Chapter 198: Summoning
His last mission was finished. Standing on a high branch, Adam pulled the crumpled mission slips from his pocket. Twelve slips in total. A quick motion tore them in half.
The small pieces of paper fluttered down into the forest below, forgotten like dead leaves. No pride registered on his face, only a cold focus. The first part of the plan was over. Now, the second would begin.
"System," Adam’s voice was a low whisper in the quiet woods. "What is the time?"
A blue screen appeared in his vision. [Master, one and a half hours have passed. The competition began one and a half hours ago.]
’It’s quite late, but it doesn’t matter, I still have some time left’ Adam thinks.
A small, sharp smile touched Adam’s lips. "I have more than enough time," he said to himself. "Time to start the next plan. The front-end team will not complete their missions."
Without another word, Adam pushed off the branch. The departure made no sound. His form became a shadow flowing through the trees, faster than the wind, leaping from one branch to the next. Closing his eyes, his senses spread out like a great net, searching for the energy of the Golden Group.
In a dark and empty space, Eric watched a screen. It was his only link to the world. On it, his own body moved with a deadly grace that was not his. The hunt, the impossible power of the lightning—he had seen it all. The plan was finally clear. This was not just about a bet. The goal was to save Alina, to force the Golden Group to release her.
Then, more information flowed into his mind. A vision of the Emperor, his face hard, giving a condition. The New Warriors would receive support and resources, but only if Princess Monica left the Golden Group. This entire game was also a political move to free the princess from Joshua.
Stunned, Eric sat in the darkness. A pawn in a game he did not understand. On the screen, his body moved. The belief that the System was in control, a cold machine, was all he had.
The truth remained hidden from him: the one in control was not the System, but a being named Adam. The weight of it all was too heavy. The world on the screen started to fade. A wave of blackness washed over his mind. He disappeared from the dark space, gone.
A silent landing on a thick branch marked Adam’s arrival. Opening his eyes, he scanned the clearing below. They were here.