Chapter 129: Fight Like a Phantom

"Were you scared...?" Trici glanced away, touching her lips thoughtfully, "You all looked very brave, especially you! A few blows and the bull fell to the ground! That was fantastic!"

Adam sighed heavily, dropping to one knee in front of Layla and pulling Trici off his back.

"Trici, be quiet, it's not that simple here... right?" Adam muttered intently, looking into Layla's eyes.

Perhaps if the onlookers who were clapping in honor of the military's triumph saw Layla now, they would be disappointed. However, Adam had a very different emotion - understanding.

"You have won. That's the main thing. None of you are injured, and the monster has fallen. For a first public battle, you did great, but... that's not what you're worried about, is it?" Adam asked, taking Layla's hand.

Quick tears fell onto his palm, dripping down in thin streams and soaking into the dry earth.

"Yes... I thought I was truly strong with my new gear, but... that's not the truth. Watching the Phantoms fight and helping them by firing rifles is different from facing a monster in close combat..."

Layla continued, tilting her head down as if she didn't want to show the world her tears and pitiful state.

"If I had made a mistake, the Triple-horned Buffalo would have pierced me with its horns. I managed to dodge, but... what if there had been more than one? What would happen if the fight was long and there were dozens of such attacks? Sooner or later, I would have made a mistake..." Layla spoke lower and lower, soon shifting to a whisper.

Adam could hear her clearly. However, he would have understood her even if she hadn't said anything. He had once been in an even more desperate position than Layla.

Layla smiled bitterly.

"Hah... I thought that soon, with the development department's progress, we would be able to fight even Green Threat Level monsters, 1 vs. 1! Damn... how stupid I was to think that... The three of us barely defeated the weakest monster, and now I'm sitting here...

trembling in fear..."

"Brother, lift me up!" Trici exclaimed with puffed-up cheeks, stretching her arms up.

Adam nodded, throwing Trici onto his shoulders.

"Good luck. Our world is a dangerous place, but not a hopeless one. We can handle even the most dangerous monsters, I've learned that for sure." Adam waved his hand, heading towards the food truck where the others were.

Layla smiled bitterly, taking a deep breath.

She looked up at the sun that was heading towards the horizon line, slowly disappearing behind the walls of the Citadel.

'Damn... For a moment, I even believed in Azure Lotus... They were so active saying that exoskeletons and FNs were a way for humans and Phantoms to match, but... it's not about the weapons. '

'Unlike the military, the Phantoms fight in Dead Lands all the time, which means that those of them who survived didn't do it solely because of their abilities... They were able to do it because of the personalities they became, not by fearing monsters, but by hunting them...'

Then, for Layla, came perhaps the most important day of her life.

Sure, the military was one of the most loyal groups of people to the Phantoms. But, watching the Phantoms fight and trying to step into their shoes were very different things.

Layla glanced at the generator in the chest of her exoskeleton. Compared to the first two versions, this one was 20% more efficient and most importantly - more stable.

'Hmm... They were able to improve this model pretty fast, but... How long will it take for the development department to create a completely new, more powerful exoskeleton?' Layla pondered with a detached gaze, looking off into the distance.

...

At this time, Adam returned to the others, while Alexia looked at him with a sly smile. She was obviously up to something, and Adam had to be involved!