Morning had arrived.

A young man sat slouched on a garden bench within the Virellano family estate — Al.

The traces of fatigue were obvious on his face. Dark shadows hung beneath his eyes, swollen and heavy, as if sleepless nights had taken permanent residence there. The past three days had been nothing short of relentless — endless movement, decisions, and subtle battles that offered little room for rest.

In the end, his body was still that of a seventeen-year-old. A youth forced to endure the workload and mental strain of a fully grown man. It wasn't that he demanded extra sleep or comfort, but even so, it was far too early for his body to be pushed past its natural limits.

He had already arrived at the construction site.

Across the area, workers were scattered around, preparing their tools and exchanging morning chatter.

The renovation on the main building had drained most of their stamina yesterday — yet, strangely enough, the generous sum of money transferred by Al seemed to have become a mysterious source of energy. Their tiredness was gone, replaced by a sort of fueled enthusiasm only wealth could buy.

"Haaah…" Al exhaled, stretching his legs a little as he leaned forward. "Why does time always move so fast when you wish it would slow down… and crawl so painfully slow when you want it to go faster?" he muttered, his voice carrying the weight of sleepy frustration.

He rose lazily from the bench, rubbing his face a few times as if to scrub the sleep off his skin. After a small stretch and one last long sigh, he began walking toward the group of workers.

The workers noticed his approach immediately. They paused from their tasks to bow respectfully, even though they had already greeted him earlier when they first arrived.

"Young Master," they chorused almost in unison, their tone filled with a mixture of respect and gratitude.

Al responded with a casual nod, returning the greeting with a mild, easygoing expression.

"How are the preparations going?" he asked in a calm voice.

"For now," replied Mudi, the foreman, wiping his hands on his vest, "we're just about to set up the barricades around the perimeter. Should we make them taller, so no one can peek in when we start digging later, Young Master?"

Al paused, his gaze drifting briefly across the site.

"Hmm… it's not really necessary," he murmured after a moment. "But if it doesn't slow your work down too much, then go ahead. Better safe than sorry, I suppose."

Mudi chuckled lightly, his lips curling in a confident smile.

"Don't worry, Young Master. We're professionals. What's a little extra effort compared to the payment you've given us? Heheh. Besides, this job turned out to be a lot less complicated than we expected after analyzing the blueprint you designed yourself."

Several other workers nodded enthusiastically in agreement — including the man who had clashed with Al the day before.

Al's eyes slid toward him for a second, unreadable, before turning back to the group.

"Good," he said quietly. "I'll be counting on you all, then. Just make sure no debris or traces of construction fly beyond the area. The rest… leave that to me. No one outside will ever realize what you're really building here."

"Understood, Young Master," Mudi replied, his tone resolute.

Al gave a brief nod, signaling the end of the discussion. The workers dispersed once more, returning to their stations with renewed focus.

But as they did, none of them noticed the faint motion of Al's hands. He raised both palms slightly, and an invisible pulse of energy rippled outward — a subtle wave that spread to every worker present.

A few seconds later, the reaction came.

Several men froze mid-step, startled by a sudden electric-like jolt that ran through their bodies. Some gasped, others winced, rubbing their arms or shoulders as a tingling numbness crawled up their skin.

"What the—? Did anyone else feel that?" one worker exclaimed.

"Yeah! My body just… jolted out of nowhere!" another replied, half-nervous, half-bewildered.

"Did you guys feel it too? Don't tell me you're just messing with me!" one of the workers exclaimed, his brows furrowing as he rubbed his forearm where the strange sensation still lingered.

"Messing with you? I nearly jumped out of my skin, man!" another worker shot back, shaking his arm as if trying to shake the electricity off.

"Seriously, what was that? You all felt it too, right?" added another, scanning his coworkers for reassurance.

Dozens of heads nodded in quick agreement, their chatter growing louder and more chaotic by the second.

Then, the man who had argued with Al the day before spoke up, his tone oddly serious.

"I'm telling you, this might be connected to that viral news."

"What news? You mean the explosion in the sky early this morning?" someone asked, eyes widening.

The man nodded with conviction.

"Yeah, that one. Makazhar's been going crazy about it all day, right? I'm telling you, this could be related. Some say it was aliens, others say it was supernatural. Either way—something's not normal here."

For reasons no one could quite explain, his confident tone immediately infected the group. One by one, the workers nodded, their expressions morphing from confusion to awe, as if his absurd reasoning suddenly made perfect sense.

Apparently, all it took to convince them was a firm tone and a sprinkle of confidence.

From a distance, Al could only press his palm to his forehead, sighing quietly to himself.

These people... he muttered inwardly. Still, I didn't expect that energy burst to affect the surrounding reality that strongly. I'll have to look deeper into the essence of that artifact.

With that thought, he turned away, leaving the workers to resume their duties.

After that, the rhythmic sounds of hammering, drilling, and metal clanging filled the air. Sheets of steel, hardwood planks, and stone blocks were stacked and arranged in precision around the perimeter of the square plot where an old structure had once stood.

Within a few hours, a solid ten-meter wall had risen—thick, stable, and towering. From outside, it was impossible to see what lay beyond.

The secrecy of the site was now ensured—reinforced not only by the physical wall but also by the illusionary barrier Al had cast over it. With that, the construction of his special project officially began.

---

Evening soon arrived.

The once energetic workers were beginning to tire. Sweat soaked through their shirts, their shoulders heavy and backs hunched, yet they continued to move with the steady rhythm of professionals who knew their pay was worth every drop of effort.

Al arrived not long after returning from school. The moment he stepped into the site, his sharp eyes scanned every detail—the formation of the ground, the progress of the excavation, the placement of materials.

A massive pit now dominated the center of the area, surrounded by carefully positioned machinery and stacks of building supplies. Though the tools and heavy equipment were all visible from within, anyone observing from outside the fence would see nothing but a dull, uninteresting construction site.

The illusion barrier had taken effect—outsiders who glanced toward it would instinctively look away, their minds dismissing the place entirely as if hypnotized to find it irrelevant.

"They're fast," Al murmured, dropping onto a garden chair nearby.

His gaze lifted toward the fading orange sky. The sun was beginning to dip, casting long, slanted shadows across the tall barrier walls. From the outside, it appeared like any ordinary renovation project. But inside... something entirely different was taking shape.

Soon, the workers wrapped up for the day. They sat scattered around the site, catching their breath, sipping water, and exchanging tired laughter. Their shirts were drenched, their faces streaked with dust—but beneath it all was unmistakable satisfaction.

The enormous pit gaped in the middle of the area—just as Al had instructed. Deep, cleanly carved, reinforced with stone and concrete along the edges. From above, it looked like a colossal basin waiting to be filled with secrets.

"Modern construction technology really is incredible," Al murmured, almost admiringly. "No magic involved, yet with drilling rigs, lifters, and proper planning, something this large can be finished in just a few hours."

He tilted his head slightly, lips curling faintly. "If ordinary workers with manual tools tried this, they wouldn't even be halfway done by now."

Not wanting to disturb them, Al quietly walked toward the pit. He crouched at the edge, glancing down with a thoughtful nod. None of the workers seemed to notice his presence at that moment—as if a veil of subtle concealment surrounded him.

Then, without a sound, he leapt down. His descent was effortless—silent, like a shadow landing on solid stone.

The ground beneath was firm, exactly as designed. The construction formula he'd drawn up had worked perfectly, and the workers' execution was precise. But that wasn't what he had come to inspect.

His eyes drifted toward a smaller hollow section at the base of the pit—an area deliberately left untouched as per his instructions. A narrow hole yawned open there.

Even after digging this deep, the energy still feels like it's coming from further below... interesting, he thought.

Placing his palm on the ground, Al channeled a wave of detection magic. His energy spread downward like ripples through water—sliding deeper and deeper into the earth.

"…It should be closer than this," he murmured. "Just a few meters more."

Then, suddenly—his eyes narrowed.

"Found it."

A faint vibration ran through his hand. The energy below pulsed, stronger and clearer than before—its resonance undeniable.

"My calculation was right. The depth is enough. I'll handle the rest myself," he said in a calm, measured tone.

He knew the limits. Asking the workers to dig further would be senseless—structurally unsafe, and far too suspicious. The ratio between depth and width would collapse the ground, and the last thing he needed was unnecessary attention.

With one fluid motion, Al sprang out of the pit, landing lightly on the surface as gracefully as a cat hopping onto a table.

He then approached the workers and handed each of them a cold can of coffee he'd brought earlier—one for everyone.

"You guys love coffee, right? Figured I'd bring some," he said with a faint, teasing grin. "Anyway... thanks for today."

The men blinked, surprised. It was rare—almost unheard of—for a client, especially one so young, to personally hand out drinks like that. But deep down, they knew it wasn't pure kindness. There was a playful edge in his tone—almost mocking, though not malicious.

The man who had previously argued with Al looked especially awkward. He scratched the back of his head, bowing slightly as he accepted the can.

"Thanks, Young Master... and sorry about before," he muttered, half to himself. He silently promised he wouldn't act so arrogantly again.

As the evening settled in, the last streaks of sunlight faded from the horizon. The workers began to pack up, their laughter slowly dissolving into the cooling air. The site grew quiet again—calm on the surface, but beneath that calm... something vast was being set in motion.

Behind the tall illusionary fence, above the deep, freshly-dug pit, under the calm, unreadable smile of a young man who seemed to care about nothing... a new mystery was quietly taking shape—one that not even the mighty Virellano family had begun to suspect.

---

Night fell.

The main house of the Virellano family was silent now. The servants had retreated to their rooms, the lights dimmed to soft amber glows, leaving only the silver sheen of moonlight draping across the estate.

This was the moment Al had been waiting for. He had an appointment with a man named Basri tonight.

Dressed casually, he slipped out of the main building with light, measured steps, heading first toward the construction site surrounded by the towering fence. There was something he wanted to check before meeting Basri.

But then—

"Hmm? What's a young man like you doing out here at this hour?"

A voice rang out from above the pile of stone near the barrier.

Al's head snapped up. A man was standing there, hands on his hips, eyes narrowing as he looked down at him.

Al froze, his body tensing for the briefest second. Of all people, of all places—he hadn't expected to meet this person here.

And in that instant, the quiet night seemed to grow heavier, the air between them thick with unspoken tension.

---

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