Flashy Adventurer System : Show Off to Get Stronger! - Chapter 955

Chapter 955: Battle of the Black Dragon Gate (9)
A good minute surprisingly passed uneventfully—a preferable yet unsettling situation for the cohort.

The more Dweezel concealed his intentions, the more anxiety crept into their hearts, especially as some imagined the protective barrier collapsing suddenly and bleak eyes locking onto them once more.

Only Siegfried and Maia were looking forward to the battle.

However, even they didn’t find fighting the Soulless too fun, as despite their technical mastery, the attacks lacked personality.

The consequences of the situation also didn’t allow them to enjoy themselves too much.

Maia, for one, was scolded earlier by Ian for irresponsibly continuing her sparring match with Albus Verona of the Poison Cloud in Valenzia City instead of fulfilling her duties as squadron captain.

Siegfried, on the other hand, was a responsible person, so he knew when to keep his battle craziness in check—at least, he had learned to over the past years while honing his body, skills, and mind.

This resulted in a fairly tense atmosphere inside the gate.

There were no enemies yet, but they were certain that it was only a matter of time.

“Ian,” Shye called, “What are they up to?”

Ian frowned at the question.

“I don’t know…” he shook his head. “It seems they’re waiting for something?”

“I see…is Dweezel also there?”

“Yeah.”

Shye heaved a light sigh of relief.

As long as the darned sinister snake was within sight, he could at least focus on what he was doing.

Thirty more seconds passed uneventfully, and by this time, the cohort’s fighting prowess was back to almost full.

Only their high-cooldown skills remained unusable.

With only two minutes remaining before victory, Shye was already planning their escape, though he was certain it wouldn’t be easy.

They hadn’t even won yet.

Of course, he hoped for at least another minute of peace, but unfortunately, after just thirty more seconds, something crashed onto the crystalline floor of the Fiftieth underground level—seemingly from above.

The impact was deafening, suggesting that the object, whatever it was, must have been colossal.

Was it some sort of device that would allow Dweezel to deactivate the barrier?

No…

Just a second later, Ian’s eyes widened and his heart raced.

The object slowly rose, towering at fifty meters tall and nearly filling the vast crystalline hall as it took the form of a draconian creature.

The vice commander only knew of one such creature aside from the Black Dragon of Destruction—the White Dragon of Creation.

“S-Shye!!” Ian shouted, utterly alarmed. “The White Dragon of Creation is here!!”

Shye’s heart sank upon hearing the report.

Did Menas, Nookie, and the others lose?

On second thought, that might not be the case.

It was also possible that the White Dragon of Creation was simply called here to destroy the Soul Barrier.

In any case, the deity’s arrival heralded only one thing: the Soul Barrier’s fall.

“Harry, David! You two continue the ritual! Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Gritting his teeth, Shye pulled both greatswords out, positioning himself in front of the cohort.

A creeping anxiety gnawed at his heart.

At this rate, they would fail…

His instincts had never betrayed him since reaching the pinnacle of human power.

He had to act—had to do something—before this feeling became reality!

‘What the hell can I even do?!’ he pondered with gritted teeth.

His being present at the scene had always been enough in the past, but this time, his presence alone wasn’t enough.

He looked around but saw nothing that could be used.

At that moment, a powerful explosion erupted outside the gate, causing the Soul Barrier protecting them to visibly dim.

In just three or four more such attacks, it would undoubtedly collapse entirely.

The vast hall trembled as black crystalline shards rained down from the ceiling.

The White Dragon of Creation attacked once more.

There was no more meaning to Ian staying in front of the gate to observe their movements, so the vice commander quickly retreated back to his position in the cohort’s formation.

There was nothing else to do but fight.

Shye, however, had something else to do before fighting.

But he was torn whether he should do it or not.

He would be giving up his own dreams in exchange for everyone’s future should he do so…he would end up being an actual hero!

He was once an official hero, to be fair, but his thoughts were far from deserving of such a title.

In his mind, he was doing everything for himself and his family.

The others would simply be lucky to benefit from him doing so.

But now, the situation required him to give up his dreams. Shye was utterly unwilling.

‘Damn it!’ He cursed inwardly.

Before the operation, he discussed with Sanada the advantages and consequences of upgrading the system to level five.

The old man told him that his current attributes would outright double if he proceeded with the upgrade.

As for the consequences, the geezer gave only one word in response: Apathy.

He would still be able to think logically and accomplish his mission.

However, he would no longer feel anything, and his eyes would turn bleak—like the Soulless.

It all made sense to him then.

He, too, was a soul-enhanced human. The only difference was that Sanada’s mastery of Soul Arts and system creation had allowed the old man to weaken and delay the effects of soul enhancement.

But it was impossible to negate them entirely.

To gain inhuman power, he would have to sacrifice his ability to feel emotions—there was no other way around it.

Moreover, if he chose to upgrade the system to level five, all his remaining points would be automatically allocated in the most efficient way possible before the system itself was destroyed, making everything truly his.

For the steep price of absolute apathy, that is.

He wouldn’t be able to give a single flying f*ck about anything even if he wanted to.

Shye turned and took in the faces of his cohort members, his gaze lingering a bit longer on Shirley, Maia, and, unexpectedly, Seira.

He would never again share those enjoyable conversations with the midget.

The thought of losing his emotions utterly broke him.

But what other choice did he have?

After one last look at everyone, Shye suddenly leaped toward the back of the cohort’s defensive position, leaving his comrades confused.

Shirley’s eyes remained fixed on his retreating figure.

When their gazes met earlier, something inside her trembled—a fleeting, inexplicable sense of loss.

Now, watching his somber silhouette, she knew. He was about to do something.

He was about to sacrifice something.

“Protect me, this should take no more than ten seconds.”