Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 42  Crystal Weapon and Special Mission

As the day turned to night, life went on, both for the normal people and the Phantoms hunting monsters.

Some of them had been to all the Rings inside the Citadel and a few areas in the Dead Lands during the two days, while some stayed in the same room and did only one thing - trying to get better time after time.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Adam fended off a cascade of blows from the Granite Ghost using only his hands. His gloves eliminated the damage to his palms and reduced the recoil several times, allowing Adam to keep up his active pace for a long. Then, with a sharp gaze, Adam used his Order and swung the needle, cutting off the right arm of the Granite Ghost. It was the first time in over a hundred attempts that he had been able to get this far. Now, Adam was completely confident in himself and that he would win.

ʼFine, now he should try to dodge, knock me off balance somehow - perhaps with a push and try to pierce my head with his fingers. However, Iʼm not going to let that happen!ʼ Adam internally exclaimed, rushing forward.

Adam was about to deliver the final blow, but just at that moment, energy streaks ran down Granite Ghostʼs arm, and a long purple crystal, sharp as a sword, grew out of his palm.

Tremble.

The collision of the needle with the crystal made a strange ringing sound that caused ripples in space, and then Granite Ghost turned sharply and slashed Adam diagonally. Adam tried to defend himself, but he couldnʼt get a block out in time.

”Fuck! So heʼs had a weapon this whole time?! Since when do monsters even have weapons?! Adam exclaimed, hitting the ground with his fist irritably.

”Heh.”

”Hm? Was it just me, or did you just grin?” Adam frowned, casting a glance at Silvana.

Silvana shook her head.

”Iʼm sorry, itʼs just that Iʼve waited so long for the moment you discovered it. This was stage two. Do you want to take a break, or do you want to continue?” Adam kneaded his shoulder with a calm look.

”Pffft. Itʼs all right. A few more tries, and I can win. Itʼs only a matter of time.”

...

Three days later.

Adam, completely unharmed, without scratches or cuts stood over Granite Ghost. A long, silver needle had been thrust into the stone chest of the defeated and defeated Crown Monster.

It took longer than Adam had anticipated, but he didnʼt know that it wasnʼt a bad result, on the contrary, he managed it faster than expected.

ʼDamn... When I went to the Operators Academy I was hoping that my Phantom wouldnʼt be a complete moron... That was enough for me, you can never build up over expectations, or youʼll be sorely disappointed. However, I was lucky to find a diamond in the rough. Iʼm really lucky he chose me to be his Operator. Sometimes luck decides entire fates...ʼ Silvana pondered while looking at some list or - a ranking.

[Battle Against Practice Crown Monster (Granite Ghost)

Participants: K0-Level Phantoms.

Average number of attempts in the first stage - 480

Average number of attempts in the second stage - 734]

Then, Silvana clicked on Adamʼs profile. [Adam Vinter

Number of attempts on stage one - 140

Number of attempts at stage two - 235]

”Hey! How did I do? I hope it wasnʼt too bad?” Adam asked.

”Ghm.” Silvana cleared her throat, ”Iʼll be honest, itʼs a little better than the average score.”

Adam paused for a moment.

Then, he asked, ”Are you lying?”

Silvana flinched as she lowered her gaze.

”Y-Yes... I apologize... I did it again...” Silvana said in a trembling voice. She had once again broken the golden rule between Phantom and Operator - absolute trust. For someone like Silvana, it was like committing all the deadly sins at the same time.

Adam smiled bitterly.

”Actually you...”

”Stop.” Adam said sharply.

”What, donʼt you want to know your results?” Silvana was surprised.

Adam shook his head.

”Well... It hardly matters in any way. Just tell me, in your opinion are my chances now more than 50/50?” Adam smirked.

Silvana nodded.

”Sure... Iʼd say youʼre closer to 70/30, but thatʼs the maximum. However, the military will help you in the beginning.”

”Hmm? What does that mean?” Adam raised an eyebrow in confusion.

”I think we need to rest first. After all, itʼs no good occupying the chamber if weʼre already done.”

”Fine.”

...

The mechanical door opened, and they stepped out into the corridor. Adam was tired, but his gait was upbeat and confident. He had been taking breaks, physically he was full of energy, but mentally was pretty much exhausted. After all, he had been in virtual reality for five days, almost a full week, and the entire time, he had only fought the same opponent, constantly losing.

”Hey... Whatʼs going on here?” Adam asked, looking around.

For some reason as soon as he stepped out of the chamber, the other Phantoms, Operators, and even the department employees, looked at him with surprise. ”Khm.” Silvana coughed, ”I think there are several reasons here. Surely your long battle against the Crown Monster must have attracted attention, as well as your results that you didnʼt find out about...”

”I see. So thatʼs normal, right?” Adam glanced at her.

”Yes.”

Adam shrugged. He didnʼt care about the others. Right now he needed to get some rest, talk to Silvana about the next plan, and head to Rusty Ruins on Iron Alley.

...

The sodas and mountain of burgers were the perfect relief from both hunger and mental fatigue thanks to the fulfilled sweet but forbidden desire to eat something unhealthy and in larger portions.

Silvana explained to Adam everything he should have known. The Missions Department always made special missions for Phantoms that were going to reveal their Lock and kill the Beginning Monster. She had applied five days ago, so by now, everything was ready.

All the Mission Department needed was a signal from Adam, and the mission could begin at any moment.

...

The next day, at dawn, Adam was on his way to one of the runways at Fort Norton with fire in his eyes. He was excited not only because he was going to his toughest fight yet, but also because he was going to be sent to Rusty Ruins in a fighter aircraft!

Adam had been on fighter jets before, but only because of Damien and the rescue mission, however, now it was all prepared exclusively for him. Next to the fighter, there were also two military helicopters with squads with special long-range weapons. A woman in a military uniform stepped forward. She had a stern look, blue hair braided, and brown eyes.

”Mr. Adam, youʼre just in time. My name is Elda, and I will be in charge of the military part of this mission. Silvana must have told you everything in detail, didnʼt she?”

Adam nodded.

”Yeah. I donʼt think thereʼs any need for you, though. Iʼve seen a supersonic missile do no damage to a monster... Isnʼt that just a pointless risk?” Adam suggested.

Elda smirked.

”I assure you, it isnʼt. We may not be able to harm your Beginning Monster, but we can make the first part of the fight easier for you by increasing your overall chances of success. You can rest assured of that.” Elda said seriously.

”Fine, in that case, Iʼm relying on you.” Adam said as he walked past Elda.

Soon, the fighter jet took off as well as the military helicopters, and Adamʼs fateful mission began.