"So… how does it feel?"

After an entire day of resting, Adam was once again inside a spacious car. Spacious enough that it almost felt larger than his previous apartment. He sat by the window, watching the trees blur past him.

His moment of peace, however, was interrupted by Clementine, who bounced in her seat and hopped closer to him like an excited child.

"Adam!" She leaned forward, her eyes almost shining. "How does it feel? Being a Hero now? Can you feel the power coursing through your veins? Do you feel like you could punch through a mountain?"

Adam turned from the window, blinking a few times. "I feel... the same?"

"The same?" Clementine's face fell. "That's impossible. When I became a Hero, I immediately felt like I could do things I couldn't do before… it was slightly nauseating in my case, suddenly being able to feel people's intent. You're… sure you're a Hero now, right? Like the Administrators told you that you're a Champion or something like that?"

"Yes." Adam nodded. "But… I don't feel any different. Stronger?"

"Eeh…" Clementine narrowed her eyes. "But what do you want it to be?"

"...I want the ability to heal people," Adam answered without any hesitation.

"...I should have expected that." Clementine rolled her eyes. She was about to grab a bottle of champagne when Sylvie swatted her hand away from the mini fridge.

Sylvie didn't say anything just yet, only glaring at her before turning her focus to Adam. And after a while, she let out a sigh.

"Battle will reveal your abilities," she said. "Powers often manifest under pressure. Soon, Sir Adam."

And as if in cue to her words, the car came to a halt and Alfred's voice came through the intercom of the car.

"We have arrived, Mesdames et Monsieur."

Adam stepped out first, his tactical armor now back to its original state, like it wasn't just completely tattered and filled with holes the other day—Alfred had somehow repaired every tear and burn from the Game. The black plates gleamed in the afternoon sun, and the Shion rested comfortably across his waist.

Clementine emerged next, and Adam blinked in surprise. She was just wearing her usual clothes just earlier, and now all of a sudden, she wore dark clothing that seemed to absorb light—practical pants, a sleeveless top, and a utility belt loaded with knives. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she moved on her toes now.

"You look..." Adam started.

"Awesome?" Clementine grinned, pulling a ninjato from her back for no reason at all before sheathing it back in.

Sylvie stepped out last, unchanged in her elegant black fencing uniform with its subtle red embroidery.

Adam scanned their surroundings. They stood in a cleared area surrounded by military vehicles and personnel. Soldiers patrolled the perimeter, their weapons at the ready. And there, pulsing like a wound in reality itself, was a jagged tear in the air—crimson light bleeding from its edges.

A Red Leak.

"Wait." Adam turned to the sisters. "I… haven't asked before, but are you two part of a guild?"

"Oh, yeah." Clementine's grin widened. "We are. And I'm the guild master. We have other members. You might meet some of them later, but for now, it's just us three."

She stepped closer to Adam. Close enough that he could smell the faint scent of alcohol on her breath. She patted Adam's armor, removing some lint from it.

"Is it just me… or is this too tight?" she mentioned, sticking even closer to Adam. "I'll have Alfred do some adjustments—"

"We shouldn't waste time," Sylvie interrupted her, almost moving between them as she walked toward the Leak. Clementine smirked at her, but shrugged as she gestured to Adam to stick close.

They approached the crimson tear together. The military personnel stepped aside, their faces seemingly nervous. When the three drew close, they all saluted to Sylvie.

"Bon voyage, Colonel Rousseau."

Adam stared at Sylvie's back with wide eyes when he heard that. He didn't have time to ponder, however, as the two sisters entered the Leak after addressing the military briefly. The personnel also looked at Adam, nodding to him before he crossed the threshold.

And immediately, as soon as his vision shifted, his breath turned into mist. He emerged into a vast cavern with icicles hanging from the ceiling. Each of the icicles emanated some sort of blue-white light, illuminating the darkness.

Adam gripped the Shion's handle, his eyes adjusting to the strange light. The cavern stretched far beyond what he could see, with passages branching off in multiple directions.

And then, his eyes fell onto the top of Clementine's head.

[Clementine, the Witness of Shadows]

This was the first time he was seeing her title, noticing how it was slightly longer than the other titles he'd seen.

[Sylvie, the Duelist of Rose]

And, of course, he'd already seen Sylvie's title at the very first Game. While he examined their names, both sisters were also staring above his head, and they looked… intrigued.

"Your title," Sylvie said softly. "It's... unique."

"Well… that's new." Clementine whistled. "Most Heroes usually have longer titles. But yours..."

"Hm…?"

"The Endless."

[Adam, the Endless]

"One single word," Clementine smirked. "And it fits you perfectly."

"I would have to agree, Sir Adam." Sylvie nodded. "The Endless. As if you cannot be stopped. Cannot be broken. Cannot—"

"Die…" Adam continued. And when the two sisters saw his slowly lowering face, they sighed.

The two of them knew what Adam had gone through in the Hospital, and now he had something on the top of his head that would forever remind him of the reason why it had to happen to him.

Clementine loudly cleared her throat, choosing to move the topic away altogether.

"Let's… move on while I explain what we're dealing with here," she said, gesturing to Adam to walk with them.

"The monsters here are what we call Feinors. Basically, rotting flesh encased in hardened ice—golems. The boss is confirmed to be a Feinor Giant. It's at the end of the dungeon, so it won't be a problem."

She gestured to the branching passages. "The areas are mostly wide like this, but some passages narrow considerably. And whatever you do, don't break the icicles. They're our only light source down here."

"Okay." Adam nodded while scanning the cavern. As for Sylvie, she walked a few steps behind with a smile on her face.

"Ready?" Clementine asked, pointing directly at Adam's face. "You'll be taking point. We're just here to observe."

"Yes." Adam nodded, and they began moving deeper into the frozen cavern.

The silence was broken only by their footsteps and the occasional drip of melting ice. Adam walked ahead, his eyes making sure to stay open.

"His weapon…" Sylvie commented from behind him, her voice echoing softly off the ice walls. "It's… very Asian."

"Because I'm a fan of Japan," Clementine said cheerfully, but then a wide smirk crept on her face as she looked Sylvie in the eyes. "What, are you jealous, sister? You could always gift him another weapon."

"S-stop the nonsense," Sylvie said. "I was simply expecting him to choose a rapier."

Clementine's smirk widened. "Is that because it's also your weapon of choice?"

"A rapier-type weapon would suit his gentleness," Sylvie waved her off.

"Gentleness?" Clementine laughed. "I don't think you know him enough to—"

Before the tension between the two could start building up, Adam suddenly sprinted.

The two sisters quickly looked ahead, and there, they saw three massive silhouettes emerging from the darkness.

Feinors.

They stood nearly eight feet tall, their twisted, rotten, deformed flesh visible through their bulky translucent ice armor. Frozen blood vessels created dark networks beneath the surface, and their eyes glowed with a sickly yellow light.

"Disgusting…"

But Adam didn't hesitate. He drew the Shion and leaped at the nearest Feinor, the massive blade whistling through the air.

The creature was too slow to react. Adam's new strength, the explosive power granted by the 7 Status points, drove the Shion clean through the gaps of the golem's torso. Ice and putrid flesh exploded outward as the creature collapsed.

The second Feinor swung a massive fist at Adam's head. He ducked under the blow and brought the Shion up, severing the creature's arm at the shoulder. Its blood sprayed across the cavern floor as the golem stumbled backward.

The third Feinor tried to grab him with both hands. Adam dodged to the side and drove his blade into its knee, sending the creature crashing down. A quick thrust through its skull finished it.

The second Feinor, still standing despite its missing arm, made one last desperate swing. Adam caught its remaining fist with his free hand—actually caught it, the impact sending shockwaves up his arm and causing him to skid a few feet. But then, with a grunt of effort, he twisted the creature's wrist until bones snapped, then drove the Shion through its chest.

"W-woah," Clementine breathed out. All of that happened in less than thirty seconds. The two sisters approached, their faces a mix of awe… and confusion.

"Did you use any new abilities?" Sylvie asked, studying the carnage.

"No, I was just fighting using—" Before Adam could answer, another Feinor emerged from the shadows behind them.

Without thinking, he leaped backward, hovering over both sisters' heads to land behind the creature. The Shion punched through the back of its skull and out through its eye socket, killing it instantly.

"I was just fighting like normal," he finished his words, pulling his blade free.

"Really…?" Clementine's face fell. "That's... disappointing. It seems you were only granted additional strength as a Hero. But… I guess your regeneration is overpowered enough to make up for it?"

"Uh…"

"Anyway, let's move ahead. Maybe you just need to fight more."

And as the two sisters started to walk away. Adam…

…Adam remained perfectly still, doing nothing.

Well, not exactly nothing. He was staring at something only he could see floating in the air before him.

Clementine was wrong. The Game did grant him a new ability. Adam, it would seem…

[1 Status Point granted!]

…could now level up outside the Game.

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