The first sound to break the silence was the announcer’s voice, still booming as if there had been no pause at all. "—AND NINE STARS RETAINS THE NORTHERN THRONE! THEIR TI IS UP IN ELEVEN MINUTES BEFORE THEY WIN!"
Then, the noise of distant battles abruptly sprang back to life—the clang of weapons, shouts, explosions of energy. Everything was moving again, as if ti had never stopped.
The spectators in the stands cheered once more. Caras panned, recording. The world resud its motion.
But amidst it all, a few things were different.
Isabel rcedes stood in her position, face pale, body trembling slightly. She felt the differences in her body. The lingering sharp pain in her rear, the wet sensation in her underwear, and the feeling of devastation in her heart. But she tried to hide it, tried to appear normal.
Arianna Blazinger, who had witnessed everything with her consciousness intact, could now move again. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Her cheeks were flushed, and she could feel a mortifying dampness between her thighs. But she forced herself to focus, to act as if nothing had happened.
Delilah Socheron sat in the VIP stand with her usual cold expression, but upon closer inspection, there was a slight flush on her cheeks, and her lips still looked a bit swollen.
And I, Adam Socheron, stood calmly in my place, as if nothing had transpired. But inside, a profound sense of satisfaction swelled.
As the world resud its noisy course, one figure quietly sensed sothing strange.
Yukie Iceblood, still sitting calmly upon the Northern throne, suddenly felt an unfamiliar sensation in her mouth. Her tongue, which usually only tasted the cold air or occasionally the tea she drank, now tasted sothing... different. A salty taste, and... it was familiar.
She subtly moved her tongue inside her closed mouth, exploring every crevice. The taste lingered, faint yet distinct. It clung to the roof of her mouth, her gums, even her front teeth.
What taste is this?
Her normally focused and analytical mind imdiately went to work. This taste... I’ve tasted it before. But when?
Then, unconsciously, her pale eyes shifted towards Isabel, who stood not far away. Isabel, who had suddenly sat down on the floor, her face flushed deep red, her hands clutching her stomach tightly. Her expression was a jumble—obvious pain, deep sha, and sothing else... sothing more...
To an ordinary observer, it might look like Isabel was just tired from standing too long—which was impossible for an Awakener of her caliber—or bored from waiting. But Yukie was no ordinary person. She was an exceptional observer.
Then, back to the taste in her mouth. She swallowed a little saliva, and the taste beca clearer.
And suddenly, she knew. She knew exactly what taste it was.
The certainty ca without a doubt. But how? Ti was frozen...
Yukie’s cold eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly. She glanced sidelong at Adam Socheron, who stood beside her with his usual flat expression. But there was sothing at the corner of Adam’s lips—a very slight curve, almost invisible, like a suppressed smile of satisfaction.
Then Yukie looked again, this ti observing her surroundings more carefully. Her sharp gaze swept over the arena floor around the throne.
There. In front of the throne, not far from where Isabel had been standing, were traces of fluid. Several thick, white stains were already soaking into the stone floor. And near the foot of the throne, a small puddle, also milky white, with a thick consistency.
That fluid...
Yukie looked at Adam once more, this ti a fraction longer. Adam only glanced back briefly. He stood there as if nothing had happened.
Despite realizing all this, Yukie’s facial expression didn’t change in the slightest. Her face remained as cold as ice, as indifferent as ever. But inside her analytical and frigid mind, a plan had already begun to form.
anwhile, I myself glanced at Yukie out of the corner of my eye, unaware of what was currently in her thoughts. From the beginning until now, Yukie had always been soone whose thoughts were incredibly hard to guess.
And just then, in my peripheral vision, a pleasant blue notification popped up.
[Quest: Revenge - Successfully Completed]
[You have received 3000 EXP.]
[Received Item: ]
A small part of was happy to see it, while also a bit disappointed that I didn’t level up imdiately as usual. 3000 EXP was a fairly large reward, but considering my progression, I guessed leveling up would beco increasingly difficult for . That was to be expected.
anwhile, just from its na alone, the new item seed interesting. I imdiately called up my system interface ntally and focused on the new item.
[The Pocket Companion’s Locket
-> A necklace with a pendant shaped like a small capsule. When activated by pressing a hidden button on its side, the capsule opens and draws in light, capturing and storing one chosen person into a stasis space within. Within this space, ti for the person is completely halted. They require no food, air, or anything else, and exist in a state of peaceful, dreamless sleep.]
Reading that description, a satisfied smile finally spread across my lips. This... was incredible.
My mind imdiately began racing, thinking of all the possibilities. I could kidnap anyone I wanted, store them inside this pendant, and carry them anywhere without hassle. They wouldn’t age, wouldn’t get hungry, wouldn’t rebel. Just peaceful sleep, waiting for to use them whenever I wanted.
I imdiately summoned the item, and instantly felt a coolness against the skin of my neck. A simple necklace with a small silver-colored capsule pendant now hung on my chest, hidden beneath my combat uniform. No one would suspect a thing.
And while I was preoccupied with my new discovery, ti continued to pass. Those fifteen minutes finally ran out.
Not a single academy dared approach our Northern throne. Even the commotion in the center of the arena between the three major academies and the smaller coalition began to subside—they too seed to realize that approaching us was suicide. They were more focused on defeating each other to claim the remaining three thrones.
Once ti was up, the crown of light held by Yukie suddenly shone brightly. The beam shot upwards, and from the ceiling of the arena, a spotlight of brilliant white light descended, dramatically illuminating Yukie and her throne.
"AND THAT’S IT! TI’S UP!" the Announcer yelled, his voice echoing throughout the colosseum. "ACADEMY NINE STARS HAS OFFICIALLY OCCUPIED THE NORTHERN THRONE AND ADVANCES TO THE FINALS!"
The spectators’ cheers roared, though they sounded... sowhat flat. Not very enthusiastic.
"TRULY... A BORING VICTORY!" the Announcer continued, as if reading the crowd’s mood. "BUT WHAT ELSE CAN WE EXPECT WITH THE PRESENCE OF A MONSTER NAD YUKIE ICEBLOOD ON THEIR TEAM? THIS WAS A PREDICTABLE OUTCO FROM THE START!"
In her heart, Isabel, still sitting pale-faced on the floor, muttered to herself, ’There’s a far more terrifying monster here than Yukie.’
The other three thrones were still being fiercely contested. Arclight, Drakefield, and GOTE Academy seed to have succeeded in defeating half of the smaller academies, but now they looked utterly exhausted. The battle still raged on.
But that was no longer our concern. , Yukie, Isabel, Nerissa, and Arianna—the five of us were done. We began walking out of the arena, leaving the Northern throne which slowly descended back beneath the floor, disappearing from view.
We walked through the exit tunnel, leaving the arena’s commotion behind. The atmosphere among us was tense and silent. Isabel walked with a slightly faltering step, but tried to hide it. Arianna looked sowhat confused, as if trying to rember sothing. Nerissa was quiet. Yukie, as usual, indifferent.
Once we arrived at Nine Stars’ designated viewing area, the Announcer announced over the speakers that the tournant’s final round would be held tomorrow. So for today, all participants who had finished their matches could rest and were free to do as they pleased.
"We’re finished here," Instructor Violet said, her face still sowhat sour despite our effortless victory. "You may return to your dorms, watch the matches if you wish, or rest in the facilities provided. Tomorrow morning we regroup for the final round briefing."
She didn’t force us to watch and analyze our potential opponents for tomorrow. It was clear she had great confidence in our abilities—or more precisely, in Yukie’s ability—because after all, the match tomorrow in the final round would be...
I nodded, then without another word, I turned and left. There was nothing to discuss with them. I had more interesting things to do.
I walked through the majestic halls of the Aegis Grand Colosseum, my steps relaxed. My mind was still occupied with my new item—The Pocket Companion’s Locket.
Who would be my first companion? Delilah? If I brought her along, hunting monsters in dungeons to level up would beco trivial. Or Charlotte? She could heal my wounds and even poisons, she could also provide buffs to increase my strength. Or perhaps, soone else.
Then, as I turned into a sowhat deserted corridor, suddenly—
Soone ambushed from the side.
A strong, swift hand grabbed my arm, roughly pulling into a small alcove in the corridor wall hidden by decorative drapes. I stumbled but quickly regained my balance.
And when I saw who had ambushed , my eyes widened.
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