Nolan didn't object. He let Selena and Julian follow him. The three of them boarded the capsule elevator, which took them to the second floor. Through the transparent glass walls, they could see the courtyard of the Aurora Association building bustling with Sentinels.
However, Nolan had the same strange feeling he'd had when he first entered the main hall.
"I haven't heard anything about the Aurora Association investigating the chaotic Transcendent Trial," Nolan said finally, opening the conversation in a flat tone as if making casual conversation.
"That's right. The Aurora Association should have already begun an investigation," Selena said, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. "Moreover, they sent the Ultimate Sentinel to oversee the test. But the most shocking thing is that the barrier covering the Kaffal region, the test site, suddenly broke."
His tone held clear dissatisfaction.
"Not to mention, the three major guild leaders are furious. They lost several members to attacks and clashes with the Daemon race and the Dark Sentinels."
Selena paused briefly before continuing. "Unfortunately, we are only independent sentinels, bound by the rules of the Aurora Association. That also means we are under the direct supervision of the governing council. The five Major Guilds, on the other hand, were formed precisely to be free from the council's rules and oversight."
Nolan listened quietly to every word.
This information was both intriguing and strange. To date, the Aurora Association had shown no signs of investigating the incident that killed many Transcendence Trial participants, including Nolan Caelthorn, who died at the hands of a Daemon.
There was no hunt for the Dark Sentinels. There were no retaliatory attacks against the Daemon race. Everything seemed to have been allowed to pass unnoticed.
Nolan was increasingly convinced that hidden interference was behind all this.
"Wouldn't it be great if we could join one of the Major Guilds?" Julian murmured with a dreamy expression. "The paychecks are great, and the benefits are much better."
Selena snorted softly and rolled her eyes. "The entrance qualifications are already very strict. It's almost impossible to pass as a Squeance 1 Master Sentinel unless you have something truly extraordinary."
Nolan only half-listened to the conversation when the capsule elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. They stepped out and walked down the long, silent hallway until they reached the very end.
In front of two large doors stood someone waiting.
It was a woman dressed in an elegant, long black blazer with her black hair pulled back into a neat bun. Her face was calm and professional.
She was Sarah's assistant.
Nolan recognized her as a key figure in implementing the Mana Resonance Test, including mission-level classification and compiling information sources for the Sentinels.
The woman bowed politely. "Greetings, Prince Nolan."
However, before Nolan could respond, the doors behind Sarah parted. A man stepped out of the room.
His hair was black and neatly combed. A luxurious black suit hugged his figure perfectly and was complemented by a bow tie that further enhanced his classy image. His every movement exuded an authority that was hard to ignore.
Nolan recognized the man:
Mycroft Hills.
He was a nobleman of the Hills family and the head of the Aurora Association.
"Oh my... It's just a Mana Resonance Test, but it's being directly supervised by the Head of the Aurora Association," Selena whispered beside Nolan.
"Prince Nolan, I apologize for my sudden arrival. I will be supervising your Mana Resonance Test," Mycroft said in a low, calm voice.
Nolan didn't immediately answer.
His suspicions grew stronger. This should have been a routine examination supervised by a technical assistant. But now, the Head of the Aurora Association himself was intervening. It was too much. It was too strange.
Nolan glanced back and saw Selena and Julian standing outside the room. The examination door closed, separating them from him.
Nolan stepped into the examination room.
The walls were silvery white and clean, but cold. They were filled with lines of blue light that flowed slowly, resembling living circuits. The light pulsed softly, creating a sterile, silent atmosphere. The air inside felt colder than outside and had no scent.
A two-meter-tall, transparent cylinder stood in the center of the room. Six thin, symmetrically arranged metal frames supported the cylinder. Its surface was covered in faint runes and technological patterns that shimmered, as if they were alive and breathing softly.
Nolan stepped into the cylinder.
When his feet touched the platform at the bottom, the floor beneath him lit up gently. A thin light crept up the transparent walls and slowly closed above his head. The space formed a perfect enclosure without feeling claustrophobic or oppressive.
"Please stand still, Prince Nolan," Assistant Sarah's voice rang out from outside the cylinder.
Nolan glanced to the side.
Sarah stood behind a black metal control desk to the side of the room. Its surface appeared flat and plain, but as soon as he touched it, several translucent blue holographic screens appeared and floated in the air. The screens were neatly arranged in a semicircle and filled with constantly moving symbols, graphs, and numbers.
In the next instant, the light inside the cylinder intensified.
Nolan felt a subtle sensation envelop his body, like a warm breeze brushing against his skin and penetrating deeper. It wasn't painful. It wasn't pressure, either. It was more like a scan slowly examining every part of his body.
In front of Sarah, parameters began to appear one by one on the holographic screen.
[MANA RESONANCE TEST PARAMETERS]:
[Mana Output: Detected]
[Level: High]
[Mana Core Density: Stable]
[Density: Full Level]
Mana Frequency:
- Medium Fluctuations
- Consistent synchronization.
Sarah squinted slightly as she examined the color of the displayed data. The graphs were usually blue or white, but on the holographic screen, Nolan's mana appeared layered in a purplish black and flowed steadily without any wild spikes.
"Dark mana energy?" she murmured softly.
Inside the tube, Nolan could feel his dark mana responding to the device. It wasn't rebelling. It wasn't resisting. It was just flowing calmly and steadily, as if this were its natural state.
The final screen slowly appeared, larger than the others.
[SEQUENCE LEVEL PLACEMENT]
- Sentinel Sequence: Sequence 2
- Mana Energy Status: FULL
There are no error warnings. There are no system disruptions.
However, the silence in the room was heavy.
Sarah stared at the screen for a long moment before taking a deep breath. "The results are in," she finally said. Her voice was professional, though a hint of caution was evident.
Nolan lowered his gaze to his hands.
Full...
Not low. Not medium.
The dark mana energy had filled his mana core completely—something that should have been impossible for a newly promoted Sentinel.
The tube slowly opened, the light dimmed, and Nolan emerged with a calm expression.
What had happened to him earlier was no illusion. The mana energy within his body had truly transformed into a dark mana aura. This became clear when he saw Assistant Sarah and Chief Mycroft exchange a brief but meaningful glance.
"Congratulations, Prince Nolan," Mycroft finally said, his tone calm and controlled. "You have broken through to Sentinel Master Sequence 2."
"Thank you, Chief Mycroft," Nolan replied politely, returning the formality. However, a moment later, his tone turned more serious. "What a coincidence that you are here. There is something I would like to ask you."
Mycroft smiled faintly. "Of course. Let's discuss it in my office."
They left the examination room and headed for the third floor. As they exited, Nolan saw Selena and Julian waiting outside. He nodded slowly at them before following Assistant Sarah and Chairman Mycroft.