The Epic Gauntlet, now a deep, venous black on my wrist, felt less like an accessory and more like a limb. The Crimson Lich Essence, coupled with the strategic essences I had acquired, stabilized my power to a level that officially bypassed Rank A. On paper, I was a Rank C hunter focused on Rare-rank missions. In reality, I had initiated the starting phase of true power accumulation.
I returned to the Hunter Barracks, ignoring the envious, cautious glances of the higher-rank hunters. The low-level grind was finished. The focus was now on two specific, interconnected objectives that would solidify my position and maximize my resources: Absolute Dungeon Dominance and Calculated Leverage.
---
The Vigan Guild's decision to impose a rigid 48-hour respawn timer on Yellow Gate (Rare-rank) dungeons was a catastrophic strategic blunder. They thought they were controlling the flow of power; they had simply created a predictable, high-yield farm for me.
My schedule became relentless. I executed the Polaris Ursus clear every two days, precisely on the 48th hour. The fight was no longer a test; it was a resource harvest. I used a minimal, focused blast of Lich Soulfire (my new offensive core) to melt the ice armor and a subsequent Gorgon kinetic pulse to shatter the core. The entire process was reduced to under twenty minutes.
I didn't absorb the Polaris Ursus Essence anymore. That was the essence of a Rare brute, and my Epic Gauntlet rejected the excess energy. Instead, I collected the purified Polaris Ursus Essence in specialized containers and stored the extremely valuable Ice Plate Cards in my Shadow Locket Ring.
This systematic farming achieved three immediate goals:
Unlimited Funds: The Ursus Ice Plates and Essence were sold back to the Guild for exorbitant sums, providing me with unlimited Guild Scrip to purchase any remaining utility cards or bribe any low-level officials.
Reputation as Godsend: My consistent, effortless clearing of the high-value Polaris Ursus monster—a creature that terrified Rank B teams—made me indispensable to Vigan's economy. The Guild Master could not touch me without crippling the city's resource supply.
Targeting the Epic: I began researching the single active Red Gate (Epic-rank) dungeon in Vigan: the Ashen Keep. According to the Guild's official, predictable schedule, its boss, the Volcanic Chimera, would respawn on a seven-day cycle. I began counting the hours.
---
I deliberately kept the Guild Master's smuggling map a secret. I had the leverage, but I hadn't used it. This neutrality was a powerful psychological tool.
The Guild Master, furious at the raid but terrified of exposure, was left in limbo. He didn't know who had raided the vault, only that it was done with incredible tactical precision and absolute discretion. Since I was the only hunter operating with such overwhelming efficiency in the city, he could only suspect me.
This suspicion forced him into inaction. He could not confront me, hire assassins, or restrict my dungeon access without risking the immediate leak of the smuggling route map and the full inventory I had recorded.
My rise was now secured by two powerful forces: unmatched utility (the Epic Gauntlet) and perfect blackmail (the map). I was just beginning to accumulate the true power I needed for the inevitable confrontation with Commander Salazar and the wider forces beyond Vigan.
The foundation was laid. The ascent had begun.