Author's Note: Do Not Unlock Yet.
---------------
August sat in his office at AM Coven, the room dimly lit by the soft glow of the interface hovering in front of him.
Detective Wright had left just monts ago, but his words still lingered.
"If it's so rare, why are there so many supers now?"
"Oni's been replicating the Fruit of Corruption and distributing it."
August leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he pulled open his inventory interface.
There it was.
[ Fruit of Corruption x1 ]
The small, ominous-looking fruit pulsed faintly, like a beating heart. The first ti he had consud one, it had completely altered his reality—allowing him to extract items from the ga and use them in real life.
Now, with this new revelation, an idea began forming in his mind.
"Would it be insensitive… to ask the kid to replicate it?"
The very thought sent a cold shiver down his spine.
On one hand, he could consu another one, further increasing his abilities.
On the other, he could make a fortune selling them to a select few individuals.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Would it be reckless? Maybe.
Would it be profitable? Absolutely.
August closed his inventory, setting the thought aside for later. He had other things to handle before returning to the ga.
Handling Business
As he stepped out of his office, Derrick was already waiting for him.
"Everything alright? You looked deep in thought back there."
Aleman tilted his head slightly. "Just considering a… business opportunity."
Derrick chuckled. "That sounds like the kind of thing I'd say. But yeah, I got the next shipnt of potions scheduled for transport tomorrow. Should we increase the security escort this ti?"
Aleman nodded.
"Yes. I don't want another repeat of what happened last ti. Assign one of the super guards to accompany the shipnt."
Derrick gave him a thumbs-up. "Got it. Also, about that investnt proposal from last week—so big nas are still pushing to buy shares."
Aleman waved it off.
"We're not selling shares. Not now, not ever. AM Coven stays under my control."
Derrick smirked. "That's what I figured you'd say. I'll keep shutting them down."
With that handled, Aleman checked the ti.
It was ti to return to the ga.
---
The Elven Kingdom—A Looming Shadow
Far from the bustling human cities, deep within the ancient woods of Sylvalis, the elven kingdom trembled under a new revelation.
A eting was being held in the Grand Celestial Hall, where elven royalty and high elders gathered under the glow of ethereal blue lanterns.
At the head of the hall, Queen Isilfaris stood, her silver hair cascading down her back, her golden eyes narrowed with concern.
"It has been confird. The monarch has escaped the Hollow Dusk."
A murmur swept through the council chamber.
Elder Vareth, a tall elf with ivy-like tattoos winding around his arms, slamd his staff against the ground.
"Impossible! That prison was ant to be eternal! Who was foolish enough to disrupt the balance?"
A young scout stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"Your Majesty… we have reason to believe it was a human."
The council erupted into gasps.
Queen Isilfaris' eyes narrowed dangerously.
"A human? How would a human break through our seals?"
The scout hesitated, then spoke.
"This human… was unlike any we have encountered before. He did not possess normal magical energy, nor did he wield divine artifacts. He… vanished into thin air."
Another elder leaned forward.
"Vanished? What nonsense is this?"
The scout took a deep breath.
"He disappeared. Right before my eyes. One mont, he was there—the next, he was gone, like a shadow fading in the wind."
Queen Isilfaris clenched her fists.
"Find him. Find the human responsible. We cannot allow this to go unpunished."
Elder Vareth's voice rang out, full of venom.
"The Sylvalis Kingdom shall hunt this human down. And when we find him… he will suffer the consequences of his actions."
---
Back to the Tournant
August exhaled sharply as he settled into his newly upgraded VR pod.
The mont he logged in, he was t with a world notification.
[ The Tournant of Kingdoms continues in three hours! ]
He was still in the waiting area where players had gathered for the tournant, and he could already see so of the strongest participants discussing strategies.
Across the room, Boris, Lilo, Ezran, and Gregarious were waiting for him.
Lilo smirked when she saw him. "And here I thought you weren't gonna make it."
Boris grinned. "Yeah, wouldn't want to miss seeing you get thrown off the platform in the next round."
Ezran shook his head. "He was literally one of the strongest in the last round. Stop talking nonsense, Boris."
Gregarious leaned in dramatically. "Forget the tournant. Did you guys see the new announcent from the Sylvalis Kingdom? Apparently, they're looking for a human who broke into one of their most secure areas."
August froze for a split second before masking it with a casual shrug.
"Sounds like a poor bastard. Hope he's got good reflexes."
Lilo narrowed her eyes. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
August grinned mischievously. "? I've been a model citizen. Never even stepped foot in Sylvalis."
Ezran chuckled. "Yeah, right. Let's focus on the tournant. We only have three hours before it continues."
August nodded, but his mind was elsewhere.
If the elves were looking for him, it ant he was now marked by an entire kingdom.
And sothing told him that this was only the beginning.
---sss
---
System Notification:
[ Aleman used Wing Devastation. Area of Effect: 40 ters. Undead soldiers destroyed: 25. Shadow constructs weakened. ]
---
Lilo who had been struggling to fend off a wave of undead, gaped at the destruction. "That's Aleman for you—always showing off."
Boris chuckled while cleaving an undead knight in two. "Looks like he passed his tier 2 tests. Let's see what he can really do."
Ezran who was casting a frost spell, froze mid-incantation to stare. "I've never seen spells like that…"
August dashed forward, activating Phantom Blitz.
He summoned Thunder Spear again, hurling it toward a particularly dense cluster of undead. The resulting explosion left another crater, sending shockwaves across the field.
---
System Notification:
[ Critical Hit! 40 undead soldiers destroyed. Contribution rank increased. ]
---
"Is he even human?" a player muttered while watching in disbelief as August cleared the field almost single-handedly.
They had no idea that August was just a level 32 player or it would have left them discombobulated.
August had cleared a path that led back to the monolith and left Boris and the others to properly stall Malrik while he played the part of destroying it.
The air near the monolith crackled with unstable energy as August approached with daggers in hand.
The closer he got, the higher the pressure.
There was a strange oppressiveness that made breathing feel like a struggle. The runes on the monolith pulsed erratically, glowing brighter with each second. It was on the brink of completing whatever catastrophic purpose it had been designed for.
"Here we go," August muttered before taking a deep breath.
He activated Voidstep, instantly closing the distance between himself and the monolith. With his daggers glowing, he slashed at its surface, but the ancient stone seed impervious to physical attacks.
"Figures," he said with a smirk. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."
He stepped back and grabbed his staff, unstrapping it from his back.
Channeling mana into his most powerful spells, he cast Ethereal Storm.
A powerful cyclone burst forth in a chaotic swirl of lightning and elental energy, slamming into the monolith. The impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield, but the structure only cracked slightly.
---
System Notification:
[ Monolith Integrity: 90%. Keep attacking! ]
---
Behind him, the battle raged on as Malrik's forces clashed with the combined armies of Tagharium and the players. Lilo, Boris, and Ezran fought fiercely, keeping Malrik occupied.
From his perch atop the ruined castle, Malrik suddenly froze mid-incantation.
His glowing eyes narrowed as he sensed the disruption.
"What is this?" he hissed with a venomous tone. "The monolith… No!"
He turned sharply as his staff glowed with energy in preparation to intervene. "You dare defy , puny insect? I will—"
"Not so fast!" Lilo's voice rang out as an arrow streaked through the air, slamming into Malrik's barrier. The explosion forced him to stagger back.
Boris's axe glowed with fiery energy as he charged forward. "You've got us to deal with first, you bastard!"
Ezran followed, summoning a massive frost wall to block Malrik's path to the monolith. "We're not letting you stop him!"
Malrik roared in frustration as his staff emitted dark tendrils of energy that lashed out at the trio. "You insignificant pests! Do you think you can hold ?"
---
System Notification:
[ Malrik's HP: 100,000/150,000. ]
---
August, unaware of the chaos behind him, focused all his energy on the monolith. He summoned Thunder Spear, hurling it with precision.
The lightning-infused spear struck the monolith dead center, causing a web of cracks to spread across its surface.
---
System Notification:
[ Monolith Integrity: 50%. Keep attacking! ]
---
Malrik's voice echoed across the battlefield in anger. "I will not allow this! You will all perish for your defiance!"
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