Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

Adam and Sebastian stepped through the massive, human-sized door and into the colossal silence of the Dragon God's Treasure Hall. The sheer, impossible scale of the chamber was breathtaking, but the old man's attention was fixed only on the small, unassuming door they had just come through. He let out a deep, heavy sigh of profound resignation, the sound laced with a weary, dry humor.

"It is immensely ironic, isn't it?"

Sebastian said, adjusting the lapels of his dusty jacket.

"It took me an agonizingly long time to finally find a way out of this absurd hall, and now I have to return immediately, oh, well."

Adam, whose mind was instantly cataloging the sheer volume of wealth and power surrounding them, was genuinely perplexed by Sebastian's lack of interest.

"You mentioned that this place contains powerful artifacts, yet you didn't seem inclined to even examine them."

The boy stated, his voice cool and logical, entirely failing to comprehend the emotional context of Sebastian's actions.

"It is highly probable that there are objects of immense power and utility scattered throughout this hall. Ignoring them is illogical."

Sebastian simply shrugged, the small movement a weary acceptance of his own profound indifference.

"To be entirely honest, Adam, at my age, the accumulation of personal wealth or power holds very little appeal. My perspective on life—and my priorities—changed fundamentally after I spent ten years working with Isaac and Thaddeus in the 'Steam and Steel' scenario."

He paused, his eyes glazing over as his gaze drifted toward an invisible past. The brief reflection was enough to cloud his kind face with a profound, palpable sadness.

"I never truly appreciated how much I missed my youth until I was facing my own mortality... I deeply regret the years I wasted, focusing solely on my work, completely neglecting my wife and son. That is a kind of irreversible damage that no amount of wealth, nor Rank S artifact can ever hope to repair."

Adam's expression softened, his curiosity immediately dissolving into a surprising wave of genuine pity. He was entirely incapable of offering a precise opinion on such a complex emotional matter. It had been only very recently that he himself had truly understood the depth of his devotion to his own parents, a realization that was the driving force behind his desperate need to return to the real world. His gradual, cold understanding of the importance of human relationships was an even more recent development, leading him to the point where he could finally consider the members of his team as genuine "friends", though he was still actively exploring the true implications of that profound bond.

The brief, melancholic silence stretched between them, a quiet testament to their shared history and differing regrets. But Adam broke it with a statement of uncertain hope.

"Perhaps time will offer the answers we seek..."

Sebastian laughed softly, the sound gentle and weary.

"Perhaps. Though I suspect that for me, time is a commodity that is rapidly running out. I am, after all, seventy-one years old now."

The comment, intended as a simple statement of fact, triggered a separate, deeper question in Adam's mind, a structural anomaly that had been nagging at him since the moment they had been reunited.

"Sebastian, forgive my bluntness, but is it possible that I am simply imagining this? Or do you appear… younger than I remember?"

The old man looked at him with profound surprise, his brow furrowed with confusion.

"Younger? I highly doubt that is the case, Adam. I do not feel any different from before, but..."

Sebastian stopped speaking, his gaze fixed on nothing as he focused internally. He hadn't consciously registered the change, but the realization was sudden and absolute. He felt no different than he had after the last scenario, yet during his decade-long ordeal in 'Steam and Steel', his body had suffered immense deterioration. He remembered agonizingly slow movements, the constant need for a cane, and the chronic, debilitating pain that had plagued his every movement. All of those symptoms were now completely gone.

"You are right, Adam."

Sebastian admitted, his voice now tinged with a strange curiosity.

"There may be something profoundly unusual occurring. One of the rewards for completing my Personal Subplot was a Race Change to 'High Mechanicus', but I have not felt any practical difference, save for a new, vague sense of… internal vision, something akin to night vision."

The revelation that Sebastian had undergone a complex racial transformation startled Adam. He instantly raised his hand, his eyes focused, preparing to utilize his [Cursed Vision] to analyze Sebastian's status, just as he had done with Chloe moments before.

However, before he could fully activate the skill, a voice screamed, tearing through the vast chamber.

"David!"

Adam stiffened, his head snapping up at the sound of the false name. He immediately recognized the voice: it was Chloe, who was standing far down the hall with Samantha and Solène, a bizarre, yet surprisingly cohesive trio who had apparently formed a quick camaraderie.

The entire Treasure Hall was a gargantuan chamber, large enough to contain a small mountain range, and the darkness, though diminished, still clung to the shadows. It was filled with the bizarre artifacts of a thousand conquered worlds. Adam's eyes swept over the immense wealth—a colossal, petrified eye of some ancient god resting on a pile of glowing sand; a shield woven from what looked like solidified dark energy; a thousand massive, dark iron rings that seemed to distort space around it—all inactive, silent, and covered in millennia of dust. Adam realized, with a fresh surge of frustration, that his [Cursed Vision] was entirely ineffective on the inactive items, reinforcing his theory that the sheer age of the artifacts had rendered them magically inert, their true power sealed by time.

Sebastian, following the sound of the anxious call, gestured with a dismissive wave toward the distant girls.

"You must go to them, Adam. Since we are back in this hall and the group intends to remain here for a while, I will be fine. There is something that the voice of 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' keeps insisting I check alone, for some reason."

"Understood."

Adam replied, his mind immediately shifting to the logistics of communication.

"We will maintain contact using the [Friend List] chat."

Sebastian's expression instantly turned into one of profound, utter embarrassment.

"Oh, my apologies... I entirely forgot how to use the interface. I find it weird, I mean, I am capable of understanding the function of any complex technology I touch, yet the System's user interface remains profoundly confusing to me."

Adam instantly realized the reason why Sebastian had not responded to his earlier attempts at contact, a lapse that brought a genuine, dry amusement to his face. He quickly explained the simple action required to accept a voice chat.

They initiated a test call, and Sebastian failed the process twice before successfully activating the voice chat on the third, agonizingly slow attempt, a small technological anomaly that Adam himself found deeply amusing. Once communication was established, the boy separated from Sebastian, moving quickly toward the small group.

Upon arrival, Adam instantly registered the strange atmosphere surrounding the girls. Samantha was entirely failing to suppress a mischievous, knowing grin, and Solène was visibly fighting the urge to explode into powerful laughter.

"Is everything okay?"

Adam asked, his voice sharp with professional concern.

"Yes, David. Everything is perfectly fine. Please do not worry."

Samantha replied, her voice entirely too sweet.

The entire situation felt profoundly abnormal, but when Adam turned to Chloe, he saw the true source of his worry. The girl was completely, profoundly crimson, her face matching the color of her hair, and her entire body was rigid with an intense, unspoken embarrassment.

"Chloe! Are you experiencing an abnormal temperature rise? Are you alright?" Adam asked, his voice entirely focused on a medical diagnosis.

The girl flinched, her crimson face deepening in shade.

"Y-yes! I'm—I'm fine!"

She stammered, the words emerging as a tight, reedy squeak. Adam remained entirely unconvinced, his red eyes narrowing.

"Is this a physiological symptom of the 'Corrupted High Dragonkin' transformation?"

Without waiting for her response, Adam placed his palm against Chloe's forehead, checking for a sudden, inexplicable temperature spike. The girl stood utterly still, her ears burning as she submitted to his cold inspection.

"There appears to be no issue…"

The boy concluded, retracting his hand.

"However, you must inform me if you feel anything unusual; we don't know what your new race can do on a whim."

After that, the group immediately resumed their exploration. Adam, always on high alert, scanned the various inactive, weird items scattered throughout the immense hall. Solène, meanwhile, moved with a boundless, reckless enthusiasm, touching and inspecting every inactive item she encountered, forcing him to constantly supervise her.

"Solène, do not touch that!"

Adam yelled, his voice sharp with command, as the Dragonkin approached a massive, pulsating shadow woven into a large cloth.

Chloe followed Adam closely, her nervousness a tangible, painful presence. She attempted to gather the courage to speak to him several times, her hand reaching out to tug on his sleeve, but she immediately retracted it, overcome by profound shame. Samantha, walking alongside her, whispered constant words of encouragement, her support entirely unnoticed by Adam, whose full attention was required by the redhead's reckless exploration.

After several agonizing minutes, following a final, quick whisper from Samantha, Chloe finally steeled her resolve. She inflated her chest in a determined, final preparation and began to speak.

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"Davi…"

Adam's voice, however, cut through the air.

"Solène, no!"

The Dragonkin had approached an innocuous-looking bolt of gray fabric stretched across a runic pedestal. Adam had instantly registered the change: the fabric had abruptly come to life, exuding an insane, malevolent energy the moment it sensed Solène's proximity. And before the girl could react, the fabric instantly wrapped around her, binding her in a suffocating, powerful embrace.

Solène let out a raw, desperate cry of pain, stumbling as the cloth crushed her, making Adam instantly curse the situation under his breath. He launched himself forward, reaching out to stabilize her before she could hit the ground. His hands found her, and his [Cursed Vision] immediately supplied the terrifying data on the object.

Solène was struggling violently, exerting her entire physical strength to prevent the cloth from crushing her, while Adam, realizing the horrifying implication of the data, was stunned. The Yong Xian Sovereign? Could it be possible? ... He instantly activated the powerful skill of his own core, the [Jiang Shi 4th Tier: Yong Xian Sovereign's Heart], while the skill [Yong Xian Sovereign's Body Manifestation] took effect, causing Adam's body to surge with power, his muscles inflating, his height increasing, and his long hair… remaining perfectly still, since he already had long hair due to the Empress possession.

The crushing force of the sentient cloth instantly ceased, and before Adam could speak, the fabric unwrapped itself from Solène's body and instantly adhered to him, fusing seamlessly with his existing clothes. His entire attire—jacket, gloves, pants, and boots—turned a stark, absolute black, transforming into a set of light, versatile gear. The Empress's voice, a low, satisfied purr, spoke through Adam's mouth just after that.

"My, what an interesting plaything we have acquired. I can feel its desire to serve you, and its entirely twisted ego recognizes you as its wicked master. Not bad for my little Lich."

A System window materialized before Adam's eyes.

The boy was utterly stunned. He had, entirely by accident, acquired an immensely powerful and dangerous artifact. Chloe and Samantha attempted to approach, but Solène, now completely free of the suffocating cloth, began to laugh. The sound was a massive, joyous roar that took everyone by surprise.

"I expected nothing less from my eternal partner!"

Solène declared, her voice filled with a powerful, feral amusement.

"An item that nearly crushed me submits to you without a fight! I cannot wait to put that cloth to good use at the end of the scenario."

The red-haired girl moved toward Adam, and instead of offering simple thanks, she pressed her face close to his, her eyes fixed on his with the terrifying intensity of a predator, showing her fanged smile and speaking in a low, hungry voice.

"I expect you to wear that cloth during our encounter."

Adam, entirely accustomed to her strange vocabulary of violence, merely sighed.

"Of course, Solène. I will."

Chloe finally snapped, her face flushed crimson, her entire body shaking with barely contained insecurity. She moved forward, placing herself directly between Adam and Solène, her voice a strained, high-pitched stammer.

"W-what in the hells is happening between the two of you!?"

Adam, completely confused by her reaction, answered honestly.

"Well… I have a [Blood Covenant] with Solène. In exchange for her aid, I promised to be her practice partner and spar with her until she is satisfied."

"S-spar?"

Chloe stammered, the single word an inflection of dawning, terrifying realization. Solène laughed again, a fierce, delighted sound. She clapped both of them on the shoulders with bone-jarring force.

"I understand your concern, but do not worry. I indeed fancy strong men like him, but I would never fixate on the mate of another of my kind."

The words hung in the air, utterly devoid of social tact. Adam's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Mate?"

Chloe was beyond embarrassment, her face the color of magma, wishing the stone floor would simply swallow her whole.

Samantha intervened instantly, seizing the redhead's arm with a desperate urgency.

"Solène, come with me! I believe I saw something very interesting over there!"

Solène attempted to pull away, but Samantha injected a new, critical word into the conversation.

"I thought I saw gold and jewels in that direction."

The mention of treasure instantly engaged the instinct of the Red Dragon lineage in the girl. She spun around instantly, her yellow eyes blazing.

"Where!?"

Solène launched herself toward the direction Samantha had indicated, with Samantha herself following, not before turning to Chloe and offering a quick, conspiratorial wink of complicity. The pink-haired girl, entirely consumed by shame, knew she should have remained silent… She should have never ever talked about her thoughts to them, but the sudden, easy comfort she had found with the two girls had led to a catastrophic loss of control.

Adam sighed, his voice filled with weariness.

"Leaving Solène alone is never a good idea. We should follow her."

He prepared to move, but before he could, Chloe reached out and gently gripped the sleeve of his new, black jacket. Adam stopped instantly, turning toward her with confusion.

"What is happening, Chloe?"

Adam asked, his voice soft. Chloe remained entirely rigid with shame, but the sudden, critical action of stopping him had given her the courage she needed. She took a deep, shuddering breath and asked her question.

"What… what do you think of Solène?"

Adam looked at her, entirely perplexed.

"Eh? What do you mean by that?"

"Please, just tell me what you feel when you see Solène."

Chloe insisted, her voice barely a whisper. Adam, still entirely focused on the external threat, replied with cold, direct logic.

"I do not understand the reason for this question. It would be better to address this lat…"

But Chloe's voice snapped, rising to a sudden, painful shriek.

"Please, just answer me!"

Adam was entirely startled by the sudden, intense outburst, but he suspected that this was a symptom of her new racial impulses, so he forced himself to remain calm and answer honestly.

"Okay… Solène was an enemy until very recently, but she has proven to be a reliable and extremely strong ally. I do not feel anything in particular when I see her, only respect… and exasperation. She constantly tries my patience. In fact, now that I think about it, she reminds me quite a bit of how you used to treat me when we first met."

Chloe instantly protested the comparison.

"We are nothing alike!"

"Yes, you are, in fact, very much alike."

Adam corrected, his voice calm.

"The desire to constantly annoy me, just to elicit a reaction, without any malice behind it, is something I have seen in both of you. And though I initially found it irritating, I have learned to find a certain charm in it, to be honest."

Chloe's complaints instantly died in her throat. After a moment, she asked another question, her voice lowered to a timid whisper.

"What do you think of Kazue?"

Adam considered the question deeply. He remembered everything they had been through, and how he felt a uniquely strong bond with Kazue and Drake, the two who had entered the system alongside him, and that, after many experiences, had developed a profound, singular trust.

"I have never fully understood the concept of friendship… But if I had to describe what it means to be a true friend, I would describe precisely what I feel for Kazue, and for Drake, for all it matters."

Chloe remained entirely silent after his answer. Adam assumed the conversation had ended, but then, the final, terrifying question came.

"And what do you think of me?"

Adam tilted his head. He had expected the question, so he offered what he believed was the best, most reassuring response.

"You are a very cherished teammate, Chloe, just like all the members of 'No Name'. I would do everything in my power to protect you all. And that is something I never thought I would do for anyone in the real world."

Chloe's face flushed again, this time with intense, angry disappointment.

"So you only see me as a simple teammate? Just one of the group, with nothing unique or special to offer?"

Adam's expression softened, and he finally understood the true core of her anxiety. He knew that Chloe carried a deep-seated complex of inferiority, and her heroic act, coupled with her new, terrifying strength, had only amplified her desperate need for validation.

The boy sighed, a gentle, small smile appearing on his face while he looked directly into her eyes.

"I do not believe you are simply one of the group, Chloe. Every single member of 'No Name' has unique qualities and talents that constantly challenge my perception of others, and you, especially, are no exception."

Adam's voice became softer, more personal, filled with a warmth he rarely showed.

"I have never known anyone as profoundly radiant as you. Even in the worst situations, you always find a way to move forward. Even when I saw you paralyzed by fear, you did not give up, and because of that act, we were able to defeat Dravhark… I am profoundly happy to have met a girl as brave as you."

Chloe was entirely mesmerized, staring fixedly into his eyes as he spoke. Before she could think, a single, decisive phrase escaped her lips.

"I like you."

Adam was completely taken aback, his eyes widening in shock.

"Excuse me?"

Chloe did not hesitate. She doubled down.

"I… I think I like you, Adam."

A moment of agonizing silence passed. The boy let out a weary sigh.

"Chloe, this is not the time for jokes. You have played this exact prank on me before, and this is entirely inappropriate for the situation at…"

The girl interrupted him, her voice loud and firm.

"I am not joking!"

Adam stood utterly perplexed, unable to process the profound, unexpected change in the atmosphere. Chloe continued, her voice softening, her eyes bright with sudden, powerful emotion.

"To be honest, I do not understand these kinds of feelings…"

She admitted, her voice trembling slightly.

"I have never experienced anything like love, especially not since the accident that left me paralyzed… But I am certain that you are the one thing I want to be irreplaceable in my life."

She paused, taking a deep, shaky breath, the depth of her feelings suddenly making the confession easier.

"You have been my inspiration to improve, my guide, and my model for not giving up in this place of nightmares."

She finished, the rush of honesty entirely consuming her embarrassment.

"And before I realized, my eyes began following you, to search for you when we were near each other, and to be worried to death after seeing you injured. I feel a powerful jealousy when you get too close to other girls, like Kazue or Solène, and I feel a profound joy in your every triumph, as if your victories were entirely my own."

Adam blushed a bit. He admitted that he was entirely out of his depth.

"I am entirely flattered, but I do not understand these kinds of emotions either... I am barely learning the concept of friendship, and I am certainly not prepared to identify what you call 'love'."

Chloe laughed, a sweet, clear sound.

"We are alike in that regard, Adam. I am not asking you to be my partner, or even to accept this confession. I simply wanted to get this off my chest."

She smiled, her expression tender, and offered him a final proposition.

"Will you accept to learn to deal with these feelings together, starting as friends? And when we beat this scenario and return to the lobby… Will you promise to come to my room, just as you did with Kazue, so we can talk more about this?"

Adam stared at her, genuinely surprised, but finally sighed, a small, weary smile appearing on his face.

"Very well. I promise."

Chloe's smile widened into a joyous, ear-to-ear grin. She raised a small, determined fist toward Adam, a perfect copy of the gesture he often shared with Drake. The boy understood the signal and raised his own fist, completing the fist-bump.

"It's a promise then! When we get back, we'll talk."

Chloe declared, her voice filled with tears of pure relief and joy. However, a voice interrupted them, cutting through the emotional silence.

"David!"

It was Charles, who was calling from a distance, his voice sharp with urgency.

"Please, come over here! We have found something you need to see!"