16. Restricted Area
1301 Words
Up ahead, Nathan had already taken out many Echoes. His movements were agile and swift, while Isla drew her bow and fired shot after shot.
Rivan took a deep breath, refocusing his mind. He gripped his dagger tightly and charged toward the enemy. “Slow.”
Instantly, the Echo’s movements slowed; Rivan used those two seconds to strike at both its legs.
The Echo collapsed, whimpering in pain before roaring angrily at him. Rivan caught his breath, surveying his surroundings. His mind raced, devising various ways to kill the Echo.
With his current power level, Rivan could only use the ‘slow’ and ‘stop’ spells for a maximum of 5 seconds.
Since it was crucial for him to kill Echo quickly, Nathan had taught him to move fast. The training had worked, but not without its issues.
His stamina would be completely drained, and it would take time to recover. Just then, Lunara patted his shoulder, causing Rivan to tense up before relaxing.
“I’ll hold them off; don’t worry, just focus on killing Echo.” After saying that, Lunara spread her arms, her eyes fixed on Echo in front of them; a moment later, she clenched her fists.
A burst of ice brought a chill and froze Echo’s body. Rivan’s mouth fell open; he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
The girl’s power was truly astonishing. Lunara turned her face, smiled at him, and said, “Hurry up and kill him; don’t just stand there daydreaming.”
With a powerful nod, Rivan charged forward. He swung the dagger Nathan had given him.
SLASH!
The dagger sliced through the black scales, the sound of metal scraping against metal ringing out loudly. Echo roared in anger as purple blood flowed from the wound.
Not stopping there, Rivan immediately took a fighting stance. He focused his eyes on the monster’s movements. From behind, Lunara continued to hold Echo in place.
On the other side, Isla looked out of breath. Sweat poured down her body, her hands trembling so much they nearly dropped the bow. Seeing this, Nathan approached and ordered her to step back and help with the evacuation.
After that, Nathan glanced at Rivan. His eyes grew cold for a moment before relaxing again; he turned his face away, refocusing on killing Echo.
“Hhh…” A quick, harsh breath escaped his lips; Rivan could feel his head buzzing.
Before him, Echo let out a shrill scream. “Shriek—”
The voice echoed for a few moments before finally fading away. Echo’s body twitched briefly, then went limp and lifeless.
Rivan’s ears were ringing loudly, and his vision began to blur and lose focus. He tried to stand up, but his body felt heavy and aching. “What’s going on…?”
His steps were unsteady; he vaguely saw a worried expression on Lunara’s face. The girl’s lips opened and closed, but Rivan couldn’t make out what she was saying.
He wanted to tell her not to worry, but unfortunately, before the words could leave his mouth, Rivan collapsed.
…..
Tap… tap… tap…
The sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor, accompanied by a cheerful hum. On the ceiling, lights flickered slowly, casting a dim glow.
A man walked with a leisurely stride, a smirk etched on his lips. His long red hair was tied loosely, with earrings swaying from both ears.
The man was wearing a beach shirt and shorts. Behind his sunglasses, his golden pupils were faintly visible. He was twirling his phone in his hand.
“How’s it going over there? Don’t go wandering around aimlessly; finish your task first,” said the person on the other end of the phone.
The man clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes in annoyance. “You’re such a nagging old lady. You don’t need to remind me. I know that.”
“I hope so,” she replied flatly. “Don’t let what happened last week happen again.”
“Ugh…” The man shifted his gaze slightly; a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. “That’s all, right? I’m hanging up.”
“Wait—” The voice on the other end immediately interrupted him. “Ara said to remember to buy her a drink, and she’s cooking today.”
“WHAT? Wait, who let that girl into my kitchen?” he shouted angrily. “HEY! Answer me!”
The phone glowed dimly, displaying the end of the call. The man cursed as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“Damn old hag! Ugh… I have to finish this task as soon as possible.” A weary, helpless sigh echoed down the hallway.
He pulled a jet-black credit card from his pants pocket, held it high in the air, then shouted loudly, “Show me the fastest way to the Aegis Division’s restricted area. I’ll buy it for one million US dollars!”
The moment those words were spoken, the air in front of him trembled violently. A sapphire-blue holographic screen suddenly appeared, emitting a dim light that illuminated the dimly lit corridor.
Above the screen, a row of digital text flashed rapidly, displaying the absolute transaction details that bound the laws of nature:
[EXISTENCE TRANSACTION SYSTEM: ACTIVE]
User ID: KAEL (Limited Authority)
Payment Method: 1,000,000 USD (Financial Energy Conversion)
Purchased Commodity: Exclusive Shortcut to the Aegis Forbidden Chamber
Status: Pending Approval.
Without wasting time reading the string of text, the man named Kael immediately tapped the ‘Agree’ icon in the air with his finger.
Instantly, the space around him trembled faintly, as if reality were being forced to yield. The path ahead shifted; the once-straight corridor suddenly curved, and numerous glowing directional signs appeared to guide the man.
Just then, his phone vibrated, displaying a message that made Kael tense up.
Old Lady: “I forgot to mention, Ara said she wants to practice cooking for dinner later, so she’s in the kitchen right now.”
Attached below was a photo of a girl with a beaming smile, taking various ingredients from the shelves.
Damn it! Screw you, Old Lady! Kael ran with all his might, his lips spewing a thousand curses.
The man kept running, following the directions, when suddenly the path ahead of him began to shrink and shift shape. He hurriedly charged through before the wall returned to its original form.
Sweat was pouring down Kael’s temples; he wiped it away briefly. His hand unconsciously brushed against the wall beside him, and in an instant, a loud alarm blared.
"Damn it!" he cursed.
Kael quickly held his breath and picked up his black card again. "Give me speed."
As soon as the blue screen reappeared, the man immediately tapped the "Agree" button without paying attention to the price he’d have to pay.
Kael braced himself and shot forward at full speed, following the instructions without heeding the pain caused by the gravitational strain of his velocity.
Within five seconds, Kael had covered half the distance to his destination. He took a deep, labored breath and leaned against the wall.
After calming down, Kael straightened his body again and wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The man let out a sigh.
His gaze paused briefly at the sound of a familiar ringtone; he grabbed his phone and looked at the photo the Old Lady had sent him.
On the screen, a girl was putting a still-flopping live fish into a boiling pot filled with strange spices and haphazardly chopped vegetables.
Seeing that made Kael’s temples throb with pain; he no longer had the composure to curse, so he quickly put his phone away.
He was even more determined to finish this mission immediately and return as soon as possible.
- Writer
