Chapter 762: Meeting an acquaintance

[The impossible has been accomplished. You have conquered the Trial of the Vanished Crown, a Hidden Realm unconquered since its existence.]

[You are among the few to walk out where legends walked in and never returned. Rewards commensurate with the impossible shall be bestowed.]

Sarah stared at the glowing screen, her teammate beside her, and for a long moment neither of them spoke.

They had done it. Against every odd that had been placed against them.

And the rewards reflected the scale of the achievement, cascading down the screen one after another, each one more staggering than the last.

Sarah’s eyes moved over them with satisfaction.

Clearing the hidden realm had caused a dramatic surge in her power , several levels gained and acupoints filled, the realm’s trials having forged her far beyond where she’d entered. The acupoints she’d struggled to fill now completed.

Clearing the hidden realm had granted her very powerful skills that complemented her class perfectly. She read through them with growing hunger, memorising each one, calculating how they could be used ideally.

Each of them had not only gained powerful skills, but they had each gotten a powerful treasure.

Her teammate let out a long breath beside her, grinning. "We actually did it... at one point I thought we were gone, but you managed to secure us. The others are going to lose their minds when we report back. Klein’s going to be thrilled, this is exactly the kind of result he wanted from us. We will only get more opportunities from now on."

Sarah said nothing at first, her expression unreadable.

Inside, though, a cold fire burned.

She had defected to the dark organization with nothing but ruthlessness and ambition, had killed Marcus the moment he’d outlived his usefulness, had clawed her way into the organization’s attention through sheer willingness to do what others wouldn’t.

And the organization had rewarded her, invested in her, handed her this opportunity. Now that investment had paid off beyond anyone’s expectations.

She had leapt forward by two star ranks in her time at the realm.

"Let’s report back," Sarah said finally, turning away from the fading notifications and focusing on the gate that had opened beside them. "I want to start testing these new skills. There’s work to do."

Her teammate nodded eagerly, and the two made their way toward the realm’s exit.

Slowly but surely, Sarah was becoming a rising blade in the shadows, sharpened in secret, climbing a ladder of her own toward a future where she intended to be the one looking down.

The dark organization had invested in her, and the investment had just become very, very dangerous.

***

Moon arrived at the location where the gate had appeared and made his way to the command area to meet his new team, or at least those who had arrived early.

To his surprise, one of the early arrivals was a familiar face.

"Theo?"

The slim, pale-eyed assassin looked up, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. "Moon? Didn’t expect to be on a team with you again, not that I’m complaining."

They exchanged greetings, and Moon found himself pleased at the coincidence. Theo had proven himself solid during the Rivergate gate, and more than that, there was something between them left unsettled.

"Give me your Association number," Moon said.

Theo blinked, confused by the request, but recited it anyway.

Moon noted it down on his phone, then pocketed it. "I’ll send you fifty million once we’re out of here."

"For what?" Theo asked, startled by the sudden gesture.

"Your share for helping during the spire assault at Rivergate. Without your distraction, drawing the commander away with that rune, I might not have pulled it off at all. You bought me the window I needed." Moon paused. "Unless you think fifty’s too low? I can go higher."

"No, that’s not, I mean there’s really no need for any of it." Theo shook his head quickly. "You saved all our lives in that gate and I mean every one of us. Without you, none of the people who entered would have walked out. A distraction with one rune is nothing against that. I can’t take money for it."

Moon shook his head. "You helped when it counted, and I don’t forget that. The fact that you don’t think you earned it just tells me you did. Since you didn’t argue the number itself, I’ll take that as acceptance. Fifty million, once we’re out."

Theo opened his mouth to protest again, then caught the look on Moon’s face.

’He isn’t going to budge... is he?’ Theo thought.

Realizing there was no stopping it, he let out a resigned sigh. "...Thank you, then. Really. That’s more generous than I deserve."

"It’s exactly what you deserve," Moon said simply, clapping him on the shoulder. "Good to have you on the team again. At least I know I’ve got one person watching my back I can trust."

Theo gave a small smile at that.

"Likewise, whatever’s in this gate, I’ve got your back."

The two of them settled in to wait for the rest of the team to arrive.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the team to assemble, and like any balanced gate roster, it covered the essential roles.

The Surpasser in charge of the gate stepped forward to make the introductions, addressing Moon with the deference due to the expedition’s designated leader.

"Moon, allow me to introduce the rest of your team." He gestured to each in turn. "This is Garrett. Five-Star Evolver, warrior class, and a greatsword specialist. He’ll handle frontline pressure and heavy damage most of the time."

A broad, battle-scarred man with a massive blade across his back gave a curt nod.

"This is Priya, a Five-Star Evolver, support class. Her main role will be healing, but she can also fight alongside the team."

A young woman with hazlenut hair, honey-coloured eyes and a beautiful smile inclined her head politely.

"And this is Dmitri. Five-Star Evolver, archer class"

A lean, sharp-eyed blonde man with a bow slung over his shoulder offered a short greeting.