Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

A heavy, oppressive silence had replaced the thunderous roars and concussive impacts of the battle with Dravhark. Eventually, the group of alter Drake, Drake, Solène, Charles, and Adam made their way back to the heart of the battlefield, where everyone else was recovering. The sight that greeted them was a grim tableau of exhaustion and pain.

All of them, from the stoic alter Kazue to the weary Teo, were sitting or kneeling on the ground, their bodies slumped with an undeniable fatigue. Their faces, a mix of grimaces and pained expressions, were still etched with the aftermath of the [Cursed Dragon Fear] skill, its mental and physical effects lingering like a bad taste in the mouth.

Alter Drake was the first to react, eating up the distance between him and his team in a flash. He moved with a sense of urgency and purpose, his gaze sweeping over each of his teammates—Alter Kazue, alter Li, Samantha, and Teo—to ensure they were unharmed. His feet crunched on the loose rubble as he came to a stop before them, his expression a mixture of relief and concern.

The others, still catching their breath, simply looked at him. Teo, with a soft, strained smile, held up a single palm, a silent message that he was fine, a gesture that spoke volumes of his character. Alter Kazue, however, was still holding her head in her hands, her shoulders hunched over, as if the now-canceled debuffs had still caused a lingering pain. Her eyes were closed, her brow furrowed in a deep, painful concentration.

With a final check, his gaze fell on Samantha. Alter Drake was informed that she was okay, but he felt a sense of relief knowing that she was, for the most part, fine. Still, he had to be sure. He turned to her, a hint of genuine worry in his voice.

"Are you wounded anywhere, Samantha? Charles told me you had a serious accident during your fight."

Samantha looked at him, her expression one of complete bewilderment. She tilted her head, a soft, confused smile on her face.

"Wounded? Why would I have a wound?"

Alter Drake's brow furrowed, a sense of confusion washing over him. He was sure Charles had said she had suffered an accident during the combat.

"Charles told me that you had an accident during the combat after you all were separated. Are you sure you are alright?"

He watched her carefully, noting her every reaction. Samantha's eyes widened slightly in a mix of surprise and realization. She stood for a moment, lost in her thoughts, her expression a blank slate as she tried to recall what had happened. Then, a look of understanding finally dawned on her face.

"Oh! Now that I think about it, you're right."

Her voice was almost a whisper, as if she were speaking to herself.

"I kind of remember now, I lost consciousness in the middle of the battle for some reason… I can't remember why… But it's alright! If Charles says it's no problem, then I believe him."

Her cheerful, honest demeanor was reassuring. Alter Drake's shoulders relaxed, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. He trusted Charles's judgment, and if he had said that the girl was fine, then she was. He looked at his teammates again, and seeing them all in one piece, he felt a sense of calm. The battle had been brutal, and the aftermath even more so, but they had survived, and that was all that mattered.

Drake and Adam, on the other hand, approached their own team. Kazue, who was sitting on the ground, her body still trembling with the effects of the dragon's roar, looked up. Her eyes, which had been blank with exhaustion, lit up as she saw her two friends, and a wide, uncontainable smile spread across her face just before she jumped to her feet.

She was not concerned with her own well-being; the only thing that mattered was that her friends had returned. She ran towards them with her heart pounding with a mix of excitement and relief. She stopped in front of Drake and put her hands on her hips.

"Drake! How did you manage to get rid of that enormous dragon!? It looked like the final boss of the entire scenario! And how do you have two swords floating around you now!? And… And… More importantly, how did you manage to coordinate with the Empress for… for…"

She suddenly trailed off, her eyes widening as she looked past the blond, her gaze fixed on the boy standing next to him. Adam was looking at her, and she could see that his body had regained a bit of musculature. The white hair that had been a hallmark of the Empress's possession was now a deep, familiar brown, although his eyes were still deep red. It took her a few seconds to understand the change, and when she did, her body began to tremble with a wild, uncontrollable excitement. She let out a small, almost inaudible gasp, and a single word escaped her lips as she began to scream his name.

"Ada-!"

But before she could say it, Drake's hand shot out with a speed that was almost a blur, covering her mouth with a soft but firm grip. His eyes were wide with a silent plea.

"Please, don't say it out loud!"

Kazue's eyes, which had been filled with so much excitement, now widened with surprise. She looked at Drake, then at Adam, her mind trying to process the strange request. Adam's secret? A sudden thought crossed her mind, something so silly that she almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it.

However, her thoughts were immediately interrupted by Drake's quiet, serious voice.

"The identity of Adam should continue to be a secret for the time being."

The boy said in a low tone, his gaze fixed on her and the rest of the team. The others, who had been watching the scene unfold, also heard the words. They had been as shocked as Kazue, but they had remained quiet, their minds also racing to process what had happened. Adam stepped forward, a small, knowing smile on his face, and raised his thumb.

"It's good to be back… at least partially, thanks to everyone."

He said, his voice a calm, gentle murmur.

"But for the time being, you need to call me David."

Kazue nodded, her eyes twinkling mischievously. She was still a bit confused about the situation, but the sheer joy of having her friend back was enough to make her forget about it all. She wanted to hug him, to talk to him, but before she could, Chloe, whose face had been a mask of doubt, took a step forward. She looked at Adam with a timid, almost frightened expression, as if she were looking at a ghost.

"Is that really you?"

Chloe asked, her voice a small, wavering whisper. She had to be sure, to confirm that the person in front of her was not a hallucination or a trick of the mind. Adam's smile softened, becoming much more genuine and gentle as he looked at her.

"Yes, it's really me. And in fact, the reason I'm here right now is thanks to you."

Chloe's eyes widened with a mix of shock and confusion, and she looked at him with an incredulous expression.

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"What do you mean by that? I don't understand."

Adam chuckled, a soft, pleasant sound that seemed to fill the air.

"It was thanks to you that the Empress agreed to share my body with me. All of her rage, all of her hatred… it was all put aside for a moment to save you. I don't know how you did it, but I'm completely grateful to you. I'm sure that your beautiful and cheerful personality must have even swayed her."

Chloe's face turned a brilliant, vivid red, her cheeks a fiery crimson that spread down to her neck. She dropped her gaze, unable to look him in the eyes, a wave of pure, unadulterated embarrassment washing over her. She knew he was a bit dense, but she hadn't expected him to be so… direct. It was as if he had no idea of the effect his words had on her.

On the other hand, Kazue, who had been watching the entire exchange, finally understood what was happening. Her face, which had been a bit confused just a moment before, was now filled with a knowing, mischievous smile, a playful glint in her eyes.

Suddenly, Adam's expression changed, as if he were talking to someone who was not there.

"Don't you have anything to say about this?"

Then, his own voice replied, but with a different, more frustrated tone.

"Tsk… whatever."

The sudden, strange display made Kazue even more curious, and she couldn't help but ask.

"Is everything okay?"

Adam's expression returned to its original state.

"Yes, everything is fine. It's just that, as I said, when I told you I hadn't fully recovered control of my body, I was serious. I'm currently sharing it with the Empress, and as long as neither of us cedes control to the other, we'll be like this for a while… I don't see that as a problem for now."

His expression changed again, becoming one of extreme resignation. The Empress spoke through his lips, her voice a low, frustrated growl.

"It doesn't matter, I'm too tired to argue right now."

Adam simply smiled at her words, a genuine, content smile that reached his eyes. It was the first time the Empress had been so docile, and he felt that it was a huge step toward a mutual understanding between them.

The rest of the team, having had time to recover and process everything, stood up. They brushed the dirt from their clothes and gathered around Adam and Drake. Adam, in turn, asked them about what had happened during his absence... One by one, each member recounted a part of the story.

Chloe, still a little flustered, told him how they had managed to control the Empress when she had possessed his body, a fact that made the Empress emit a low growl from Adam's mouth. Kazue took over later and told him how they had fought against several powerful dragons after that, and how they had won thanks to Sebastian's arrival in a gigantic mecha.

"Can you believe they had the 'Steam and Steel' scenario again?!"

Meanwhile, Falk, who was sitting on Drake's head and listening to the whole thing, interrupted.

"That's a bit of a long story that is better told later."

Emir continued, recounting how they had met Nikolai and the other Kazue, how they had fought with them, and how a massive dragon had appeared, one as large as the one they had just defeated, and had taken Sebastian.

Adam's eyes widened in surprise and concern.

"What? They kidnapped Sebastian!?"

Drake nodded, his expression serious.

"Yes. That's why we planned to go to the place where we believe he might be. But then this happened..."

Adam remained worried, but he listened as Li spoke. He explained that they seemed to be in another dimension, and that the Adam of that dimension was one of the most dangerous users. Adam's expression became one of deep thought.

"Charles told me something about that. It's difficult to process, although I certainly would like to know more about what's happening in this place… but it's not exactly the right time."

After a few more details, everything seemed to be in order, and the whole group was finally calming down… It was then that Solène arrived, walking towards the group with a ferocious and malignant smile that showed her sharp, pointed teeth. She was an imposing figure, a High Dragonkin, and she radiated an aura of raw power and confidence. She came to a stop in front of the group.

"Hey!"

She said as a greeting, a simple word that made everyone, except Drake and Adam, jump and get into a defensive stance. Emir, in particular, remembered how Solène had attacked him and Sebastian in the previous scenario.

Adam immediately stepped forward, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"Wait, wait, she's not here as an enemy this time."

Kazue, who was still in a defensive position, asked him.

"Huh? But how is it even possible that she got here?"

Adam sighed, a long, exasperated sound.

"One of the girls from the other team… I think her name is Samantha? She used a skill and a plot device to bring her here based on my memories or something like that. The point is that we have an agreement, and she is here to help us, right?"

He looked at Solène, who simply moved closer to him. She leaned on his shoulder and brought her lips to his ear.

"That is right. And I'm anxious to be done with this so I can collect my payment."

She said in a voice that was so soft it was almost a whisper, but so fierce and filled with a predatory hunger that Adam felt a shiver run down his spine. He knew what she was talking about: a promise to be her sparring partner for an indefinite amount of time. But to the others, who had no context, the words were a massive misunderstanding.

A few, including Drake, tilted their heads, a look of utter confusion on their faces as they processed the words in a completely different way. But the one who reacted the most was Chloe. Her mouth was wide open as she began to stutter.

"W-what do you mean by that?!"

Before Adam could answer, Solène turned her head and looked at Chloe with a playful, teasing smile. She saw the nervousness and the insecurity in her eyes, and she couldn't resist a bit of fun. Her smile became a predatory grin, and she leaned in, her voice a low whisper.

"It's simple. When the scenario ends, I'll have Adam all to myself until I'm completely satisfied."

The words hit the group like a lightning bolt. Chloe and Kazue immediately turned as red as tomatoes, their faces flushed with a mix of embarrassment and shock. Even Drake's eyes widened, his mind reeling from the blatant, unapologetic declaration. Only Adam, Emir, and Solène seemed to not have understood the double meaning.

The redhead continued, seemingly oblivious to the chaos she had caused.

"By the way, from what I heard, that old man from your team was kidnapped and you're going to rescue him, right? Well, I'll also do my best to help. Apart from Adam's payment, the old man created a machine that defeated me in the last scenario, so I'm eager to get my revenge. In fact, maybe I'll ask to sweeten the deal by adding the martial artist robot I fought with to the mix…"

Her words hung in the air for a moment until something finally clicked in Drake's head.

"Wait, so by 'payment' you meant…"

But he paused, making Adam complete his phrase.

"Yes, in exchange for her help, I have to fight her until she is satisfied with the result."

Drake let out a soft sigh.

"Ah…"

And the rest of the group seemed to calm down, a collective sigh of relief escaping their lips. Kazue, however, was still fanning herself, a faint blush on her face.

The one who hadn't calmed down at all was Chloe, who was still looking at them with her cheeks puffed up, a look of pure, unadulterated jealousy on her face.

After that, Adam looked at the group with a question in his mind that he had been wanting to ask for a while.

"Hey, a question… Where is Gregor?"

At that moment, everyone began to look around, only now realizing that the normally quiet soldier wasn't among them. How was it possible that they had forgotten about him? The concern began to grow on all their faces.

Far from there, in a place that looked like a wasteland of carnage, Gregor and Nikolai were sitting on the ground. Both were exhausted and covered in deep wounds that bled profusely, but were still conscious. After a moment of silence, the long-haired guy began to laugh, first a small, muffled chuckle, but it soon turned into a full-blown, joyous roar. Gregor, in turn, couldn't help but smile, a look of pure relief and satisfaction on his face.

"How do you think the others are?"

Nikolai asked, his voice filled with a happy, carefree tone.

"I'm sure they are fine. Do you want to go and find them?"

Gregor responded in a teasing, friendly tone. Nikolai laughed, shaking his head.

"Heck no! Let them come here and treat me well, I can barely move… But hey, who would have thought we would end up like this, eh?"

The soldier simply gave a small, hoarse laugh. He also didn't have the energy to stand up… They were sitting in the middle of a literal sea of dead bodies of Darkness Draclings, all piled up and forming a black mass around them. It was a victory, but one that had taken a great toll. They had fought until their bodies had no strength left, and, miraculously, they had won.