IDLE Database - Chapter 99

As seconds passed, the explosion of refined energy, as well as the dust cloud slowly covering the field, brought forth changes in the situation.

Aldrin, who originally divided the four into two groups using his Shadow Clone Concept, was now face-to-face against them.

Caroline and Clark took the vanguard position as the two readied themselves to receive Aldrin’s next move. And behind them, Frederic and Irina decided to coordinate their attacks to at least get a clean hit against their seemingly invincible adversary.

“Mhm… You’re learning but… You shouldn’t have compressed like that!” Aldrin disappeared once more along with his Shadow Clone.

Caroline and Clark thought he’d blink in front of them. Caroline raised her shield to deflect whatever kind of attack he would throw and Clark instinctively thrust his spear forward.

Unfortunately, Aldrin’s currently hateful face didn’t show up, instead, it’s the Shadow Clone.

“Eh?!”

“Wait! Behind you—!”

Clark immediately looked behind but his warning came late. Aldrin’s arm hooked around Irina’s neck and the muzzle of his pistol pressed against her temple.

“Unfortunately, you’re all focused that I will always do frontal attacks. Plus, you all disregard my Shadow Clone. With this, I win once more.” Aldrin said as he pulled Irina away from the other three just in case Frederic or Clark thought that they still had a chance to turn the situation around. Furthermore, through their skin contact, he’s disrupting Irina’s refined energy with his own to interrupt the activation of her Concept.

“That’s enough.” Interjected Janet. She clapped her hands once, taking the five’s attention and pulling them out of their current state.

“That makes this sparring to be three wins in a row in favor of Aldrin. It’s enough chances and I bet you learned a lot from him. Don’t be disheartened though. It’s not that you’re all weak and slow. That guy has just become that strong during the first ten days of this Training Camp. He’s literally bullying all of you in the guise of raising your cooperation.”

Aldrin wryly smiled at that explanation. But he didn’t deny it. He’s approaching the late Stage 1 while the other four were still lying around the early Stage 1. Their current most notable feat was getting the ‘Satisfied’ evaluation from the Metadome Lessons as well as completing their first Concept.

Every day, he’s accumulating experience in a battlefield that’s pitting him against a horde of enemies as well as the near-impossible task to survive against a Champion that, in his estimate, was as strong as a Stage 3 Energy Refiner.

If not for his cheat that could multiply his prowess by paying IDLE Points, it would only be a miracle if he could last for a few seconds or just enough to run towards either the Broodmother or Ant Queen during the last Wave or the last minute of the Challenges from both types of Dungeons.

Only when he purchased the next tier of multiplier one time which cost him additional 6000 IDLE Points did he able to barely match against their strengths. And even with that, he had to use his wits and his experience fighting them over and over to overcome that challenge.

‘In here, I can only bully these guys and those weaker than me… But what I’m aiming to beat is someone at a Stage higher than me. Talk about impossibility…’ Aldrin drifted off to his thoughts and lamented.

His arm that’s holding onto Irina gradually loosened. However, instead of leaving his hold, the woman actually turned the situation into something else. She lowered her arms and let her body weakly lean against Aldrin.

When Clark saw that, on top of being frustrated from the truth Janet had just uttered, he got another critical blow seeing the woman he’s chasing after for years be that intimate to someone else. In his rage, he stomped his foot on the ground and turned around to prevent himself from witnessing Aldrin and Irina be all over each other.

Sadly for him, that reaction mostly went unnoticed.

And seconds later, after gathering near Janet once more, Irina raised a question, something that everyone, including Janet, was probably wondering. “Aldrin, when did you get enlightened to another Concept?”

As he had already expected that question, he had an answer prepared for it.

“Can we keep this a secret? I want to make it my trump card… I only showed it to you guys for that purpose; beating you and nailing that point in your heads that we’ve been neglecting cooperation for our adventure into the Dimensional Rift tomorrow.”

“It’s only natural that we have to keep it a secret! I mean, you can even choose not to answer me. Sorry if I tried prying into your secret.”

“Well, I don’t think I have to keep it from you. I bought it the day you confessed to me. And thanks to my spherical Energy Quintessence, I successfully got enlightened to it.”

Aldrin showed the whites of his teeth as he smiled. He got paid millions by the girl, so, aside from getting a reason that could cover up his decision to get another Concept, it’s also his way to deliver his end of the deal. To purge whatever affection Clark has left for Irina and have the guy give up completely.

“Hmm. Can I interpret that as something you did for me?” Irina’s eyes twinkled in joyous glint, her smile reaching from ear to ear.

“You can say that. I can use it to protect you if things come down to it.”

“Aldrin, thank you!”

Whether that’s also an act on her part, Aldrin had no idea.

However, with that kind of assistance from the woman, Janet and the others from the group had accepted that explanation as to the truth. Even though Janet and Frederic were shuddering from the cringe that they witnessed.

Caroline whispered ‘How nice’ with a twinge of envy while Clark’s gloom darkened further.

For the following minutes after that where it’s the second round of sparring wherein they’re going to use the Metadome themselves, their cooperation was further polished by Aldrin and Janet’s timely inputs where he lacked.

And as he had expected, Clark, despite the gloom and hate that’s probably covering his mind, elected to do something to take Aldrin down a peg.