[ADAM] Chapter 22: Yards into Meters, Still Far Away.

"You're… late."

Adam could barely stand, staggering where he stood as he looked at Bjorn.

Bjorn signed something to him, but he couldn't understand what it was. But, then again, even if Bjorn spoke, he probably also wouldn't know what he was saying from how foggy his mind was.

What he did know, however, was that Bjorn did not see his wounds heal, and his limbs correct themselves—if he did, then he probably would have attacked him by now.

Either that, or Bjorn truly wasn't aware of his existence and the Hospital didn't tell him anything.

Adam waited, waited for Bjorn to do something.

And he did.

Bjorn nodded at Adam, before looking at the people still holding him.

The enemy creeps quickly scattered back, tripping over themselves. Their faces twisted with terror at the sight of a Hero. His face was also covered with blood, and the reason he was late was most likely because he was also fighting against another Hero.

Bjorn turned his focus back to Adam, and Adam also returned his gaze. And slowly, a smile, slightly mad, crawled on the Silent Brawler's face.

And then, without any warning, and perhaps as a sort of respect to the blood-riddled man in front of him… Bjorn pulled his own head back and slammed it against the crystal, hard. Extremely hard.

The impact shook the ground. Cracks formed across the crystal's surface, glowing blue light leaking through the fractures.

The creeps who were still near were blown away, rolling violently across the ground. Only Adam stood his ground despite his mind barely working.

Bang!

Bjorn slammed his head again, even harder this time. The pillar of light surrounding it pulsed outward, and a wave so violent rippled on the Dome's surface—before fading away.

The crystal shattered completely, fragments raining down like broken glass.

[Wow! Enemy Inner Crystal destroyed! Get ready for the final stretch, march!]

Adam could barely hear anything, but he did hear a voice. A familiar voice, but different now. Amused.

[The Administrator, Mikhal, is highly impressed. But also curious. Mikhal is personally watching you now. 3 status points granted.]

Three levels at once.

Level 6.

Only 4 more until he becomes a Hero, and he did so in just a single Game.

He didn't care for it, however, and just immediately put everything on Strength.

[Name: N/A | Planet: SS4E | Strength: 6 Agility: 1 Endurance: 1 Perception: 1]

The rush of power nearly knocked him to his knees. His arms thickened slightly, veins pushing against skin. His body hummed with sudden power, cells vibrating, muscles tightening.

Grace and Samantha rushed to Adam, their arms clinging to his battered body with embrace as he swayed on his feet. Blood matted his hair, and some still trailed down his face, but he remained standing.

"A...Adam! I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry you had to do that alone," Grace said, her voice breaking as she pressed her forehead against his shoulder. Her fingers dug into the fabric of his tattered shirt, clinging to him as if afraid he might disappear.

Samantha also wrapped herself around his leg, her small body shaking with sobs. She didn't speak, just held on with all her might, her tears soaking through to his skin. Adam's hand hovered uncertainly over her head before gently resting there, a gesture so tender, it almost completely erased how feral he was just moments ago.

The ringing in Adam's ears began to subside, replaced by the sounds of celebration. The Red creeps were cheering, their voices rising, and their heavy breaths came with relief.

As for Bjorn, he silently approached Adam and gave him a thumbs up.

The Blue creeps continued on cheering, some of them rushing to Bjorn. But Bjorn merely glanced at them before striding toward the enemy creeps.

His massive hands flexed at his sides, his knuckles emitting minuscule crackling explosions.

The Blue creeps, who were already down and had completely checked out from their current reality, all gasped and crawled back.

But before Bjorn could get close to them, Adam's body moved on its own. He stepped directly into Bjorn's path, shielding the scared people once more.

Blood still dripped from his chin, but his eyes were firm, unwavering. He didn't say a word—he simply shook his head, a silent plea for mercy.

Bjorn stopped. The two men stared at each other again.

And with a slight nod, Bjorn turned and walked away, leaving the enemy creeps untouched.

Bjorn turned his eyes forward.

And there, everyone saw it. From afar and between the buildings, from between the thick smoke, the invisible wall of the Blue team became translucent, slowly withering and melting away.

And there, the light of the Spawn crystal showed itself. Seeping from the cracks of their narrow horizon.

Everyone's chests heaved, before bursting out a unified roar as they all rushed forward. No more words, Bjorn led them in their march.

As for Adam, he stared for a while and glanced at the enemy—no.

None of these people were his enemy; most of them were victims of the Game, like him. Like everyone else.

Adam no longer apologized, but what he felt was still obvious from his face.

He could only offer them silence.

Grace grabbed his arm, and their eyes locked onto each other. Their lips, almost meeting. But before they could touch, both leaned away from each other.

They looked at Samantha, and then looked at each other again.

And with a nod, they followed the others and raced toward victory.

They marched, and they ran.

Their desperation fueled their legs to move. The buildings felt like they blurred past them—like they were smeared paint, and the only thing real was the narrow horizon and the light from afar.

It almost felt like they were in a tunnel, and a random, silly thought allowed itself to sit in Adam's fractured mind.

Was this what they call tunnel vision?

They were so close now that they could see nothing else. The ground beneath his feet was gone, and he didn't even care about the shattered glass that crunched under him.

He had never felt this light before—so light that he carried Samantha with ease and cradled him in his arms.

Grace did not say anything, he only let go of Samantha's hand, fully trusting Adam as she focused on running forward. Samantha, too, trusted Adam fully as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Adam couldn't even feel Samantha's weight anymore—the simplicity of the powers granted by the Game and the Administrators was a blessing.

Five points on Strength, and Adam had become six times stronger than before he entered the Game. He almost felt like he was floating.

And he wasn't the only one, the others did too. But not because most of them have already leveled up once, no—even those who hadn't been given points felt like they were floating.

Perhaps a sudden sense of euphoria, or adrenaline disguised as euphoria.

As for Bjorn, he looked back from time to time, trying to see if their Inner Crystal was being attacked.

The dried blood on his face cracked when his eyebrows narrowed in concern as he scanned the area. And when it was clear, he slowed down and waved his hands at Grace to get her attention.

He signed to her, fingers moving in quick, precise flicks.

Grace squinted, processing the signs before responding in a very weak voice. "It's... the Duelist of Rose," she whispered.

Bjorn almost tripped as soon as he heard that. His eyes widened, and his steps grew faster.

They were racing against Sylvia. Bjorn got the urge to look back again, but he stopped himself from doing so and just focused forward.

They continued to run, desperately. The creeps behind them even puked from exhaustion, but they ran. Some collapsed to their knees, gasping for air, while others staggered forward on wobbly legs.

But still, they continued to run.

And soon, they reached a vast clearing—a large parking lot filled with cars.

"We... have to go there?" Grace gulped. The parking lot stretched before them, a sea of abandoned vehicles leading to a massive structure—a football arena that loomed against the sky.

And inside it, the pillar of light they have been seeing from the horizon shot upward.

That meant the Spawn Crystal was also inside.

"That's… that's suicide," muttered one of the creeps. "We'll be sitting ducks crossing that open space."

"Got any better ideas?" another shot back, wiping vomit from his chin.

A woman with a broken arm shook her head. "If that Hero catches up to us before we reach the crystal, we're dead—"

Before their conversation could continue, they heard a shush from one of the other creeps in the front of the group.

Bjorn raised his hand and gestured to everyone to follow closely behind him.

Adam only realized it now when Bjorn was giving the orders directly, but the man from the IBAA was gone—he probably died already.

He didn't even notice. Now that they were almost at the end, Adam had realized just how many truly die in the Game—and they all just felt like…ants.

Insignificant, a statistic.

Adam gently held Samantha in his arms tighter, promising himself once more that he would protect them—that they wouldn't become a statistic.

They trailed across the sea of cars, their eyes wide open for even the most minute movement.

But there was nothing.

And soon, they entered the hallways of the stadium without any trouble at all. And once inside, they became even more careful. Quiet.

But it was useless.

Their steps echoed from the wide halls, bouncing off concrete walls until an unknown end.

"It… it smells like popcorn and sweat."

"Fuck… my team was supposed to play tonight."

"Shit, there's beer."

For a moment, they were distracted by the normalcy of it all.

But they didn't stop, no.

"M…mommy… it's so dark," Samantha whispered, burying her face on Adam's chest, "I… I don't like this."

Samantha slightly peeked into the darkness, but once again just quickly buried her face. Everyone's senses were heightened, and like Samantha, most of them were scared.

But unlike the little girl, they had no choice but to walk through this darkness.

Despite all their worries and caution, however, the soft light of the football field soon landed on their feet. They slowly, and carefully stepped out, the vast open space stretched before them.

The grass was still green even under the Dome's translucent cage and the gray smoke resting beneath.

And then there it was.

The Spawn Crystal.

Hovering a meter from the ground, right at the center of the field, as large as an entire bus. It pulsed with blue energy, waves of light washing over its surface like water. The air around it hummed, making the hair on everyone's arms stand on end.

Bjorn stepped out first, his eyes scanning the entire field and the stands, and when he was sure there was no one, he quickly ran to the center.

Adam and the others followed. Their footsteps carried the weight of everything they have been through, some heavier than most.

Grace's breath stammered. Her steps moved faster as she glanced at Samantha. She then looked at Adam, and Adam also glanced at her. Their eyes met briefly, a moment of connection amid chaos.

But then, Grace's eyes turned wide as she saw a shadow running across the bleachers.

Something was moving fast—too fast—darting between rows of seats with inhuman speed. She was confused at first, squinting to make out the shape in the dim light.

She was about to call for Bjorn, but then the shadow suddenly leaped from the stands.

His dark silhouette and thick claws, landing toward Adam.

[Helsinki, Little Wolf Man]

"Adam!" She screamed, pushing him away from danger without even thinking about it.

***

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AUTHOR NOTES

And we also have another sort of wolverine here. lol.