Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The aftermath of the explosion was deafening. The roar of the black flame and the cries of the monsters were replaced by a profound, haunting silence, punctuated only by a strange, high-pitched hum. Immediately following the destruction of the large dragon's body, the dimensional fracture in the air began to tear open further, with the sound of countless crystals shattering at once. A blinding, pulsating light emanated from within the rift as it grew wider with every passing moment.

Then, another gigantic, mechanical arm emerged, its dark iron plates glowing with immense heat. From its massive, interlocking joints, a ghostly exhalation of white steam billowed out in a constant, hissing cloud. Braided conduits of copper snaked along its limbs, feeding humming Tesla coils that crackled with arcs of brilliant blue electricity. The thunderous groan of gears and the metallic lament of its hydraulic joints accompanied every rhythmic, powerful cadence of its movement, announcing its presence with a sound both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

The arm reached out, and slowly, from the expanding tear in reality, emerged a colossal figure: a three-story-tall titan of steel, sparks, and steam. It was a kinda humanoid-looking automaton, with a massive, cylindrical torso and powerful, articulated limbs. Smoke billowed from its exhaust pipes, and its eyes glowed with a faint, steady red light. The giant seemed to move slowly due to its sheer size, but every step it took caused the ground to tremble with the force of a small earthquake.

Once the titanic figure was fully out, the fracture began to close rapidly behind it until it disappeared with a final, echoing pop, as if it had never been there. The robot then opened the fist that had crushed the dragon, and the monster's body, now a mangled and destroyed husk of scales and bone, fell to the ground with a loud, sickening thud. The curtain of black smoke that had been caused by the explosion finally dissipated, revealing that the robot's fist had not come out unscathed, as some of its parts were destroyed, and others sparked with short-circuits and electrical currents.

Still, that did not change the terrifying fact that it had been able to end a Rank A enemy with relative ease, a power level that was truly horrifying to behold.

Immediately following this, the other two remaining dragons did not think twice and began a desperate, speedy escape. Li gritted his teeth at this, his mind racing. He quickly unleashed his [Begiru Rakketen] spell once more, his spellbook glowing brightly as he summoned a large number of missiles towards the two dragons. But again, one of them simply turned and effortlessly destroyed them all with a ball of black fire.

"We have to stop them!"

Li yelled, his voice raw with frustration.

"We can't let them escape and warn the others of what happened here!"

The other team members immediately moved, driven by a new, shared sense of urgency. Drake took to the air, his wings beating powerfully against the wind, while Kazue and Katya followed closely behind. The plan was simple, and it was a masterpiece of teamwork. Drake flew toward one of the dragons, using his superior aerial speed to cut it off.

"You're not getting away, monster!"

Drake shouted, his voice a battle cry. He launched a volley of divine energy from his hands, forcing the dragon to swerve and dodge out of instinct, slowing it down.

"Kazue! Now!"

Kazue, her face a mask of fierce concentration, raised her hands and unleashed her [High Plasma Manipulation] skill. A brilliant, blue beam of plasma shot from her fingertips, arcing through the air and impacting the dragon squarely in its back. The dragon shrieked in pain, a sound of agony that was so much more satisfying than its previous roars of fury.

"My turn."

Katya said, her voice a low, chilling purr. She was now much faster, her every movement propelled by the cursed energy from her mask. She launched herself forward and, in a flash of black and white, she was on top of the dragon. Her scythe appeared in her hands, and with a single motion, she plunged the blade directly into the monster's neck. A torrent of cursed energy erupted from her scythe, causing the dragon to thrash and writhe in pain before its body went limp… It was an instant kill.

The monsters fell, but the other dragon had already managed to escape. It disappeared into the horizon, a tiny speck in the darkening sky, leaving a frustrated and defeated Li screaming a silent curse.

Drake finally landed, his wings folding neatly on his back.

"Is everyone okay?"

He asked, his eyes scanning the team. Everyone nodded, but their gazes were not on each other, but on the massive robot that was now standing silently beside them. They had an idea of what it was, but that didn't make its presence any less shocking. The Undead Empress, in Adam's body, however, could not contain her fear and curiosity.

"What... what is that thing?!"

She asked, her voice high and laced with nervousness, an expression of genuine fear on Adam's face. Chloe, seeing an opportunity to get closer, walked up to her and placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it gently.

"That's not just a 'thing'."

She said with a smug, proud smile.

"That is Sebastian."

Drake, however, could tell that the giant automaton was not part of the scenario. His [Heavenly Vision] was unable to reveal any information about it, meaning it was a user's property. But the [Cursed Vision] in Adam's eyes revealed to the Empress the true nature of the colossal figure.

The Empress did not understand the information, but she knew that the mechanical titan was a true danger. A new wave of fear, cold and sharp, washed over her, a feeling she hadn't experienced since her initial capture.

She watched as the robot began to disintegrate in the clear mechanism of the system that allowed users to store objects that were their property. The immense metal plates and pistons shimmered, breaking apart into millions of tiny, glowing pixels that floated upwards before vanishing entirely. And when the robot had finally disappeared completely, at its base stood no one else but Sebastian, smiling kindly, with Falk perched on his head.

The entire group went in his direction with a thousand questions on their lips, their initial shock giving way to a mixture of relief and overwhelming curiosity. However, as they got closer, they all stopped immediately, the questions dying in their throats. It was the same Sebastian they knew, with his kind smile and tranquil aura, but he looked... older. Much older. He was clearly in much better shape than before, and you could even say he had some muscle under his clothes, but his wrinkles had increased significantly, forming new lines around his eyes and mouth. His hair was a little grayer, and his face was etched with the wisdom of passing time.

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"Sebastian! … What... what happened to you? Where were you?"

Drake exclaimed, his voice a mixture of relief and confusion.

"Are you okay, sir? We were worried you were lost!"

Emir said, his eyes wide with concern.

"Where did that robot come from, though? It was so cool!"

Chloe asked, her eyes still sparkling with awe. Sebastian chuckled softly, raising a hand to silence them all.

"I'm a little overwhelmed with all the attention."

He said, his smile never fading. He looked at each of them in turn, a profound sense of affection in his eyes.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you all."

Everyone's mouth dropped open.

"What do you mean 'a long time'? It's been a day."

Li asked while frowning. Sebastian laughed again.

"That is what the system wanted you to think. But for me, it has been a long time."

He paused, a sense of gravitas settling over his features.

"I have successfully completed my Personal Subplot. I was able to make a masterpiece of Rank S, just as the God 'Mechanica Deus' had asked."

He went on to say that his rewards were many, including a couple of titles and, to everyone's surprise, a change of race.

"A change of race? What is that supposed to mean?"

Drake asked, perplexed.

"I am not entirely sure… I don't feel different. It's just that now, instead of a simple human, I am a 'High Mechanicus', whatever that means."

Sebastian said while looking at his hand, as if there was any different from any other day.

"How could you have been able to make a Rank S item in only two days?! That's awesome!"

Emir asked, his voice full of admiration. Li interrupted then.

"It's not possible, there is something you are not telling us, isn't there?"

He said dryly..

"You are correct, Li. It is impossible. Even finishing a Rank C object without the system's help, as the subplot required, would have been impossible in just a few days."

Sebastian said calmly and laughed kindly again

"Then how did you do it?"

Li pressed.

"The God 'Mechanica Deus' intervened directly. We had a… Well, a small talk, and he gave me 'time'."

He shrugged, a casual gesture that belied the profundity of his words.

"He transported me to another place, more specifically to the world of my first scenario, where I was reunited with Thaddeus, who, by the way, sends his regards… It seemed that several years had passed since we had all disappeared from the scenario, so it was easy for them to recognize me. However, what is truly important is that I spent exactly 10 years there. I am now 71 years old."

This revelation left everyone speechless. How was such a thing possible? However, Drake thought about it for a moment. It wasn't impossible, after all, he had used a Plot Device in the third scenario to stay in the Murim world for a year, a time that for the rest had been only a few minutes. So it was not crazy to think that something similar, but on a larger scale, could happen with the intervention of a god.

"In those 10 years, I was able to do many things, including my ultimate creation, the Rank S object that was recognized even by the system itself."

Sebastian continued, despite the astonishment of everyone else.

"Was that giant robot the Rank S object?"

Emir asked, his voice filled with excitement, but the old man simply shook his head.

"No, that was just an old 'Sea Knight' model that I modified with the help of both father and son Volta, but the object I created is something else."

He said with a smile. When they asked what the object was, Sebastian simply smiled without saying anything, and Falk, who was now on his shoulder, chirped in.

"You'll see. It's not something to be used lightly."

Finally, Sebastian sighed and asked what was on his mind for quite a while now.

"I must ask… What happened with Adam?"

He had not been present during the fight against the Empress in the last scenario, so he had no idea what Adam looked like when possessed. Drake quickly explained what had happened at the beginning of the scenario, as well as the details of the setting and the uncertainty about the team with whom they were collaborating.

"So the plan is to search for what 'Adam needs' for the moment while avoiding all contact with the other team and the dragons serving Vharzun."

Sebastian finally said, understanding the implications of the current situation.

"That last part might be impossible…"

Li said, gesturing to the horizon.

"One of them escaped. It will surely warn the others that there is a group of humans who have managed to kill three of them, so we have to move even faster."

Once everything was clear, the group set off again toward the ruins they had seen in the distance, a journey that took them several minutes even though they had hastened their pace. The problem was that it was beginning to get dark, and if it became completely night, they could not be out in the open, as it would be extremely dangerous.

But when they finally arrived, the only thing they found was the ruins of what might have once been a town, now completely razed and covered in dust and some vegetation, demonstrating that the destruction had probably happened a long time ago. It would be difficult to find anything or anyone there.

They searched for a while but found nothing of particular interest. The place was a desolate graveyard of memories. They found broken furniture, rusted tools, and torn clothes. Li found the remains of a book, its pages yellowed and brittle, but the text was unreadable. Chloe found a child's toy, a small, wooden dragon, which made her shiver and quickly put it back down.

Adam's body, under the Empress's control, did not seem interested in the search, but was constantly scanning the surroundings as it was constantly monitored by Drake and Emir, who in turn found a house that was more or less intact, which they could use for the night. The walls were still standing, and the roof was mostly intact. It was the only place that looked like it could offer them some protection. As for Katya, she stayed close to Kazue the entire time, almost as if she were a silent guardian, watching over her friend as the girl explored the ruins with a childlike curiosity.

After a good while without success, the group gathered in the center of the ruined town to talk and decide what to do.

"There's nothing here… The whole place is just ruins."

Drake said, running a hand through his hair.

"We should spend the night here and continue the search in the morning. That house we found seems to be in good condition."

The blond suggested, seeing that it was the only option since no one else found anything useful.

Everyone discussed what they should do, all giving ideas of how to proceed, and finally Drake gave the final instructions. They would go with his idea and use the house he and Emir had found to spend the night and take turns standing guard. Everyone nodded, accepting the plan.

However, as Drake said this, a voice literally beside him said.

"And then what, huh?"

Everyone's heads whipped around. Standing next to Drake, exactly as they remembered him, was Nikolai, the same boy who was part of their team not so long ago. But that was not possible… Nikolai had died, and his spirit was now in Adam's internal world, and yet, there he was, standing in flesh and blood, or was it a trick?

Emir was the first to speak, stammering.

"N-Nikolai? Is that really you?"

The boy with the long hair looked at him and said slowly.

"You know, it's pretty weird seeing you talk to me like that without the threats of tearing my face off… And with such innocent eyes, kid."

His voice was low and calm, but with an unsettling edge to it. Nobody knew what he was talking about. But then, before anyone else could say anything, Nikolai exclaimed.

"On your knees!"

In a sonic boom so loud that everyone felt it in their bones. Immediately after his words, they all felt as if gravity had increased tremendously. Everyone except Katya and Sebastian, who seemed completely unaffected, fell to their knees, and even Drake, who had managed to hold on with his knees bent, was struggling to resist the impact of the skill Nikolai had used.

Nikolai whistled and looked at Drake.

"Well, well."

He said with a laugh, even tho he was clearly wary of the ones that weren't affected by his [Silver Tongue] skill.

"Not only do you look like him, but you also seem to be a tough nut to crack, just like him."

The others, who were still on their knees, watched in surprise, still not understanding what on earth was happening.