"Your progress so far is marvelous to watch. However, there is much work to be done if you are to survive the coming storm."
Every hair stood on Adam's back as the chilly voice spoke. Unable to move his head, Adam glanced around the alleyway to find that everything was eerily still, as if even the world was afraid to move in this person's presence.
A shadow brushed past him that quickly turned into a large, muscular woman. Large silver locks flowed down over her back, which was surprisingly bare. No, not exactly. She wore a thin, caramel-colored exosuit that was nearly the same color as her skin.
Of course, this exosuit perfectly accentuated all of her curves. Fiery red eyes met his gaze, followed by a smile that said, 'I know you're looking.'
'Danger.' Some deep instinct told him. This person in front of him... her beauty and seemingly peaceful attitude was simply a facade.
The truth was that she was dangerous.
She scanned the alleyway, her eyes darting along the dark landscape to make sure nothing could come in—or out. Then she turned to Adam and grabbed his bionic arm.
"Hmm... 6 kills and minimum completions of your daily quest? Maybe I was wrong." As she spoke, her face grew more and more disappointed. Was he supposed to do more somehow?
"What do you mean? I've done everything the system asked me to," Adam said in a low voice, trying to sound more authoritative than confused.
The girl simply shrugged, seemingly unaffected by his attempt. "An apocalypse unlike anything humanity has ever seen is coming. You know this; you say you want to stop it, yet you've only been doing what the system has told you?" As she spoke, the girl clicked her tongue between sentences, using those pauses to further display her overwhelming disappointment.
"What more can I do?" Adam asked. He hadn't only been doing what the system asked him. Whenever he had any free time, he would meditate as much as possible.
This would allow him to use Qi more effectively as well as open the potential for him to learn a technique. Since he didn't know much about the system or his arm, that was the best he could think to do.
"Well, the system told you how to get rewards, no?"
"Yes..."
"Okay, then you know that quests aren't the only way to earn Quantum Cores."
Adam knew where this was going, but in some desperate human attempt to deflect the conversation, he said, "Where can I find Kaiju to kill?"
The woman shrugged as she raised her hand to the hero he had just killed. Seconds later, it dissolved in a similar manner to Theo and the others.
'So she's been following me all this time?' Adam thought. Then an uneasiness took place in his heart as sweat poured down his face.
Should he kill her?
Could he?
"The Kaiju won't be here until the first dimensional collapse in 14 days. You know this. If you continue with your current rate of growth, you will only be one of the billions of casualties."
Adam's brow twitched as she answered his question. He knew what was coming but still couldn't let go of his human defiance.
Taking a deep breath, Adam asked, "How? Five Low-Tier Exalted were enough to fend off the first dimensional collapse before. Just one of them was able to—"
"Let go of the past. You're not the only one growing stronger. Inheritors, Kaiju, Exalted—everything is going to be different, more powerful this time around." With that answer came a wave of finality. He knew there wasn't going to be a second option.
If he wanted to save his loved ones, he needed to kill even more than the system wanted him to. Meaning, over the next several nights he was going to research every single Exalted he remembered and find the worst of the bunch.
With any luck, he would even find the ones responsible for his sister's death. So far, that search had been fruitless, though.
A small smile crept onto the girl's face. "So, you accept what you have to do? Good. Maybe there's hope for you yet."
Then she snapped her fingers and the entire world returned to normal. Small animals scurried through trash as wind rustled beneath their feet.
"The two people you're looking for are Thomas Ahkeem and Enjiro Akeshi," she said with a signature smile before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Left alone with his thoughts, Adam did his best to calm his racing mind as he left the alleyway. Rain began pouring, followed quickly by thunder.
For some reason, this thunder almost sounded like two goliath beings clashing with each other.
...
There was a place in town that only Adam and Faye knew. It was a hill fairly removed from the rest of society. Without any city lights to block their view, they'd often picnic up there or just chat as they looked amongst the many stars.
Adam chuckled for a second as he thought back to those conversations that ranged from simple "Who puts banana on pizza?" to philosophical questions like "Do you think we're alone in the universe?"
That chuckle dropped quickly as he thought, 'No. No, we're not alone.'
Somewhere out in that expansive space was a terrifying phenomenon dubbed as Kaiju. They were numerous, infallible species of gargantuan stature who almost destroyed humanity entirely.
Worse than even that, though, were the monsters back home. The Exalted and now these so-called inheritors. Pulling up his hologram system message just to make sure, Adam solemnly nodded.
[Inheritor 1]
At first, he hadn't thought much of it. When he finally found a path to power, his judgment had been completely clouded. If the enemy hadn't shown its own hands, he would've never thought about this world-shattering revelation.
'Is she an enemy though?' Adam thought for just a moment. After all, she hadn't killed him.
He took a glance at his arm before using his Qi to sense his surroundings. Yes, she was an enemy. Until he learned more—learned EVERYTHING—she was an enemy.
That's why he moved to the only deserted and safe spot he knew. When he was back in the alley, the man she disintegrated met the exact same fate as Theo and the four others. If she was following him, that would put his family in danger.
Though, if he simply exiled himself, that would put them in danger as well. Not only would he be unable to ensure their safety during the first dimensional collapse, but he also knew they would go looking for him. Their clueless search could then easily end with them dying by an enemy's hand.
Exalted, Inheritors, Kaiju. They were all the enemy of Adam and his family now. So it was his job to make sure they were safe.
Adam sighed as his scan completed because he didn't sense the girl anywhere. Either she was far above his own capabilities or she really wasn't stronger than him.
'No matter the reason, my next course of action is clear. I need to get stronger,' Adam thought as he compiled a list of future Exalted to kill in his mind—starting with the two who killed his sister, Thomas Ahkeem and Enjiro Akeshi.