I whisper under my breath.

"No way... Of course..."

Chester smiles and points to one of the more precisely drawn maps on his notebook papers, happily eyeing me as he realizes I'm piecing together the puzzle on my own.

One of the papers has a ring separated into 4 sections labeled 1-4 and a black void in the center of it. He moves it out of the way and points more specifically to a detailed map of Sector 4 with detailed markings.

The drawings show the city of Solara, then a series of structures with notes and descriptions right between the city and the approaching black void. One of the structures is labeled "The Observatory". There's a small map key that outlines the rough distance between points. It's about 10 kilometers off the northeastern border. So, about a few hour-long trek at a moderate speed.

He speaks.

"This right here is the region I was doing research on over the last few weeks before I was kidnapped by the Inner Circle and questioned for days. There's an abandoned stargazing observatory that is atop a large cliff right on the edge of the incoming Abyss."

Arie interrupts.

"Incoming? What do you mean by incoming? And... North... East...?"

Chester interrupts.

"Yes, Northeast. This is the closest portion of the city to the Abyss. With every surge, the darkness grows closer. It's only gotten significantly worse over the last few months. Most of the neighboring villages outside the city were evacuated. We..."

Chester pauses.

"We... have no idea what happens once they're swallowed up."

Arie keeps his cool calculated expression, seemingly not disturbed by this news but thinking hard.

The old man goes on.

"Most of the tests I've been doing have been to find the best way to reverse its spread, but the matter is impossible to manage and has a violent reaction to any magic that interacts with it. The most fascinating discovery so far is that if a person doesn't activate their magic skills and caries no enchanted items, they can walk through like it is heavy air."

I nod, realizing exactly what this substance is.

He continues.

"It isn't harmful to humans as long as no mana interacts with it. Actually, if we take sight and touch out of the equation, the substance is basically not even there. It doesn't show up on any radars and gives off no heat or energy readings no matter what I do. The only problem is the darkness, and increasing density the further we travel in. There have even been rumors of monsters that lurk deep within the Abyss... No one has managed to kill one yet or directly prove their existence, but I've heard one roar with my own ears just a few nights back before I was caught."

Chester stops talking, giving all of us a moment to digest everything he's just said.

To me, it sounds like this abyss is refined and used up Demonic Energy. The properties he's described and the inability for me to sense or absorb it add up. This is the excess energy that is produced from some reaction that happens every time there is a surge.

The monsters he talks about, on the other hand, confuse me quite a bit. For a monster to survive or even thrive in an environment like this, it would need the ability to control its mana output and not react with the energy around it. Meaning they're all at least ranked up beasts. Or, an even more interesting idea, they're not wielding mana at all. Just like the Black Knights. Demonic Creatures.

I point down at the map and finally speak up. The corners of my lips turn up with curiosity.

"So it'll be quite simple. We show up at their meeting spot and rescue Lydia, just like that. If their underlings were this weak, I'm sure the 5 of us can handle their leader."

This is the main plan, after all, I'm just more interested in what lies beyond.

Chester nods slowly, looking down at the silver "002" pin that is still in his hand, then up at all of us.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. As I said before, his underlings are merely pawns in the operation. Considering the rare gear I've seen move through Solara over the years, and the equipment that man had on the one time I had the chance of making his acquaintance, I'd say he's at least on par with all of you."

There's a long pause before he continues.

"Plus, whoever made this artifact must be on another level altogether, it almost feels mythical. If you're positive they'll be at this meeting too. I'm sure they will not go down easily. This pin is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their potential power."

My heart skips a beat at his wording. I interject.

"Mythical... why use that term?"

I swallow as he shrugs and replies.

"No reason. I'm not sure. I've just never seen an artifact of this caliber. It feels as though it's a natural dungeon drop, but it is clearly manmade. The inner circle branding makes that known. The craftsmanship of an item like this is second to none. That is why."

He looks up at me but changes his tone when he sees my confusion.

"All I'm saying is, it's best not to be overconfident in a situation like this. The Inner Circle is known to never fail a request, so don't take them lightly just because you're Elites. This organization is much larger than just Sector 4. There are powerful people in every region of the Dark Continent. More powerful than you, I'm sure of it."

I nod with tightened lips.

"Understood."

The rest of my teammates take his warning to heart as well. We all shift to a much more serious and strategic conversation.

The 6 of us begin to devise a simple plan of action to follow over the next couple of days to prepare for our surprise attack. Taking Chester's words into consideration, all 5 of us will use our strengths to ensure the success of this assault.

We all have simple tasks to carry out.

Maria and Abby will stock up on Mana and HP potions in the city while not being seen by wondering eyes. Their smaller frames will draw less attention, and natural charm may make it easier to interact with the public. They will spy on nearby mercenary bars as well as government buildings to be on the lookout for Association activity, Solaran guards, or any whispers in the underground market. Just to make sure we're not being targeted or found out.

Next, Fisher and Arie are both newly ranked up so they want to get some training in. Both of them have yet to see their full potential in combat, so the two of them will be training in shielding rooms as well as the dungeons at night during their less crowded hours.

Chester explains that it takes roughly 1 bronze to enter an E-Class Dungeon, 10 bronze to enter a D-Class, and 1 silver to enter a C-Class. These aren't exact prices because daily rates change and there are no letter ratings out here in the desert. The rates are low, and the security is even lower. Their dives will be more than enough to turn a profit while training.

The old man has a job of his own too. I take the display case from the Inner Circle office out of my item storage with dozens of magical artifacts, items, and those odd-colored potions. His task is to find potential anonymous buyers for all of it and to make sure combat items helpful to us will be left behind for personal use.

His Appriasial skill may be at a lower rank than mine, but his eye for items and connections in this city are far greater. All items will be run by me before he places them up for auction, just in case.

Finally, my job will be to venture out into the desert and use my long-range perception skills to keep an eye on the observatory. I'll be standing guard to see if anyone enters or leaves the general area. More precisely, I'll be doing some of my own research on the Abyss.

I want to see this phenomenon for myself.

If any unusual activity occurs or oddities in our assignments need to be made known, we report back at Chester's home every night and share our findings.

After delegating responsibilities for tomorrow, all 6 of us fall asleep in the comfort of Chester's cozy living room.

It's going to be a long 3 days ahead of us, but now we have a plan.