Unholy Player

"Adyr of Velari, should I assume that Spark now belongs to you?" One of Brakhtar's faces spoke, trying to keep its calmness, while the other had already fixed on him in visible shock, mouth and small eyes opened wide.

He did not ask why Adyr looked different from before, as they could already guess the reason was that he had consumed a Synergy Crystal.

But the thought that he had gained enough power to solo a Rank 4 Spark and subdue it had been ridiculous until the truth stood before them.

"Yes," Adyr answered simply, then added a touch of spice: "It was the only way we could escape."

Hearing "we" and not "I" made the two geniuses instantly understand the story that had unfolded since they were trapped here.

"So you did not run away," Thalira murmured, her silver eyes on a face so sincere and composed.

While these two were caught by the Rank 4 Spark and pulled into this dimension, imprisoned inside it, Adyr was not merely running away; he was using the Synergy Crystal, seizing the moment, to gain the power to help them.

What they had thought was that he had the time and opportunity to escape, but he had returned to save them.

Looking at their faces, layered with fear, relief, and the belief that he had done everything to save them, Adyr recalled a line he had lived by for years:

Nothing is easier than self-deceit; for what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.

He let their wish decide the truth: with the subdued Spark and perfect timing, what they wanted to believe—that he had returned for them—became what they believed.

Whether human or alien, so long as one carried a sentimental mind corrupted by emotion, there was always a way to control them.

Of course, he wasn't the kind of man to let his heroic facade go unpaid.

"But there is a small problem," he said, as if troubled, and the faces watching him tightened with worry.

The worst-case scenario for them was being trapped here until they died of hunger and thirst.

"The skill I'm using to jump from dimension to dimension costs too much energy, 240 to be exact, and I am already out of energy crystals," Adyr said, watching their features ease again with relief.

He had doubled the cost on purpose; if they wanted to escape, they needed to pay a price for it, at least.

He did not care if they learned the true cost later. He did not believe they would find it out anyway.

Sszhar, being a Rank 4 Spark, was already rare in the Outer Region; finding detailed information about it would not be easy for anyone, even for the top races.

"That's the simplest problem I've heard in a while," Thalira sighed, as if she had braced for something far worse.

Then she extended her hand, and a big pouch appeared. From the look of it, the inside was full of energy crystals. "Here. There are 11,356 energy-worth of crystals. It is all I have left."

Now it was Adyr's turn to be surprised. He had not expected her to hand over everything like this.

It was one reason she was rich—walking around with that amount—and another reason to be shocked: she gave her entire capital without blinking, which almost made Adyr feel ashamed for doubling the cost.

"Thank you, but only 1,000 is enough. I do not need all your crystals," Adyr said sincerely, then added, "You also need them to protect yourself."

He wanted to take them all, but not at the cost of the image he had just planted in their minds.

If anything, he would find other ways later to take their crystals.

Hearing his reason and his consideration, Thalira smiled faintly. "So I cannot pay you for saving my life."

The big pouch in her hand vanished and was replaced by a smaller one with only 1,000 crystals inside. She offered it again. "But I will be sure to pay you one day."

She was a proud Lunari, a people schooled in combat and bound by honor, and she would not leave a debt unpaid. She would find another way to repay him later, especially since she still had another request to make.

"Do not force yourself." Adyr waved it off, then took the crystals and sent them to his Sanctuary.

Meanwhile, Brakhtar also voiced his gratitude, his calm and sincere face tilting in a small bow. "Your act today, Adyr Hellcraft, will be remembered for generations that live under my name."

His other face was already in tears, sobbing, making his wise and collected image completely crumble.

Adyr gave him only a nod, not sure what to say, then turned and flew toward Sszhar's head. "Let's leave this place."

Soon, the others followed. Still a little tense, they stepped onto the now docile-looking monster's head.

With a silent command from its master, Sszhar stirred. Its massive body glided through the heart of the void, slipping past doors only it could see.

It was a force on par with the Lunari's Silver Whale and the Gorathim's Giant Eye, and merely riding it felt like strapping into a roller coaster at an amusement park.

Brakhtar and Thalira watched the Rank 4 Spark glide forward, then let their eyes settle on the back of the man guiding it.

How strong had he become?

The answer was obvious and still hard to accept.

Only 4 people—Liora of the Velari among them—currently commanded Rank 4 Sparks. They even held titles for that achievement.

Now, seeing Adyr, still Rank 3, wield the very distinction that earned Practitioners their titles, the world suddenly felt wider in their eyes.

And that question birthed another.

If one man from an Elder Race could be this strong and this gifted, what power did the whole race hold in its hands?

It was a question without an answer… for now. But not for long.