"There are two ways to kill a godling," Naz'Tor said after a moment of silence. "One, you defeat it in a head-on battle and kill it like any other creature. Very simple. Two, you collapse their divine realm, thus destroying everything within it—including the godling. Unfortunately for you, the second option is impossible. You are just too weak."

  Leo frowned despite expecting such a thing. "What about an item? A device that can do that for me?"

  The merchant scoffed. "Sure, we can go with that—if you want to lose the seeds, that is. You can control the dimensional collapse if you do it with your own power. Technology doesn't have such restraint."

  Oh… His mouth snapped shut, words dying in his throat. Naz'Tor must have noticed that, taking it as a cue to continue.

  "So, as you see, kid, the only way for you to get the seeds is to invade a divine realm, confront the godling, and kill it in a fair battle."

  "Fair?" Leo couldn't help but cut in.

  "Yes, fair. You will be invading their home, a realm created from their power. Stealth won't help you there. They will know you are coming, always."

  "I refuse to believe that." He shook his head. "You said it yourself; those godlings are at best C rank. That's far from powerful when compared to the rest of the Void. There must be a way to hide from them."

  "Hardly." Naz'Tor sighed loudly. "I told you already, a divine realm is a part of a godling's power. It's an extension of their bodies. You invading it is like stepping on their toes—or better, like hitting them in the head with a sledgehammer while screaming at the top of your lungs."

  "What about Kirej then? Stealth is his specialty."

  "Creatures stronger and more skilled than him have tried and failed. I'm sorry, kid, but stealth just isn't an option there."

  Leo grimaced. He had hoped that Naz'Tor might not be telling him everything. But if even someone on Kirej's level couldn't avoid detection, what chance did he have? His stealth, as advanced as it was for a survivor from a fresh universe, was nothing compared to the giants living in the Void.

  "Then I stand my ground and fight. Wouldn't be the first time," he muttered.

  Naz'Tor nodded. "Indeed, and that's why we will be following my plan. You disagree on anything and the deal's off. I won't risk you dying just because you want to rush things."

  Leo waved him off. "I already agreed to do what you say. I'm in your care."

  The merchant beamed. "That's what I wanted to hear! Now, before you can even think of starting your hunt, there are some things we go to take care of first."

  "I'm listening."

  "First, obviously, is your level. I won't allow you to go anywhere near a godling before you reach C- rank or evolve—whichever comes first."

  Leo clicked his tongue. "And how am I supposed to do that? Jump into another Void Gate and hope for the best? That's even riskier than going for the godlings right now."

  The merchant huffed. "I'm insulted you would think that. I have a plan. Stand up and follow me."

  Nyx yelped as Leo jumped to his feet and ran after Naz'Tor, who pretty much glided through his shop. They wove between the dozens of shelves before finally reaching one lined with strange, hand-sized cubes. The energy swirling within them varied, but each seemed alive as if it was actively fighting to get out.

  "Here we are!" the alien announced. "I present you: Sealed Dimensions!"

  That explains it. He hummed, gesturing toward a light blue cube. "So what are they exactly? A sealed dimension, I get that, but how will this help me?"

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  "Glad you asked." Naz'Tor performed a mock bow, and with a wave of his tentacle, the same cube flew into his grasp. "Early versions of those things were used as prisons. And before you ask, yes, prisons are used in the Void. Sometimes, it is better to seal something away than kill it."

  It was hard to imagine how an all-powerful being would ever agree to go to prison, but maybe that was it? Who needed consent when someone even stronger could come by and seal them for gods knew how long?

  All right, I can see how it might work. Now I'm kinda curious how an official prison looks.

  Yet, Naz'Tor's voice stopped him from entertaining those thoughts. Matters of law enforcement could wait for another day.

  "Now, back to what I'm holding. Why don't you see for yourself? I've disabled the protections."

  Leo grasped the offered item and activated Identify.

  Sealed Dimension (Rare):

  A medium-tier artifact created by a team of skilled workers. It holds a small area ripped out from a long-dead planet. Beware, Voidlings can also be found inside. Threat ranking: D+. Time until collapse: 1 year.

  No way… Leo glanced at the merchant and then back at the cube in his hands. If not for the System notification in front of him, he wouldn't have believed this was possible.

  "How? The potential of this thing…"

  "Don't get ahead of yourself, kid," Naz'Tor quickly cut in. "Sealed Dimensions are useful, yes, but only for a time. They have an expiration date, and it's completely dependent on what's sealed inside. With D ranks and below, that's not a problem. But once you go for C+ rank and above, those things collapse in a matter of weeks or days."

  Leo's brow furrowed. "Then what about those prisons? How do they hold someone of, let's say, B rank?"

  The merchant chuckled, clearly expecting such a question. "Well, for one, those Sealed Dimensions are much stronger and of higher quality. What you have in your hands doesn't require much work or resources. Most of the cost comes from capturing Voidlings. Lucky for you, I have some very skilled—"

  "Contacts," Leo finished for the alien, grinning. "So, how much do those go for?"

  "That D+ you're holding? Two hundred thousand Ether. It really depends on the threat ranking of the Voidlings inside."

  What!? He spluttered, almost dropping the cube. "How in the bloody hell is anyone at D rank supposed to afford this? I don't even have this much after my run in the rift."

  "That's simple—they aren't." The merchant laughed again. "Sealed Dimensions are mostly used by rich parents, as well as training facilities. Sometimes people buy them as a gift, but that's pretty much it."

  "So it's a toy for the rich and military, got it," Leo summed up once the initial shock ran out. "And you would just give it to me?"

  "Give? No, no, no," Naz'Tor wagged a single tentacle. "Call it yet another investment, one you will partially pay me back for. The deal is simple: you get this cube, and I get twenty thousand upfront plus all the Ether you receive inside."

  "Fair enough… And this will take me far enough to get to my next evolution?"

  "That's what I'm hoping for… You need level ninety-five for that, yes?"

  Leo nodded at that.

  "Excellent," Naz'Tor exclaimed. "Then it should be enough, but in case it isn't, don't fret; I will figure something out. I would rather not give you another one of those if I don't have to."

  "Sounds reasonable," he agreed. "So what's next?"

  "Finding the divine realms. And I got to say, kid, you're quite lucky. Earth was always home to plenty of divines—hopefully, that didn't change in this universe. I will take care of this part. You just have to wait. Give me a few days."

  From there, Naz'Tor motioned to follow him again. They passed a few more shelves until they reached the far end of the shop. This time, the merchant walked toward a small weapon rack and grabbed one of the many daggers lying there.

  The blade wasn't anything special—a slightly serrated edge and a pommel covered in some kind of leather. The only unique thing about it was the deep golden spark that sometimes blitzed across it.

  Naz'Tor once more handed the item to Leo.

  "And this is the final part of my plan," the merchant said. "Go on. Check it out. It's already yours."

  Well, okay then.

  Riftfang (Epic):

  A very simple dagger infused with a tiny bit of divinity. Thanks to its carefully crafted enchantments, its sole purpose is to tear holes in Divine Realms. Not recommended for combat use.

  "That's how I get in," Leo whispered, flipping the dagger.

  "Right in one!" Naz'Tor declared proudly. "It's another loan, though. I will want it back one day, kid. Those things aren't exactly easy or cheap to make. I'm sure you can guess why."

  Yeah… Leo hummed, glancing again at the description. The part about divinity seemed pretty obvious. "I will get it back to you in one piece."

  "You better," the merchant replied lightly. "Now, that should be it. You have your task. I got mine. Any questions?"

  "Just one. We are still in the UK, right?"

  Naz'Tor stiffened, and Leo's heart dropped.

  "Ah, about that… I recently relocated my shop to Italy… so, uh, you will have to walk back. Sorry?"

  Shit…

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