Just after Verin unleashed his second skill, Dravor’s flames scattered into the air. A second later, he slowly raised both hands in defeat.

[WINNER: VERIN]

Garon stared at the screen, still trying to process the fight. "Damn... that was amazing. Star Realm is really on another level."

Rovak laughed beside him. "Hahaha! Of course it is. But honestly, that fight isn’t even considered top-tier."

Garon blinked in shock. "Seriously?"

Elisa sighed and pinched Rovak’s head. "Don’t say stuff like that so casually. He’s still new, so of course he wouldn’t know."

Garon scratched his cheek awkwardly, not sure how to respond.

But before the silence could settle, Rovak clicked his tongue and looked back at the screen. "Still... kinda sucks that Dravor lost."

Garon quickly nodded. "Yeah, I know. His style was really cool. Straightforward and manly."

Rovak burst out laughing and threw an arm around his shoulder. "Hahaha! See? You get me. That’s how real men should fight!"

Garon grinned back. "Of course, Brother Rovak. We’re men after all."

The two of them laughed loudly together, making Elisa sigh again while Slifera frowned slightly from the side.

Rovak glanced back at the screen. "Still, this was just a show match. Dravor probably didn’t want to reveal all his power yet."

Garon blinked, but after thinking about it for a moment, he realized Rovak’s words made sense. "Yeah... you’re right. It’s hard to imagine a guy like him losing for real."

"Exactly." Rovak nodded confidently. "If this had been an actual life-or-death fight, he’d probably be the winner."

Elisa wanted to argue that Verin would still win even in a real battle, but before she could speak, someone suddenly appeared beside them.

To their surprise, it was the guide who had left Garon earlier... Alira.

---

Alira calmly walked toward them through the crowd while several holographic windows floated quietly behind her again.

The moment Rovak, Slifera, and Elisa noticed her, the three of them froze.

Garion looked at them and sighed. "Oh, come on. Why are you all getting so nervous around her? She’s not that scary, is she?"

Rovak coughed awkwardly. "What do you mean, not scary? She’s upper administration in the Cosmic Terminal."

Slifera immediately nodded. "And that’s already terrifying enough without adding the fact that she’s a Star Realm cultivator too."

Elisa crossed her arms and muttered, "Yeah, that’s more than enough reason to be scared of her, so maybe don’t say it out loud."

Alira ignored all of them completely and turned to Garion. "Sir Garion, the procedures for your territory assignment are almost complete. Manager Paren requested that you return."

Garion blinked. "Already? That fast? But I’m not done sightseeing yet."

Before Alira could reply, Elisa shot him a sharp glare. "Just go! Don’t anger her... or the manager."

Slifera nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It’s not like this’ll be the last time we meet anyway."

Rovak grinned from the side. "Exactly. We’re pretty famous around here, you know. Just ask around."

Garion smirked. "Sure, sure. Then once I open my business, I’ll invite all of you."

The three blinked at the same time.

Rovak tilted his head suspiciously. "A business? What kind of business?"

Garion’s grin widened instantly. "You’ll find out later. A surprise makes it better, right?"

The three sighed together, clearly already tired of his nonsense, and were about to say goodbye when Alira suddenly raised her hand slightly.

One of the floating holographic windows flickered, and a small rectangular device materialized out of it.

Alira took the device and handed it to Garion. "This is for you. Judging from your expression, I believe you already know how to use it."

Garion nodded casually as he examined the device in his hand. "Yeah, of course. It’s basically the same as the one from my world, isn’t it? Or are there any differences?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Alira gave a small nod. "Not really. This is the simplest model available, so even someone with your level of understanding should be able to use it without trouble."

Garion immediately narrowed his eyes. "Was that an insult?"

Alira stayed calm. "For you to decide."

Rovak snorted while trying not to laugh.

Garion clicked his tongue, then grinned and turned toward the group. "You guys got these too, right?"

The three nodded and immediately sent Garion their contact information through the device.

Rovak crossed his arms proudly. "There. Now you can contact us the next time you get kidnapped again."

Garion snorted. "That happened one time."

The group burst into laughter again.

After a moment, Garion looked at them one last time. "Alright... see you guys later."

Rovak grinned. "Yeah."

Slifera waved casually. "Don’t die before opening your weird business."

Elisa smiled faintly. "We’ll meet again."

Garion nodded confidently. "Definitely."

Then, together with Alira, he disappeared back into the endless crowds of the Cosmic Terminal while the others silently watched them leave.

---

Garion followed Alira back and soon arrived at the office of the Cosmic Terminal’s manager, Paren.

Paren was already in the room, clearly waiting for them both.

The moment he noticed Garion entering, a smile spread across his face. "You returned faster than I expected."

Garion shrugged, shoving both hands into his pockets. "Well, of course it was fast. You’re the one who told me to come back right away, remember?"

Then he let out a long sigh. "Still, bureaucracy is the worst thing no matter where you go."

Paren laughed lightly. "What can I do? That’s literally my job. But let’s forget about that for now."

As soon as he spoke, several holographic planetary projections slowly appeared around the room once more, glowing softly in the dim light.

Paren crossed his arms and looked directly at Garion. "I’ve chosen a planet for your base."

Hearing that, Garion immediately grinned. "Good. Let’s see if your choice is actually worth all the hype."

Paren smirked back. "Of course it is. I’m the one trying to keep you in this territory, aren’t I? Naturally, I picked the best option available."

A chair appeared beside Garion with a quiet mechanical hum.

Paren gestured toward it. "Please, have a seat, Sir Garion. I’ll explain the planet properly."

Garion smiled faintly as he walked over to the chair and sat down, his attention already fixed on the glowing worlds floating around the room.