Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

A small, insignificant hole was all that was left in the dragon's massive chest, a wound that, under normal circumstances, would have healed in a matter of seconds. But this was not a normal situation. The last strike had been so powerful that it had pierced through Dravhark's hide, leaving a gaping wound in his chest and causing internal damage that made him spit up a torrent of black blood. This was the first time in his existence that he had ever felt pain, and the feeling, a searing, unfamiliar agony, was so overwhelming that it short-circuited his mind.

He roared, his voice a mix of fury and confusion, and he thrashed on the ground like a dying beast, his massive body twisting and turning in a futile attempt to make the feeling go away.

He was a being of ancient power, a son of the Dragon God Vharzun. He had invaded countless worlds, annihilated the most powerful warriors of every known race, and never, not once, had he ever had to try, much less be wounded. The sensation of pain was a foreign, terrifying thing, and his mind, which had always been a bastion of cold, unyielding violence to prey on the weak, was unable to process it.

The shock of feeling pain for the first time had been more powerful than the physical damage itself. It was the reason Drake had been able to cut off his other front leg and then shoot him in the chest without any retaliation. In a normal situation, a being like Dravhark would have been too much for users like Adam, Solène, or Drake to handle. Still, the shock of feeling pain had made the dragon unable to react for several seconds, which was a fatal mistake.

The damage, despite being quite large, was not mortal for someone like Dravhark. He would regenerate very soon, as if nothing had happened, but the problem was the sensation of suffering that he was feeling. The dragon just roared and writhed, his mind having a little breakdown, unable to understand what was happening.

In his fury, he managed to get up and, with a final, desperate roar, he extended his wings and began to fly away. The tide of Darkness Draclings, which had been confused by the sudden turn of events, simply followed him, their big and numerous forms a black swarm against the sky. The roar of pain and retreat from their leader had left them lost, and without a clear command, they had become a chaotic, confused mess. With a final, terrified shriek, they flew after him, a sad and pathetic sight that left the users finally victorious.

On the ground, Drake was panting, his two legendary jade swords his only support. He was exhausted, but he was also filled with a mix of awe and shock at his own actions... He had just accomplished something that should have been impossible, a feat that no one in this world had ever achieved before. His mind was reeling from the cascade of thoughts and emotions, but his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. It was Falk, who arrived by his side, now a small, metal bird once more.

Falk, whose expression was now a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction, crystal clear even in his mechanical bird head, flew to Drake's shoulder.

"I sincerely hope you don't need me to use it again until we can find Sebastian."

He said, his voice a series of tired mechanical chirps.

A moment later, Solène passed flying next to them. She released Adam, and he fell to the ground beside Drake, both of them exhausted and gasping for a bit. They stared at each other for a few seconds, their faces reflecting exhaustion and relief, with a deep, knowing look in their eyes… Before they both burst out laughing.

It was a laugh of pure, unadulterated relief, a sound that was both human and youthful at the same time. The laughter of two beings who had just faced a great disaster and had survived as always.

"So, you're in control now?"

Drake suddenly asked, while Adam simply nodded.

"Are you?"

He asked, a small, knowing smile on his face.

"Sort of."

The two boys said at the same time, and they both laughed again. Without a second thought, Drake extended his right hand, and Adam slapped it with his, a silent high-five that spoke of their shared experience and the deep respect they had for one another.

Solène landed beside them and undid her dragon transformation; her wings disappeared, and her claws returned to human hands, just to approach them and lean on Adam's shoulder with her elbow.

"So, what's next?"

She asked without losing her predatory smile that showed her sharp teeth. Adam looked at her with a hint of exhaustion, but despite everything, he was thankful she had been there to lend a hand.

"And then..."

Drake asked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Can you explain to me how she's here?"

But before Adam could answer, a series of system windows appeared before all of them.

This left Drake and Adam confused. It was the first time they had ever seen the system mention an "error" in such a way. While they had faced errors and glitches inside scenarios before, they were just things that happened, but they had never been officially acknowledged by the system itself.

It was a strange thing to witness, but they didn't have much time to think, because a moment later, alter Drake finally caught up to them, arriving with a look of astonishment and stupefaction. After all, seeing his counterpart do something as unthinkable as wounding and making a Rank S entity flee was something that he still couldn't bring himself to believe.

Alter Drake stared at Drake for a moment, especially at the two swords he now had in his hands.

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"Tell me something… Do you have an S-rank potential?"

He asked, his voice a hushed whisper. However, Drake, who was still trying to recover his breath, simply shook his head.

"No?"

He said, not knowing the reason for such a question.

"I have a B-rank potential."

This left Alter Drake in a state of utter shock. He, a user with a potential of A-, could not do what his counterpart, a B-rank user, had just done. It was as if he had a completely different person standing in front of him... In fact, it reminded him of something he had seen before.

Alter Drake remembered seeing the exact same thing months ago, when he had a meeting with all the allied teams, and they were shown a recording of the battle that Team Abyss had against the third-ranked team, 'Hunt3rs'. It had seemed like the end for Adam Scholar, as the 'Hunt3rs' had a clear advantage. However, just like this Drake, that Adam had refused to fall and, in a moment of pure, unadulterated rage, he had gotten up again and made his infamous deal with the archdevil Malzaphir. A malevolent entity who gave him the power to turn the tide of the battle and kill every member of the team.

That kind of determination to keep going and never give up was extremely rare, almost nonexistent among the users inside the system, and that was something alter Drake knew all too well ever since they had discovered why people were selected to enter here… Was it possible that the reason this Drake could do the same was because of his relationship with the Adam Scholar of his dimension? But if so, what made Adam so special? Alter Drake thought that he and Drake were similar, but after all this… He knew how extremely different they really were.

After that thought, alter Drake simply sighed.

"I'm glad that it all ended without any real casualties."

He said, then looked at Adam.

"Who are you, really? I remember you having white hair, and now it's dark, and you're much more powerful than before."

Adam was about to answer, much to Drake's horror, who was too slow to react. But before he could say anything, a voice came from behind the group.

"I believe I can answer that."

Everyone turned in surprise and saw Charles, the blond guy with glasses, who had caught up to them after he was able to get up from the dragon's previous attack.

"The boy's name is David Smith, a member of their team, and he seems to have some kind of rare entity possessing his body. That's why he can change 'modes', and it's also why his hair changes color. Thanks to that, he was able to help in the fight against the Dracling with me and Samantha."

Charles said, making alter Drake raise an eyebrow; however, he did not question him. He looked at Adam, who seemed a bit confused but had understood from Drake's look that he was not to say anything for the moment, and sighed. Charles continued.

"Samantha can corroborate it, at least in part. After she used one of her skills to summon the Solène from the other universe, she took a blow to the head and was knocked unconscious. She doesn't remember much after that."

Adam, upon hearing this, was lost in thought. Short-term memory loss from a blow to the head? That made no sense. Post-traumatic amnesia does not happen unless the blow was very serious, and if that were the case, the girl would not even be able to stand. It was strange, but he decided not to say anything.

Alter Drake was worried about this, but he calmed down after he was assured that Samantha was fine, just a little confused. In fact, all the others had gotten up after Dravhark had used the [Cursed Dragon Fear], and it was time for them all to meet.

"Yes, you are right."

Alter Drake said.

"Let's go."

Drake began to follow him, grabbing his two swords from the ground. He couldn't put them away, as they would return to their original dimension, and he was not sure if he would be able to summon them again. So, he simply decided to carry them… But how? Only their jade blades were bigger than his own body, so it was impractical and even impossible to have them on him as normal swords.

Drake thought for a moment, then he lifted the two swords and, to his surprise, they stayed floating. He realized that, unlike before, his skill [Silent Blade Technique] had been transformed into a passive effect thanks to his race change. He still had a lot to learn about his new race, but he knew that for now, he had to focus on the task at hand.

Solène shrugged and followed them, a sharp grin on her face. After all, she was having a good time, and she knew that the sooner they finished the scenario, the sooner she could return, and better yet, the sooner she would be able to claim her payment.

As she walked, Solène turned her head toward Adam and dedicated the most hunter-like gaze and smile she could give him. Her lips were pulled back in a wide, terrifying grin that showed off a set of sharp, predatory fangs, and her eyes, which were a glowing red, held a dark and macabre light. The look was so intense that Adam felt a shiver run down his entire body, to the point that even the Empress, who was in his body, felt it as well. It was the look of a predator who had just found his prey.

"Why did you have to agree to her eccentricities?"

Adam said in a low voice. The Empress, using the same voice, responded calmly for the first time.

"I'm sorry..."

However, as Adam was about to go after them, he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Charles, who had not moved from his spot and was looking at him with a gentle smile. Without waiting for Adam to say anything, Charles began to speak.

"I know you're probably wondering why I lied about your name."

He said calmly.

"The truth is that I could see you just regained control of your body, at least partially, so you were not present when we talked about "it"."

Adam was surprised, but he accepted it.

"That's true… And I still have a lot of questions."

But Charles interrupted him before he could continue.

"It's best not to ask anyone from my team… Even if it surprises you, you're in another dimension, so long story short, and in this place, there's another Adam Scholar, one who is the worst enemy of all the users of the system."

Adam was paralyzed by these words, but the Empress spoke for him.

"Yes, they said something about that."

She said, using Adam's voice, Charles continued.

"The best thing to do is to ask your own team, or even me, when no one else is around. I have no problem talking if you have any questions regarding this place. And as you may imagine, the reason for hiding your name is to avoid unnecessary conflicts. In fact, it was such a fortune that Samantha had that accident after seeing your real name."

Adam understood, although it was difficult to assimilate. Charles simply laughed softly.

"Don't worry, just take it easy. For now, it's best to go with the others."

He said, but as they were about to go, Adam asked him one last question.

"Why are you helping me? If that other Adam is as dangerous as you say, wouldn't it be better to keep me under suspicion and surveillance?"

He meant it; he had corroborated that both Drakes shared some similarities, so having an alter ego of a violent criminal was completely nonsensical. However, Charles laughed.

"Not at all. If you were similar to the monster that Adam Scholar is in this dimension, I would have sensed it immediately. Besides, I know my team. They would do as you said, and avoiding conflict would be impossible. This scenario is already difficult enough without us making it more complicated with absurd fights."

That made sense to Adam, so he accepted the answer, but there was still something that was bothering him… As Charles walked ahead of him, he used his [Cursed Vision] to check the blond guy's profile.