Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1821: Three for one city

Although Adam had set out for the Tarnished Lands solely to find the Bottomless Void, he had acquired quite a few additional goals along the way.

Breydar was perhaps one of the most important. He was a Baron, the first Lord Adam would face in battle, and Adam still didn’t know for sure if he could defeat him.

Sure, Farla and the Gamma Division were confident in him, but Laroza gave him a 50/50 chance, assuming that Breydar was stronger than the other Barons.

“Hmm…” Adam hummed to himself, slowly following Laroza. “So if this were a regular Baron, my chances would be higher than 50%? Something like 70/30, right?”

He nodded a few times slowly, mulling over their conversation.

‘Yeah, I think I could do it, but what if Breydar turns out to be much more dangerous than the Gamma Division thinks? They could only estimate his powers roughly, since all the Phantoms he killed were weaker than him, which means he had no reason to fight seriously.’

The conclusion Adam reached caused his face to darken.

That meant that, in the worst-case scenario, his chances of victory could drop to 20%, or even 10%, if Breydar somehow managed to use the Gray Sea to gain an advantage. For Adam, this would be uncharted territory.

‘Tsk, why did they decide to give me this mission right now? Then again, they knew I wouldn’t refuse. I have to defeat him!’

Thump!

Suddenly, Adam crashed into something hard. Caught off guard, he fell to the ground.

“Argh?” Laroza turned over her shoulder to look at him. “Hey, what are you thinking about so intently?”

“Nothing, just thinking about Breydar and the upcoming battle,” Adam muttered as he got up from the ground and brushed the dust off his pants.

As soon as Laroza suggested heading to Varreyn, they set off. Even if Adam had refused, Laroza would have gone anyway, she needed her drinks.

“Why? Are you planning to fight him before you get stronger?”

Adam froze for a moment.

“What do you mean?”

Laroza waved her hand dismissively. “First, find your last condition. After that, go fight, that way you’ll have a better chance of winning.”

It made sense, but Adam wasn’t sure about this plan.

“Well, it sounds good, but the thing is, I got most of my conditions during a fight, or winning the fight was a requirement to complete my condition.”

“Pffft! First, wait for the results after meeting with my man! He knows the Gray Sea better than most, and if your condition is actually there, he’ll give you a hint.” Laroza snorted, waving her hand dismissively.

Adam nodded with a slight smile on his face.

“I hope so.”

He looked ahead.

The Blind Eye Tower was quite far from Varreyn, though from this vantage point there was a full view of the entire area, including Varreyn and its outposts in the distant parts of the Arch Horizon.

But their journey would still take some time. Sure, Laroza and Adam could have reached Varreyn much faster, but they had no reason to rush.

“So, Laroza, does that mean you’re a watcher of Varreyn? I mean, you’re keeping an eye on this whole territory as one of the Renegades, right?” Adam asked, walking over to her.

Strangely enough, Laroza shook her head.

“Nah. The cities are a special case. They’re too big and important to entrust to just one person. Three of us, including me, are watching over Varreyn.”

“Agh…?” Adam was confused as he looked around.

He was trying to spot places similar to the Blind Eye Tower in the distance.

“Don’t bother, you won’t see anything. Those two’s bases are much farther away, closer to the territories they’re monitoring. I’m the closest to Varreyn, but if the city runs into any trouble, all three of us will be needed.”

Adam raised an eyebrow.

“Let me guess. Did your leader come up with this rule, too?”

She smiled.

“Indeed. Either way, how about we get to Varreyn as soon as possible?”

“Hmm? You really want to help me that much? I didn’t expect that from you.” Adam was impressed.

“Nah.” Laroza shook her head. “My throat’s parched, and if I don’t drink something soon, it’ll be bad for everyone. Trust me.”

Without waiting for Adam’s reply, Laroza leaned forward, a gleam flashing in her eyes.

“Think of it as extra training for you. Try to catch up to me. If you can’t, you’ll have to deal with the guards on your own.”

Crack.

The ground cracked as Laroza’s powerful body jerked before her frame began to tremble.

In the blink of an eye, she surged forward, kicking up a trail of dust and leaving a deep crater in her wake.

Adam shielded his eyes with his hands from the dust flying toward him, only to see that Laroza was already far ahead.

“Damn it! What am I going to tell the guards if I’m alone?!” Adam clenched his fists as he ran forward as fast as he could.

Around Varreyn were numerous Nests and hunting grounds for monsters. Unlike Izardo, Varreyn wasn’t located on a wide, flat field, here, there were rocky terrains, dry forests, and other local areas.

Even now, as Adam and Laroza made their way along the only trail from her tower to Varreyn, several monsters peered out from behind rocks or trees in the distance.

They knew full well who Laroza was. She was the last person here they would even dare to look at the wrong way. But Adam was something new.

There were enough powerful Phantoms in the world who could afford to venture into such distant territories, but there were far more monsters than there were Phantoms.

Some of the monsters, the younger ones, in particular, were seeing a Phantom for the very first time, since no one weaker than Adam could have made it all the way to Varreyn.

Whooooosh!

Adam wasn’t looking at the path. He was following Laroza as fast as he could, until…

“Argh?” Adam’s eyes widened as he realized Laroza was standing right next to him.

He didn’t have time to stop and was about to crash into the gate in front of him.

Tap.

Just one touch from Laroza was enough to make Adam freeze as she smiled broadly.

“Alright, we’re here! Time to get some drinks!”