Chapter 100 - Too Successful For Their Own Good

Park Zhen’s form was nothing but a blur as he sprinted toward the place where Lord Varek had been lying just moments ago. His heart pounded in his chest, his breathing ragged, but none of that compared to the chaos unraveling in his mind.

His eyes, wide with disbelief and fury, locked onto the empty space where the unconscious body had been contained, where the Ki barrier that he and Jianfeng had formed should have still been holding strong. Yet, as he approached, he witnessed the shimmering remnants of the barrier flicker and dissolve into the air like dissipating mist, leaving behind nothing—no trace of the defeated warlord, no remnants of his power, nothing.

A sharp, guttural scream tore from Park Zhen’s throat as his fury erupted.

“Where is he?!”

He roared, his voice filled with unrestrained rage and desperation. His hands clenched into fists so tightly that his nails threatened to pierce his own palms. His usually composed and unreadable expression was gone, replaced by raw anguish and frustration.

His head snapped toward the others, his piercing gaze burning into them as if demanding an immediate answer.

“Where did he go?!”

He bellowed again, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

The rest of the group stood in stunned silence, their minds still trying to process what had just transpired. Their exhaustion, grief, and confusion weighed heavily on them. Kazue, Chloe, Li, and Drake still knelt near the fading ashes of Nikolai, their faces reflecting the pain of the loss they had just endured. Chloe's eyes were still red with tears, Kazue held her mangled hands against her chest, trembling, while Drake remained frozen, his expression unreadable.

But Adam, despite the pain in his heart, despite the loss that still gripped him, was the first to recover. His mind, reinforced by the trait that came with his undead nature, forced him to compartmentalize his emotions. His grief was real, but his body did not allow it to consume him—not now. He pushed himself to his feet, his glasses reflecting the dull glow of the fading system messages still lingering in his vision.

He took a few slow steps toward Park Zhen, his movements deliberate.

“Park Zhen.”

He called out, his voice level but firm.

“We don’t know exactly where he went. But we saw what the system told us.”

Park Zhen turned to him, his body rigid, his muscles tensed like a predator ready to strike. His fury was barely contained, yet Adam continued, knowing there was no point in delaying the truth.

“For some reason, the system reclassified Lord Varek as a ‘User’—like us.”

Adam’s voice was calm but carried an edge of unease. He knew the implications of those words, even if he didn’t fully understand them yet.

“And then he used a system-exclusive ability to escape this world.”

Park Zhen’s breath hitched, his expression shifting from anger to outright disbelief. His mind rejected the possibility, but he had seen the system's effects himself. He had spent centuries bound to the rules of this world, knowing exactly what was and wasn’t possible just for them to be shattered by such a “system”. For a being like Mo Yanhui—Lord Varek—to suddenly become something akin to these invaders… it was beyond comprehension.

“Then where did he go?!”

He demanded, his fury laced with desperation. He needed an answer. Any answer.

Adam adjusted his glasses, his brow furrowed as he considered the only conclusion he could come to.

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea.”

He admitted, shaking his head.

“But what I do know is that now that he’s left this world, he won’t be able to return so easily.”

Park Zhen’s fingers twitched. His mind screamed at him to reject Adam’s words, to demand more, to refuse to believe that the reason for his world’s suffering had simply slipped through his fingers. But Adam was not the type to lie in a situation like this.

“The system doesn’t allow us to return to scenarios we’ve already completed.”

Adam continued.

“I don’t know what it means for someone like Lord Varek to be transformed into a User, but if he follows the same restrictions as we do, then he shouldn’t be able to come back here… at least not through the system’s normal functions.”

The truth settled like a heavy stone in Park Zhen’s chest. His jaw tightened, and his fists trembled at his sides. The burning fury within him refused to dissipate, but there was nothing he could do in that moment to change what had happened. His target was gone. His vengeance, stolen from him in an instant.

He ground his teeth, his breath coming out in short, uneven bursts.

“…Tch.”

He finally growled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. His mind spun with a thousand thoughts, each one an attempt to rationalize, to find an alternative, to grasp at something that could lead him back to his goal.

But in the end, he forced himself to accept the reality before him.

“If that’s true…”

He muttered, his voice rough with barely restrained emotion.

“Then that means we have time.”

Jianfeng, who had remained silent, exhaled slowly, his own expression clouded with uncertainty.

“Time for what?”

Park Zhen looked at him, his sharp eyes filled with determination.

“To prepare… If he ever finds a way back… we will be ready.”

As Park Zhen forced himself to calm down, the air around them seemed to shift. A familiar chime echoed across the battlefield, a sound that only the users could hear. Park Zhen, Jianfeng, Shen, and Abbess remained unaware, their gazes locked on the exhausted and wounded group before them, while Adam, Kazue, Chloe, Li, Drake, and even Sebastian who was still tending to the unconscious Gregor and Katya, instinctively turned their attention to the sudden notification appearing before them.

A large, translucent blue screen materialized in front of each of them, hovering in the air. The mechanical, feminine voice of the system rang out, its artificial tone cutting through the remnants of battle like a final decree. The epilogue of the scenario had begun.

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image [https://i.imgur.com/1j4doej.png]

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Yet, even as they processed the information before them, something stood out—something that didn’t make any sense. The epilogue mentioned that Drake was Park Zhen’s student and that he had spent a full year in this world.

Adam furrowed his brows. That was impossible. They had all arrived together. There was no logical way that an entire year had passed for Drake in this world while only days had passed for the rest of them. The inconsistencies were glaring, but before anyone could question it, another notification appeared.

Drake, without hesitation, raised his hands, activating something within the system. Another system window manifested in front of him, glowing with a soft, pulsing light.

[Notice: SSR-Rank Plot Device “I Choose to Stay” has been used.]

A heavy silence fell over the group as every eye snapped toward Drake. Adam, his expression hardening, was the first to speak.

“What are you doing?”

He demanded, his voice sharp with confusion and something dangerously close to anger.

Drake, wiping the lingering tears from his face, forced a smile—one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He exhaled, the weight of his decision pressing heavily on his chest, but his determination did not waver.

“I’ve decided to stay.”

He said firmly.

“I’m using my Plot Device to extend my time here to the absolute limit.”

Adam’s eyes widened, his mind racing to process what he had just heard.

“Why the hell would you do that?”

He pressed. Drake's smile softened, his blue eyes glinting with something almost wistful.

“Because this world suits me, I want to experience more of it. I want to push myself here, live here, and grow stronger here.”

Adam clenched his fists. He wanted to argue, but before he could formulate a proper response, Drake turned away from him, stepping forward with purpose.

He approached Park Zhen, his expression shifting from wistful longing to unwavering resolve. With deliberate motion, he straightened his posture, planting his feet firmly into the ground before executing a flawless formal bow.

“Sir Park Zhen!”

He called out, his voice strong and clear.

“Please take me as your disciple!”

A beat of stunned silence followed.

Then—

“What?!”

The exclamation rang out in perfect unison from every conscious member of the group, their collective shock rippling through the battlefield.

Adam opened his mouth to retort, but before he could say anything further, a sudden light enveloped his body. A familiar sensation surged through him, the same as before when a scenario ended.

The world around him blurred, the battlefield fading into an abyss of radiant whiteness. It swallowed him whole, leaving him standing in a vast, empty expanse—a white void where nothing existed, where time felt nonexistent.

⌠Showing results:⌡ ⌠Base Rewards⌡ ⌠Reward Points 1000⌡ ⌠The character Abbess Xinhui has now been added to the system as the user’s summon.⌡

⌠Bonus Rewards⌡ ⌠Additional Rewards will be shown based on the user’s contribution to the success of the Hidden Subplot (1/2) and Hidden Subplot (2/2)⌡ ⌠All Skills levels +1⌡ ⌠Potential: User Potential rank increased to C⌡ ⌠Additional Points +4000⌡ ⌠Merit B x1⌡ ⌠Gacha Voucher x1⌡ ⌠Unique Skill Based on the scenario ending x2⌡ ⌠…⌡ ⌠…⌡ ⌠Skill [Jiang Shi Assimilation Lv1] has been created.⌡ ⌠Skill [Corrupted Ki Infusion Lv1] has been created.⌡ ⌠Returning…⌡

Adam exhaled deeply, his breath slow and controlled as he focused on the screen before him. The results of the scenario were displayed clearly, detailing his contributions, the rewards, and—most notably—the two new skills he had obtained. While normally, he would be eager to dissect every detail, his mind was elsewhere. His thoughts remained clouded with unease, and his fingers hesitated over the interface.

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Drake’s departure lingered in his mind, but not for the reasons one might expect. It wasn’t the fact that he had chosen to stay behind, it was not even an inconvenience after all. The blond had made his choice with full awareness, and there was nothing more to say, more so if its result ended up making the team stronger.

What disturbed Adam was the epilogue… The system had known. Before Drake even used the Plot Device, the system’s closing summary had already treated his decision as fact before he had formally declared his intentions.

How was that possible?

Adam’s eyes darkened, his mind running through possibilities. Could the system see the future? Did it have predictive capabilities so advanced that it could anticipate their actions with near-perfect accuracy?

A cold shiver ran down his spine as a darker thought emerged.

What if they weren’t making their own choices at all?

What if everything—their struggles, their triumphs, their suffering—had already been scripted? After all, they were nothing more than entertainment for the entities called ‘Patrons’. He had long since accepted that their every move was observed, analyzed, and even bet upon. But had they ever considered the possibility that they were merely following a preordained path?

Adam clenched his fists. The idea repulsed him, infuriated him, but above all, it terrified him. Was he simply acting out a role in a story someone else had already written? Could he break free from it, or was that too just another part of the script?

Before he could dwell on the thought any further, the whiteness surrounding him suddenly fractured, like glass shattering in reverse. The blank void that had enveloped him dispersed within a second, and in an instant, he found himself standing in the familiar setting of the lobby.

The return to normalcy was jarring, but he had no time to dwell on it. His gaze swept across the group, taking in the exhausted yet intact forms of his teammates. Without wasting another second, he turned on his heel and rushed toward the store area.

Just as Li had instructed him previously, Adam navigated the options with precision and selected ‘Heal Up!’ for the ones that were wounded.

Immediately, a soft glow enveloped each of them. Kazue gasped as her mangled hands and broken fingers snapped back into place. A heavy exhale of relief escaped her lips as she reached up and, with a single motion, removed the needle still embedded in her forehead.

Emir, who had been curled up silently, let out a small cry of surprise as his burned arms regenerated, leaving not even a scar behind. Gregor and Katya, unconscious just moments ago, both jolted awake, their eyes snapping open as they each let out an abrupt, startled gasp.

Adam wasted no time. As soon as he saw that everyone was stabilized, he walked back toward them and spoke, his voice steady but firm.

“I know that losing Nikolai is hard for everyone, especially after what happened.”

He said, his gaze flickering briefly to each of them, gauging their reactions.

“But we have to keep moving forward. When Drake returns—”

He hesitated for only a fraction of a second before continuing.

“—which will be soon, we’ll be having another team meeting, even clearer and stricter than the last. We can’t afford to let what happened repeat itself.”

Gregor and Katya, still groggy from their prior injuries, slowly sat up. Their expressions, however, were unreadable. As Adam spoke Nikolai’s name, their eyes flicked around the room, as if only now realizing he was missing. Yet neither of them reacted with visible grief. Katya, in particular, seemed utterly indifferent, as if the weight of the loss had yet to settle—or perhaps, as if it never would.

However, before anyone could question it, a cascade of system windows materialized before them, the sudden appearance causing an instinctive flinch from the entire group, since that was unnatural.

⌠Congratulations! Team ‘No Name’ has reached the required threshold to unlock cooperative options!⌡ ⌠Your next scenario will be a ‘Collab’ scenario. Please prepare accordingly.⌡ ⌠Teams and Order of Arrival⌡

1. Team ‘We need a team name… what do you mean it’s already recordi…’

2. Team ‘No Name’

3. Team ‘Dragon Utopia’

⌠Please select a name for your team before the next scenario begins. If no name is chosen, ‘No Name’ will remain as the default designation.⌡

The group stood motionless for a beat, processing the information.

“A collab scenario?”

Kazue muttered, her expression shifting into curiosity rather than concern.

On the other hand, Li’s expression darkened completely as he read and listened to the system’s announcement. His jaw tightened, and his hands clenched into fists as his entire posture stiffened. Then, with barely restrained frustration, he let out a sharp breath and cursed under his breath—but loud enough for everyone to hear.

“What the hell… a Collab already? This is bullshit!”

He muttered, his tone carrying a rare edge of anger.

Adam furrowed his brows at Li’s uncharacteristic reaction. He had seen him irritated before, seen him annoyed or exasperated, but this—this was different. There was something deeper behind that reaction, something that made Li genuinely uneasy. The boy took a step toward him, wanting to ask what was wrong, but before he could speak, Li turned his back on the group, his posture screaming unwillingness to elaborate.

Before the awkward silence could stretch any further, someone else spoke.

“I swear, you guys know nothing of this realm.”

Katya’s voice rang out, lazy and laced with exhaustion. She rolled her shoulders, stretching her neck as she ran a hand through her long blonde hair. There was a sluggishness to her movements, a telltale sign that she had only just recovered from her injuries.

Despite this, she still carried herself with the same nonchalant arrogance as always. Without waiting for anyone to ask, she went toward Kazue, smiled at her, and then turned around.

“Collabs…”

She began, her tone slow and deliberate, as if explaining something to a child.

“Are special scenarios where two or more teams participate at the same time. There’s no shared objective. The system just drops everyone into the same place and lets them handle it however they want.”

Kazue blinked at her, tilting her head slightly in curiosity before responding.

“So… it’s like a co-op? We’ll be working together as a bigger team or an alliance?”

Katya let out a small, amused scoff and shook her head.

“No. If anything, it’s the opposite. Most of the time, teams just end up killing each other.”

That made Adam pause and say.

“Wait, what?”

Katya yawned, stretching her arms above her head before answering, her tone entirely too casual given what she had just said.

“Think about it. Killing another user gives a ridiculous amount of points. Who the hell is going to risk teaming up with strangers who can backstab them at any moment? No one. The safest bet is to assume everyone is an enemy.”

The words settled heavily over the group, but Adam, ever the pragmatist, was quick to push further.

“And how do you know that?”

Katya’s blue eyes flickered toward him, and for a brief moment, something cold passed through them. Then, she smirked.

“Because I’ve done it, obviously.”

A silence fell over the group at that revelation. No one could tell if she was joking or not.

Kazue coughed awkwardly, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from the unsettling tension her friend had just created.

“So, uh… what about the order of arrival? What does the system mean by that?”

Katya turned to her, and just like that, her entire demeanor shifted. The cold amusement was gone, replaced by a warm smile and a noticeable brightness in her expression. It was subtle, but anyone paying attention would have seen it—the way her body relaxed just a little, the way she genuinely seemed happy to be speaking to Kazue.

“Well, in a Collab, teams don’t arrive all at once. The system decides the order based on their overall strength. The weakest team gets sent in first, giving them time to prepare before the stronger ones show up. In our case, there’s one team going in before us because the system thinks they’re weaker.”

Kazue nodded, absorbing the information. But Katya suddenly furrowed her brows, her fingers absentmindedly tapping against her arm.

“Dragon Utopia…”

She muttered, repeating the name of the third team listed.

“I feel like I’ve heard that name before, but I can’t place where.”

Her train of thought was abruptly cut off when Li spoke again.

“This is bad.”

He muttered under his breath, his voice carrying an unusual tremor. Adam turned sharply toward him, eyes narrowing.

Li, who had never once shown fear up to that point, now had an unmistakable pallor on his face. His usual guarded expression was completely gone, replaced by something Adam could only describe as genuine distress. His fingers twitched at his sides, and for the first time, the boy noticed something else—Li was trembling.

“A Collab is the worst thing that could’ve happened to us.”

Li muttered, voice low and shaking.

“We’re nothing compared to other veterans. Most of them make a living by hunting other users, they know how it works. We’re just prey.”

Adam stared at him, and the words tumbled from his lips before he could stop them.

“You’ve been in one before, haven’t you? What happened?”

He asked quietly. But before Li could respond, the system interrupted with a sudden, chilling notification.

[Notice: SSR-Rank Plot Device “Interdimensional Shenanigans” has been used.]

The words glowed ominously in the air, their meaning still unclear. But before anyone could even question what it meant, another prompt immediately followed.

[Notice: UR-Rank Plot Device “Fluoroscopy” has been used.]

A strange tension gripped the air, like the precursor to an oncoming storm. Then, without warning, space itself seemed to twist unnaturally, distorting in a way that sent a shiver through Adam’s spine. The atmosphere grew heavy, thick with an unfamiliar pressure, and a moment later, something appeared.

It was an eye.

Not a normal one—not something mortal, not something natural. It was massive, its presence overwhelming, floating in the air above them like a celestial being gazing down upon insects.

The sclera was a void of absolute darkness, swallowing the light around it, while the iris shimmered and shifted, its colors morphing between deep purples, liquid golds, and eerie silvers, as though it contained the very essence of the unknown. It didn’t blink. It didn’t move in any way a normal eye should. Instead, it twitched in precise, unnatural motions, snapping its focus from one person to the next, dissecting them with its gaze.

Adam felt his breath catch, his mind racing to comprehend what was happening. His skin prickled as an unfamiliar sensation washed over him—it wasn’t just looking at them. It was looking through them! There was no doubt in his mind; this thing was analyzing every single detail about them, their skills, their weaknesses, their very being. The feeling of exposure was suffocating. He tried to move, to react, to do something—anything—but the moment his body responded, the eye simply vanished.

The oppressive presence disappeared as if it had never been there, but the eerie silence it left behind was enough to send a cold chill through every single person present. Nobody spoke, nobody moved—until a new system message flashed in front of them.

[Warning: All present users’ information has been transferred to Team “Dragon Utopia”]

Adam’s breath hitched. A single bead of sweat slid down his temple as his eyes widened in horror. The realization struck him like a hammer—The third team, the one that the system classified as stronger than them now had access to everything about them.

Li reacted first, his face draining of all color, his usually sharp expression now replaced with something Adam had never seen before—genuine, undiluted fear. His fingers twitched, curling into fists as his entire body stiffened, a violent tremor running through him. Then, with an expression twisted in frustration and sheer panic, he shouted, his voice raw with anger.

“Damn it!!”

The outburst broke the silence like a gunshot, his voice echoing through the lobby. His breathing was ragged, his eyes burning with something between fury and desperation. He wasn’t just angry—he was terrified. Adam could see it, the way his chest rose and fell too quickly, the way his normally collected posture had shattered completely.