Chapter 59: The Governor’s Due
Ryan let out a long, slow breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. The adrenaline from the fight began to fade, replaced by a deep, bone-weary exhaustion and an equally deep sense of satisfaction.
He felt like he’d just run ten marathons and wrestled three bears, but he’d won the gold medal.
His eyes fell upon the pile of loot that had materialized on the console. It was like Christmas had come early for the newly appointed Governor of Sector Gamma.
There was the "Prime Control Cache," the "Major Berserker Cache" from defeating Viktor, and the enormous, glowing "Prime Sector Cache." It was a beautiful sight. He made a mental note to open them as soon as he had a quiet moment. For now, there were other matters to attend to.
He looked across the chamber at the defeated faction leaders. Tom "Shadow" Kane, the master strategist, was helping one of his injured soldiers to their feet, his face a mask of grim acceptance.
Zara "Technomage" Khan, the brilliant engineer, was staring at her now-useless high-tech gadgets with a look of pure, academic frustration, as if she’d just encountered a math problem she couldn’t solve.
The remaining Iron Wolves just looked lost without their leader. The residual energy from the now-stabilized god Weaver filled the room with a sense of calm authority, preventing any further aggression. The fight was well and truly over.
Ryan’s gaze fell upon the spot where Viktor "Ironjaw" Rostova had dissolved into a shower of god Points. A faint, angry red energy signature still lingered there, the last echo of the fearsome warrior’s powerful will.
It was fading fast, but it wasn’t gone yet. He wasn’t about to let that go to waste.
He focused his "Ultimate Infinite Extraction System" on the fading signature. It was like trying to catch a puff of smoke in his hand, but his system, now more powerful than ever, latched onto it. He pulled, and a new, potent talent flowed into him from the ghost of his fallen enemy.
"You have successfully extracted the B-Tier talent: ’Unyielding Presence’!" the system announced.