Azrael, Luo Bingqing, and Elyara moved without making a sound, leaping silently from one tree to another.
The sky had already darkened, but because of the heavy black clouds that loomed above, not a single star or moon could be seen.
"It's about to rain," Luo Bingqing remarked, glancing at the sky.
"It's a rainforest, so it's normal to encounter rain here," Elyara replied while stealing a glance at Azrael. Earlier, he had mentioned that he disliked the rainforest environment, and now that rain was about to fall, she wondered what he was feeling.
Azrael noticed Elyara's gaze, but he didn't comment. Instead, he landed on the branch of a tree ahead and asked, "How long before we reach there?"
Elyara didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned her attention to the small bird perched on her shoulder, which was being protected by a thin layer of cosmic energy.
After communicating with it briefly, she replied, "It's not far from here. We should arrive in ten minutes at most."
Azrael nodded, and the three of them continued moving forward without pause.
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and soon, they finally sensed something.
Because it was night, Luo Bingqing's ability to monitor his surroundings wasn't as sharp as it had been during the daytime.
Still, even with limited vision, he noticed faint traces of a few people through the ice birds he had scattered in the air above.
At the same time, Azrael picked up on distant voices carried faintly through the wind.
"Have you heard? The leader has called back all the core members," A man's voice rang out, filled with excitement.
"What happened?" His companion asked in confusion, unable to understand why his friend sounded so eager.
"I'm not sure, but I heard the leader finally succeeded in whatever he was trying to accomplish. He's summoning all the core members to reward them."
"Reward…" The second man muttered bitterly. "We are nothing more than cannon fodder, glorified delivery men bringing kidnapped people here. Do you really think they'd bother rewarding people like us?"
The first man fell silent, unable to respond. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke again in a low voice.
"Even if we're not core members, we still worked hard to bring all those people here. Even if it's not something great, shouldn't we at least receive a decent reward?"
The second man shook his head and sighed. "I wouldn't get my hopes up. But let's see what happens tomorrow."
Listening to their conversation carried by the wind, Azrael's eyes narrowed further.
'The sense of urgency I felt earlier… Was it because of this?' He thought to himself, trying to piece together the meaning behind the leader's so-called success.
'Could it be that he's managed to overcome the side effects of becoming a Vessel of Corruption and is now planning to turn the core members into one?'
Azrael still remembered that during his Eonrift Trial, Rose had mentioned that if she were to turn him into a Vessel of Corruption, he would be bound to her command.
If this leader of the Transcendent Organization had achieved something similar, then by turning his core members into Vessels of Corruption, not only would he strengthen them, but he would also ensure their absolute obedience. They would become subordinates incapable of defying him.
"Should we inform Major Glen?" Luo Bingqing asked in a low voice once they drew closer to the two men who were speaking.
Their mission was to locate the Transcendent Organization's hideout. Once accomplished, all they had to do was report the location to the security forces, and their task would be complete.
There was no need for them to personally engage the enemy or risk walking into unknown traps.
Elyara didn't answer right away. Instead, she posed a question of her own.
"Can you see their hideout, or are those two the only ones around?"
Luo Bingqing surveyed the area through his ice birds, but after a moment, he shook his head. "I can't see anything except for those two."
"Their hideout must be concealed by a formation," Azrael said as he pulled out the token they had obtained from the epic-level warrior.
The token was carved from a strange piece of black wood, etched with unusual engraved patterns.
"Wait here. I'll go take a closer look," He said before moving forward, his steps silent as a shadow.
In the darkness of the night, his presence became so faint and obscure that it was nearly impossible for anyone to notice him.
"Why does it feel guy's an assassin or something?" Elyara muttered, slightly unsettled by how effortlessly Azrael had vanished.
Luo Bingqing nodded in agreement, wondering if Azrael's class was somehow related to assassination.
Azrael, however, paid no mind to their speculations. He was simply applying techniques Lia had drilled into him during training. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Stealthily, he approached the two men from behind, all while keeping an eye on the token in his hand to see if it reacted.
When he closed the distance to just ten meters, he suddenly halted as he felt the air around the two men felt… strange.
His Infinite Comprehension Trait activated, allowing him to quickly discern the anomaly. The space surrounding the two men was faintly distorted, subtly obscured. To a normal observer, the area blended perfectly with the forest, but to him, it seemed unnaturally off.
'An illusion formation.'
He instantly reached the conclusion and as he took another step forward, the token in his hand gave off the faintest reaction.
'So, their hideout is hidden behind this illusion formation.' Azrael thought to himself.
He looked at the token in his hand and the question Luo Bingqing had asked earlier came to his mind.
'Should we just report this to the security forces and leave the rest to them, or…'
His gaze shifted toward the two men in front of him, eyes narrowing.
After a moment of contemplation, he decided that while they should inform the security forces, he would not simply leave afterward. He would take action alongside them as he wanted to know reason behind the sense of urgency he had felt earlier.
Azrael looked at the two people one last time before turning around.
But just as he turned to head back toward Luo Bingqing and Elyara, that same feeling of urgency surged within him once more—only this time, it was far stronger, pounding in his chest like a warning bell.
It felt as though if he didn't act immediately, it would be too late.
Azrael's expression hardened as the strong sense of urgency washed over him. Trusting the guidance of his Eternal Grade Trait, he swiftly sent a message to Luo Bingqing and Elyara before dashing toward the two men of the Transcendent Organization without the slightest hesitation.