Chapter 296: Ch 295: You know what to do - Part 1
Selene spent the day gathering supplies with grim efficiency. Her movents were calculated, sharp, without wasted motion.
Each core she stored, each potion she brewed, and every weapon she checked over was another step toward the goal she couldn’t turn away from.
She barely spoke, barely breathed. She just worked.
By the ti dusk fell, the forest was painted in burnt orange and shadows. The air around her shifted.
The wind died all at once.
The trees stilled.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
Then ca the voice.
[It’s ti.]
Selene froze, the weight of those words pressing down on her chest.
Her system flared to life before she even moved, projecting a glowing blue screen in front of her with a soundless ping.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCENT: GLOBAL TOURNANT COMNCING]
Ti: 7 Days
Entry Requirent: 50 Monster Cores
Prize: Anything Within Reason – Including Resurrection Requests
All Active Hunters Are Eligible]
Her mouth went dry.
She stared at the screen in silence, every word embedding itself into her heart like a knife. This was it.
The beginning of the end.
Selene let the screen vanish with a wave of her hand.
The glow disappeared, but its ssage stayed burned in her mind.
She stood still, breathing slow, steadying herself even as her thoughts twisted.
This was the voice’s plan. To bring the world’s strongest into one place. And dangle temptation in front of them.
Selene clenched her jaw.
’You’re doing the right thing. The faster you finish this, the faster the dungeons disappear. The world will survive. People will live.’
She told herself.
But sothing in her gut disagreed.
It didn’t feel like salvation.
It felt like a trap.
Luke appeared behind her, his voice softer than usual.
"You okay?"
Selene didn’t turn to face him.
"It’s starting."
"I saw. What do you want
to do?"
He stepped beside her, hands shoved into his pockets.
"Stay put."
Luke looked at her, eyes narrowing.
"That’s it?"
"You’re not going to participate in the tournant. So you won’t be a target."
She said quietly.
He gave a low laugh.
"I already decided not to. If you’re not going, then I’m not going. That way, we’re on even ground."
Selene turned then, eting his gaze.
"You’re a fool."
"Yeah. But I’m your fool."
Luke agreed with a grin.
She snorted, shaking her head and walking away.
"Just don’t get in my way."
She looked down at her system as applications begin to pour in.
Selene stood at the entrance, the dying light casting long shadows around her. Her breath ca out in soft clouds, the air cooling with the oncoming night.
Her system pinged again.
[Tourney Status: Confird
Participants: 900 ]
She looked up at the sky, the stars starting to peek out.
This was it.
Her part in this madness had begun.
No turning back now.
Outside the dungeon, panic spread like wildfire.
The system’s ssage hit every hunter, adventurer, and guild mber across the globe. The interface was impossible to ignore.
Blue screens hung in the air of every city, marketplace, and training hall. People stopped mid-fight. Mid-conversation. Mid-al.
The reward was absurd.
Unreal.
Tempting beyond reason.
"Anything within reason."
Even the dead could be brought back. Even the lost could be returned.
It was chaos in the capital.
Hunters pushed into guild headquarters.
High-ranking officers barked orders they barely understood themselves. Rumors flew—about ancient magic, hidden costs, forbidden wishes.
And yet, no one backed out.
Why would they?
It was the chance of a lifeti.
The news even reached the Vale estate.
Nora sat with her arms crossed at her desk, legs stretched out, her gaze locked on the glowing projection floating in front of her. Noah stood near the window, tapping his knuckles against the sill, his face unreadable.
Neither said anything.
The tournant rules hovered silently in the air between them.
Then their office door creaked open.
Their mother stepped inside.
Evelyn Vale looked thinner than she had in months, but her posture remained as straight and dignified as ever. Her eyes—so much like Nora’s—were weary but determined.
She walked toward the desk, stopping just short of it.
"I want you both to enter."
Nora blinked.
"What?"
"You heard . Enter the tournant. And win."
Evelyn’s voice was soft but unwavering.
Noah’s expression changed subtly.
"You want us to use the wish..."
"To bring your father back. That’s what I want."
She said, looking between the two of them.
A long silence followed.
Nora’s hand curled into a fist against the armrest of her chair.
"And what if that wish isn’t safe? What if it’s another trap?"
She asked.
Evelyn’s eyes flickered.
"Then you’ll be strong enough to overco it."
Noah turned away from the window.
"We don’t even know if he’s dead."
"I know. But if there’s even a chance... I want you to try."
Evelyn said quietly.
Nora t Noah’s eyes across the room.
The tournant was already going to be dangerous.
Evelyn Vale had beco a shadow of her forr self.
Once the powerful matriarch of the Vale family, she now sat hunched in her armchair, wrapped in layers of velvet shawls, her hands trembling no matter how warm the room was.
Her eyes—once cold and calculating—had turned soft, distant. Fragile.
Grief had eaten away at her pride faster than ti ever could.
Nora watched her with a mixture of sympathy and detachnt.
She felt bad—of course, she did—but not enough to pretend that everything could go back to the way it used to be.
Not enough to pretend their father hadn’t been a monster in the end.
"I’ll do my best, Mother. I’ll win the tournant."
Nora said softly.
Evelyn’s eyes lit up for a fleeting mont, hope rushing in like a wave. She smiled—small, trembling, almost thankful.
Nora didn’t et her gaze.
"I’ll bring him back."
She added. A lie.
Evelyn nodded, still quiet, and rose with effort.
"Thank you. Both of you."
She whispered.
Then she left, her footsteps echoing hollowly down the hall.
The mont the door shut, Noah turned to Nora.
"You’re serious?"
He asked.
Nora snorted and stood up.
"Of course not."
Noah frowned.
"Then why—"
"I needed her to stop hovering over us. That woman’s clinging to a ghost, and I’m not going to waste a wish on reviving soone like him."
She cut in.
Noah shifted uncomfortably.
"I don’t like lying to her."
"We’re not lying to protect her. We’re lying to stop her from dragging us into sothing we’ll regret. You really want him back? After what he did?"
Nora said, eyes sharp.
Noah was silent.
"I thought so. We should talk to Ethan and the others. See what they think about the tournant. There’s sothing off about it."
Nora muttered.
They arrived at the temporary headquarters that Ethan, Zara, and Orion had been using since Selene disappeared.
The building was small but fortified—its windows tinted, its walls reinforced with enchantnts strong enough to keep out even B-class monsters.
Zara answered the door. Her brows lifted at the sight of the twins.
"Unexpected visit, huh? Co in."
She said.
They followed her into the main room, where Orion was cleaning his weapon and Ethan was flipping through reports at the far end of the table.
"Long ti no see."
Noah said as they entered.
Ethan looked up.
Nora didn’t waste ti.
"Are you going to participate in the tournant?"
Ethan’s jaw tightened. He didn’t hesitate.
"Yes. I’ll participate at all costs."
"Why?"
Noah asked, crossing his arms.
"Because I know she’ll be there."
Ethan said.
Zara sighed and leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Ethan... you don’t know that. You’re just guessing."
"It’s not a guess. It’s instinct."
Ethan said.
Zara looked unimpressed.
"Even so, have you considered the fact that Selene might not want to be found?"
That hit harder than it should have.
Ethan didn’t reply. He simply stood up, pushed the reports aside, and walked out of the room.
Noah watched him go, eyebrows raised.
"What is wrong with him?"
"Heartbreak. He’s trying to keep it together."
Orion said without looking up from his sword.
"Oh, please. I love Selene too. You don’t see
losing it."
Noah scoffed.
Orion finally looked up, cool gaze fixed on Noah.
"That’s not the sa."
"What’s that supposed to an?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Noah stepped forward, irritated.
"I care about her. I always have. Just because I’m not obsessing doesn’t an it’s less real."
Nora sighed and put a hand on her brother’s shoulder.
"Noah. Enough."
He looked at her, but she shook her head.
"You love her, yeah. But your love for Selene is different from Ethan’s. You know it. I know it. We all do."
Noah’s lips tightened. He said nothing more.
The room fell into a quiet lull. The tension eased, only slightly.
Zara pushed off the wall.
"So... we’re all entering, huh?"
Nora nodded slowly.
"Seems like it."
Noah muttered under his breath.
"Guess we don’t have a choice."
Orion sheathed his blade.
"Then let’s win."
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