Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory

Ethan had been racking his brain for a while, trying to figure out where that sudden 8% jump in Orryn’s evolution progress had come from... The only possible explanation he could think of was the mission reward they’d received after taking down Maelthorak.

But the problem was—Orryn hadn’t even been there for that fight, had he?

How the hell do you get a mission reward without even showing up?

Ethan shook his head. "Whatever. Not gonna overthink it. It’s a good thing either way. If Orryn’s already over 80% evolved, then..."

He reached into his inventory and pulled out the last piece of Zylarion’s Arcstone, handing it over to Orryn. "Here, take this. It’s a Zylarion’s Arcstone. It’ll give your evolution progress a direct boost—should help push you into Hero Unit territory. With your current strength and this thing, you should be able to make it. Go on, it’s yours."

"My Lord... this—this is really for me?!" Orryn froze for a second, then lit up like a kid on his birthday.

Ethan chuckled. "I’m literally handing it to you, aren’t I?" He tossed the Arcstone to him with a grin. "Orryn, next time we meet, I want to see you as a Crimson Ultimate Hero. Make it happen."

"Honored and mighty Lord, thank you for your gift! I swear I won’t let you down!" Orryn said solemnly, clutching the Arcstone like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"Go on..." Ethan waved him off, then turned to the others, his expression sobering. "Let’s head back. This was probably just a probe, a test run. But next time? It won’t be that simple. We need to be ready before that happens."

"Yes, Master!"

"Understood, my Lord!"