"I see. So, that's his trump card?"

As the Dragon examined his opponent with a measured gaze with a mixture of curiosity and faint disappointment, he nearly prompted him to sigh.

‘Strong and durable… but not a real threat,’ he thought, feeling a familiar undercurrent of indifference.

His eyes flicked to Phobio, his opponent, stirred little fear in him.

"To think he’s one of the Mercenary Gang’s leaders," he thought. "From what Riley told me, this man’s strength and speed were even lesser than that cyclop he fought. But it seems he's managed to compensate with skill alone."

Yes, you have guessed!

The Dragon was none other than Price himself, one of Riley’s teammates.

Before Riley and the team returned to Aquarius, Price had been conducting his own mission aboard the Nuclear Submarine, working with scientists and researchers to experiment on one of the four Mana Symbiotes they’d stolen from the Auction House.

Recently, he learned that Riley had used the Mana Symbiote on himself and emerged victorious over a Mercenary Gang leader. After hearing the details of Riley’s transformation and knowing another gang leader awaited him in the warehouse he was heading to, Price felt a moment’s hesitation. But, understanding the mission’s stakes, he followed through with the symbiote.

The Mana Symbiote was a revolutionary organism, capable of bonding with a host and fundamentally altering their very genetic makeup to grant them mana capabilities.

Unlike conventional genetic modifications at a molecular level, the symbiote seamlessly integrated with the host’s DNA, bypassing the natural cellular boundaries that prevent humans and other manaless species from accessing mana.

But the most interesting thing Price discovered was that the Mana Symbiote on him was unique compared to Riley’s. It didn't just grant him the ability to wield mana, it even actively rewrote his genome, effectively reengineering his physiology to mimic that of some mana-wielding beings in this world.

The process was astonishing to say the least. The symbiote achieves this by introducing adaptive genetic information within its own code. These sequences act like viral RNA but are far more complex, designed to instigate a series of mutative changes throughout his body.

These mutations reshaped Price at a cellular level, creating physical traits that were otherwise impossible, such as scale growth, muscle reinforcement, and even skeletal restructuring, all necessary for Pice’s conversion into a Half-Dragon.

In Price's case, the symbiote rewrote segments of his genetic code, mirroring the structure of draconic physiology.

These changes blended human and dragon genetics, producing a new hybrid.

In this transformative process, Price's body adapted to display dragon-like traits such as scales that were tougher than steel, extraordinary strength, and an instinctual affinity for mana, essentially bridging two disparate genetic templates into a cohesive form.

The Mana Symbiote was indeed an evolutionary catalyst, merging arcane potential with physical transformation, fundamentally redefining the very biological identity of its host.

Now, armed with these powers, Price stood prepared for the battle against this Vampire, no longer as a mere human but as a superior race of this world.

'Blood Magic, huh? This is the first time I've seen something like this. But now isn't the time to be impressed. I’ve already wasted enough time. I should wrap this up.'

Lingering any longer would serve no purpose.

'The original plan was to simply scare everyone away by pretending to be a Dragon and helping recover the warehouse.'

It was supposed to be that simple.

'But this idiot went and killed everyone I was trying to save.'

The thought pissed Price off, but he managed to swallow his dissatisfaction.

‘With the original plan ruined, there’s no one left to witness the story I wanted the higher-ups to believe.’

If the survivors had fled, the Mercenary Gang could have assumed this was the work of a Wild dragon, with no connection to ExRump or any of the other factions. That way, any chance of an all-out war would’ve been prevented.

'In fact, the opposite might happen. They might become very wary and be on the defensive for a while.'

Doing that would give the ExRump Corporation more room to breathe and valuable time to regroup and strategize.

'The issue now is that they're all dead. Which means…'

There was only one option left.

‘…I’ll have to make him the sole survivor somehow.’

To Price, that meant aiming for non-lethal spots and incapacitating the Crimson Valkyrie, striking only to disable.

'That would be tricky.'

He could see his opponent already brandishing their blade, getting ready to attack, so Price prepared himself as well.

He knew he was faster than Phobio, but he couldn’t be certain about this new opponent, the Crimson Valkyrie, who was still an unknown factor.

WHOOSH!

With a swift motion, the Valkyrie lunged and aimed for a quick blow first, but Price easily evaded it.

"Looks like I’m just as fast and agile as ever, even in this form."

His only challenge was his size. He still wasn’t completely accustomed to the extra bulk, but that didn’t stop him from evading every strike with ease.

SWISH!

FWISH!

WHISH!

The Crimson Valkyrie’s blades danced the air in a deadly rhythm, but Price sidestepped each attack and dodged them all. After a few more strikes, he was finally able to sense his opponent’s rhythm and its movements becoming predictable.

‘The chest region… that’s the opening.’

With his enemy’s weakness exposed and their power far below his own, Price figured it was the best time to finish things.

‘[Dragon Breath: Dark].’

With this command ringing in his mind, Price opened his dragon mouth and released a torrent of pent-up energy locked within.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!

The massive pillar of dark energy surged forward, obliterating everything in its path. The Valkyrie’s hardened blood meant to shield her opponent evaporated instantly upon contact. Price had aimed for the head, and in a flash, the Crimson Valkyrie was now headless.

But the decapitation barely slowed it down. It charged at him again, wielding its twin blades, determined to slice him down. This time, Price met the attack head-on, and catched both of the Valkyrie’s arms in his powerful, dragon-like hands, effortlessly stopping them cold.

And then…

SQUELCH!

With a brutal twist, he ripped the Crimson Valkyrie's arms from its body with ease, causing blood to spray from her severed limbs.

Now missing its head and both hands, the once-mighty construct seemed all but defeated. To make sure that there was no recovery, Price unleashed his mana on the severed arms, vaporizing the blood-red limbs to prevent any attempt at regeneration by the Blood User.

If the Valkyrie intended to rebuild its body, it had only two choices.

“Spread out the condensed blood to cover the damage and weaken its defenses, or reduce its mass and maintain its strength.”

Unsurprisingly, it chose the latter option. Blood coalesced around the Valkyrie’s damaged areas as it floated back while retreating itself in a considerable distance from Price. Now reduced to a height of roughly eleven meters, its body seemingly as good as new.

"You beast!" Phobio’s voice roared from within the Valkyrie’s massive shell. "I’LL KILL YOU! I’VE KILLED DRAGONS BEFORE!"

Price let out a sigh and shook his head in faint amusement.

‘I’m sure now. This fool might've only killed regular dragons.’

Without a word, he simply waited for the Valkyrie’s next move and prepared to end this with the next strike.

From a distance, the Crimson Valkyrie paused, and decided to shift tactics. Instead of charging, it began forming blood projectiles, and the air hummed with a dark, foreboding energy.

‘Really? Blood projectiles? That’ll only shrink you further. Go ahead, though.’ Price nearly rolled his eyes, watching as Phobio’s desperation morphed into yet another misguided strategy.

Realizing close-range attacks had failed, Phobio had opted for long-range combat by launching a hail of sharpened blood spikes his way.

To Price, though, distance made no difference.

FWOOSH!

The blood spikes sliced through the wind to reach him like deadly arrows, however, unlike arrows, their destructive force was much greater, they were each at least on par with a missile.

One blood spike completely ripped apart a tree. Another impacted against the ground, resulting in an explosion. More impact against a nearby cliff, destroying the surface and sending a large chunk of rocks falling to the ground.

But the moment each spike touched his scales, they evaporated and disintegrated into dust.

“W-wha—?!”

Before the fool inside his 10-meter crimson avatar could say another word, Pice had closed the distance in an instant as a blur that reappeared right in front of Phobio and his crimson construct. The man scrambled to command the Valkyrie to defend him, but Price moved faster than he could react.

With a single swipe, Price raised his dragon claws and sheared through the Valkyrie’s four limbs in the blink of an eye.

Once again, the mighty crimson construct was dismantled almost effortlessly.

…Too effortlessly.

Screams erupted from inside the Valkyrie, as if Phobio himself had felt the pain. Price, unfazed, made sure to disintegrate every drop of blood he saw to make sure that no piece could regenerate.

“Don’t be a wuss,” he muttered, giving what remained of the Crimson Valkyrie a good shoulder chop.

BOOOOM!

The fragmented figure slammed to the ground with thunderous impact and shattered the earth beneath it with a seismic crash. Right as the Valkyrie struggled to rise, Price landed and forcibly crushed the weakened entity further into the ground.

BOOOOOOOM!

The echoes of their clash reverberated through the air, filling the battlefield with the sound of destruction. Each impact stripped more blood from the Crimson Valkyrie, reducing its size and draining its power.

In mere moments, the fearsome avatar had shrunk and was no longer a mighty ring of unparalleled power, leaving Phobio standing alone in a makeshift suit of crimson armor that now looked more like a flimsy exoskeleton.

'He looks so ridiculous.' Price thought to himself as he cracked a smile.

As if noticing his mocking expression behind his mask, Phobio’s face twisted in frustration. Refusing to accept defeat, he staggered forward and seethed with defiance.

"Y-you…" He stepped forward, standing before Pice’s towering thirty-meter Dragon Form.

"…I’m not scared of y—!"

Before he could finish, Pice raised a single finger and flicked a claw against the flimsy armor.

CRACK!

Instantly, the pressure shattered the final shred of the Valkyrie’s plating and sent the scraps flying, along with Phobio’s robe and sandals that he previously wore.

It was a miracle that his skin was still hanging tight to his body after everything was ripped off by Price’s pressure.

"A-ahh…"

Price stifled a wince, fighting the urge to avert his gaze as he felt a touch awkward seeing a man left utterly exposed and full naked.

‘This is… awkward.’

Not ideal for a battlefield, but he kept his eyes peeled on the defeated opponent before him.

‘Yeah… Now's probably the perfect time to turn back.’

————————————————————————

'H-how…?'

Phobio could barely stand on the ground, his legs too drained, and too terrified to take another single step or even a single inch.

He was sweating all over, and his so-called perfect body was filled with the salty, smelly odor of his liquid.

A trace of ammonia could be found if one took a whiff close to him.

'How… how could I have lost?!'

He was so sure he could win. After all, hadn't he slain Dragons before? What made this one so different, so impossibly strong?

‘Why… why is this dragon so powerful?!’

As his naked body shivered in the cold, Phobio suddenly realized something.

‘Unless…’

“Are you… from another Civilization Zo-”

"Shut up." The dragon’s voice cut through his outburst like a blade, and Phobio found his words slipping away by the dragon's words that seemed to have silenced him instantly, leaving him paralyzed.

In a heartbeat, the dragon transformed into human form, and in a flash, he was right in front of him.

"Kneel."

The command struck Phobio's mind like a thunderclap, and he found himself dropping to his knees.

"Bow."

Phobio’s trembling body collapsed further, pressing his face into the dirt in total submission as he prostrated himself before the overwhelming night of the almighty. The pressure from the dragon’s presence was crushing, so overpowering that Phobio barely noticed his humiliation.

"You're too pathetic to even be killed by my hands."

The words burned into his ears, yet some part of him felt… relief. Perhaps he truly didn’t want to die after all.

"You killed every other occupant of this place, didn’t you?"

Phobio nodded frantically, uncaring of the pain when his forehead bashed against the rock-hard ground again and again.

"If I spare you… will you return here?”

His long hair swayed as they swept up the dirt and dust around.

He had become nothing but a filthy mongrel, the same kind that he usually discriminated against.

“Then leave my sight. I’ll be taking over this territory now.”

As the Dragon’s harsh words echoed in the air, the pressure pressing down on Phobio finally lifted. Slowly, shakily, he rose to his feet, and his entire body shook as he stole one final stare at the entity towering over him. He couldn't even look him in the eye.

"Y-yes… I-I u-u-u-understand…!"

Phobio was miserable, bleeding, battered, naked, and stripped of all dignity. He had nothing with him, and the closest thing to civilization was miles off.

But, at the very least… he was alive.

And that, for now, was all that mattered!

————————————————————————

“Oh, wow…"

As Price watched Phobio scamper off with his miserable naked body, he felt a bit bad for him.

'Mine was considered above average down there,’ he thought, amused, ‘but I guess there's always someone worse off.’

He shook off his thoughts. He knew better than to judge a man by his 'equipment' since it was something mostly out of one's control, especially something like that.

‘Must be genetics,’ he shrugged, dismissing his brief musings on Phobio’s little worm and decided to turn his focus back on the more important matters at hand.

“It looks like the damage isn’t too bad,” he muttered, examining the area. “Doubt the goods inside were affected much.” He allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.

His restraint hadn’t been accidental. Price had deliberately avoided any flashy or overly destructive attacks for this exact reason, wanting to preserve the landscape, the warehouse and its contents was a priority.

‘My initial dragon attacks were just to get their attention. I might have overdone it a bit, but it was worth it.’

Now that the show was over, he felt a rush of satisfaction, ‘I think I nailed the whole arrogant imposing-dragon act.’

Seeing how Phobio acted in his presence, he could tell that he must have done something right.

‘That should give the Mercenary Gang pause before they are eager to face a dragon that effortlessly defeated their top fighters.’

And even if they did try to retaliate, he doubted they'd have the opportunity to take action anytime soon. Their immediate focus would be eliminating ExRump Corporation and the other two rivals, leaving them too occupied to bother with a dragon who had easily crushed one of their leaders.

‘And if they’re reckless enough to try,’ Price thought, ‘It only works in our favor.’

The more high-ranking members they eliminated, the weaker their enemies’ military power would drastically reduce.

‘Soon, it’ll be our turn to counterattack.’

Either way, the path to victory was clear in his mind. He had reclaimed the warehouse, but leaving it unattended wasn’t an option.

‘Thanks to that vampire, there’s practically no one left here. Guess I’ll have to go with Plan B and use the teleportation artifact for reinforcements.’ he thought, pulling out a rare and costly piece of magic artifact given to him by ExRump Corporation.

It was a prized relic, one of only few the corporation had managed to build. Each artifact connected only to its counterpart, allowing instant travel between two fixed points. The one device is in Price's hand while the second device was in the Austronesia Empire, set to make transporting resources far more efficient, if limited by the artifact’s rarity.

This artifact had the potential to revolutionize logistics for the Austronesia Empire, though only a few could be found in the entire ExRump Corporation.

Within moments, the fabric of space was ripped open and a wormhole was formed, and soon after, a steady stream of Imperial personnel, numbering hundreds, crossed through and entered the warehouse.

Watching them file in, Price couldn't help but smile as he felt a wave of satisfaction.

‘Sorry fairies, but we’ll be taking these goods from you. And don’t worry, ExRump, we'll pay our dues.’

With things running smoothly, Price took one last walk around the warehouse to confirm everything was in order.

————————————————————————

[An Hour Later]

“Huu…” Price took a deep breath as he entered the final storage room, still amazed by the sheer quantity of supplies stockpiled for the trade with the Fairies.

"So, how much are we talking about here?" he asked.

“Hundreds of thousands of weapons and artifacts, Sergeant,” replied one of the human workers, seeming to be astonished as he stared at Price's dragon three horns, wings, and tail, “And all top-tier quality too, just what you’d expect from these wealthy corporations.”

Price nodded. “Good. Make sure we bring enough of our own currency to pay them back."

“Understood.”

After a final sweep of the room, Price scanned the stacks one last time, satisfied with everything they’d secured for the ExRump Corporation.

For the ExRump Corporation, partnering with the Austronesia Empire meant these resources would yield far greater profits than any trade with the Fairies. Not to mention, the high-grade magic artifacts, designed specifically for warfare, would be invaluable in bolstering the Austronesia Empire's military for the upcoming Liberation War, or the Great Crusade.

If they wanted to, they could have easily stolen the stocks and lied that the ExRump Corporation’s stocks in the warehouse had been destroyed or stolen by the enemy.

However, they never chose that option because the Austronesian Government recognized the ExRump Corporation as an invaluable ally in the production of magic artifacts.

By partnering with the corporation, they could rapidly amass a vast stockpile of these powerful artifacts, bolstering both their economy and military in record time.

Not only that, they would be able to produce more magical technologies and weapons such as the Magic Rifles and Exosuits than ever before.

With that, even normal infantry troops in the Liberation Army could access wielding the Magic Rifles and won't be mostly exclusive only to higher-ranking soldiers and officers.

In turn, the ExRump Corporation would see such significant profits from the alliance that would've recovered their losses that would be more than compensated for.

It was a win-win situation for both parties.

"Sergeant! That’s the last of them," another human worker reported as the final crate was pushed through the portal.

"Excellent," Price said with a chuckle as he slipped his hands back into his pockets.

"So, what should we do with all this empty space now?" the worker asked, gesturing to the now-cleared storage rooms.

“We’ll fill it with some of the monsters and magic beasts we captured on the Dungeon,” Price replied. "That way, if anyone tries to reclaim the place, they’ll face a nasty surprise."

By controlling these creatures and giving them a directive to protect the place from intruders, he could at least take extra measures to make sure that the other side suffered some kind of loss if they returned.

The worker laughed. “I like the sound of that. Imagine them going through all the trouble, only to fight their way in here and find nothing but monsters waiting for them.”

The human and the half-dragon shared a laugh at the thought, picturing the chaos awaiting the unsuspecting Mercenary Gang.

Under Price’s orders, the humans quickly readied the creatures. Dozens of trucks soon rolled through the portal, each one holding a cage filled with dangerous magic beasts and monsters from the Dungeon in New Guinea, such as the Spider Ants, Fire Beetles, and even the Acidic Dinosaurs.

However, there weren't any signs of armed personnel guarding these monsters.

Because the reason is simple…

With a subtle surge of his dragon power, Price commanded the creatures, instilling them with clear instructions to defend the place from any intruders.

"Alright, we’ve got everything we need,” he said. “Let’s head back before they start worrying.”

With that, the humans climbed back into the trucks and drove back to return through the portal with their dragon-backed mission complete.

Together, they all vanished through the portal, and in one final swirl of distorted space, the portal closed behind them, leaving the warehouse with its new guardians.

————————————————————————

"They’re finally gone."

"Yes… it looks like they are."

Two tiny girls, each no more than ten years old in appearance and no taller than a pencil, floated beside each other. Their delicate, butterfly-like wings shimmered as they hovered in the shadows, watching the last traces of the portal vanish, taking the Dragon cloaked in obsidian and his human followers with it.

Their brightly colored eyes gleamed with what could be interpreted as delight or anxiety as they nodded at each other.

"We need to tell Lady Aurora," one whispered urgently. "She’ll know what to do next!"

The other nodded eagerly. With a quick exchange of glances, they turned and flew away, leaving faint trails of glittering dust from their wings as they sped off into the dense forest.

————————————————————————

In the main headquarters of the ExRump Corporation in Aquarius, Ronald sat behind a polished desk in his office, busy on his own thing until…

“Hm…” he raised his head up to see the one who had visited him so abruptly.

It was none other than Ghost.

But there was something different about him now. Unlike before, his usual intimidating presence was more intense and his aura was far heavier than during their previous meeting, as if the man in black had evolved something more.

Though Ronald was a cautious man, experienced in reading people, he couldn’t shake the sense of danger Riley exuded, and he knew without a doubt that the man standing before him was more dangerous than ever.

'I’m grateful to have him on my side, but…' Ronald thought, though unease simmered beneath his calm exterior. ‘But I can never fully relax around him.’

Riley proceeded to sit on the chair right opposite where Rebal sat, separated by only the polished desk between them. When Ronald moved to stand and greet him formally, Riley waved it off, gesturing for him to stay seated.

“Don’t bother. Everyone is safe, and the goods are secure.”

Riley had been given a special device, one that allowed him to exchange information over long distances, similar to a phone, but its mana cost rose the farther apart the users were.

The last time they’d spoken, Ronald had been informed of the recent attack, and now, seeing Riley alone in his office, he wonders if the situation had changed.

“Yuri and the couriers are back,” Riley continued in his businesslike tone. “They arrived at the designated location before coming here.”

Ronald nodded in appreciation, feeling relief yet sensing there was more to this visit. Riley’s demeanor suggested something beyond a routine report.

“We need to talk, Ronald.” Riley’s tone confirmed the growing dread that had been tightening in Ronald's chest.

Ronald gulped and nodded slightly.

“Of course, Sir Ghost. Please, tell me what’s on your mind.”

————————————————————————

It only took a few minutes for Riley to fully explain the situation to the Obsidian Councilor.

The older man’s shoulders slumped as he took in the news, and let out a heavy sigh. “I feared this possibility,” he murmured, his voice heavy in the shadowed office. “But I had hoped… maybe it wouldn’t come to this.”

Outside, the city remained shrouded in quiet darkness, with most of its people still fast asleep in their homes. But Ronald Rumpan couldn’t rest. Not while the very empire he’d spent his life building seemed on the verge of collapse before his very eyes.

“So, the Mercenary Gang has sided with Scyllary and her New Order…” His tone was grave, a slight tremor betraying his composure. With this, it was already clear that they were nearly at checkmate.

However, for some reason, the situation didn’t seem as hopeless as it should have.

Why?

Because Sir Ghost was still with them.

"I mentioned this before," Riley began, "But we went up against two of the Eight Heads. The first was strong, and the second, even though I didn’t fight him personally myself, my subordinate described him as equally formidable. Still, there’s nothing to fear, not with me on your side."

Ronald couldn’t help but marvel. Hearing the descriptions from Riley, he began to truly comprehend his ally’s strength.

‘He really took down two of them…’

Technically, the second hadn’t been eliminated, but more like “removed him from the equation.”

‘Sir Ghost is even more powerful than I realized.’ Ronald thought. He was a powerful figure himself, but he knew his own limitations. Even with the aid of his magic artifacts, facing just one of the Heads was risky. Without them, he’d have no chance at all, and standing against two would push him to his breaking point, if not worse.

And yet, here sat the man who had done just that.

‘How powerful are you, truly?’ Ronald wondered as he studied Riley’s masked face.

"You said your subordinate was left to guard the warehouse, correct?" Ronald asked.

"No. But he left monsters there as a defensive measure, so there’s no direct link to the ExRump Corporation."

Ronald exhaled, relieved. He admired the strategy Riley’s subordinate had used, the whole illusion of a Dragon attacking the warehouse to cause panic and distress among their enemies. It was ruthless but brilliant and effective.

'It's unfortunate that so many of our employees died, though,’ he thought solemnly, ‘I'll have to compensate their families.'

But there was no time to mourn the losses. Not with the Mercenary Gang now joined forces with their enemies, and a lot of things to be concerned about.

“I suspect they’ll make some kind of move on the other two factions alongside yours,” Riley said, echoing Ronald’s own thoughts.

Ronald nodded in agreement. “Barron has already gone as a delegate to one of the other Councilors who hadn't joined her side. He’s stationed a few cities outside Aquarius.” he explained. The plan was to consolidate alliances quickly, so Barron had departed on his mission as soon as Riley had left on his, hoping to secure the support of the other groups.

"It’s possible they could be targeting them as well," Riley replied in a serious tone. "If they're after them, including him, you should reach out to your son and get an update," he advised.

Ronald nodded and pulled out a communication device that resembled a carved runestone. He activated it, sending a connection request to Barron on the matching artifacts his son carried.

But after a few tense moments…

"He's not responding."

…There was radio silence.

A bead of sweat traced its way down Ronald’s forehead as he strained to understand what this meant.

"Has your son ever refused to respond to your call under any important circumstances?" Riley asked, his voice taking on a darker edge.

“…No,” Ronald answered, feeling dread pooling in his stomach. Barron had always answered, especially when it was critical. Even when Barron had reason to, he never ignored his father’s call.

The silence could only mean one thing.

“They’ve already begun to make their move,” Riley instantly rose to his feet with that declaration.

“Barron is in trouble.”

————————————————————————

In the expansive conference room of the ExRump Corporation's headquarters, Riley, the Leader of the Tempest Scions, stood with his team, Polites, Belinski, Tavish, Mason, and Woods as they both readied their guns and gears in this new mission. They gathered for a briefing before an urgent mission to save Barron.

“So, let me get this straight,” Tavish muttered, raising an eyebrow. “We’re going on a rescue mission to save a Corporate Overlord's son, who is in trouble? Seriously, the dude lied to us for being a Half-Orc and was some rich kid in disguise playing adult stuff. How are we supposed to know if he's just alright?”

"Barron’s no fool. If he is silent, it means something serious," Riley replied in a firm tone. "Which is why I’m giving each of you one of these." He held up a set of small metallic pendants, each faintly humming with magic. "These artifacts will teleport you straight to the matching one in Barron’s carriage."

Polites examined his pendant with a furrowed brow. "Just to clarify, it's one-way only?"

"Exactly. Once you activate it, there’s no coming back until the situation is resolved," Riley confirmed.

As they discussed their plans, Mason elbowed Woods with a grin. "Bet you’ll be the first one to use yours, huh?"

“Why me?” Woods shot back with a smirk. “I’m just here to keep everyone entertained, remember?”

Riley shook his head with a chuckle. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Everyone knows the stakes. Let’s move."

One by one, they activated the artifacts, and the room filled with a blinding electric-blue glow, nearly blinding Riley as he blinked, adjusting to the sudden flash. But as the light faded, he found himself still in the conference room, surrounded by his team, except he noticed one of his teammates was missing.

Belinski was the first to notice. “Wait... where’s Woods?”

Mason scanned the room with a tightened expression. “He didn’t make it?”

An uncomfortable silence fell over them, broken only when an ExRump employee burst into the room, breathless. "I… I’m so sorry! The artifact… it’s designed to transport only one person to the matching pendant. We forgot to recalibrate it for group travel."

Riley’s face twisted in frustration. "You mean Woods is out there alone? Who knows what he’s facing, all because of a damn oversight!?”

Gritting his teeth and clenched his fists, Riley felt a surge of anger and worry. Woods would be facing unknown threats, and he was just a normal human with no superhuman or magical abilities.

"Fuck this! I’m traveling there myself!”

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A/n: I'm surprised you all got the wrong answers, but some were kinda close. If you look back at the end of the “Absolute Mana Control” chapter, Riley didn't speak with a stranger, an intruder, or a mysterious enemy, he really did communicate with Price, who is practicing his villain impression at the moment.

And in fact, this chapter and the previous would have originally been one chapter, but I decided to split them into two just to experiment how you guys react leaving one key word, “CGI”, in the previous chapter.

Lmao.