Chapter 376

Chapter 376

A woman with long flowing blond hair, fair skin, and piercing blue eyes approaches our table. The status readings I'm getting from the woman say without a shadow of a doubt, it's the same person I met in the arena.

The Advanced Ice Magic, Red Hydra's Buff, and unforgettable blue eyes seal the deal.

However, the altered facial features, slight body type changes, and item on her hand that shows up with my Appraisal skill, but isn't present on her status labeled [Ring of Total Alteration] seems to be just like the ring of concealment I use to wear a suit. However, hers changes her facial features.

The moment she comes over to the table she waves at every one of us and smiles wide. The way she carries herself shifts from stiff and serious to overly bubbly. I open up my telepathic link with her, and she immediately answers.

"Play along. I need a believable excuse to have actually met you in case I was tailed."

The corner of my lip curls up as I realize it's all an act.

She speaks out loud to all of us, but fixes her drunken gaze on me.

"Fellow Legacy fighters, care if I take a seat to celebrate our Victory?"

Max's eyes widen as Maria slides into the red booth right next to me without waiting for an answer.

He lets out a laugh, looking at me, then back to her.

"The Ice Empress? It's you?"

He chomps down on his bite and washes it down with another gulp of his drink.

"What are the odds?"

Sia interjects in a low tone.

"It must be, Elen wouldn't have let anyone else near our table. Her or Monk, and I doubt this is what that brute looks like out of the ring."

Ace smirks at Sia's joke and is the only one who replies to Maria's question.

"Sure, join us. We're almost done here anyway, but a fellow strong fighter is always welcome."

He leans in over the table to grab another bottle.

I shrug and turn to Maria.

"Fine by me-"

Before I can finish my sentence, I get a tight hug from Maria and a loud voice echoes through our link.

"Good to see you're doing well. I knew you'd make it out of there alive."

I squeeze her back and she speaks outloud to please those watching.

"The Flame Emperor, your performance was amazing! I've been looking all over for you!"

My real face is revealed and the monstrous aura from my intimidation skill is let out.

Maria does a similar thing, sitting back on the couch beside me and taking off her ring.

I let out a sigh and look up to finally see her real face, she looks even older and more mature. It's a similar change to the one time she took that upgrade crystal. I blurt out my thoughts.

"You've changed... a lot."

She chuckles, curiously looking at my face. Her eyes track all around my body before replying in a bubbly drunken fashion.

"You've changed quite a bit too."

Her smile is a bit too wide, and her gaze seems to be going right through me, then I realize her drunken state might not actually be an act anymore.

I sit up straight and look her in the eyes, concentrating on one of my buffs I haven't gotten the chance to test out yet.

The moment I think of [Rising Emperor's Domain] a blue text box appears above Maria's head only available in my mind's eye. Asking [YES] or [NO] if I'd like to activate my buff.

I can sense the range has grown quite a bit since I last thought of this buff, it's almost 20 meters in diameter. It encompasses most of the restaurant. Enough for close-range combat, or in this case, using it on someone in the same room or general vicinity.

I choose yes, and a list of all of my skills appear.

I choose [Self Regeneration][Special Grade] and the moment I do Maria's eyes widen.

Excitement fills me for a moment too, as this is a sign it's working. I speak up.

"Accept it if you want to have a much clearer head. We have a lot more to talk about than just how good each of us looks."

The moment she accepts it, I can see the gloss clear from her eyes and her posture straightens more, but her cheerful attitude stays exactly the same. The passive poison resistance nullifies her drinks for the night.

"W-What kind of skill is that...?"

"It's my ranked-up buff. I haven't been able to use it much yet because we've all been separated. It lets me share my skills with anyone that trusts me and acknowledges they're on my team. Looks like it worked on you without having to ask."

Maria opens up her status and turns it to me.

"It's there! A new skill, I didn't even know that was possible, it's really there! How many more could I add? Is it unlimited? Is it only temporary? Are there other conditions?"

I let out a laugh, also excited to see the [Self Regeneration][Special Grade] skill show up on her status.

"I haven't tested it much yet. It is temporary though. We'll need to try some things out once we get the chance. However... there are some more urgent details I'd like to ask you..."

There's a pause and silence in the room.

I continue.

"Like how we got here in the first place...? From the Battle in Solara to here and now, I need a full explanation."