"Then why are you here if you find it all… boring?" Vega asked calmly, her tone steady as she tried to understand the subtle shift in Aura's mindset. Her eyes remained sharp, studying the girl before her with measured curiosity.

"Well… to be honest," Aura began, her voice smooth and unhurried, "I personally believed Charles would be enough to win. I already knew about his Spirit King trump card, something I genuinely thought no one could possibly overcome. But it seems my guess was wrong." She continued speaking without so much as a twitch in her expression. "Not only did he lose, but he actually came in fourth, even after using the Spirit King. So, naturally, I became intrigued. Besides," she added casually, "he showed me the entirety of the Starborn Tournament through an illusion ability."

She delivered the explanation without emotion, not bothering to conceal anything, as though transparency was simply her default state.

"So you are basically here for me, Aaaninja, and Lucian," Anthony spoke, nodding slightly as he understood the general idea of it all.

"I wouldn't say I am here for you three," Aura replied with a soft laugh, her blue eyes glinting faintly. "I would say I am simply intrigued to see the three individuals who managed to put Charles down." She paused briefly before adding, "Though personally, I am even more intrigued by the being you summoned, the one who managed to defeat the Spirit King."

Anthony smiled at her final words before responding. "You will have to battle me to find out. So summon something more absurd than the Spirit King, or at least something on his level, if you want to meet the being."

Aura shook her head lightly but chose not to respond any further. Although she wouldn't say it aloud, she was looking forward to the future confrontation. Her ability had already classified Anthony, Vega, and Kingsley as special, and that was without her even meeting Lucian and Aaaninja.

'Sigh… although this is just a boring meeting, I do hope we at least get to witness a battle soon,' she thought to herself with an inward sigh, her expression betraying nothing.

The two teams walked in silence as they continued down the hallway, eventually reaching the residential sector where they were meant to stay. They approached two green doors situated directly opposite each other and came to a stop. They had already been informed that each team was entitled to a single door. The doors that had already been claimed displayed a bright red indicator, while the unclaimed ones shone faintly in green.

"I guess our conversation will be ending here," Anthony said as his eyes settled on the green door in front of him.

"It seems so," Charles replied calmly.

"It was nice meeting you, Vega, Anthony, Kingsley," Aura said, offering a warm, genuine smile.

"Same," Anthony, Kingsley, and Vega replied with an acknowledging nod.

Anthony's gaze shifted toward Bill, who had not uttered a single word throughout their entire interaction. The man hadn't even introduced himself. Anthony eventually tore his attention away from the mysteriously silent figure and turned toward Akira, who had just finished devouring the entire pack of dry kibble with great enthusiasm.

"Food human, more," her child-like, bossy voice commanded as her black eyes met Anthony's sky-blue ones.

Anthony chuckled softly as he glanced at Akira's now-bloated white stomach, which rose and fell with her tiny breaths. She had eaten far more than she should have.

"You need to watch your weight, Akira. You can't be getting fat… and besides, I'm Anthony, not 'food human'," he replied with a shake of his head.

Akira held his gaze for a prolonged moment without saying anything. Then suddenly, as though the conversation had become uninteresting, she yawned widely, her tiny fangs flashing. She curled into a small black ball in Aura's arms and fell asleep instantly, clearly the result of her overfeeding.

Aura simply shook her head with a fond smile. This kind of behavior was typical for Akira, and in her eyes, the little creature was perfect exactly as she was. She didn't bother saying anything to Anthony; she could already tell he seemed to like Akira.

With that, the two teams opened their respective doors and stepped inside.

As Anthony crossed the threshold, he was greeted by a massive living room, an expansive space easily large enough to accommodate more than a hundred people. The interior design was immaculate, with gleaming gemstones embedded into the walls and polished marble flooring reflecting the soft light that illuminated the room.

On the side walls, Anthony saw three additional doors. He hardly needed to guess; he already knew they led to their personal rooms. Without saying a word, he walked toward one, with Vega and Kingsley heading to their respective choices as well.

The rooms, as he quickly discovered, were exactly what they appeared to be: simple yet luxurious chambers. Their opulence was undeniable, exquisite furnishing, flawless textures, and a pristine aesthetic, but they contained nothing beyond that. There were no bathrooms; at their level, such necessities were no longer needed. There were no training rooms, meditation spaces, or additional chambers, just the room itself, which was understandable.

'The walls block senses,' Anthony realized as his Sense Dome expanded toward the neighboring room. He immediately felt a restrictive force, but it was futile. Nothing could truly halt the Sense Dome.

He wasn't attempting to spy on whoever occupied the next room. Rather, he merely wanted to test whether others could potentially spy on them.

'I should still take precautions,' he thought.

With a snap of his fingers, a faintly glowing white barrier appeared, instantly spreading across the walls of every room, above, below, and around, securing their privacy completely.

Anthony lay back on his bed, his thoughts drifting freely. His mind wandered to another gathering, one that had almost resembled this one about to hold in two days: the Starborn Tournament. That experience had been unexpectedly enjoyable.

'I hope this meeting doesn't disappoint,' he thought, his expectations rising.

'I hope those two don't keep me waiting for long,' he mused, thinking of Lucian and Aaaninja.

His thoughts eventually shifted to Aura.

'And it seems another anomaly is in the game… I wonder how strong she is and what her abilities are.'

He was tempted to activate Authority of Information, but ultimately decided to wait. He preferred witnessing things firsthand. If he didn't discover anything by the end of this meeting, only then would he use Authority of Information, on Aura and perhaps even on Akira, the special cat.

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