The waves of energy that flow off him now ripple with newfound strength. After being healed, the aura in the room feels like its coming from a whole new person.

The Soul Energy feels pure, and the Divine energy permeates through it with precision and strength that makes me begin to understand the Director's power.

While he may be sick and seem to be on the brink of death, that does not mean he is weak.

A desperate man is at his strongest when he is close to victory, yet wavering on the edge of losing it all.

The man before me has trained for decades, building an Empire around him to suit his needs and extend his power, even while in such a debilitating state.

All thoughts of trying to end our silent feud here and now leave my mind; this is a meticulous enemy who, on paper, has higher stats, better items, and even possibly more refined energy control than my own.

Risking a fight on his home turf just because of a minor advantage I believe I have after he's exhausted his power is a fool's move. I need to study him more, learn the ways of the Association, and dismantle it from the inside out...

As these thoughts race through my mind, he speaks up again, continuing our private interview right where we left off.

"What are your thoughts on the exam this year? As the number one ranked applicant, I would like to know what you think highly of, and what you believe should be changed for next year's trial."

I think for a moment, feeling a bit more focused now that I've decided I won't be getting into a life-or-death battle in the next few minutes, and answer this question truthfully.

"I think it's quite a well-designed exam. From the moment we entered the site, those who wanted to rely on luck alone were weeded out pretty quickly. Having a trial to see who could look through the veil and problem-solve their way out of a situation where the odds were clearly against them set a good tone for the entire exam."

I nod to myself and continue.

"The physical, written, and simulation trials were an excellent mixture of testing raw talent, creativity, and teamwork. I think the first three stages of the exams were flawless; there isn't anything I would change there... but the fourth stage... the tournament, I believe the interference of an outside party made things quite unfair. Even if it ended in my favor, I don't think it showed a true display of what the rankings could have been."

I feel anger ripple through the man's aura.

Now as I look at him, all I see with my actual senses are golden eyes and a shadowy black cloak, but his past imagery is still fresh in my mind as he responds.

"I would agree with you, it was not our intention to have an intruder like the Flame Emperor present. That threat will be dealt with in time. Did you ever come in contact or receive any information about that intruder during your time here?"

I pretend to think for a moment, then shrug and reply.

"Nothing more than anyone else present. All I know is what Emrie told me. He said he looked into the crowds and called out to that being, in order to have a fair fight against that healer. The Flame Emperor granted him power, and it felt like extra mana control was surging through his body; then once it left, he couldn't use the power again. It must be some kind of long-range temporary buff."

The Director nods, as I've said nothing he doesn't already know.

After a few seconds of silence pass, I move on.

"The fifth stage, though, I didn't really understand it. Considering the proctors had to ask what happened inside, I guess that means the simulation wasn't being monitored? -And that fruit that I brought back, it damaged my hands to hold it, yet I felt no mana coming off it. What kind of special technology was used to make that place?"

I pause for a moment, as I don't expect the Director to answer any of these questions, so I feed him another piece of false information just to turn things in another direction.

"And what was with that purple wave of light? Emrie and I were both minding our business near the blue portal to leave after we both had enough points to pass, and the sky turned dark purple... It was like the entire simulation turned into these purple threads and was disappearing before my eyes. I assumed I counted the days wrong and you were turning it off early, so we jumped through the portal to leave before the sky completely fell."

The golden aura permeating through the room ripples with excitement, and Mr. Freeman leans forward in his chair.

"Purple... Did you say purple?"

I smile inwardly as I respond.

"Yeah, the air got hot and heavy, kind of like your own aura, but from hundreds of kilometers away. It made me feel like I was not welcome there anymore, like I was stealing something I shouldn't have. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me, but that's what I vividly remember it felt like."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

The Director turns his head and whispers in the healer's ear by his side. She starts tapping on a silver tablet after pulling it from an item box on her waist.

The excitement in the air increases, and the Director whispers under his breath, "The others said it was black, but they didn't leave the rift naturally. Their minds could have been altered... So I was right... There really was a creator..." He murmurs more, not caring if I hear him or not, and the aide to his side continues to type things down on the tablet, most likely recording what he's saying.

After a few seconds pass, he turns back to me and responds directly.

"That is very interesting. That stage five is a work in progress, after all; it was a gift from the Association's central branch. We didn't create it."

The aide by his side nods and puts away the tablet, then the other two stop their healing. They all leave the room through the three doors they came from. One of them stumbles and is caught by the nurse by their side as yellow threads begin to overpower her body.

It looks exactly like the time Nat absorbed red threads from her teammates inside the construct. If they were not ejected quickly, her body would start to decay from the inside just like this nurse here.

The nurse is carried out by her coworker, and the doors all close again.

It reminds me that the man in front of me may speak with a confident tone and offer me power, but everything he does is for himself.

The Director speaks up.

"Well, that is all the time I have. Here is your final test. Try to stay awake as long as you can, and I will see you again during our induction ceremony when the rest of the directors arrive."

As soon as these words leave his mouth, I feel the heat and pressure in the room increase again.

I activate my version of the lightning buff to increase my mana control as yellow and golden energy expands from his body.

It feels like dozens of yellow-cored lizards are using their observation aura on me at once.

I could withstand it if I wanted, but I fall to the floor and use my conceal skill to make it appear as though the shockwave of energy made me pass out.

Golden tendrils of Soul Energy emerge from the Director, and his body lights up in its aura, making the dark room as bright as day.

His [Master of Illusion] buff deactivates completely, and I see the old man's face still hold onto its strong features, displaying thick white eyebrows and a full head of hair. His piercing golden eye's emit power and light that have been with him through thousands of battles.

I see now why this man is called the Sun God.

His cloak that was previously black glows bright yellow, making him seem like he's a pure energy being for a moment.

The Soul Energy erupts from his back and reaches over the table, and I prepare to fend off The Sun God's Curse Mark.

All of the stories from Nat, Emrie, Marcie, and Dane all said the same thing, this is the point where the Director tried to put the golden collar around their neck.

I feel my purple ring vibrate, and it sends out a pulse of calmness and control, letting me know that there is nothing to worry about. The consciousness of the purple lifeform may be dormant, but it still interacts with the outside world in a semi-conscious manner occasionally.

As the golden light mixed with countless yellow threads hits me, the ring pulses, sending a wave through my body that makes me shiver. A surge of additional purple threads flows from the main source through me.

I feel the barrier grow thicker and ripple as all of the divine energy strengthening the Sun God's attack is stripped away and devoured by the invisible purple tendrils.

I'm still struck by the pure and powerful golden Soul Energy, but I cover my vitals with my own Soul Energy and yellow threads within my body.

It feels like immense heat and pressure attack my cores and consciousness, tightening and trying to break through; but it feels just the same as it did each time my teammates were attacked in the same manner.

My physical and mental barriers are far too strong to let unaided soul energy alone through.

I can feel its raw power, but my own Soul Energy is being amplified by divine threads, and all I have to do is focus on brute force defense.

About twenty seconds pass, and the pressure subsides.

The room dims, then goes dark again, and the golden tendrils fall back into the Director's body.

He coughs a few times, then shakes his head and mutters to himself while pressing a button beneath the table.

"Another failure... How unexpected... The interference is back. This year's class is full of oddities. I'll have other chances to capture them once I rest. This is fine, he seems loyal and driven to grow. We are still on track to secure the throne..."

Only two nurses come back into the room and heal up the Director again.

He speaks to one of them, describing the sensation of his divine threads being suppressed, and the buff not activating once they reached my core just like the other four applicants. She notes down what he says in the silver tablet again.

The pressure in the room is completely gone, but I don't stand up to my feet until the other healer comes to rejuvenate me.

I allow her white healing energy to enter my body and climb to my feet after a few seconds.

The same door I entered through opens behind me, and the Director nods.

"You did well, I will see you again soon."

A minor aura of confusion is hidden in between his confident ripple now.

I give him a single nod, then turn and leave.

His veil of illusion fell again for a moment while he was being healed, and it seems like this massive display of power gave the Director the same amount of fatigue and injuries as the lesser display did earlier.

As the door closes behind me and I make it back into the waiting room with all of the other applicants, I think over what just happened with a realistic outlook.

His base level of Soul Energy is far stronger than my own, I would still most likely be unable to combat that raw strength even in my greater form if there was Divine Energy Aiding his attack.

It makes me wonder if this was even his true power still. If the same amount of damage was done on a weak display and this stronger one, the odds aren't zero that he was still holding back.

The advantage I had was the fact that he was trying to do a very intricate task, and all I had to do was use brute force defense.

I look down at the dull purple ring on my finger and feel no sign of intelligent life permeating from it now. It used up a lot of its active energy to make that attack easier to defend. Its passive limiter still works as before, but I get the feeling it won't be able to help me again from an identical attack.

There is a dying higher lifeform on my finger, a sleeping dragon in my storage, and the Lich King's limiter is most likely about to decay within the next ten to twenty minutes. I have no idea where I am, walking through windowless mana-shielded hallways into an equally isolated mana-shielded waiting room. Once I step through the sliding door to see Emrie and my teammates again, I have one final task on my mind.

I need to leave the Apex Region the next moment I get.