Minutes into the drive, the Berserk Mode effect wore off—and then came the backlash. My body was burning up, and I felt too dizzy to stand.
My body felt like a boulder had been placed on me, each limb weighing me down—and to be honest, I felt a bit sleepy.
I laid down and looked towards the moving clouds. I wasn't sure why, but I felt infuriated by the outcome of today's battle.
I won, but that wasn't the type of victory I wanted. Not even the system recognized it as a victory or an achievement. It was clear I was lacking—greatly.
"I can easily level up a couple of times using the experience points I've accumulated. That would have made this entire mission easier, but my priority now is gathering ten thousand experience points for my territory repairs," I muttered in a weak voice.
It was frustrating gathering so many experience points and not being able to use them. But then again, I wasn't sure when an actual invasion would happen in my territory.
If my memories are correct, the only reason we succeeded in surviving Nightfall Dominion was because Lord Ravus had expended his military might and strength against invaders who came from another rift.
If I'm too short-sighted, I'll end up the same way.
"This responsibility..." I muttered weakly as darkness encroached rapidly from the edges of my vision. "This responsibility... is too heavy..."
And just like that, I fell into a bottomless pit of eternal darkness. This was the only place I could truly find peace.
---- Central Aether Transportation Hub (C.A.T.H.) ----
My eyes fluttered open to a calm and quiet environment. All the explosions, cries, and screams I was forced to endure were gone—replaced with complete silence.
[Status:] Weakened
[Stats]
Strength: 8 - 5
Speed: 8 - 5
Vitality: 9 - 5
Intelligence: 10
[Health Points:] 45/45
[Energy Points:] 20/20
[Time left: 7:32]
Instinctively, I gazed at my stats and frowned at what I saw. Not only was I losing five points to all stats, my health points were also halved.
"Aah..." A soft groan escaped my lips as I attempted to sit up.
Even now, my body felt unnecessarily heavy—but it was much better than before.
In the process of raising myself, I noticed something. I glanced to the side and saw Natasha seated beside me, with her upper body laid on the bed, sleeping peacefully.
Only now did I realize I've made it a habit to look at system messages as soon as I wake up, instead of assessing my environment.
'This is a bad habit that may end up getting me killed one day,' I admitted.
I glanced around, realizing I was in a spacious office, with complete desks and chairs. Even a shelf filled with books—yet I was on a hospital bed, positioned next to the open window, probably for the natural air.
"Where exactly is this?" I muttered under my breath before shifting my gaze to Natasha's sleeping figure. "And why is she wasting her time?"
Maybe she thought this was romantic—and she would break my shell eventually with acts of love. But to me, she was only begging to be used and discarded as soon as I take her ability.
I have seen and experienced betrayal in nearly a hundred lifetimes. Does she think these things would move me?
'I'll kill her when I get the chance,' I decided decisively.
The last thing I need is someone meddling in my business in the name of love. Once I have the chance to make her disappear without anyone noticing, I'll do that and put an end to this rubbish.
"Her [Core] talent is pretty decent. I wonder how much it would cost," I muttered to myself and looked out the window.
I wasn't sure where we were, but I could see a translucent blue dome surrounding the environment. The land must be vast—that explains why I can't see the walls or the starting point of the aether-barrier surrounding this place.
In an instant, I figured out where this place is.
"Central Aether Transport Hub (C.A.T.H.)," I muttered while sliding off the bed.
The Central Aether Transport Hub was a fortified command and evacuation center that can be found in every state of the American Empire.
After a series of unfortunate events which led to the loss of territories to invading monsters, this place was built as a safe zone during the Rift Wars. Its main purpose was to keep the people safe while the government coordinates mass civilian evacuations.
Consider it a fort where people can hide for a while before getting evacuated should a rift break occur.
I'm not sure about other countries, but America is one of the few nations that has achieved something this magnificent. That's why it has the lowest civilian casualties during a rift break.
Clank!
The door suddenly yanked open. It was Pamela. Her eyes were pinned on me, filled with strange emotions I couldn't decipher.
"Who, where, why?" Natasha abruptly sat up with sleepy eyes, glancing around like she was surrounded by enemies.
It took her a while to realize where she was, and her eyes slowly widened as she saw me standing.
"Adam!" She stood up enthusiastically, but Pamela waved at her to stop.
The room fell silent, and the atmosphere turned heavy.
I knew why.
They saw the Skarnak rip through my back and toss me out of the helicopter. Yet, I'm standing here without a single scratch on me.
Somehow, my wounds healed miraculously.
This, coupled with the possibility they saw me physically enter my pocket dimension… I even suspected they saw me drag Ûtá and his Skarnak into it.
Regardless, there were too many irregularities I had to answer for.
"Are you strong enough to take a stroll, or do you prefer we talk here?" Pamela asked, and my frown deepened.
I briefly shifted my gaze to Natasha, who couldn't take her worried eyes off me. It seemed I wasn't the only one who knew I was in trouble.
"I'll walk," I let out with a heavy sigh.
This was bound to happen.