Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 291: Midnight Crystal (Part 16)

Dead Lands was a dangerous place and the Phantoms were supposed to help each other. It was a great idea and an unspoken rule, but some might take it too literally...

"Hey, you two, are you alright? One of the Giant Rogoes almost killed you! Good thing we got here in time and saved you!" The man said confidently stepping forward.

At this time, three members of his squad approached them, standing in front of Adam and Katrin.

"Hello, my name is Oskar." The man with the large sword said confidently as he approached them. He had a bright smile on his face as he poked his chest with his thumb.

Oddly enough, Oskar was one of the few Phantoms that wore armor. Not that armor was completely useless, because if it was made of monster materials of the same strength level as the Phantom, it could protect against several attacks.

Most Phantoms preferred to wear either normal clothing or comfortable clothing for battles, because armor was not only bulky but also heavy, preventing them from acting completely free.

Sure, Phantoms could lift hundreds of kilograms and even tons depending on their strength, so armor that weighed a few dozen kilograms had to be something inconspicuous. However, only the usual heavy armor used by knights in fairy tales weighed that much.

Oskar's armor was made of monster parts and its weight was much more than a hundred kilograms. However, even Oskar didn't wear heavy armor. His armor only covered the important parts of his body - wrists, joints, tendons, and so on.

"So... Nice to meet you?" Adam said puzzled as he tilted his head. Adam wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. Oskar's appearance was not in his and Katrin's plans.

Then, Oskar turned to his teammates. He waved his hand and pointing at the girl with the sniper rifle said:

"This is Erla, you can thank her for your rescue. She managed to kill Giant Rogo at the last moment, otherwise the monster would have crushed you. She's a great marksman!" Oskar said excitedly.

Katrin rolled her eyes. People like Oskar annoyed her more than anything. He was too active, expressive, and kind. Katrin didn't see anything good in that.

Erla nodded slightly. Unlike her talkative leader, she was silent and quiet. But, she was used to people paying attention to Oskar's words, so she waited for Adam to thank her. Not because she needed to, but because it would happen.

"She saved me? We shouldn't have been here in the first place, it's those damn Igno Ants' fault." Adam sighed heavily with a shrug.

Then, he narrowed his eyes, causing Erla to shiver slightly, she hadn't expected such a reaction at all.

"You just interfered in our affairs and expect us to thank you? Whatever, just don't take up any more of our time, we came here to hunt." Adam said irritably.

Oskar tilted his head in confusion.

"Hey buddy, I don't know why you're in such a bad mood, but I don't like my teammates being talked to like that. Erla helped you, even if you don't want to thank her, you don't have to be so harsh." Oskar said calmly, but a slight threat could be heard in his voice.

The silence continued for a while, while the tension gradually grew. Disagreements between Phantoms as well as help were not uncommon, for each had their personalities.

"Wait... Oskar, take your time, he's right." Erla suddenly said, staring intently at Adam with wide-open eyes as if she had met a celebrity.

"Hm? What are you talking about?" Oskar raised an eyebrow.

Erla gulped.

"That's Adam Vinter... He's the one who defeated Thunder Demon a few weeks ago. At Salt Village, there was some real fucked up stuff going on..." Erla muttered, realizing that her help wasn't needed, Adam.

Unlike Erla who immediately felt insecure because of Adam's authority, Oskar only looked at him with interest.

He couldn't understand how he didn't recognize Adam, because Oskar like the most ambitious Phantoms watched the achievements of other Phantoms.

A real fire of rivalry and competition burned inside him - it helped him to become a better person.

"Oh... I see, you're right!" Oskar's eyes went wide when he finally recognized Adam, "Sorry, in the last few videos you've always been in tight black clothes and now you're without your needle in a long coat, so I didn't recognize you."

Then, Oskar shifted his gaze to Katrin, expecting Adam's teammate to also be some sort of well-known Phantom in tight circles, but... then he saw Katrin for the first time.

"And you...?" Oskar said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Katrin rolled her eyes, snorting irritably.

"Katrin, just... Katrin!"

"Sure, nice to meet you!" Oskar vigorously uttered trying to divert attention away from this awkward situation.

Katrin gritted her teeth, clutching her staff tightly and glaring at Adam. Once again, the thing she hated the most was happening - the attention and fame were going to someone other than her.

'Shit, Katrin, calm down.' Katrin inwardly muttered, 'There's still some time left. When you have your new powers, this won't happen anymore.'

Then, Oskar waved his hand showing the two remaining members of their squad. Discover hidden tales at m,v l'e-NovelBin.net

The first was a young man with short scarlet hair and a slightly unsure look. On his belt was a red thick book like a grimoire - it was clearly his Nexus.

"This is Lero - he's one of our supports. He is the youngest Phantom among us, but he has great potential. Among the many battles we've been through, he's saved me many times!" Oskar said kindly, lightly clapping Lero on the shoulder with his massive palm.

"Hi, nice to meet you, especially you Adam Vinter. Your recent fight against Thunder Demon taught me a lot." Lero said shyly.

Oskar nodded and pointed to the last member of their squad, a girl with long pink hair, a cute face, and a kind look. In her hands was a long silver staff with a green orb on the end.

"This is Osana, our second and main support. Eh, I can't even remember how many times she healed my wounds."

Osana smiled brightly as she waved at them.

"Hey guys!" Osana said energetically.

Adam glanced at Oskar.

"So... Golden Light Squad, right?" Adam asked, staring at Oskar. While Leo and Osana were introducing themselves, Silvana had already given him information about them.

"Yes. Have you heard of us? We've completed a hell of a lot of missions and with success!" Oskar said haughtily, then he looked at Katrin and her staff which was somewhat similar to Osana's Nexus.

Oskar smiled slightly with interest gazing at Katrin.

"Hmm. She's your support, right? Interesting to see what she can do."

Before Adam could say anything, Katrin stepped forward, swung her staff, and pointed the sharp end towards Oskar's neck.

Oskar became wary, and Erla, Lero, and Osana prepared to fight. It didn't matter that they had Adam Vinter in front of them, if their leader was threatened, they had to respond to it.

"If you call me his support one more time, I'll stab you in the neck with my staff. We came here to accomplish a mission, nothing more."

Oskar nodded and pushed Katrin's staff away without any fear.

"Understood, sorry. Now let's get down to business. Would you like to help us destroy the Igno Ants? From the looks of it, you were about to leave, but there was no hurry. If the Igno Ants can defend themselves, this area is in for a disaster."

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

Oskar's gaze became more serious.

"A monster stronger than Purple Threat Level might appear here."