NOVEL NEXT Chapter 191: James's plans
James's hand rested firmly on Ryker's shoulder, guiding him back toward the centre of the gym.
The tension that had just built up between them seemed to dissolve on the surface.
Ryker plastered his usual cocky grin on his face, but James wasn't fooled.
He could still see the anger simmering beneath—the subtle twitch of Ryker's jaw, the tightness in his shoulders.
'Good,' James thought. 'Let it grow.'
"Come on," James said. "Show me that strength of yours. I want to see what you've been working on."
Ryker nodded, his grin stretching wider. "You'll be impressed, Captain. I've been pushing harder than ever."
The two girls, still lingering in the background, followed quietly. The blonde—Mira—whispered to the ebony girl, Cass.
"That was intense," Mira murmured, her eyes flicking toward Ryker's back. "He almost lost it in front of the Captain."
Cass nodded, her dark curls bouncing slightly. "Yeah...that was close."
The four of them reached the sparring mats, where a few other Beta players were already training. James gestured to the cleared space in the center.
"Let's see what you've got, Ryker. No holding back. But first, let's warm up."
Ryker's grin sharpened, and he stepped onto the mat, cracking his knuckles. "You got it, Captain."
James stared at Ryker's grin, with a calm expression on his face as he prepared to warm up before the sparring.
'Good. Everything is going exactly as planned. Although, I didn't expect Arthur to be this cold. Well...this cold personality of his will break sooner or later...'
...
Arthur's dorm room echoed with silence, the only sound being the opening of the fridge as he moved through the kitchen.
Arthur's face remained calm—expressionless—but his eyes carried a storm beneath.
He twisted open the water bottle and brought it to his lips.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
The cold liquid rushed down his throat, a momentary relief, but it didn't wash away the knot tightening in his chest.
Arthur tossed the empty bottle in his hand onto the trash can and moved toward the living room.
The area was wide and spacious.
He took off his shirt, revealing a thin, wiry frame—fragile compared to the others in the base.
He threw the shirt onto the couch, before dropping to the ground, his palms flat against the floor mat. His arms trembled as he began to do some push-ups.
'One.'
His elbows wobbled.
'Two.'
His chest barely dipped.
'Three.'
His arms gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, his face pressed against the floor.
Arthur gritted his teeth.
"Pathetic…" he muttered under his breath.
But he pushed up again, forcing out two more shaky reps.
Five total.
Arthur rolled onto his back, sweat beading on his forehead.
He inhaled deeply, willing his muscles to stop shaking. After a minute's rest, he flipped over and held a plank.
His entire body quivered.
'Fifteen seconds...'
It felt like fifteen minutes. His arms buckled, and he hit the ground hard.
But he didn't curse.
He didn't slam his fist into the floor.
He simply lay there, breathing in and out, staring at the ceiling.
"Strength does matter," he whispered.
For so long, he had convinced himself that the merge with Armageddon would fix everything. That once the worlds combined, his power inside the game would finally matter in the real world. But now? That belief was crumbling.
In the real world, he was weak. And weakness had consequences.
Arthur sat up, wiping the sweat from his brow, and stood on shaky legs.
Thirty minutes later, after forcing his body through sit-ups, squats, and failed pull-up attempts on a doorframe, he walked toward the bathroom.
The hot water pounded down on him in the shower, washing away the sweat but not the anger.
He clenched his jaw as the water cascaded down his back.
'Not anymore.'
Drying off, Arthur didn't rest.
He walked over to the living room before logging back into Armageddon.
Discover more content at My Virtual Library Empire
And then—
Arthur vanished.
Appearing back in the jungle, Arthur looked at the notifications he had received.
[Ding! Beetle is ready for evolution, would you like it to evolve?]
[Ding! Beetle 2 is ready for evolution, would you like it to evolve?]
[Ding! Lupin is ready for evolution, would you like it to evolve?]
[YES | NO]
Arthur pressed yes on all the notifications, seeing three new notifications pop up in front of him.
[Ding! Evolution is in progress (Countdown: 30 Seconds)]
Thirty seconds passed in the blink of an eye and the second prompt arrived.
[Ding! Beetle has evolved to Elite. Talent: Strengthened Carapace (B-rank)]
[Ding! Beetle 2 has evolved to Elite. Talent: Strengthened Carapace (B-rank)]
[Ding! Lupin has evolved to Elite. Talent: Enhanced Speed (B-rank)]
Arthur immediately checked Lupin's status.
[Race:] Canis lupus
[ID:] Lupin
[Level:] 15
[Talent:] Enhanced Speed (B-Rank)
[Health Points:] 170
[Mana Points:] 140
[Magical Damage:] 14
[Physical Damage:] 17
[Damage Resistance:] 17
[Attributes:] Strength 17, Agility 25, Vitality 17, Intelligence 14
[Skills:] Scent Tracker (Rare), Howl of Fury(Very Rare)
[Attribute Points:] 2
[Skill Points:] 6
Glancing at Lupin's new status, Arthur nodded in approval.
'As expected, one of his skills had indeed evolved to the next rank. But, he didn't gain any specified skill?' He thought before a plausible explanation appeared in his mind.
'It's probably because he hasn't specialised yet, which means to get a special skill, the summon must reach superior rank...'
Arthur checked Lupin's new evolution requirements.
<Lupin: Epic>
Focus: Before specialising in a certain field, Lupin must first reach epic grade. The requirements below, are to evolve Lupin to become Epic Grade
<Requirements:>
<Kill 100 Wolves (0/100)>
<Instill fear in 75 Wolves. (0/75)>
—
The requirements were not hard, and quite easy. This surprised Arthur slightly, but remembering that his summons was much stronger due to his talent's passives, Arthur realised that it made sense why his summons' evolution was rapid.
'The quicker...the better.'
[You have killed a level 16 Black Bear]
After receiving the kill notification, Arthur's notifications flooded once more.
[Ding!]
[You have levelled up to Level 16]
[All attribute points will be increased by 1]
[You have gained 1 free attribute point and 1 Skill Point]
...
[Race:] Human
[ID:] Fateless
[Level:] 16
[Class:] Shadow Monarch (SSS)
[Talent:] Primordial Summoner (SSS), Evolution Pathway (SSS-Rank), Lucky (SSS)
[Summons:] 12/32
[Health Points:] 200
[Mana Points:] 240
[Magical Damage:] 24
[Physical Damage:] 17
[Damage Resistance:] 20
[Attributes:] Strength 17, Agility 20, Vitality 20, Intelligence 24 (+25% -> +4.25, +5.00, +5.00, +6.00 )
[Skills:] Ninefold Fortune(Mythical), Shadow Bind(Legendary), Shadow Dweller(Legendary), Blade Whirl(Epic), Shadow Cloak(Epic), Enhanced Senses(Rare), Mana Coating(Rare), Iron Fortress(Rare), Blazing Arc(Rare)
[Attribute Points:] 14
[Skill Points:] 14
[Equipment:] Ring of Darkness (Legendary), Chaos (Pesudo-Legendary), Mana Earring (Epic), Robe of Darkness (Epic), Loki's Mask(Epic), Mask of Thousand Faces (Very Rare), Spirit Core (Very-Rare) Platinum Spear (Very Rare), Platinum Dagger (Very Rare), Mana Ring(Rare), Iron Necklace (Rare), Backpack (Rare), Iron Boots (Rare), Iron Armor (Rare), Health Potion (Rare), Mana Potion (Rare), …
...
Satisfied with the new gains in attributes, Arthur closed his status interface.
He took out the Village Protector Insignia from his inventory and activated it.
In a blink, Arthur appeared deep within the forest surrounding the village.
"Time to get Borak moving," Arthur muttered.
He extended his hand, activating his summoning talent. A dark portal swirled open before him, its edges crackling with energy. From its depths, a massive figure emerged.
Borak, the Wild Boar, stomped out, his thick hide glistening under the forest light. His curved tusks gleamed, and with a powerful snort, he shook the dirt off his bristled back.
Arthur crossed his arms. "Borak. Time to get to work."
Borak snorted loudly in response, stomping the ground with impatience.
Then, Arthur activated his fifth talent effect: Grants the ability to communicate with all summoned beasts, allowing you to hear their thoughts. Summoned beasts are compelled to follow your commands, regardless of their will.
Immediately, Borak's thoughts echoed in Arthur's mind.
"Finally! The good ol' forest! I can smell them… female boars. Oh, it's been too long! A real herd, a real harem—oh, how they'll adore the mighty Borak!"
Arthur nearly choked on his own breath. ' I forgot this boar was a...'
Borak snorted indignantly, tossing his head. " Fight some beasts, charm some ladies. The Great Borak can do it all!"
Borak's stubby tail wagged, his beady eyes shining with hope. "It's been endless fighting against serpents and bears, ever since I was summoned in the other forest! No female company. No herd. A boar's got needs, you know?"
He watched as Borak's massive body disappeared among the trees, the distant sounds of crashing branches and aggressive snorts echoing through the woods.
As Borak disappeared into the forest, his triumphant snorts echoing in the distance, Arthur's sharp ears caught faint sounds from the right—clinking armour, muffled voices, and the crunch of boots over leaves.
His eyes narrowed as he turned his head in that direction. 'Players… and judging by the noise, a decent-sized group.'
They were still far off, but the noise was growing closer with every passing second.
Arthur didn't feel like engaging. There was no need for unnecessary complications.
Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out the familiar City Teleportation Scroll. The edges shimmered with a soft blue glow, and with a flick of his wrist, he activated it.
The forest around him blurred and twisted.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared in the City of Caldera, standing in the vast expanse of the outer forest.
Arthur took a deep breath.
Without wasting time, Arthur headed toward the city's massive gates.