Theo stepped out of the Hunter Association building back into the bustling streets of Cairo.
The sun stood high in the sky above him, yet thanks to the special barrier surrounding the city, he didn’t feel a bit too warm.
’’Not too bad,’’ he muttered, glancing at his phone. ’’Seems like Jim’s already arranged a hotel.’’
Thanks to the sandstorm surrounding Petra, they had more than enough time.
It didn’t take long before Theo arrived at the hotel.
As soon as he stepped inside, he spotted two familiar faces standing near the reception.
’’Theo!’’ Jim called out, waving him over.
Beside him, Iris nodded in his direction, her expression already much lighter than before.
Theo chuckled lightly as he approached them.
’’It took a bit longer than expected,’’ he said. ’’But everything’s been taken care of.’’
’’Meaning?’’ Jim asked, immediately growing curious.
Theo glanced around the lobby for a moment.
Several hunters loitered around everywhere, not to mention the dozens of civilians.
’’Let’s head up to our rooms first,’’ he said, his voice low.
The two of them immediately nodded.
A minute later, the three stepped into the elevator together.
’’How’s Lyra doing now?’’ Theo asked, glancing at Iris.
’’Much better,’’ Iris replied softly. ’’Half an hour ago, she was sleeping peacefully with her head resting on Owen’s hospital bed.’’
Theo let out a small sigh of relief.
’’That’s good to hear.’’
Before long, the three stepped out of the elevator and made their way down the hallway.
Jim stopped in front of one of the doors before pulling a keycard from his pocket.
Beep!
The door clicked open.
’’Finally,’’ he muttered exhaustedly as he pushed the door open. ’’We can rest properly.’’
Theo followed him inside, his eyes darting around the place.
The room was far larger than he’d expected, with a spacious living area connected to several bedrooms.
Massive glass windows were everywhere, allowing them to see the bustling streets below and the horizon far ahead.
’’Fancy,’’ Theo said, nodding slowly.
’’Right?’’ Jim replied casually as he tossed the keycard onto the counter.
Without hesitation, he dropped down on the couch, his gaze locking onto Theo.
Theo sat down opposite him.
A thick black folder flashed into existence between his fingers.
Jim immediately sat upright again.
’’So that’s the information on Petra?’’
Theo nodded.
’’The Hunter Association’s latest report,’’ he replied, placing it on the table. ’’I figured we’d all go through it together.’’
Jim and Iris both leaned forward curiously.
Theo opened the folder right away and flipped to the last few pages.
’’Let’s start with the most important information first,’’ he said. ’’There’s been a sandstorm active for an entire week now.’’
He paused for a moment. ’’And it’s expected to continue for another three weeks.’’
Jim’s eyes widened immediately.
’’Isn’t that lucky,’’ he muttered. ’’I’m guessing no one’s been able to go in there yet then?’’
Nodding slowly, Theo couldn’t help but smile.
’’We’ve been very lucky,’’ he said. ’’According to the report, every expedition has been forced to turn back and wait.’’
Jim let out a relieved breath before leaning back into the couch.
’’That definitely takes the pressure off.’’
’’For now,’’ Theo replied. ’’But once Owen is awake, I think we should head over there right away.’’
Both Iris and Jim nodded.
After that, they went through the rest of the report together, including the known organizations gathering around Petra and the several notable hunter teams.
By the time they closed the report, all three of them had a much darker expression on their faces.
’’Twenty-five thousand hunters...’’ Iris repeated quietly. ’’I can’t believe there are that many people going...’’
’’Not to mention all those massive organizations and influential families...’’ Jim followed up speechlessly.
Theo quietly closed the folder before leaning back into the couch.
’’It’s going to be a bloodbath,’’ he said grimly. ’’I doubt more than a tenth will make it into Petra itself.’’
Of the twenty-five thousand hunters, most were just ordinary people hoping for a bit of luck.
Only just over a thousand were actually strong and belonged to special groups.
But even just that was an astronomical number.
Jim slowly rubbed the back of his neck.
’’So...’’ he muttered. ’’We’re basically walking into a minefield filled with Gold Core hunters.’’
’’Yes,’’ Theo answered without hesitation. ’’But there’s no need to worry.’’
A wide smile grew on his face.
’’We have three more weeks to grow stronger after all.’’
Jim couldn’t help but stare strangely at him.
’’What the hell are three weeks going to do?’’ he asked.
Theo simply shrugged.
’’More than you’d think.’’
Letting out a helpless sigh, Jim simply waved him off.
’’I’ll believe it when I see it.’’
...
The rest of the day passed quickly.
After checking in on Owen and Lyra once more, the group finally returned to the hotel to get some much-needed rest.
Even most of the next day was spent inside their hotel rooms, each only focused on cultivating and training.
But as night approached, a familiar blue window popped up in front of Theo’s eyes.
[Would You Rather Cooldown: 00:40:23]
Theo quietly stared at the window for a few seconds.
A small smile gradually appeared on his face.
’’Perfect timing...’’ he mumbled. ’’It feels like I haven’t had one of these in weeks.’’
Anticipation and curiosity filled his eyes for a moment.
Finally, he crossed his legs on the bed once more.
Closing his eyes, he slowly began circulating mana toward his core’s walls again.
Time slowly ticked by.
Theo didn’t let his curiosity take over and steadily continued improving his core.
Just looking at his core, which had turned more than two-thirds gold now, he knew it wouldn’t take much longer.
Eventually, Theo slowly opened his eyes.
Right at that moment, a large golden window popped up in front of him.
[Would You Rather—]
Choose two options.
...
As the options appeared on the panel, Theo’s eyes slowly grew wider.
’’What in the world is this?’’ he muttered.