The alarm went off. Adam sighed. With his eyes still closed he patted his chest and then sides. No one was there. No one had been there for days.

There was no gentle body heat pressed against him. No squirming limbs trying to casually wake him because he slept more than everyone else. Not even the soft but ticklish short fur of Ashtala as she pressed against him as hard as she could.

It was kind of lonely, something Adam never expected to feel before the [System] came. With a grunt, Adam sat up and turned off his alarm clock. He put on sweatpants and a tank top before exiting his room and going to the dining room table.

His cooks were in the kitchen, making his breakfast. Several serving plates and bowls of food were already waiting for him at the table, along with a single set of silver wear, plate, and cup.

The quality of the food had dropped a bit over time since there were no transportation networks to get non-local fruits, spices, or processed foods from. They had done a lot to create farming areas, even changing the environment within each segmented field or orchard so they could grow foods that didn't normally grow in this region. The Rift base even allowed them to do things that would renourish the soil or speed up the growth rate.

Still, more basic and traditional foods had become normal. Cuts of different kinds of meat were available, lightly seasoned. Lots of food based on dairy were made too, thanks to all the cows that had been brought in when rescuing people. Cheeses, yogurts, and milk were very common now, though a little blander than the varieties they could get at grocery stores in the before.

Wheat wasn't lacking either, so different breads or pastries were still doable. Sugarcane had been planted but not harvested yet, so sweetness usually came from honey and fruit preserves. In all, the food was still tasty, abundant, and filling, but without much variety. It would improve more as they expanded their base and territory after conquering more Rifts, and for now the people of Jackson were having to make due or get creative.

Adam smelled deeply the aromas of the foods being cooked before letting out the breath. He smiled and nodded to the chefs, who greeted him back. The amount of food prepared was only a little less than when his friends came up to eat.

Sitting in the center of the table so he could reach all the food, he began loading up his plate. He chugged from the pitcher of milk before digging into his meal. Every noise he made, from the chugging to chewing to breathing felt loud compared to normal. Even the sounds from the kitchen hadn't been noticeable when the table was full of people.

Halfway through his meal, Adam sighed again and looked at the empty seats on the table. It had become the norm that all his friends came to breakfast and dinner when they were around. He had never invited them, they just always showed up.

Adam could understand it. Going from parents preparing food to needing to make your own was daunting. It was much easier to just bum off a friend. Or a friend's personal chefs. Not so personal when so many people were taking advantage of them though.

What Adam couldn't understand was how much he missed the noise during meals. The sounds of bickering. The laughter and insults. Casual discussions about humanity's fight for survival. Most of all, his friends.

Were they all friends? They weren't all together due to affection or personal relationships. Would it be more accurate to call them teammates, casual acquaintances with shared experiences, or close comrades through necessity. Whatever they were, he missed them. He missed the chaotic surroundings and the people he trusted and relied on.

They were a group of former bullies and their target. Girls with a close bond making light of others while trying to survive their own situations. Family members and childhood friends who had grown up together.

Prior to the [System], Adam had been unconnected to those around him. He floated through life, uncommitted or caring. He socialized when necessary but didn't form those bonds that people craved. His place in life had been undecided, and his path meaningless.

Now, even though his friends were gone, he still felt emotional connections through his skills. Their emotions seeped into him from behind his own. Excitement and joy had come through during the last few days. So had sadness and pain. Adam could feel what they felt without knowing the circumstances. It was like experiencing the feelings of a play without being able to watch the story.

After eight days, he missed them. He missed the girls joining him in bed while he slept, working up a sweat with Lucas, Nick, and Lamar while training, and even listening to the stupidity coming from Tom, Randall, and Joseph. In just a few months, much of which had been high pressure life and death situations, Adam had started to crave the companionship.

He feared losing it. There was a discomfort when remembering the [System]'s words about being the last person left alive and restarting. Going back to who he was before the [System] wasn't possible anymore and it was almost reassuring to realize that he wouldn't have to finish this life as the last man standing and use the reset option. After thinking about it, knowing that he could give all of his effort to make sure others outlived him brought him relief.

None of that stopped his anxiety of being away from his group while they went on this stupid base raiding contest, though he couldn't fault them for wanting to measure their own strength. Nor did it stop the jitters he got while waiting for everyone to return. While he wished he could be out there attacking bases too, he didn't want to leave the base while they were gone, just in case they needed his help quickly.

He couldn't wait until they returned, and life could go back to normal. Or what had become normal while trying to hold back hordes of powerful alien races while reclaiming the land that should belong to humanity.

Once Adam finished his meal he left the building to jog to the Adventurer's Guild training area. Most of each day since his friends had been away was him helping other people practice and spar on the fields. Even going to the locked base with Cruxannith had only happened twice, to feed her blood rather than inspecting the shapes in her soul, since he wanted to be available to respond if someone needed help. The waiting was getting to him. It was nerve wracking.

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When Adam reached the training field, he found it crowded. Even though they had several other areas for practice, word had gotten around that Adam would be here. Not only was the field mobbed, but the stands that surrounded it were full, and people were standing as close as they could to watch.

Learning through doing it was important, but watching could help people grow too. Seeing the speeds of battle, the efforts that individuals had to put in, how close they were to their peers and the top were all helpful benchmarks for those seeking growth. Of course, finding those who wanted to test their strength and skills against Adam also showed who thought too highly of themselves.

Without needing to say anything, someone put a heavy metal baton into Adam's hand to mimic a sword. It had to be heavy to be able to deflect skills and the weapons produced in Jackson. Adam never used his main skills during these spars since he was trying to improve his own techniques, but he didn't limit the skills other people could use.

Many healers were available and ready to help. Having the ability to be instantly healed and get right back up made training safer but a lot more painful. As long as nothing was cut off or overly crushes then it was safe. The pain would be excruciating in the moment but wouldn't last long and could lead to greater growth.

Space was cleared for Adam and three people stepped forward to challenge him. Adam didn't particularly care how many he fought, although he was finding that those who crossed into Tier 3 were becoming more of a challenge. Even if Adam struggled in training battles like this, he knew that if he stopped handicapping himself and summoned the full river, he would destroy the humans here.

After a few practice swings and deep breathes, the three men approached him. One from the front, one on each side. They swung their own practice swords and Adam warmed up by weaving between the weapons. They weren't the highest-level fighters in the Sentinel Army, but they were coordinating well. Two would attack, and when Adam dodged, the third would come at him.

After about 30 seconds of constant movement Adam changed his style. He had begun by dodging everything. Then he dodged two and parried one. Then he tried to make a good drum rhythm by tapping his stick on their swords while parrying every strike.

He noticed that the steady rhythm affected the three men. Instead of trying to catch him off guard, they each got pulled into the rhythm and unintentionally kept the beat. The stands began to clap to the rhythm. Laughter broke out and a deep thrumming filled the stadium. It went from battle to a dance.

Even Adam was enjoying it and smiling, thinking of large concerts and people singing along with the bands. Then, he missed a strike. His baton stopped mid-motion, and the opponent's sword breezed past it. His left hand shot out and grabbed an incoming sword, stopping it dead, while his foot came up and the shin guard on his boot blocked the third.

The stadium went silent instantly. Adam's expression had changed from a teenager playing around to the intensity of when he faced invaders. Even the three men he was sparring with knew something was wrong and backed up.

Adam lowered his foot and dropped the baton. Then a growl rose in his throat as heat wafted from his skin. Nothing in the immediate area mattered to him anymore.

"Are we under attack?" someone nervously asked him.

Adam tilted his head to the questioner.

"Maybe," he answered.

A message had appeared in front of Adam unexpectedly.

ALERT: Hostile forces have entered your territory.

A collective breath was held in the stadium as people waited to see what Adam would do. They wondered what happened as Adam didn't move except for his head.

Opening the Rift Menu, Adam checked the territory map. Three marks were approaching at a casual speed. Two were red, indicating enemies, while the third was yellow, a sign of neutrality leaning towards hostility. Three invaders weren't enough to make an attack force unless they were seriously overpowered, so Adam found himself confused. Plus, they should have realized they entered someone else's territory, which meant this was intentional.

Adam opened a display to show the approaching invaders. What he saw threatened to enrage him. The two red marks were walking behind the neutral one. They were decked out in armor that covered every inch of skin, including their heads. Adam couldn't see any racial features, just shaped metal from head to toe. The tags over them were "Interceptor [34]" and "Powerguard [36]". They were high Tier 3.

A glance at the third of the invaders froze Adam's brain and caused his anger to drain. The man walking in front of the other two was absolutely gorgeous. The word handsome wasn't enough to describe him. Even though he was male, for such exquisite beauty, Adam would definitely be willing to…

A violent headshake was all Adam needed to see what was really there. Translucent skin contrasted with the pulsing black veins. The large, tilted eyes sat above the protruding jaw with layered rows of jagged teeth. Above his head was the tag "Influence Negotiator [33]."

"Red Clan!" snarled Adam. Then he announced to the assembled people, "We have three unwanted visitors. Stay here but gear up just in case. Do not approach unless I call out and do not raise the alarms. Yet."

As Adam took long strides through the Adventurer's Guild, he opened the Rift Menu and summoned his motorcycle from its warehouse to the entrance. People moved out of the way as he walked with purpose, jumped onto the bike and drove off.

When he arrived at the wall the gate was partially open.

"After I go out," Adam shouted to the soldiers on the wall, "close all the gates and do not open them for anyone but me. No matter how attractive they seem."

"Is something wrong?"

"I'll let you know when I come back. Make sure you do not look at the people I will be meeting, or you might get charmed."

"Affirmative, sir!" several soldiers shouted with a salute.

Adam raced out from the base. The land was still flat and clear since they hadn't decided how to construct their buildings yet, so he was able to gun the engine to get there quickly. He didn't go directly to the invaders. He curved around and observed them from a distance.

The Red Clan member in front walked casually, as if he was out for a midday stroll. The two guards behind him were more wary, looking in all directions while keeping their hands on their weapons. They strode with balanced steps, ready to take action quickly. They were clearly experienced and well trained. However, they didn't notice that they were being observed. Or maybe they didn't care.

Adam back tracked and waited for them along their path with arms crossed. The heat inside was pulsing, threatening to incite him to a rage. He suppressed as much as he could with [Soul and Body Shaping] and struggled to keep a blank look on his face.

After around 10 minutes of waiting, he saw the three approaching. When they noticed him standing there, the exposed one in front lifted an arm and waved as if they were friends.

"Hello!" greeted the Influence Negotiator. While his voice was friendly, it also had the weird tones that Adam had gotten used to in Cruxannith's memories. "Have you been waiting for us long?"

Adam clenched his jaw before answering as casually as he could. "Since you entered the territory."

"Sorry about the lack of notice. Because natives are unable to read [System Standard] we weren't sure how to contact you. With all the surprising success your people have had in battle so far, I'm glad to see you didn't overreact and bring an army. I'd be oh so happy to have the chance to chat with someone of authority here."

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