Time passed quickly. Under the light of the moon, Ed immersed himself completely in his Moonlight Meditation Technique. About four hours later, he slowly opened his eyes.

[Progress to breaking through Silver-tier Mid-grade: 11%]

Ed muttered to himself in confusion, "Something's not right. The progress is too slow."

Back in the Nightmare Wasteland, the rate of progress had been much faster. Although Ed had known that it was due to the unique environment of the Nightmare Wasteland, he hadn't expected that after leaving, the speed of improvement would slow down this much.

At this rate, with only a 1% progress in four hours, if he kept practicing the Moonlight Meditation Technique every night without any interruptions, it would take him at least half a month to reach Silver-tier Mid-grade. And by that time, the Moonlit Frost Poisonous Mist in his body would probably have already exploded.

"I can't place all my hopes on Luna. That woman, Melissa, is also a sorcerer, and she gives me a strange feeling. Looks like I need to try to get closer to her and figure out if she can help me deal with the threat of the Moonlit Frost Poisonous Mist."

After quickly regaining his composure, Ed closed his eyes again and began his Moonlight Meditation Technique once more. He couldn't afford to slack off. In this world of Hunters, danger could strike at any moment, and only strength could ensure safety and serve as the key to revenge.

The next morning, around ten o'clock, warm sunlight appeared outside the window.

Ed finished his overnight meditation, and his body felt fine, almost like he had just woken up from a normal rest. After a quick wash-up, he was ready to head next door to ask Melissa about his schedule for the day.

However, just as he opened the door, he saw a familiar figure standing in the doorway.

Melissa was holding a basket, filled with steaming hot breakfast. She smiled as she looked at Ed and said, "Here you go, breakfast from the association's cafeteria. It tastes pretty good."

After a whole night of meditation, Ed's stomach had long since digested the food from yesterday, leaving him hungry. He gratefully accepted the basket from Melissa.

He took a baozi (steamed bun) from the basket, took a big bite, and instantly, the rich, savory juices filled his mouth. The taste was exquisite!

Once Ed finished eating all the meat-filled buns in the basket, he looked up at Melissa, eager to know what tasks he had for the day at the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association.

Melissa extended her smooth, pale arm and beckoned Ed closer with a gesture, signaling for him to move nearer.

Ed took two steps forward, but there was still some distance between them.

With a sigh of helplessness, Melissa stepped forward, her eyes showing a hint of sadness. She then closed the gap, leaning in so close that her captivating face almost touched Ed's.

Her rosy lips were now right beside Ed's ear, and the warmth of her breath brushed against him. The sensation of her large breasts, nearly pressing against his chest, made Ed feel a strange itch in his body.

"She's really an alluring creature," Ed thought to himself, his mind instantly forming an assessment of Melissa.

However, the words that followed from Melissa left Ed completely stunned.

Lowering her voice, Melissa leaned in close to Ed's ear and spoke slowly, "My pet told me that Reve left the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association early this morning and headed to a mountain near the city. There's a greedy sorcerer living there with a special ability. He can briefly rewind events that happened in a specific area."

"You should understand what this means, right?"

After finishing, Melissa subtly tilted her head back, then looked at Ed with interest. She was eager to see the panic and unease appear on his face. But after a moment, the expected expression never came.

Ed showed no signs of panic or unease. Instead, a slight smile appeared on the corner of his lips as he spoke to Melissa, "Lady Melissa, I'm not a stalker. I have no interest in Vice Captain Reve's movements at all."

"On the other hand, why are you monitoring Vice Captain Reve's movements?"

From what Melissa had just said, Ed realized that she must have used some special method to look through his storage pouch when he was being treated. He didn't know her exact motives, but she had kept it quiet.

Moreover, now that Melissa had revealed this information to him, Ed made his own judgment.

Melissa had chosen to keep the advanced spiritual treasure on him a secret and had secretly monitored Vice Captain Reve's movements. This could only mean that she had some agenda that wasn't favorable to the Moon Eclipse Hunter Association.

For Ed, this was actually a good thing.

In a certain sense, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Back when he was playing games, Ed had often used this tactic to gather the enemies of his enemies to fight together in a game focused on territory development.

He now saw the potential for cooperation with Melissa, but before anything could happen, one thing needed to be clarified—who would hold the dominant position in this alliance?

Ed stared into Melissa's eyes, as if trying to peer into her thoughts.

At that moment, Melissa's face was filled with surprise. She hadn't expected that Ed, who appeared to be only around eighteen years old, would possess the wisdom and calmness of Hunters who had lived for decades or even centuries.

She had to admit that she had underestimated him.

Melissa took another step forward, her curvaceous, alluring body—especially her large breasts—pressed directly against Ed's chest. She spoke, "Then I'll be direct. I have a way to prevent that sorcerer from obtaining any useful information in the Nightmare Wasteland. However, you'll need to agree to one condition."

Ed, feeling the softness against his chest, knew that this was a critical moment. He responded, "What condition? The more vague the request, the higher the price. It's better to be clear."

A faint red glow flashed in Melissa's blue eyes, and before Ed could fully grasp it, he heard her voice, soft like a seductive hum, in his ear:

"Tonight, come to my room. Cooperate with me properly, and as for what we'll do, I'm sure you can imagine."

Ed froze for a moment, not expecting Melissa's request to be this.

A man and a woman, alone at night in a room—what could possibly happen? Ed could naturally imagine what was meant.

However, he couldn't understand why Melissa seemed to have been constantly flirting with him from the beginning, as though she was eager to engage with him.

What was she after?

Ed wanted to inquire further to gather more useful information, but Melissa directly looked at him and said, "Daytime is precious. You should meditate in your room. Later, when night comes, I'll naturally take you on a tour of the Association."

"As a Hunter, integrity is also very important. If you don't refuse, I'll take it as your agreement."

Ed thought carefully for a moment. He simply couldn't refuse, but he still didn't understand Melissa's true intentions.

Perhaps sensing his hesitation, Melissa turned, opened her room's door, and pulled him inside.

The room was bathed in shades of red and black, with minimal furniture. Two large glass display cabinets occupied half the space.

Melissa noticed Ed's gaze lingering on the cabinets. While retrieving a dusty-looking scroll, she said, "These... are just some monster reproductive organs. Nothing to see here. Don't worry, our cooperation will be protected by a contract scroll."

The so-called contract scroll was a common form of protection in the Hunter world. The details of a cooperation or transaction were written on the scroll, and both parties would sign it. The scroll would then automatically burn itself.

If the contents of the scroll were violated, the consequences would be severe, such as losing all of one's power or having one's soul cursed.

With the existence of the contract scroll, and since Melissa had written assurances that Ed's life would not be in danger—only that he might feel temporarily weak—Ed finally signed his name.

As the scroll floated into the air and began to burn on its own, Ed had a faint feeling that unseen eyes were watching him.

That sensation quickly faded away.

Daytime was precious for both sorcerers and Hunters, and after briefly mentioning that she would see Ed in the evening, Melissa dismissed him.

With nothing pressing to do, and unable to meditate during the day, Ed decided to leave the room and take a walk around the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association to familiarize himself with the place.

The Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association wasn't located in the main area of Dorey City. The reason for this was simply that the association was so vast, resembling an ancient and colossal castle. It not only had gardens but also lakes and forests.

As Ed wandered around, he saw several servants dressed in rough linen clothes going about their daytime cleaning tasks.

Just as he was unsure where to explore next, his Hunter's senses sharply alerted him to the fact that someone was watching him from not too far behind.

Ed didn't turn around. He knew it had to be a surveillance agent arranged by Vice Captain Reve of the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association.

As Ed pretended not to notice, the person suddenly walked up to him and spoke, "Hey, you're the Hunter that everyone in Dorey City has been talking about, aren't you?"

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