Chapter 11: The First Test

Chapter 11: The First Test

Phantoms despite their superpowers were still humans, so conflicts between them were inevitable - for different reasons.

Adam's cold gaze stared at Oren, he was ready to blow a hole in him with just his eyes.

"What the hell did you do?" Adam said menacingly, tossing his sword aside.

Oren didn't say anything, he just stared at Adam in shock, as if not understanding how Adam had caught his sword or what he had just done.

Silvana stepped forward, staring intently at Oren.

"Do you even realize that you just almost killed or at least critically wounded the Operator?" Silvana said sternly, there seemed to be no resentment or hatred in her. Oren had broken the rules, to her that was the most important thing.

"I... I... I don't know..." Oren mumbled uncertainly.

"We're sorry!" Zola suddenly exclaimed and bowed low. She slapped Oren on the back, causing him to do the same.

Adam looked around, only to see dozens of stares directed solely at him. No one was looking at Oren or Zola or even Silvana, who just now might have been seriously hurt.

"You have a choice to make, both for yourself and for me." Silvana said calmly, pointing at Oren and Zola, "Just say the word, and I'll make a detailed report. It could be both of them being punished or just him."

Though it was Silvana who could be the one to suffer the most, she had no vote. Her Phantom had to make the decision.

Adam glanced at Oren's sword, then looked at his hand and turned forward.

"I've already said. I'm not fighting humans." Adam waved his hand, motioning to S-03's chamber.

"Agh...?"

Oren raised his head puzzled, meeting Silvana's cold gaze.

However, she said nothing and simply followed Adam's lead.

"Well... I'm still not good at keeping my emotions under control..." Oren muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

Zola puffed up her cheeks, "You need to do something about this right away. Maybe a fight in the arena?"

Oren nodded slightly.

...

Cracking.

'It doesn't matter how fast it is. I have enough reaction to dodge and counterattack!'

The monster thumped its front paws against each other before sinking them into the sand and unleashing a high wave at Adam - harmless, but cutting off his vision.

Then, four paws passed through the sand curtain, collapsing on Adam.

His pupils narrowed as the strings swept close to his face. He swung his needle sharply from top to bottom, severing two of the left paws. Blood rushed outward, partially covering his face, with a cold and determined look.

'Great! Just a little more!' Adam inwardly exclaimed, before attacking once more.

"Agh...?"

However, his hand didn't move, nor did he feel like he was holding anything at all. His gaze traveled to the side - to his flying hand with the needle disintegrating into particles.

Crackle.

Before Adam could do anything, the Living String's paws thrust into his abdomen, opening his belly and turning his organs into a bloody mess.

Infernal pain consumed Adam along with the agony.

His eyes darkened, and when he blinked the monster disappeared, as did the desert.

"Did I lose...?" Adam muttered in a disbelief.

Silvana nodded, "Yeah. You don't have to worry about that. It's okay to lose in your first battle, that's what the virtual zones were created for."

"Tsk. It wasn't supposed to happen. Can you summon it again?"

"Sure."

Silvana pressed the button, and Adam plunged back into the battle.

She stared intently at the monster selection screen where it was clearly written -

[Four-Legged Living String (Green Threat Level, Red Book.)]

Notes:

-Extremely dangerous in close combat, all other things being equal it can defeat 5 to 10 of its common fellows.

-Extremely effective in desert terrain, becoming 1.5x faster.

-Not recommended for beginner Phantom training due to its overly painful attacks].