Up in the observatory, I sense the mana readings of two humans.

Although I'm a great distance away, I still instinctually hide with stealth and drop down closer to the desert floor for cover after the events that unfolded just over an hour ago in the Abyss.

To my surprise, the two readings are both between levels 300 and 330.

My gaze tightens, and I start to drift closer again. One has a swordsmanship skill, and the other has an extreme speed buff skill of 35%. These are fairly common combat skills... but considering their levels, these two are far from amateurs.

They could be grunts for the Inner Circle, but they don't wear those fancy pins. So, possibly they're Solaran guards tasked with searching the abandoned observatory to collect equipment they missed during the evacuation. My guess is the former. Either way, this is very suspicious and worth my while to check out.

My only task for the last few days has been to keep an eye on the town and observatory; I should take it seriously now that there's actually something going on.

Lower levels below 400, like these, can't perceive me while I'm in stealth mode, no matter what; it'd just look and feel like a breeze is passing through when I approach. Especially those with zero perception skills or any signs of mana control.

I continue to drift closer, making my way past the abandoned town and higher into the sky, just to be extra cautious not to turn up any loose sand with my wind-summoning ability.

As I do, a grey pulse of energy flies out from the top of the white dome. It vibrates as it disappears into the Abyss. My eyes track it all the way into the darkness.

I've seen the white dome expel this energy a few dozen times now, but it still makes no sense to me. If I get the chance, I'll have to figure out what that beam really does too. It's not at the top of my priority list but does stick out in the back of my mind.

As I get closer to the white dome up on the hill, the size of the structure starts to become clearer. The observatory is much larger than I initially thought.

At closer inspection, it's a lot more detailed too.

Now that I'm floating up above it, I can see the back that faces the Abyss in full view. Instead of just flat white walls that curve up into a dome on all sides as it appears from the village area, there's a 7-meter wide rectangular opening in the roof.

It starts at the point where the dome begins to curve and stops close right at the top of the structure.

This makes sense. It's where all of the star-gazing gear and technology would point up to the desert sky, facing away from the town.

However, from here it seems the old telescopes and astronomy tech have been stripped out, and new silver magical poles and wires create this oddly shaped sonar device. All of the miscellaneous gear and materials dully glow and pulse with the same grey energy I witnessed earlier. The scattered wires and magical items are charging up a thick metal rod that leads to a clear orb at its top, peeking out from the opening in the roof.

The longer I watch and stare, the more the orb fills with the grey glowing energy. It gets brighter and brighter, almost turning white.

Seconds pass, and it fills to the brim before releasing another crescent of the energy substance out into the darkness. It vanishes again once entering.

I attempt to use my Appraisal skill along with my All-Seeing Eye to understand what this structure is doing, but the readings I get back only confuse me further.

Half of the text boxes show up as blank or question marks, while the other half just show dozens of mana crystals that power up the makeshift device. While attempting to decipher what all the text says, another charged-up pulse flies into the darkness like clockwork.

Meanwhile, the two figures I caught on my radar earlier start to come closer.

I'm over 20 meters in the air above the structure and in my full stealth mode, so there's no way they'd notice me. I drift down closer, landing gently on the roof of the dome of the observatory near the opening. I'm close enough to snoop through the rectangular opening but far enough away that the next pulse of energy won't hit me.

The device is buzzing and humming. It only gets louder the closer I approach, and it grows in volume even greater the closer it is to being fully charged.

One of the worker's voices sounds out through all the noise. I use my heightened senses to make out the words of a young man's voice. He can't be older than his mid-20s by the sound of it.

"Hey, it's about that time again. We have to restock the mana crystals or they'll run out soon."

Another older-sounding raspy voice replies as the device nears its limit, rattling the surrounding roof and supporting beams.

"Yeah, I know. We have to clean up the basement area beneath the shielding once the boss is done too. They're having an important meeting tomorrow morning. Another Sector leader is coming to town."

The buzzing is starting to become unbearable, but I still hear the younger man reply in a surprised yet shaky tone.

"Really? Another leader is coming to Sector 4? No wonder we have the day off tomorrow."

The older man laughs and then starts to speak, but he's cut off by the blast of the sonar beam. Another grey crescent of light shoots off into the dark, foggy Abyss below the cliff area.

It takes a few seconds for the ringing in my ears to cease, but by the time I recover, the two men are already walking away.

The younger one keeps talking in a more relaxed manner now.

"Well, the restock is done. Now we just have to sort that gear and wait for the boss to open the shielding and give the okay to do our cleanup."

The older one replies, talking about what he had for lunch before their voices start fading and the buzzing of the mechanism increases, overwhelming my senses again.

My mind is piecing together their words, but only some things are clicking.

First things first, I have verbal confirmation that we're in the right place. Talking about Sector leaders and this mysterious Boss being here, along with an important meeting scheduled for tomorrow, is a good sign.

Second of all, if my assumptions here are correct, another Inner Circle higher-up is coming to meet here. That's most likely the craftsman, but I won't know for sure until I see for myself. If this is the case, it also means that this number 1 Boss of the Sector 4 Region is not at the top of the food chain.

How interesting.

Puzzled over the new information I've gathered, I sit and wait, letting the blast of energy from the makeshift device shoot off into the Abyss over half a dozen more times.

Then, my perception senses pick up a large mana reading appearing from underground. My All-Seeing Eye perceives a massive door sliding open, shedding new light into the inner workings of the basement of this Observatory.

Just moments ago, this layer of the building was completely invisible.

I try to fathom what's going on, stretching my perception into the new area to search. It's impossible to see anything exactly, but with all the new excess mana floating in the air, I'm able to pick up on the presence of two more people.

I gulp.

Unable to read any of the status features of one of the newly found members, I can only assume they're locked in the same mana-binding cuffs I was trapped in days earlier.

The other reading drops my jaw as the blue text appears in my mind's eye.

_______________________

[Lv. 651]

Active Items:

Enchanted Ring of Protection[IC] [+125% Defense]

Enchanted Ring of Protection[IC] [+125% Defense]

Enchanted Ring of Protection[IC] [+125% Defense]

Platinum Amulet of Protection[IC} [+110% Defense]

Platinum Amulet of Strength[IC] [+100% Strength]

Red Ogre's Ring of Attack [+100% Strength][+100% Speed]

Red Ogre's Gauntlet of Rage [+100% Strength][+100% Speed]

Magma Serpent's Scale [+90% Fire Magic Resistence][+40% All Magic Resistence]

Dark Goblin King's Charm [+10% Mana Control Output]

High-Grade AAA-Class Shielding Artifact [9/10][IC]

Active Skills:

Body Hardening [Legendary Grade]

Extreme Defense [Legendary Grade]

Extreme Strength [Special Grade]

Stealth

Buff:

[Solid Steel Defense]

_______________________

Only one thought comes to mind. This must be the organization's leader; Number 1. The man in charge of the Inner Circle's dealing in Sector 4.