Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 284: What about this one?

Ethan froze for a second, then his eyes lit up. "That’s a Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force?"

"Yeah," came the reply. "Looks like it’s water-elemental—probably from Water Dragon Shalassa. Must’ve been left behind by that Leviathan hero we just fought. When a Crimson Ultimate Hero dies, they leave behind a Primordial Force tied to their magical element."

"That’s the power of the world’s laws," Cicero added with a nod.

"Water element, huh..." Ethan’s gaze flickered, then he glanced over at Kyros, who was standing nearby looking bored out of his mind.

"Kyros, would this be useful to you?"

Kyros stepped forward and picked up the fragment labeled "Power of Water Dragon Shalassa." He gave it a quick once-over, then immediately shook his head. "Nah, the core quality of this Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force is too low. It’s not gonna do anything for me."

"Auremax? Balthazar?" Ethan turned to the other two.

Even though Auremax and Balthazar weren’t Hero Units, they were both Mythic Ace Units.

Mythic Ace Units were basically elite troops evolving toward Hero Unit status.

So this kind of Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force should’ve been a big deal for them, right?

But to Ethan’s surprise, neither of them even bothered to come take a look. They just shook their heads and declined.

"Honored Lord," Auremax said respectfully, "this Primordial Force doesn’t benefit me."

"Same here," Balthazar added. "It’s too weak to be of any use."

Ethan was stunned.

Seriously?

This was a Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force!

And they were just... turning their noses up at it?

What the hell?

"Kyros," Ethan said, rubbing his temples.

"Here!"

"Dive down and check out what’s going on underwater. Be careful. If that Leviathan hero, Thal’Zar, really is dead, I want everything down there brought up. Especially that Gem Dragon Bracelet the Gem Dragon clan’s been asking for."

"Got it, Master! Leave it to me!" Kyros replied without hesitation, then immediately leapt into the sea with a splash.

Seeing Kyros disappear beneath the waves, Ethan turned back to Auremax and Balthazar, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "I’ve got a question," he said. "This Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force... it can’t be that useless, right? You guys seemed pretty quick to brush it off."

"It’s not that we’re brushing it off exactly..." Auremax replied, shaking his head. "It’s more that, with all due respect, my lord, I think you’re underestimating how hard it is for someone like me or Balthazar to evolve into a Hero Unit."

Ethan blinked. "What do you mean?"

"My lord," Auremax said, his tone polite but firm, "if I may ask—how many 14-Tier Mythic Units have you seen successfully evolve into Hero Units?"

That made Ethan pause. He thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "None. Not a single one."

"Exactly," Auremax said, nodding. "That’s the point. For Balthazar and me, a low-grade Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force is basically worthless. Now, if you’re just looking to evolve someone into a Crimson Ultimate Hero, sure—this fragment might be useful for someone like Oakenmaw or Orryn. But if you want my advice... I wouldn’t recommend it."

Ethan didn’t respond right away. He fell silent, mulling it over.

Auremax wasn’t sugarcoating anything, and Ethan appreciated that. The message was clear: both Auremax and Balthazar were 14-Tier Mythic Units. For them, a low-grade Primordial Force like this one wasn’t just unhelpful—it was irrelevant.

But what did "low-grade" really mean?

From a game mechanics perspective, it probably translated to a B-rank... maybe even lower. Probably more often the latter.

Why?

Simple. Of the three Crimson Ultimate Heroes under his command so far, none had reached A-rank.

Kyros and Cicero were both B-rank. Seraphina? C-rank.

So Ethan had already been suspecting for a while now that, under normal circumstances, B-rank Crimson Ultimate Heroes were likely the ceiling for 13-Tier Legendary Units.

Which meant that for 14-Tier Mythic Units like Auremax and Balthazar, the starting point for a Crimson Ultimate Hero would probably be A-rank.

"So this fragment wouldn’t be useful to you guys either, huh?"

Ethan thought for a second, then pulled out another item from his inventory—a shimmering fragment labeled Order Dragon Asha’s Primordial Force (B-rank).

"What about this one?" he asked.

The reaction was immediate.

"Wait—what? That’s... that’s the Primordial Force of the Dragon God, Order Dragon Asha?!" Auremax, Cicero, and Balthazar all looked stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"My lord," Balthazar said, stepping forward, unable to hide his excitement, "may I take a closer look at that fragment? Please?"

"Go ahead, take a look," Ethan said, handing the fragment of Order Dragon Asha’s Primordial Force to Balthazar.

Immediately, Cicero and Auremax crowded around, eyes gleaming with excitement as they examined the shimmering shard with reverent care. The fragment pulsed faintly with a deep, orderly energy—something ancient, something powerful.

Off to the side, Seraphina didn’t move closer. She didn’t join the others, didn’t say a word. But her eyes—those bright, ethereal eyes—locked onto the fragment with unmistakable longing.

She wanted it. Badly.

Her instincts screamed at her that if she could just get her hands on that shard, she’d gain something incredible—something that could push her to a whole new level.

But after a brief hesitation, she clenched her jaw and turned her head away, pretending not to care. Like it didn’t matter to her at all.

No reaction. No movement.

Because she knew the truth.

Yes, she wanted it. But giving that fragment to her wouldn’t be the best move.

As a Crimson Ultimate Hero born from a 13-Tier Legendary Unit, she understood better than most just how terrifying a 14-Tier Mythic Unit Hero could be. In the world’s eyes, Mythic Unit Heroes weren’t just powerful—they were called Overlord-class deities.

In other words, if a 14-Tier Mythic Unit successfully evolved into a Hero Unit...

They’d have the potential to become an Overlord of an entire faction.

An Overlord.

That was a level of power Seraphina knew she could never reach—not in this lifetime. And that’s exactly why, if this fragment of Order Dragon Asha’s Primordial Force could help Auremax or Balthazar evolve...

Then giving it to them was the smartest, most strategic choice.

A Mythic Hero’s value couldn’t be measured. Only a Hero of that caliber could truly match the scale of a faction’s power—could become its foundation, its legacy. They were the ones who could elevate Emerald Castle to new heights.

And no matter how strong she was as a 13-Tier Legendary Unit turned Crimson Ultimate Hero... she simply couldn’t compare.

So she let it go.

She swallowed her desire and stayed quiet—not just for the good of the faction, but because she didn’t want to put Ethan in a difficult position.

What she didn’t realize, though... was that Ethan had noticed everything.

The way her gaze lingered just a second too long. The way her fingers twitched before she forced them still. The way she turned her head, just a little too deliberately.

He saw it all.