After breakfast, I slowly began walking toward my room. My feet were moving on their own, but my mind… was tangled somewhere else. All the events of the past two days were connecting together and spinning in front of me. Roman Blackwood's party. That strange attack. The symbol on Narco's neck. And that Paragon whose presence had knocked out the entire palace. Everything… felt connected. I reached my room. I gently closed the door and without wasting any time, called Den. He immediately came out from his place and looked at me. I told him everything, step by step. The party at Roman Blackwood's house the night before last. What all happened there. How a boy, who was calling himself Roshan Roshan, suddenly entered the party. In his hand was an extremely dangerous Hallowed. A Rudraksha garland with eight Rudraksha beads. And how, by touching those Rudraksha, he was able to use different abilities. A massive domain. A Red Moon rising in the sky. And then—using that—an entire army of Zombies. I told Den that Roshan had come with the intention of killing everyone present there. And how Royal Light and Narco somehow managed to stop him. But the story didn't end there. I also told him how, after losing, Roshan transformed into a monster. And then how we were evacuated from there. Finally, I told Den about the symbol carved on Narco's neck.
While listening to everything, Den remained completely calm. His red eyes were fixed on my face, but there was no surprise in them. As if he had already understood quite a lot. After staying silent for a few moments, he said, "Look," his voice serious, "the attack at the party the night before last cannot be the work of any group." "No evil or secret group," Den continued, "would attack the capital so openly." "It draws far too much attention." He slightly shook his head. "This was the work of an individual. Just one man." Then he spoke about the Hallowed. "The Hallowed you're describing," Den said, "could be a high-ranking Fluctuant Class." "Shortened as A.F Class." Den didn't stop. "But," he said, "there's another possibility as well." I looked at him. "That Hallowed could also be Cataclysmic Class." Called "A.C Class" for short. Silence filled the room. Roshan's image surfaced in my mind again. Eight Rudraksha. Red Moon. An army of Zombies. If that really was an A.C Class Hallowed… then this matter was far bigger than I had imagined.
Den looked at me and then slowly started speaking. This time, there was a faint seriousness in his voice. "The symbol you saw on Narco's neck," he said, "is not an ordinary mark." "But," he immediately added, "it's also not a symbol that poses any direct danger to Narco—or to you." I let out a small sigh of relief. Den explained, "The fight Narco fought that night cost him a massive amount of Aurum." "And when a Paragon's Aurum is depleted or unstable," his eyes deepened, "evil DTs can attempt to corrupt them." Images from that night flashed through my mind again. Den continued, "So it's very possible that a Church placed that seal on Narco's neck." He said clearly, "That symbol is a protective seal." "Until Narco fully recovers his Aurum," Den said, "this seal will protect him from any kind of indirect corruption." I listened silently. Then Den mentioned a Church. "My guess is," he said, "that this seal was placed by the Church of Void Moon." I looked toward the wall and stayed silent for a few moments. Narco was safe. Then Den looked at me and continued talking about that Paragon. His voice was calm, but the words were heavy. "In my opinion," Den said, "the Paragon who came to the palace… belonged to the Church of Void Moon as well." I stared at him without blinking. "And if my guess is correct," he continued, "then he was a Cipher pathway Paragon." Den said the next part casually. "At the very least, that Paragon was Sequence 4." "Sequence 4…?!" Only one thought echoed in my head—damn, that's insane. A Paragon of such a high sequence personally coming to the palace and using mind magic. Suddenly, another question arose inside me. I looked at Den and asked without hesitation, "If he used mind magic… then why didn't it affect you or Heater?" Den looked at me as if he had been expecting this question. Then he explained, "Because that Paragon didn't use high-level mind magic." I listened carefully. "That mind magic," Den said, "only fully works on normal humans." "It directly interferes with their minds—suppressing memories, erasing memories, knocking them unconscious." Den continued, "Yes, Paragons whose Aurum isn't fully stable yet are also affected." "But," his voice hardened slightly, "deep manipulation of their memories isn't possible." "Still," he said clearly, "some effect always remains." I nodded lightly. "But," Den said while looking at me, "it didn't affect me or Heater—" he paused. "Because both of our Aurum is quite stable." Hearing that, a strange irritation rose inside me. I thought to myself—so their Aurum is more stable than mine? That means they're stronger than me too? A faint sting spread inside. I admitted honestly—yes… I was feeling jealous. And just then, Den looked at me. His eyes held their usual calm, but this time there was also a subtle, serious warning mixed in. He was about to speak—and I sensed that what he was going to say next would be important.
Den looked at me and spoke in a completely serious tone. "To cultivate Aurum," he said, explaining the method, "you must do it continuously for 20 minutes." I started listening carefully. "During this process," Den said clearly, "you must not come into contact with any kind of disturbance." His eyes locked onto mine. "If your focus breaks during cultivation—or if any external disturbance occurs—it can cause distortion in your Aurum." "And if distortion happens," "you could lose control." Hearing that, I felt slightly nervous. For a moment, complete silence filled the room. "That's why," he continued, "this process must always be done with great care." Then Den began explaining the method of Aurum cultivation. "When you cultivate," his voice was slow and steady, "imagine a tree inside your mind." I closed my eyes. "That tree is called the Aurum Tree," Den said. "It is the power source of every Paragon." Slowly, an image of a massive tree formed in my mind. "You don't need to do much," Den said. "Just go near that tree… and sit beneath it." I tried to feel everything along with his words. "Now," he continued, "focus on your Aurum." "Think about how your Aurum is flowing inside your body." My breathing slowed naturally. "And also feel," Den said, "how the ingredients that made you a Paragon are slowly being properly digested inside your body." That strange sensation stirred inside me again. "Just stay in this state," Den said, "for 20 minutes." "After that," he explained, "slowly come out of that state." "Once you do that," he said immediately, "your cultivation will be complete." I opened my eyes and looked at Den. "And yes," he added, "you must do this process every day." "At least 20 to 25 minutes daily." His voice was full of certainty. "If you do this," Den said, "you will gradually adapt well to Sequence 1." I listened silently. Inside me, there was fear—and excitement.
After receiving all this information from Den, I quietly went to my bed. I folded my legs into a cross-legged position and began slowly stabilizing my breathing. My entire focus was now on one thing—Aurum cultivation. I closed my eyes and replayed every word Den had said, one by one, in my mind. The next moment, it felt as if my consciousness separated from my body. When I "opened my eyes," I found myself standing in a strange yet peaceful place. In front of me was an enormous tree. Its trunk looked thick and ancient, and its branches spread far and wide. From the branches flowed tendrils made of Aurum, like green veins floating in the air. Inside those tendrils, faint green Aurum particles were constantly flowing. They glowed softly, as if the tree itself was breathing. On one thick branch hung something like an ordinary fruit—but it wasn't ordinary. Its color was yellow, and inside it, faint lightning-like flashes were running through it. I understood—it wasn't a fruit, but the symbol of my Sequence 1 – Thunder Nature. I didn't think much. I calmly walked beneath the tree and sat down. My spine was straight, my breaths deep and controlled. I focused on my Aurum. Slowly, I began to feel movement inside my body. Aurum started flowing through me—like a warm yet soothing current passing through my veins. I could clearly feel it merging with my bones, my blood, and the ingredient inside me. The Aurum tendrils connected to the tree began to glow brighter. They became more radiant than before, connecting with each other, and the already connected tendrils grew stronger. The entire environment filled with a strange sense of peace and power. I stayed there—without any sense of time. There was only the flow of Aurum. After some time, I felt that I had cultivated for the duration Den had instructed. Then I did exactly as he had said. Without any haste, I slowly began to exit that state. My eyes opened. I was back in my room. Everything was the same—the bed, the walls, the silence of the room. But inside me, something had changed. I took a deep breath and smiled faintly. Aurum cultivation was complete. And I could clearly feel that I was now a little more stable than before.