Outworld: Awakening

Two hours later, Adam sat on a grassy field while he admired the crescent moon's reflection on a serene lake. His hair waved from side to side under the influence of the gentle night breeze, it carried a faint minty smell to his nose. All Adam could hear was the chirping of hidden insects in the lush grass.

He didn't resemble someone who had something important planned. Instead, he looked like a typical youth awaiting the arrival of his lover.

'It's such a beautiful night. Will I be able to make it back to Varidan Academy tonight? Or, should I rest in an inn for the night? I wonder when Varidan's spy will locate my whereabouts? The men stalling him should be retreating soon. I wonder if Hendrix has noticed I've gone missing?'

Adam fiddled with a pebble as different thoughts filled his mind.

Despite the serious discussion he had a few hours earlier, Adam thought nothing of it.

A few seconds later, Adam suddenly launched the pebble towards the lake. The pebble bounced off the surface of the water a few times, before sinking into its cold depths.

Rising to his feet while rearranging his uniform, a shallow smile danced across Adam's lips.

"Aren't you guys bored already? I believe I have given you enough time. If you aren't going to make a move, I will. I can't wait all day."

A deafening silence greeted his words. Adam sighed softly while slowing shaking his head.

"The four of you hiding in the water, I can see you. Tell me why you have been following me and who sent you, then I might send you guys off easy. I really don't want to get wet. If you make me come in to get you, trust me, you'd regret it," Adam declared.

Again, no one responded to his statement. Sighing once more, Adam took a step towards the lake. At that moment, however, ripples formed on the surface of the previously calm waters.

Within seconds, four figures emerged from its depths. Clad in black body fitted wetsuits, an equally black mask covered their faces. The manner in which they emerged from the lake was akin to that of fabled water demons lurking in cursed waters.

Halting in his steps, Adam watched the four individuals make their way ashore.

"Impressive. Here we thought we had hidden our presence successful. You Varidan students are really something."

Adam giggled as he heard the contemptuous praise. The forced hoarse voice of the masked man didn't come as a surprise to him.

"Oh? So you know I am a student of Varidan Academy, yet you dare attack me? Not stating the obvious, this means you had prior knowledge on the limits of my abilities. So, who wants me dead that they would hire four Awakened? I'm certainly not from a rich or influential household. And, I don't have any enemies, at least not that I know of," James teased.

"You're a smart kid... Don't worry, I'm sure the Angels in heaven will answer your questions when you get there."

Saying nothing further, the man who seemed to be the leader of the group motioned with his right hand. At that moment, his partners slowly spread out, until they had blocked all of Adam's viable escape points.

"To be honest, I'm not really in the mood for a fight. That I was able to detect your presence, and my obvious lack of fear should ring alarm bells in your heads. Well, that's assuming you have normal brains. Tell me, what were you offered for this futile mission? I'll compensate you double and you'd get to keep your lives, too. All I want is the name of the person who sent you. I don't care why, I only want the name. It's a win-win for both of us. Do we have a deal?" Adam said.

His countenance was a mirror of his words, relaxed, confident and unperturbed.

However, the simultaneous laughter of the masked assailants replied his offer.

"In this line of work, we have met a lot of posers like you. Do you think we don't know you're a mere E ranked Awakened? I thought you had no money? How are you going to pay us twice the fee? Luckily for you, a specific death wasn't requested. For entertaining us, we'll make it somewhat quick. Unfortunately, we do have to gouge out an eye though. That's gonna hurt," The masked leader retorted.

'This guys seem awfully confident. Well, I gave them a chance. No one can blame for what's about to happen. Hopefully, I will remember to keep one alive.' Adam donned a dazzling grin as he stared at masked leader.

From the measured distance the assailants gave from his position, Adam could tell someone had briefed them about his actions in the combat class.

"Have your way then. You want my eye, right? Come get it," Adam taunted.

[Establishing Connection to The Omen...]

[Connection Established]

A few seconds after the system's message, Adam's eyes lingered on the limbs of the men. The lake's water had condensed into gelatinous spikes which glistened under the moon's radiance.

'Elementals, huh? No wonder they're so confident,' Adam thought. He wasn't as ignorant as a couple of days ago.

With a nod from the leader, the man to Adam's right slowly approached him while assuming a boxing stance.

[Title: Manipulator Activated!]

{Stats}

Constitution: 0.

Agility: 26.

Endurance: 5.

Luck: 0.5

Dexterity: 0.

Strength: 23.

Charisma: 0.

"Don't struggle kid. We know everything about you. I will—"

Before he could finish his statement, like a ghost, Adam appeared a few meters away from where he stood. Adam's fist already made a beeline to the man's throat. With Adam's speed, he had no chance of avoiding the fatal attack.

With a few inches before Adam's fist smashed the neck of the assassin, the leader's shout echoed, "Now!"

At that moment, watery tentacles which extended from the limbs of the assassins raced towards Adam in all directions. The assassin his attack focused on earlier, also launched the same attack. At point blank range, even with Adam's inhuman agility, he couldn't evade the attack.

Within seconds, the tentacles perforated Adam's body, and blood flowed like an open faucet. Adam's arms trembled as he struggled to grab the gaping holes in his neck, stomach, c.h.e.s.t and shoulders. His lips trembled as he struggled to speak. The assassin could see the horror and disbelief in Adam's eyes as his body slowly wobbled to the ground.

As the nauseating stench of fresh blood pervaded the air, the assassins didn't approach Adam's body. Instead, they repeated the same attack over and over again.

A minute later, Adam's body was riddled with holes and unidentifiable, and only the head of his corpse was spared.

"Klein, retrieve the target. You can take either of his eyes, but make it clean."

The assassin Adam attempted to attack earlier was name Klein. Slowly, he walked towards Adam's corpse. Using a gelatinous spike on his hand, he gouged out Adam's left eyeball, before tossing it into a prepared jar filled with a liquid with a thick formalin-like smell.

"He sure talks a lot. I'm really disappointed, I expected more," Klein said.

"Brats like him think they are special because of Varidan Academy. They don't know anything about the real world. Klein, send the package to the client. Wyat, Lambin and I will return to the guild to announce the completion of the mission. We'll meet up at the usual location."

After the leader's declaration, the group divided into two. Klein headed towards the East, while the others went further South. Before the second group left, they poured a transparent liquid on Adam's corpse which dissolved his clothes, flesh and bones. Only leaving a puddle of blood behind. One would only think a wild animal had met its end on that spot.

A minute later, the air around the grassy area distorted, almost like a portal would open up at a moment's notice.

[Skill Limit Reached!]

[Deactivating Skill: Illusion Inducement!]

Like a puff of smoke, the bloody pool on the ground's surface disappeared along with its nauseating stench. Only the punctured spots on the grassy field remained.

A split second later, Klein returned to the area. He held the same jar in this hand, however, it lacked it previous contents.

His head turned left, and then right, repeatedly.

"What the hell is going on here? Where did all the blood go? Is this a dream? Or, did—"

"You'd soon wish this was a dream. Klein, right? We have a lot to discuss."

Chills ran down Klein's spine as he heard the whisper. Before he could react, a felt a firm grip over his mouth. A stinging pain followed, however, it only last for a second.

At that moment, a thud filled Klein's ears. Lowering his gaze, his eyes landed on a mummified severed hand.

'Huh? No! It couldn't be...' Klein mused.

"I don't have a lot of time to waste. Each time you delay or lie, I will take a body part. Now, Klein, who sent you?" Adam asked.

A premonition of death flashed across Klein's eyes. He couldn't understand what had happened.