NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 123: Dangerous Teams
Hearing her try to reassure him, Adam frowned.
"You're not the law. Don't act like killing them was some kind of justice."
Celestia didn't seem bothered as she just gave a small smile.
"I'm sure we've both done it already. No need to pretend."
She shrugged like it didn't matter.
"The preparations on my side are done."
She said.
"Now we just wait until our teams get matched up."
Then she changed the topic.
"Did you tell Leila what to do?"
Adam nodded.
"She knows. I told her not to act unless the main plan fails. And I also told her that the chances of her winning are close to zero, so it's fine if she doesn't engage at all."
Celestia tilted her head, smiling.
"So you're okay with not killing him today?"
Adam glanced at her, calm and steady.
"I am not worried... As long as I am given time to grow, I can kill him alone."
He leaned back a little, eyes narrowing.
"This plan is more about learning. I want to see how Elaric fights... How he thinks, how he moves, how he reacts. Information comes first."
Celestia chuckled softly.
"How arrogant."
She said with a chuckle.
"But I suppose that's normal for someone as capable as you."
Then her smile faded slightly.
"Still, don't forget. Elaric's entire ability revolves around information. That's what makes him dangerous. You might be learning about him... but he's learning about you too."
Adam didn't answer as he just stared ahead.
The tournament board in front of them updated.
[157/160]
Almost time.
Celestia stepped back, the puppets following behind her.
"I'll see you on the field then. Try not to get eliminated before we meet."
She said playfully, before turning around and walking off with the rest of the puppets she controlled.
Adam stayed silent.
His fingers slowly tapped the side of his leg as he looked around the massive obsidian lobby, watching other teams gear up, whisper, and prepare.
The air was getting heavier.
Soon, the fifth floor tournament would begin.
...
"From the gossip and information I've gathered, there are three groups we need to watch out for..."
Leila said as she sat down beside Adam, brushing the dust off her gloves.
She leaned forward a little, lowering her voice.
"The first one is a team called Steel Hydra. They're known for their coordination."
"Every move they make is timed like clockwork. Two of their members are B-rankers.... one's a barrier specialist, and the other's a weapon-based caster."
"The rest of their team are fairly low ranked, but they make up for it by coordinating properly with their teammates."
Adam listened silently, eyes focused ahead.
Inwardly though, he was assessing the groups.
'Two b-rankers... hm. A weapon-based ability user shouldn't be that hard to handle, however a barrier ability user will be a bit tricky... I wonder if Leila's explosive shots can take it down.'
He inwardly assessed.
He didn't want to underestimate other people just because he was confident in himself.
"The second group is Gravestone. Their leader is a guy named Neros, he's a B-ranker too."
"His ability lets him control weight... he can make you feel like you're being crushed by a mountain or light enough to float."
"The others on his team revolve around his ability. From what I heard, they've already forced two teams to forfeit during the last tournament just by locking them down with pressure."
She thoughtfully paused before adding more to her words.
"The only reason they surrendered and lost the previous tournament is because Rustfang's leader, Krev Malgor, was in the previous tournament."
She glanced at Adam before continuing.
"A few Hunters even gave me this information in exchange for a chance to join our team..."
There was a short pause before Leila smirked a little and added.
"But apparently, the most dangerous group to watch out for… is the team that has the Chosen Conduit in it."
She was, of course, talking about Adam.
Cael walked up and stretched his arms before sitting down near Adam.
"I pretty much got the same information as her."
He said casually.
"Different sources, but same groups. Everyone's treating Steel Hydra and Gravestone like big threats… but they're more scared of us."
Leila chuckled softly.
"Well, not us. Just him."
Cael nodded, scratching his cheek.
"Yeah… fair enough."
Adam stayed silent, but his gaze shifted slightly as he processed their words.
Two strong teams… both with members capable of putting up a fight.
But in the end, it didn't change much for him.
He closed his eyes, leaning back against the rock behind him, thinking about the possible matchups and tactics if he faced them.
As he was deep in thought, Leila moved closer and crouched in front of him.
Her face was serious.
"Also, Adam…"
She said quietly.
"I don't know why… but Fate is telling me something really dangerous is gonna happen soon."
Adam opened his eyes and frowned, raising an eyebrow at her.
Leila wasn't the type to say things like this lightly...
She dealt with Fate and could read glimpses of the future.
If she was getting a bad feeling, then something truly dangerous might be coming their way.
'Hm… It probably has something to do with the plan against Elaric.'
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
'Could it be… he's already aware of the mark Celestia put on him? Maybe he's prepared countermeasures in advance…'
As he was lost in thought, a sudden notification popped up in his vision.
[160/160]
[Required number of players has been reached.]
All around them, people stood up.
Some with nervous looks, others with cold determination in their eyes.
The atmosphere grew heavier in an instant.
Another notification appeared.
[All participants, create a team and select your team members.]
[Each team must have five members.]
[Teams without five members will be randomly merged with other incomplete teams to satisfy the requirement.]
[You have five minutes to finalize your team selections.]
Adam exhaled softly and stood up.
"Let's get ready."
He said simply.
Leila and Cael nodded firmly, both standing beside him without hesitation.
Kristoff walked over, his spear resting on his shoulder.