Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The group did not reconvene for a day and a half, as everyone had scattered to advance their own personal projects. In a way, it was a testament to the new level of urgency they all felt, because unlike other times, on this occasion it was much more important for everyone to concentrate on their individual skills than to do sparring. Because of this, the training room was virtually empty, save for Chloe who was there every few hours, doing frantic physical exercises just because she wanted to push her new physical abilities as much as possible. The others, meanwhile, had retreated into the quiet solitude of their own rooms to improve on their own.

Adam, having finally completed an eight-hour series marathon with Kazue and, for some reason, later with Chloe as well, had returned to his room and fully dedicated himself to his own work.

He spent hours meticulously reviewing the function and limits of his newly acquired [Portable Shop] skill. He needed to understand every nuance, from the exact amount he could interact with using it as an intermediary to the specific skills he would purchase in the upcoming scenario—only, and exclusively, after he had absolute confirmation that the Empress could not take control of his body.

Kazue, on the other hand, was clearly satisfied with her marathon, having finally had someone to talk to about her favorite show for several hours. She had then dedicated herself to better understanding the inner workings of her Personal Skill. While she remembered the sensation after having used it, its activation was still a mystery, but if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she wanted to use it as much as possible. She was even more determined since one of the skills she had bought had been specifically for use in conjunction with her Personal Skill.

Drake and Katya, meanwhile, had disappeared from the lobby for several hours without anyone else noticing, and only when they reappeared did each of them immediately retreat to their respective rooms. Drake went to better understand the scope of his [Techno Wisp] and improve his relationship with his fanbase, while Katya went to her room to test something she seemed to have acquired after returning. For some strange reason, she didn't even try to go to Kazue's room to spend time with her, a fact that Adam found profoundly unsettling.

The others had done the same. Sebastian and Falk had locked themselves in to work and were the only ones who didn't even come out for the meeting. Gregor had dedicated himself to meditating as much as possible, with the quiet soldier seemingly lost in a world of his own, and Emir had stayed in his room trying to understand everything he could about those mysterious coins he had acquired.

When everyone, except Sebastian and Falk, was finally reunited, a conversation started, with everyone asking if they felt prepared for what was coming. The opinions were mixed. Li made it clear that due to the Plot Device Drake had used to help Adam, the next scenario could be anything.

"We could even be sent back to the Punishment-class scenario of the ghost world, that would be a real problem."

He said with a grim expression.

"It's a possibility…"

Adam admitted, looking at the team's faces.

"We don't really have a clear idea of what could happen."

As the conversation continued, Adam noticed something strange. Katya had quietly moved closer to Kazue, and her behavior was unusually affectionate, even for her. She wrapped an arm around Kazue's shoulders and hugged her tight with a soft smile on her face.

"Hey, what have you been up to? I haven't seen you much."

The blonde asked, with a gentle, cheerful tone that made Adam feel a shiver down his spine. Kazue, completely innocent to the undertones of the question, giggled happily.

"Guess what, Katya! I had a pajama party! Adam and I watched my favorite anime, and then Chloe came to join us. It was so much fun! I can't believe I didn't get to tell you before!"

She said with her eyes shining with excitement. Katya's smile didn't falter.

"Oh, that's amazing! What show did you watch? Did they like it? Tell me!"

She asked, her voice filled with an unnerving sweetness. She even followed up with more happy comments. She seemed genuinely interested, instead of acting jealous or getting violent as she normally would have, and Adam had to admit that this version of Katya was even more frightening than her jealous one. After a few more minutes of discussing the anime, Kazue tilted her head playfully.

"So what about you, Katya? You weren't around either. What were you doing?"

She asked with an innocent glint in her eyes. At the question, a faint blush crept onto Katya's cheeks, and she looked away nervously.

"Oh, you know... just... things."

She muttered, her eyes darting around. Sensing that her friend was hiding something, Kazue giggled and nudged her.

"Things? What kind of 'things'?"

She teased, her voice taking on a singsong quality.

"Did you get to spend some special alone time? Are you hiding something?"

Katya's blush deepened, and she tried to push he friend's arm off her.

"K-Kazue! It's not like that! We just... we just had some stuff to take care of."

She stammered, her gaze still avoiding eye contact with anyone. She tried to change the subject, but Kazue's grin only widened.

"We?? We who??"

It was clear that Kazue felt there was more to the story, and Katya was doing her best to avoid giving anything away… Trying not to pry so much into other people's business, Adam began to make some hypotheses to tell the rest of the team.

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"The last time the 'What you want vs What you need' Plot Device was used, it sent Kazue and me to 'Pantheon Eternal,' the realm of the gods that govern the scenarios just below the Patrons."

He paused, letting the implication sink in, and his gaze swept over the worried faces of his teammates.

"So, it's not crazy to think that this Plot Device could send us anywhere as long as it's 'what I need.' If the system believes we need another trial, it's going to put us in the worst possible situation for us to grow."

He looked around, his voice turning serious.

"The chances of it sending us back to a Punishment-class scenario or a similar one are quite high. So we have to be prepared for a scenario where we're in danger or even attacked the moment we enter."

He took a deep breath, his eyes meeting each of theirs.

"Is everyone ready for that? Are you all truly ready to face a world that wants to kill you the moment you arrive?"

One by one, the team members nodded, their expressions now serious and determined. Drake was the first to speak, his voice firm and ringing with a newfound resolve.

"Ready for anything."

He said, looking directly at Adam. Chloe, with her new physical energy barely contained, bounced on the balls of her feet with a wide, excited grin.

"Bring it on!"

She exclaimed, her enthusiasm a stark contrast to the grim situation. Li nodded slowly, a quiet confirmation of his willingness to face the unknown. Next to him, Emir, who had been listening intently, gave a single, resolute nod, his fists clenching at his sides as if to prove his own strength. Finally, Gregor offered a simple, unwavering nod, his face as impassive as stone but his commitment crystal clear. Adam watched each of them, and a profound sense of shared resolve washed over him. Their quiet affirmations were more than just words; they were a powerful, unspoken will.

Just at that moment, the classic alarm began to sound, indicating that the next scenario was about to begin. Adam looked around, searching for the system to send a rookie to the team, as was normal in regular scenarios. However, no one appeared. Just like the previous scenario, there were no rookies to be seen, which was quite strange... A moment later, a large system screen appeared in front of them, showing the summary and specifications of the scenario as a feminine but clearly robotic voice began to narrate.

That did not look good at all… It was an A+ rank scenario, the highest they had ever faced, which indicated it would be more dangerous than all the previous ones. However, the truly strange thing was that after the summary, there was something that caught Adam's attention. The screen said "Collab", indicating that the scenario was a collaboration with one or more additional teams, but how was that possible? In the previous collab, they had been notified ahead of time of the other teams that would participate in the scenario, but here, absolutely nothing was shown. All the members of the group began to wonder what was happening; there was literally no information about it, something that should not be. However, before they could debate much more, the light that signaled the beginning of the scenario enveloped them all.

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When Adam opened his eyes, he saw that they were in a huge open field, with mountains in the distance but nothing close to a city or even ruins nearby. The sunset painted the sky orange, and the air felt quite chilly. For a moment, everything seemed normal; everyone was there and was able to get up without much trouble, but suddenly, Kazue's voice pierced the silence, her tone filled with worry.

"Wait, where's Sebastian?"

She asked, her eyes darting around the empty landscape. Everyone immediately began to look for him, but there was no sign of the mechanic.

"Did anyone see him leave his room?"

Adam asked, his voice now laced with concern, but everyone shook their heads.

"No, he didn't come to the meeting."

Li said, frowning.

"It doesn't make sense for him not to have been transported with the rest of us."

Drake added, his hands on his hips.

Could it have something to do with his 'Personal Subplot'? Adam thought to himself, a grim possibility forming in his mind. Perhaps... But before he could say anything else, a huge, painful throbbing began in his head, so strong that he felt like he was going to scream. He knew exactly what was happening, and as he crouched down from the pain and held his head, he looked up at his team with determined eyes.

"As I thought…"

Adam grunted, his voice strained with pain, as he clutched his head.

"My body will be controlled by the Empress, just as Beowulf warned us."

He took a shaky breath, fighting through the overwhelming agony.

"So, you'll have to stick to the plan. It's up to all of you to calm her down so she doesn't get out of control like in the last scenario. We're lucky that there doesn't seem to be any imminent danger in the surroundings, so you have a free hand."

Adam gave his team one last look, a genuine smile full of pain appearing on his face as he met each of their eyes.

"I trust you all."

He said, his voice barely a whisper. Drake gave him a thumbs up, his expression a perfect mixture of grim resolve and confidence.

"Leave it to us."

He said, his voice firm and unwavering.

"We'll handle the Empress."

Adam finally let out a choked scream that tore from his throat and echoed across the desolate field, a sound of pure agony as his body was possessed. The transformation was swift and violent. His form became a little thinner, bones shifting under his skin, while his hair grew rapidly, turning from brown to a stark, ethereal white that whipped in the cold wind. Most terrifying of all, his eyes, once a deep, thoughtful brown, bled into a vibrant, malevolent red.

A great amount of cursed energy erupted from his core, twisting the very air around him into a vortex of dark power. He finally stopped screaming and, with a chilling shift, a low, sinister laugh began to bubble up. It was not a single laugh, but two voices at once—his own, now distorted and cold, and a faint, echoing female voice in the background, the unmistakable voice of the Undead Empress.

The phantom had possessed his body again, gaining total control over Adam and all his skills. She looked at the group with a chilling, predatory grin.

"Did you miss me?"

She asked, her voice a cruel mockery of Adam's.

"This time I'll kill each and every one of you before you get to meddle more."

As she spoke, her face blackened with the cursed energy, and her eyes flared with a vibrant, hateful red that cast long shadows on the ground. However, this time, instead of the energy making none of those present able to stand up, the opposite happened... The team did not fall; they stood their ground, and their expressions hardened with resolve. Everyone ran to their respective positions, a seamless, coordinated movement that spoke of hours of planning, surrounding the Empress in their friend's body, all of them ready to fight. Drake took a ready stance, his Techno Wisp crackling with energy around him.

"It won't be the same as the last scenario."

He said, his voice ringing with defiance.

"You may not believe it, but we have all improved enormously with the sole intention of defeating you."

The Empress in Adam's body sneered, her grin twisting into a mask of pure fury.

"Boring… Now die!"

She shrieked before launching herself toward them in a devastating burst of cursed energy. The ground cracked beneath her feet, and the air wailed as the full force of her malevolent power was unleashed.