The immediate aftermath of the coup brought a chilling, unsettling calm to Vigan City. I was officially the Controller, operating from Commander Salazar's luxurious, recently vacated residence. The Guild Master became my administrative puppet, signing every document I placed before him, his fear a more reliable contract than any sworn oath.
My first act was not military, but systemic. I used my new authority to access the Guild's research databases, finally confirming the global scope of the change I had noticed. The 48-hour/7-day dungeon timer was indeed a recent, widespread global phenomenon implemented by an unseen, overarching Central Authority. My initial assumption was correct: the world was not static; it was managed. This meant my path to the top would involve confronting not just localized threats, but a massive, organized global structure I knew nothing about.
This knowledge fueled my final internal change: the sublimation of the Crimson Lich Essence.
I spent three days isolated, channeling the enormous power of the Volcanic Chimera Essence (which I still possessed in the vial) and the Epic Lich Essence (already absorbed) into my Epic Gauntlet. The process was brutal, but necessary. I didn't gain a new flashy ability; I gained perfect energy filtration.
The New Essence Configuration: The raw, destructive power of the Lich Soulfire was now tempered by the defensive, cold stability of the Polaris Ursus and the precise kinetic channeling of the Gorgon. My gauntlet could now execute an Epic-rank attack with the energy cost of a Rare-rank move. I was the very definition of efficiency and optimized power.
The most profound change, however, was in my relationship with Juts. He managed the transition with terrified competence, using Salazar's staff and resources to organize the flow of my dungeon loot. He ensured my scheduled Chimera clear remained precisely on time, managing the logistics like a seasoned logistics expert. But the terror was still there, the guilt of Aaliyah's death and the poisoning of Salazar a permanent, visible shadow. He was reliable, but broken. I had the power to conquer the world, but I had permanently damaged the only person I cared about. The price of power was becoming clearer.