Chapter 45 - Finally, a proper team meeting

To the surprise of most, the system window indicating the end of the scenario appeared at that very moment. At the same time, a robotic female voice began reading it aloud, something that only the group of users could see and hear.

image [https://i.imgur.com/5r1GSLM.jpeg]

Before the voice could finish reading the announcement, Li had already raised his arms, a wide grin on his face, summoning the Plot Device he had obtained before entering. He had worked tirelessly for it, all to bring the scenario to the most "spectacular" conclusion possible.

⌠Notice: UR-class Plot device: “Golden Ending” has been used⌡ ⌠Amazing Sucess!⌡ ⌠Additional rewards are being calculated…⌡ ⌠Rewards are being harshly reduced due to the user’s ‘Make it fair!’ option.⌡ ⌠Showing results:⌡ ⌠Merit C x1⌡ ⌠Unique Skill Based on the scenario ending x3⌡ ⌠All skills level +1⌡ ⌠All treasures rank +1⌡ ⌠Team Voucher Bonus x1⌡ ⌠Additional Points +1500⌡ ⌠Thaddeus’s promised reward (bonus) x1⌡ ⌠Returning…⌡

“Yes!”

Li immediately exclaimed, knowing he had earned more rewards in a single run than he could have hoped in several scenarios. He had to admit, he'd been incredibly lucky—everything had aligned perfectly, resulting in one of the highest-scoring endings, considering the difficulty and the sheer impact on that world.

Before anyone could say another word, a blinding white light enveloped them like a sudden flash. Adam didn’t notice, still kneeling with his head down after unleashing all his frustration on the ground. However, this time was different—he lingered in that liminal space longer than usual. It was actually the norm inside that realm but, during the previous scenario, no one had felt it since they had all lost consciousness.

“...?”

⌠Showing results:⌡ ⌠Base Rewards⌡ ⌠Reward Points 700⌡ ⌠The treasure [Spectronomicon Lv?] has now been added to the system as the user’s property.⌡

⌠Bonus Rewards⌡ ⌠Additional Rewards will be shown based on the user’s contribution to the success of the Hidden Subplot (3/3)⌡ ⌠Skills [Ghost Phasing] and [Lesser Undead Control] level +1⌡ ⌠Species: Demi Lich - increased rank to D⌡ ⌠Additional Points +1500⌡ ⌠Thaddeus’s promised reward x1⌡ ⌠Unique Skill Based on the scenario ending x1⌡ ⌠…⌡ ⌠…⌡ ⌠Skill [Light of the Six Sins Lv1] has been created.⌡ ⌠Warning: The skill [Light of the Six Sins Lv1] has been forcefully absorbed by the treasure [Spectronomicon Lv?], you can use it only through it.⌡

Adam was still somewhat shaken by what had just happened, so it took him a moment to pull himself together enough to read all the messages the system displayed in front of him. The most important one was the extra bonus he had earned for completing the subplot of the scenario—something he had done unintentionally, but now that it was over, he could at least be grateful it hadn’t been in vain.

However, he looked at the first part with concern, as the only base reward the scenario had given him for completing it was 700 points, along with registering his new weapon as part of his system belongings. This was brutally low for the entire adventure, indicating that the real way to benefit from each scenario truly was to seek out those extra rewards tied to subplots or something similar. He didn’t know if this would be the case in all scenarios, but it was the only information he had at the moment.

As if that strange, entirely white place had been waiting for Adam to get his things in order before proceeding, the boy blinked only to find himself back in the equally white lobby with the rest of his group. However, that brief moment of relief didn’t last long, as they were all quickly reminded of their urgent situation upon their return... Drake's body had appeared alongside them, covered in bandages and pustules, making it clear he had been forcibly transported from wherever he was being treated.

In a panic, Kazue screamed and rushed toward the blond without really knowing what to do, while Nikolai and Sebastian watched her in fear.

"System, heal, heal! Please, heal him!"

Adam exclaimed, remembering that the shop had an option to heal an unconscious teammate with the "Heal Up" feature, but he didn’t know how to use it. After a few seconds of trying in vain to activate the option, he managed to think more clearly and looked around, trying to find Li. If anyone knew how to use the healing function on someone else, it was him—but Li was nowhere to be found. Why? When had he left?

"Hey, calm down! There's nothing to worry about,"

A voice was heard from behind them, causing Adam to turn around and see that it was Li who had spoken. He had walked over to the shop area and was now looking at the floating menu from one of the white cubes.

"In fact, I'm in a good mood. This healing's on me as a thank-you for what that kid did."

Li added with a slight smile while clicking on something in the window. Immediately after that, a strange, warm green light enveloped literally all the team members, not just Drake, bringing a sense of calm in the process. Adam could feel all the aches he had been carrying completely fade away, and the residual pain on his skin from the last skill he had used vanished entirely.

"What?!"

With a loud scream, the young blond lifted his body as if he had suddenly awakened from a nightmare, still wearing the bandages all over but this time without any wounds or burns.

"What happened? Where are we? What happened to the guardian? Did you manage to destroy it?"

It wasn't easy to calm him down at first, but Kazue, who was next to him, managed to give him a brief overview of what had happened after his cables exploded along with the Lord of Envy, and how Drake had miraculously survived such punishment.

"I understand, but... what happened to the scenario? Did you manage to get the... whatever it was we went to find?"

After these words, the entire group fell silent for a moment, something that Drake could interpret as a sign that things hadn't gone well after all, even though they were all still alive. The girl was the first to break the silence, trying to explain what had happened after he lost consciousness; however, Adam interrupted her.

"No, we all have very scattered information. Let’s gather together and clearly discuss everything we saw and learned from that place. One of the biggest mistakes we made—one that I made—was not being clear with each other."

Taking a brief pause, the boy turned to Li, who was still browsing items in the shop.

"Like it or not, it's clear that these scenarios are impossible to face unless we tackle them together, and for that, everyone needs to have all the information possible... Do you understand?!"

Li simply began to laugh upon hearing that, as if he found it amusing how Adam still seemed upset with him.

"Did it just take one intense experience for you to grow a pair? Hahaha, well, believe it or not, I'm the first to admit that these stories can only be handled properly with a capable team, and after everything you've been through, I think I can say you're no longer just rookies... I understand how you must feel; at some point, I felt the same way."

The man said with a sarcastic smile, making it very difficult to take him seriously.

"Count me in. I won't recognize any of you as a leader, but I certainly know I can work with you. I won't do something like what happened in this scenario again, I promise."

Although Adam didn’t believe a single word the guy was saying, it certainly seemed like he at least intended to collaborate with the others, at least on a basic level, which was one less concern. But first things first, the boy stood up and motioned for the others to follow him to the shop area not far away, placing special emphasis on having Sebastian and Nikolai be the first to open the menu and select the "Let's have fun together" option.

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“Now we can finally talk.”

Adam said this after the two finally managed to understand what the rest were saying, something that surprised them even more than the green healing aura they had seen a moment ago, especially Nikolai, who was actually quite talkative but hadn't been able to speak because he barely understood English and hadn’t grasped anything Kazue had said in Japanese until that moment.

"Alright, now that we can all understand each other, before we dive into the important things we uncovered during the scenario, it’s crucial that you both better understand the place you're in right now and how the system works... *Sigh* I can't say we know everything about it, but it's better that you at least have a general overview."

The next few minutes were spent explaining what they knew about how the place and the system worked, going into more detail about the scenarios, points, and the shop, including the option they thought, was to escape the place, which ended up being something completely different, fortunately, and disturbingly enough, neither of them showed the least interest in returning to the real world. Even Li chimed in a few times to clarify things the others had missed, such as the importance of first buying the skill [Analyze], just like the rest had done. With it, they’d be able to gather information about things both inside and outside the system. However, Nikolai interrupted during this last part.

"Let me see if I got this straight. You're telling me this shop has an almost infinite compendium of fantastic, superpowered skills, and I’m supposed to spend my few points on one that just gives me a bit of extra information that I can just ask you guys for anyway? Yeah, no thanks."

At Nikolai’s refusal, Adam made a face of annoyance, believing the skill was essential for survival. After all, they had already seen situations where they might not be together—what would he do then? He was about to argue and insist that Nikolai buy the skill when Sebastian spoke up.

"You're going to have to excuse me, but I don't think I'd need that skill either."

Sebastian said, nervously pulling something out of his pocket when everyone turned to him in confusion. It was a small object that both Adam and Drake recognized—the small monocular magnifying glass the old man had acquired at the ‘Stratos Technology’ armory before their journey to the island. Adam had already mentioned its effect, which granted the skill [Appraisal] to its user, meaning Sebastian truly didn’t need to buy a specialized skill for that purpose.

However, this only reinforced Adam’s initial point—that it was best to clearly discuss everything they had learned about the scenario before even thinking about purchasing anything, so, everyone sat down and began their conversation. But not before Kazue, to their surprise, handed out rice crackers that she had secretly bought, which was very welcome since after the moment they took them, they were instantly reminded that they hadn’t eaten anything all day.

Unlike the previous explanation, which took only fifteen or twenty minutes, this time they lost track of how long they spent talking, analyzing, and sharing information. Just as Adam had suspected, each of them had experienced something unique in the last scenario, and it was fascinating to hear.

Kazue started, sharing something that even made Li raise an eyebrow. She explained how she had a brief one-day training session with Commodore Kathlene. Although what she learned was a basic concept, it had earned her a new skill that seemed like an evolution of the one she had bought from the shop, even though the system registered it as a different skill. This suggested it was possible to acquire abilities naturally without needing to purchase them—something Adam himself confirmed, as he had gone through a similar experience.

"It seems that, depending on the situation, the system might recognize individual circumstances or efforts and allow the creation of a skill that fits. Both instances happened during moments of extreme necessity: the fight against the golden guardian and when I had six of the seven curses affecting my body... We'll need more tests and information, but at least we know it's possible."

The same was true for Sebastian, who reaffirmed something the group already knew but was good to note: the title the old man had earned after repairing Falk, which had also granted him a very useful skill for the scenario. Adam interpreted this as meaning that actions connected to significant parts of the story—such as the aviatrix being closely tied to the subplots—had the potential to grant a title, which aligned with how he himself had obtained his titles after the first scenario.

However, when Sebastian reached the part about how he revived Thaddeus, everyone fell silent, even Li. What he was saying was completely incredible and mysterious. He spoke of the system's check on him, something about another user's personal skill, and how he had replicated it due to several coincidences. Other users in that scenario? Was it even possible? Suddenly, two things came to Adam's mind: the description of the ‘Atomica Arcanum’ and the fact that that traitorous admiral had a bugged information window—something that surprised the rest after he told them.

"Mr. Li, is it possible that there were other users with us in that scenario?"

Adam asked this with a serious tone, anticipating an evasive answer from the man. However, he was taken aback when Li appeared thoughtful for a moment before responding.

"It's impossible. I can attest that different teams interact through other kinds of scenarios, not a regular one like this."

"And those would be the collab scenarios, right?"

Adam quickly said this, recalling the question he had asked before entering the second scenario, which Li had chosen to avoid answering at that time.

“... Yes”

Feeling cornered by his own surprise, Li simply admitted that it was true. This brought a brief smile to Adam's face, but he quickly erased it to continue with his point.

"Then, is it possible that other users could have entered the same scenario long before we did? From all the information we have, I can say with almost total certainty that the descriptions from the ancient book and the messages Mr. Sebastian saw indicate that there were users in that world at least hundreds of years before we arrived. Is that possible?"

Li fell silent again, trying to piece together his own thoughts in light of such a revelation. Unfortunately, he had no information regarding it.

"I can't say for sure because I've never seen anything like it, but it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that something like that could be possible. After all, those stories remain unfinished when a team fails its mission. Perhaps after that, the world continues, and the NPCs evolve."

That was a good theory, which also aligned with one of the messages at the end of the scenario indicating an increase in its rank, as if the changes they had made there had repercussions. But then, where did the fact that one of them had a user stats screen fit in? Even though it was bugged, it was still not something ordinary.

"I keep hearing you say NPCs this and NPCs that... Are you sure all those people were nothing more than NPCs?"

Nikolai suddenly said, causing everyone to turn and look at him.

"I've dealt with many types of people; that's how I make my living. And let me tell you, they all seemed perfectly human. Their expressions, their changes, their involuntary reactions—all of it makes me think more of people than mere programs."

Although the others didn’t know it yet, in the real world, Nikolai was a notorious conman, making his living by stealing and swindling all kinds of people. From middle-class families just looking for a new home to multi-million dollar companies blinded by greed, so he knew exactly how to deal with all kinds of individuals. He could read their gestures, interpret their emotions, and pinpoint any sign of weakness he could exploit—skills that, unfortunately, he hadn't been able to showcase much in the previous scenario due to the circumstances.

It was because of this keen sense that he seriously doubted all the inhabitants of the world they had just encountered were mere programs created by a system. But then again, in a fantasy world that defied all logic, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable to imagine that the system could imitate humans so well.

"If you want some advice from someone who's been here for quite a while, the best thing you can do is think of them all as just programs and do what you have to do."

Said Li with a casual tone, but there was a sharpness behind it that caught the group's attention. It was clear that, for him, this was more than just a suggestion—it was a survival strategy.

"Noted, I wasn't planning on doing it any other way. Makes no difference to me."

Nikolai responded with a casual shrug, making it clear that he wasn’t emotionally invested in whether the people they encountered were real or not—it had simply piqued his curiosity. However, his words stirred something deeper in the group. As his indifference hung in the air, the others began to wrestle with their own conflicting emotions. They had experienced intense moments with these seemingly human characters, and now the idea that they might just be “programs” felt unsettling, adding another layer of uncertainty to their already fragile reality.

The subsequent silence was broken after a moment by Li himself, who was beginning to grow a little impatient with the situation.

"Alright, stop thinking about that. What's important now is figuring out how to get stronger for the next scenario, which will be in a few days. Everyone should think about something they want to buy, and we’ll do it in order."

However, before anyone could say or do anything else, Adam interrupted and continued with the topic, bluntly sharing his point of view.

"No, this time we’ll do it together. Last time, we all went our separate ways and ended up buying random things that weren't entirely useful in the end. This time, we'll be clear about what each person wants, how many resources we have, and we’ll exchange opinions in case someone comes up with a better idea."

That was unexpected, but it certainly sounded efficient. Adam knew about the problem Kazue had when she bought her first technique and was unable to use it, as well as the Necronomicon page he had, which ended up affecting the entire team due to their lack of knowledge about its effects. The others seemed to agree, to the point that Kazue herself appeared quite eager to start, feeling as if they were a group about to sit down and discuss fantastic things like skills, items, and techniques. She had always wanted friends with whom to talk about those kinds of topics.

On the other hand, Li didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the idea, as he had no intention of letting others tell him what he could or couldn’t buy. However, in this case, he would accept sharing his information with them, as deep down, he wanted to boast about everything he had accomplished in the last scenario. It felt as if he had completed three or four previous scenarios all at once, and even better.

Adam's idea was to use his 'Cursed Vision' to view everyone's information and share it with the rest. However, Li interrupted, saying that the most effective approach was for each person to simply invoke their personal information window and share it with the group, since if they wanted the others to see it, the system would make it possible. The boy accepted this without hesitation, knowing that even his skill had limitations regarding the information it could get. However, he also understood that it was necessary to use it afterward to identify each person's hidden options.

"Then, who goes first?"

"Me, me! I'll go first!"

Kazue jumped from her seat excitedly, waving her right hand to invoke her status window for everyone to see while speaking a bit more.

"And now I can do this too!"

She finally said as the mechanical gauntlet she had brought with her appeared and disappeared from her hand, just like Li's book, indicating that the object had also been registered as her possession by the system.

⌠Name: Kazue Rima⌡ ⌠Age: 19⌡ ⌠Species: Human - Rank F⌡ ⌠Points: 2200⌡ ⌠Potential: E⌡ ⌠Merits:⌡ ⌠Merit Rank C x1⌡ ⌠Titles:⌡ ⌠Outstanding Rookie⌡ ⌠Skills:⌡ ⌠Analyze Lv1⌡ ⌠Thunder Piercing Hand Lv2⌡ ⌠Enhanced Thunder Piercing Hand Lv2⌡ ⌠Electric Resistance Lv2⌡ ⌠Treasures:⌡ ⌠Enhanced Steamgear Knuckle - Rank D⌡ ⌠Thaddeus’s promised reward x1 (Pending)⌡