Chapter 87: What Is In The Hole?

Adam stepped out of the spacious bathroom, steam still clinged faintly to his skin. Water beaded down his shoulders as he dragged a towel across his hair, the mirror catching a version of himself that felt… sharper than before.

I wonder if the manager has found anything yet.

Thirty hours.

That was all that remained before the Siren Swamp rift completed its mutation. Thirty hours while the incursion continued to spread, inch by inch, swallowing land that had never been swamp before.

Vanessa was sitting on a ticking bomb, and Adam didn’t envy her position in the slightest.

At least he had pointed them in the right direction.

As he finished drying himself, a sudden knock echoed through the hotel room.

Adam paused, as activated [Connect] instinctively and looked at the door. He felt no hostility or malice, only one overwhelming impression, urgency.

Adam walked over and opened the door.

Standing outside was a young woman in an acolyte’s uniform. She looked barely out of her teens, her posture straight, hair neatly tied back, but the moment her eyes landed on Adam, bare-chested and wrapped casually in a towel, her thoughts stalled completely.

The impurities expelled during his breakthrough had left his skin clear and his presence sharply more alive.

For a split second, her professional composure evaporated, as her gaze lingered a heartbeat too long. Adam raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Excuse me,” he said evenly. “Is there an issue?”

His voice snapped her back to reality.

Color rushed to her face as she straightened instantly, eyes locking back where they should have been.

The fluster vanished, replaced by crisp discipline as if a switch had been flipped.

“Yes, sir there is,” she said quickly. “The manager is requesting your presence at the arcade.”

Adam’s hand tightened subtly around the towel.

“At the arcade?”

“Yes,” the acolyte said, urgency bleeding back into her tone. “It’s of utmost importance.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed just a fraction.

So they found something.

“Alright,” he said calmly. “Give me a moment.”

The acolyte nodded, already stepping back down the corridor.

Adam closed the door and exhaled slowly.

Looks like things are about to get moving.

Adam didn’t waste time.

He changed into something simple and comfortable, black jeans, a clean white shirt, a blue denim jacket layered on top, and his black sneakers. It was practical, unassuming and easy to move in, which was perfect.

As he picked up his phone, he noticed several missed calls.

All from the manager.

She called while I was bathing, which explains why she sent someone to get me instead.

He slipped the phone into his storage ring and stepped out of the room. The acolyte was still waiting in the corridor. When she saw him, she gave a short nod and immediately led the way.

A vehicle was already waiting; soon they were on the move, and in no time at all, they reached their destination.

Despite it being deep into the night, the entire area was lit up like day. Floodlights bathed the streets in white brilliance, casting long shadows beneath armored vehicles.

Mission Hall tents had been erected around the arcade, dozens of them, forming a controlled perimeter. Personnel were everywhere.

Some acolytes stood guard at strategic points, weapons ready. Others hovered over floating displays, fingers moving rapidly as they analyzed incoming data. A few coordinated quietly, relaying information through communicators.

The place felt less like an investigation site and more like the staging ground for a siege.

The acolyte who had escorted Adam didn’t linger. She gave him a brief bow and returned to her post, disappearing into the organized chaos.

Adam didn’t mind.

Because Vanessa was already approaching.

The moment her gaze fell on him, she froze, just for an instant. Her head tilted slightly beneath the veil.

“You’ve reached the Apprentice stage,” she said, as genuine shock slipped into her voice.

Adam wasn’t surprised she noticed. He hadn’t bothered suppressing his presence. There was no reason to.

“I was lucky,” he replied simply.

Vanessa studied him through the veil for a heartbeat longer, then chose not to comment. Instead, she inclined her head.

“Congratulations.”

He nodded in acknowledgment before getting straight to the point.

“So, what did you call me here for?”

Vanessa turned, gesturing for him to follow.

“I’ll have to show you, in person, to explain.”

Adam then followed the manager in silence as she led him deeper into the arcade.

They passed through restricted corridors, sealed doors sliding open one after another. Adam was shocked by the sheer scale of the arcade, until they finally reached what was clearly the energy room.

The moment Adam stepped inside, he felt it almost instantly as his gaze locked onto the center of the room.

A large hole had been carved straight through the reinforced floor, its edges jagged. Darkness swallowed whatever lay beneath, but it wasn’t empty.

Adam stared into it for several seconds.

Then his expression twisted.

A foul presence seeped out of the hole, something thick and nauseating, not a smell but a sensation, like rancid thoughts brushing against his mind.

His face scrunched in open disgust.

“That’s vile.”

Vanessa stopped beside him, her posture stiff.

“It’s already gotten worse.”

Adam didn’t take his eyes off the hole.

“What is that?”

Vanessa followed his gaze into the darkness. She was silent for a moment before answering.

“A Mind Geist.”

Adam frowned.

The name meant nothing to him.

“A monster?” he asked, uncertainty creeping into his voice. He had read extensively about monsters, natural, rift-born, even mutated, but this was the first time he’d heard that term.

Vanessa turned her veiled face toward him.

“Yes,” she said. “But not a natural one.”

Adam’s brows knit together.

“What?”

Her next words hit him far harder than the foul aura ever could.

“It’s an experimental monster.”

For a brief moment, Adam felt as if something cracked inside his head.

“Experimental?” he repeated slowly, disbelief heavy in his tone.

Vanessa nodded once.

“Yes.”

****

[Thank You For Reading]

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