Endless Evolution: Last Star

"Damn... I've gained quite a bit of stuff, haven't I?" Adam muttered scratching the back of his head.

Behind him, the girl rode a special robot with several trays with the items of the customer's choice on them. Usually, they were only used when a large and heavy purchase was about to be made.

Adam glanced at several knives of different shapes and sizes, a stack of books and unusual, complex puzzles as well as a new VR helmet and a plush toy that was meant for Trici, his little sister.

"Hahaha, don't worry, from time to time we get people who buy a lot of gifts at once, we're prepared for that." The girl giggled, shyly covering her mouth with the palm.

Adam shrugged.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

The girl nodded as she took another look at Adam's selected items. It was a popular store so it wasn't uncommon for the Phantoms to come in here. After all, while they were in the Citadel, they would encounter the problems and business of the common people, temporarily forgetting about the missions and monsters waiting for them outside the walls.

She knew that many Phantoms felt guilty as they didn't spend enough time with the people they cared about, especially their family, so they often bought quite a few gifts.

"Pardon me for intruding, but maybe there are other people besides your family you want to buy gifts for? You know, it's quite convenient to do everything at once." The girl suggested, with a slight wave of her hand.

Adam's eyes went wide for a moment, then he wondered.

"Maybe you have a girlfriend or... right! What about your Operator?"

The first person Adam thought of was Jena, but he immediately dismissed that idea. Not because he was offended by her or anything, he just didn't want to make their situation more complicated.

They just officially broke up yesterday, so if he were to get her something now, it could cause problems.

But... when the girl mentioned Silvana, Adam realized he couldn't leave without buying her something.

'Wait... What does Silvana like? I can hardly surprise her with some new device or rare book, I'm sure what seems unique to me in this field is common to her.' Adam scratched the back of his head.

Then, he remembered that almost always when they had breakfast or discussed something, a cup of coffee accompanied Silvana. Adam would sometimes choose a different drink, but Silvana was loyal to her favorite.

"Coffee... Can I get some rare and unusual coffee here? My Operator will definitely appreciate it, well, I hope so." Adam asked.

The girl shook her head.

"We're pretty short on foodstuffs, but! I can recommend an online store popular amongst coffee enthusiasts. I suggest you choose something expensive so it will be new to your Operator."

The girl continued, pulling out her phone to give Adam the link.

"I don't know if you ever thought about it, but Operators don't have much money at all, unlike their Phantoms. Their salaries are well above average that's for sure, but some things are still too expensive." The girl uttered, sending Adam the information about the online store.

Adam nodded deeply. To his shame, he never thought about it.

Now, after he completed Katrin's assignment, he had over two million in his account. It was a decent sum that many ordinary people could live on for their entire lives. Not in the First Ring, but for the Third Ring, it was enough for decades.

'I wonder... how is Silvana's salary? Well, it's probably not very polite to ask such a thing.' Adam muttered internally, shaking his head.

Then, he looked at the girl.

"Good, I think that's it. I'm ready to pay."

...

"What is it?" Glara asked staring intently at the mechanical syringe, the blue liquid inside was securely protected by a steel casing and the needle was thick and menacing.

Not that Glara was afraid of injections or anything like that, but... she realized that the thicker the needle was the more painful it was.

"It's a long explanation and you wouldn't understand anyway, you're too dumb for that."

Aiden waved his hand, not shying away from his crude language.

"But, to put it very primitively, this is an improved version of the amplifier that special military squads received not too long ago along with exoskeletons and FNs, False Nexuses. The first version of the amplifier was called the XH-01 and I was the one who helped those morons in the development department make it." Aiden said in an arrogant voice. Find more to read at empire

Refesa was one of the free scientists and she focused on technology. Exoskeletons and FNs were created at Iron Observatory, but for the most part, amplifiers were Aiden's credit.

"For a short time, an amplifier allows you to get the maximum out of your body, like during a Phantom-like Resonance."

Glara was a common human, so she had a hard time understanding what Aiden was talking about, she was hearing too many terms that were unfamiliar to her. But, she did realize that this syringe could make her stronger.

"This amplifier I created specifically so that ordinary people like you would have the best possible chance of winning a battle against a monster. Officially, it's called XH-01 (Code D)." Aiden waved his hand, taking a step forward towards Sano, glancing at the amplifier.

Glara raised an eyebrow.

"The name isn't much different, but what does Code D stand for?" Glara asked.

Aiden turned his head, looking at her intently.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Code Death."

Glara gulped, a wave of fear went through her entire body.

Aiden moved to explain.

"After a normal XH-01, you'd just pass out after five minutes and come to your senses after a few hours, a little rest and you'd come to your senses. But... this thing..."

Aiden muttered slowly pulling the Code D out of the case. Sano stood like a statue, not daring to even breathe when Aiden was so close.

"It will kill you if at the end of the effect you continue to be human. Your body just can't handle it."

"How... how do I survive...?" Glara asked in a trembling voice.

Aiden's amber eyes sparkled.

"Oh, it's pretty simple. You just need to become a Phantom."