Void Evolution System

August and Valerie gave Melania space to destroy the cavern as she pleased.

She looked at the hole she'd made before and assessed her strength before positioning herself somewhere near the middle of the cave.

It had to be remembered at a time like this that 3rd class practitioners were not weak.

When compared to Divinities who could easily destroy worlds, they seemed like nothing at all, but they were still a bane to common people.

After all, a peak 3rd class could destroy a city with their own power.

Merely, when they lived in a society, they couldn't really use these powers wantonly.

Just like everyone else, they had to suppress themselves to a level that kept them out of trouble. Or, if they couldn't, they had to find an empty field to use as a battleground.

Melania had a bit more room to exercise her power in this cavern because it was deep underground and empty of anyone else.

Her comrades had already moved up the staircase a bit so they wouldn't bear the brunt of the impact.

So, as she reeled her fist back, she couldn't help but smile to herself.

Feeling the muscles tense, feeling the power coursing through her body, she felt like she was high.

This was exactly what she wanted.

A fist of fulfilled dreams slammed through the air.

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The air pressure wave it created expanded and slammed against the parallel wall.

It, of course, couldn't handle the impact. The rock collapsed and turned into a pile of stones on the ground. The gap she created was several meters deep. Instead of punching a hole in it, it was more apt to say that Melania was excavating the cavern.

She turned to her right and repeated the same motion.

Another area of the same size was opened, connecting to the previous one and widening the cavern even more.

Melania did it one more time, destroying everything aside from the staircase itself, leaving the trio in a much wider area than they saw before.

Nothing changed about the fact that it was all rock in the surroundings.

August and Valerie were still in awe of what they just witnessed, but they came back down into the cavern when Melania finished and started searching the newly expanded space.

It was the best way for them to keep their minds off of the incredulity of it all.

Still, August wasn't too preoccupied with his shock to not focus on what was actually happening.

'There was a difference.'

It was subtle, but there was a difference in the sound produced by the righthand wall.

As the pressure wave Melania creates spread through it, it struck something other than the same rock that they had been seeing until now.

August immediately rushed there and investigated the new righthand wall. He pushed his hand into it to feel its texture, and when he couldn't find a difference, he slashed, using a serrated knife of water energy to cut the wall into pieces.

Or, at least, that was his aim.

'I knew it.'

Despite looking the same as the other walls, this one was far more reinforced.

"Melania, do you mind destroying this one again?"

Regardless of how it happened, she was now physically the strongest one in the group.

Melania nodded, happy to help. She walked over and as August made his way past her, she punched out again.

BOOOOOOM!

RUMBLE!

The wall shook.

The dirt on its outer layer shook and fell to the ground. Hidden behind it was a sheet of black metal that didn't look natural in the slightest.

"There was something like that?"

Melania walked up to it and knocked on its surface.

She hadn't punched it directly the first time, but maybe if she did…

BOOOOOOOM!

She had done it before her thought even finished. And the result…?

"Ow!"

She shook her wrist and bit her lip.

"That didn't work at all."

Her wrist which didn't get sore after pushing a boulder for two years was now aching after a single hit?

Clearly, this metal wasn't something ordinary in the slightest.

"Is this the clue you were looking for?" She asked, turning to August.

"Yeah. That's exactly it," he responded smilingly.

"If that's really a wall separating us from something, then it's a place that pretty much nobody can reach. That–"

"–is exactly the type of place where your dad would be, huh?"

August nodded as Valerie finished his sentence.

"The entrance probably won't be easy to find, but now that we know what we're looking for, it'll be easy."

If they went along with Damien's machinations, it would probably take them more than a few days to find him.

However, if they were able to properly make use of this information…

"...if we're lucky, we can even find him today."

August's words motivated all three of them.

Melania wanted to see the person who could give her hints about what had happened on the mountain.

August wanted to find his dad not only just to meet him, but to enlist his aid in unveiling the schemes surrounding the heir wars.

And Valerie…well, Valerie just wanted to meet the man who even her grandfather held in great respect.

If they could find him today, meet him, and then spend the next two weeks training as they had been throughout these trials, then they would be more than just prepared when the heir wars truly started.

"Good."

August grinned.

"Then, let's get started."

The three of them rushed back up the staircase. The instant they entered the library, the staircase disappeared and the library itself shrunk around them, leaving only a cafe that now had regularly named dishes.

They were now on a timer they'd given themselves, and before it finished counting down…

…they would surely find Damien Void!

***

The Shadow Lounge was a distinguished place. Unlike many other VIP areas in Arulion, it didn't allow any kind of debauchery within its premises.

It was a place for business, for relaxation, and for activities that could only be done with a level of class.

More importantly, it was a place that could still be considered kid-friendly, so Damien thought it would be for the best.

It was an exclusive place that only specific guests and people of high status could enter, but it actually wasn't that hard to find.

The only prerequisite was that one had to find out that it existed in the first place.

And, for people who were not of the status to be invited, if they were able to find it naturally, they would earn the right to use the lounge as they pleased as long as they were able to abide by its standards and rules.

August, Valerie, and Melania weren't necessarily high-class people in personality, but they were indeed budding adventurers who knew how to sniff out a scent once they caught it.

They searched the entire city throughout the night, using their abilities to find clues that would otherwise remain hidden from their eyes forever.

Anyone who had prominence in the city was investigated. Anyone who could possibly be a member of the lounge was followed until it was assured that they weren't worth investigation.

And by the time day arrived again, the trio had regrouped with more information than they could ever hope for.

The Shadow Lounge was in sight.

All they had to do now was reach it.