Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World

By now, Dickenson had also came back.

"Alright enough talk about Xander." Dickenson cut in and then turned towards Caelus with a small irritated smile across his face.

"What reward do you want?"

Since Lunari had personally vouched for them, he wasn’t going to refuse. This would also show his commander that Miss Lunari viewed these two favorably.

Lunari spoke up before Caelus could answer. "An Attribute Slot Rune."

Dickenson’s expression stiffened immediately.

"That... well, that is very hard to get." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I don’t think we have it with us."

His eyes shifted to Caelus with a sharp glare.

Couldn’t this brat ask for something else? Why did it have to be this?

Caelus just flashed him a huge smile and said nothing.

Dickenson sighed heavily. "I’ll go ask. But keep your expectations low for this,"

He walked away to consult with his superiors.

A few minutes later, Dickenson returned with a dejected look on his face.

This expression across his face told Caelus everything he needed to know about this situation.

"We don’t have it."

Lunari nodded understandingly. "Then just an Attribute Slot Cooldown Card will do."

"Preferably one that can reduce the four-day cooldown," Caelus added.

Dickenson looked at him with twitching lips. He let out another long sigh.

"I’ll be right back."

He disappeared down a corridor toward the commander’s office.

Commander Valeria stood behind her desk, arms crossed as she listened to Dickenson’s request.

"I don’t think the others will agree to giving them this," she said firmly. "What if they turn out to be enemies?"

Dickenson shook his head. "Even Miss Lunari has a good impression of them. I think it’s time you stop being so paranoid, Commander Valeria."

Valeria’s eyes narrowed at his words. She studied him for a long moment before finally relenting.

"Fine." Her tone carried a warning edge. "You still remember your words, right, Dickenson? If they do something wrong, you’ll be the one taking responsibility."

Dickenson nodded without hesitation. "Okay."

He was not someone who will go back on his words. He planned on taking full responsibility for Caelus, someone who he considered as his own brother. Naturally, he would also take care of Sylvia Reign along with it since she was his girlfriend.

"Fine, Whatever. you can give it to them," Valeria finally said, waving him off. "But remember, don’t tell anyone else about it. Keep it between us."

While Dickenson was away, Caelus turned to Lunari with a question on his mind.

"Where do these Corruption Zones come from?"

Lunari’s expression grew serious. "I don’t know much, but they’re connected to something called a Hollow Beast. A pure-bred Hollow that wreaks havoc across civilization."

She leaned forward slightly. "I don’t know if it’s true or not, but these Corruption Zones are actually the remains of players and people the Hollow Beast had once devoured."

"Some even say that with their cleansing powers, they get skills, Combat Score, and even other things that once belonged to those old players."

"I myself have gotten a few while cleansing the corruption zones here."

Caelus frowned deeply upon hearing this.

This was the same as the Spatial Rift he had entered before. There, the remains of the players were used as buffs to defeat the monster.

It couldn’t be a coincidence.

And that eye that constantly monitored him and the others during rift formations.

Could that actually be the Hollow Beast?

Everything was starting to make sense now.

"Where can we find the Hollow Beast?" Caelus asked.

Lunari chuckled softly. "If we knew that, we wouldn’t be sitting here in this lounge. we’d be out there fighting it instead."

Caelus fell silent at her words. But now things were becoming clearer in his mind.

Dickenson returned shortly after, a small card glowing faintly in his hand.

"This can remove that four-day cooldown," he said, handing it to Caelus.

Caelus smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

He tucked the card away safely. "We should get going. I need to visit my mother and father."

He turned to Lunari. "If you have any news about Xander, please let me know."

Lunari brightened at this. "How about we exchange contacts?"

Before Caelus could respond, Sylvia stepped forward with a sweet smile.

"How about we exchange contacts instead, Miss Lunari? My boyfriend doesn’t know how to use a phone properly."

She emphasized the word boyfriend very clearly.

Her other side was showing itself in full force.

Caelus noticed it immediately. He stood there helplessly, unable to say anything.

Lunari blinked in surprise but smiled and exchanged numbers with Sylvia instead.

They said their goodbyes and left the building together.

Once outside, Caelus turned to Sylvia. "We need to find a secluded place first."

They walked for several minutes until they found a quiet alley away from prying eyes. No cameras, no pedestrians, just empty space between old brick walls.

Caelus pulled out the Attribute Slot Cooldown Reduction Card and examined it closely.

[Attribute Slot Cooldown Reduction Card (Epic)]

[Effect: Completely removes the current cooldown on your Attribute Slot.]

[This allows immediate switching to any available Attribute.]

[Single use item.]

He activated it without hesitation.

[Ding!]

[Attribute Slot Cooldown Reduction Card has been used.]

[Current Cooldown: 4 days]

[Cooldown removed: 4 days → 0 days]

[You may now switch your equipped Attribute.]

Caelus immediately accessed his Attribute settings through the system interface.

[Current Equipped Attribute: None]

[Available Attributes: Spatial, Lightning]

[Switch to Spatial Attribute?]

He pressed yes without any hesitation.

[Ding!]

[Spatial Attribute has been equipped.]

[You may now use Spatial-type skills.]

[New Attribute Cooldown initiated: 8 days until next switch.]

Power surged through Caelus’s body as space itself seemed to respond to his will. He could feel invisible threads connecting every point around him, like a web of possibilities stretching in all directions.

The sensation was incredible. It felt like gaining a completely new sense he never knew existed.

He raised his hand experimentally. The air around his fingers shimmered slightly, bending in ways that defied normal physics.

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[A/N: don’t forget to leave some Powerstones and Comments... they’re basically the life support keeping this book alive.]