogan has nearly reached his level.
His young partner, who could have served as a cover for Kogan's strength, had been kidnapped. And the duo assigned to watch over Kogan had been separated forever.
His perfect plan fell into the volcano's crater and evaporated.
After walking for a short while, they had not left the palace yet; instead, they headed toward another hall.
A large silver metal gate stood before them, guarded by four sentries—two men and two women—all of them first-rank warriors.
"Wait for me here." The captain signaled Kogan to stop.
Kogan halted in place, watching as the captain walked away.
"Hello."
"Hi."
The captain exchanged greetings with the guards.
They were all at the same power level—the first rank—but no one ever disclosed how far they had advanced beyond that.
Revealing such information could attract the greed of others, potentially leading to battles and unnecessary losses.
By keeping it a secret, no one would dare to gamble on attacking.
What if they attacked someone who was actually at a higher level with far more essence?
Wouldn't that be suicide?
That's why they only revealed their advancement after reaching the second rank—because by then, no one would dare to attack them.
The guards opened the gate for Rai Kang, having already been informed by the ruler.
A vast hall, illuminated in shades of white, crimson, and yellow.
At the far end of the hall, three large glass containers were mounted on the wall, encased in a metal stronger than steel.
What was this metal made of? Third-rank essence.
Even the current ruler, who could shatter a mountain with a single punch, couldn't leave a scratch on this metal or its barrier—because he had yet to reach the third rank.
On each container, ten crystals were fixed vertically.
The first container had all its white crystals lit up. On the second, only six pale gray crystals were glowing. As for the third container, all its crystals remained dark.
Each container held essence of a different rank, and the glowing crystals indicated the amount stored inside.
The first-rank essence was completely full, as it was relatively easy to obtain compared to the higher ranks.
Meanwhile, the third-rank essence was entirely depleted.
Numerous pipes extended from each container along the walls, running through the structure. Other pipes were connected to three machines, functioning as dispensers or automated essence withdrawers.
The entire hall was advanced compared to the outside world.
Five individuals were stationed inside, responsible for distribution. They, too, were at the first rank.
Rai Kang stepped toward one of the dispensers. With the approval of one of the attendants, he placed both hands on the designated area.
The device emitted a white light that seeped into Rai Kang's body.
First-rank essence began flowing into him.
A wave of euphoria washed over him as a massive amount of essence surged into his body—ten thousand essence, enough to push him to the next level.
After a long period of time, it was finally over.
The gate opened, and Rai Kang stepped out of the hall, heading toward Kogan.
"Let's go." He gestured to Kogan with his hand.
They stepped out of the central palace and into the street.
After walking for a while, they arrived at the captain's home.
The house was made of wood reinforced with essence, making it far more durable and resistant to decay.
The captain lived there with his partner—who was also his wife—and their fourteen-year-old son.
Rai Kang and Kogan entered the house and made their way to a private equipment storage room.
Since this matter was highly confidential, it had to be done in a secure place, away from prying eyes.
Later that night, while lying on the bed, the captain might tell his wife about it.
"Sit." He gestured for Kogan to take a seat.
Once Kogan sat down, Rai Kang brought another chair and sat behind him.
Transferring essence had never been such a serious matter before, but given the massive amount involved, the process of transferring and refining it would take time—assuming Kogan even knew the basics of essence refinement.
But unfortunately, he knew nothing about it.
Rai Kang placed his palms on Kogan's back.
Essence transfer didn't require direct skin contact—only the absence of a special barrier. A simple layer of fabric wouldn't be an issue.
"This will take a long time."