No matter how one looked at it, humanity was screwed.
Now that a Dragon Lord had arrived here, there was no hope for survival in the slightest.
Even if they managed to fend off the Dragon Lord—an impossible feat on its own—this would only alert the other Dragon Lords, which could inevitably spiral into a more devastating situation.
"If we tell the Dragon Lord what he wants, there's a chance he might leave us alone, right? Why don't we go with that?" Lucielle spoke up, her voice oozing with concern.
The bright smile she usually had was gone, and nothing but pure seriousness remained.
She was staring at Adonis, as was everyone who had gathered in a circle. The bodies of their unconscious allies were still laying on the ground, and while Lucielle managed to give them emergency potions, they were yet to gain consciousness.
Only Brutus, Belle, Alicia, Adonis, and the Grand Mage herself, were gathered around in the circle; discussing their next move.
Well, it wasn't more of a discussion and more like haphazard suggestions.
"That won't work." Adonis sighed, shaking his head slowly.
No matter what suggestions were made, he always shot it down with a valid point that completely rendered it non-feasible.
"Even if he spares us, which I highly doubt, you can be guaranteed that he'll send a horde of Dragons to burn this place to the ground."
None of the denizens of the city—them included—would even have any time to recover.
"We could escape within that moment of grace, couldn't we? There are secret paths that—!"
"The Dragons aren't stupid. They are sure to prepare for that." Adonis responded, shaking his head even further as he gritted his teeth. "All of this… it all started with the emergence of that first Commander."
If only they never met that thing, none of this would have happened.
"Are you blaming Sir Ralyks right now? Are you saying all of this is his fault because he killed that Commander?" Belle swiftly spoke up, her brows furrowed very narrowly as she glared deeply at Adonis.
"Should he have let the Commander run rampant and kill all of us?!"
"T-that wasn't what I… haaa, just forget I said anything." Adonis made a big sigh, regretting his choice of words.
Thankfully, Belle was appeased by that, so she kept quiet.
"What now? What can we do to ensure the best of results?" Brutus' deep voice interrupted the tense atmosphere, and he cast his gaze specifically towards the Hero.
"You have something in mind, don't you?"
For a moment, Adonis said nothing. He just let his thoughts marinate a bit, soaking in the tense situation and the inevitable return of the supreme adversary.
But, after a few seconds… he opened his lips and let out what he considered the only way out.
"We have to fight and win against the Dragon Lord."
The moment he said this, Adonis was greeted with surprise. One would think that he, more than anyone else, would know how impossible of a task that was.
It was insane, if not suicidal, to think of such a thing as the only feasible solution.
"What do you mean? Can you elaborate?" Brutus, rather than judging him or wallowing in the impossibility of the suggestion, went on to ask.
There was no way Adonis would have said something so absurd without a reason. Every person in the room knew that, which was why they did not instantly speak against his words.
They simply waited for an explanation.
~VWUSH~
In a flash of energy, something emerged from Adonis' outstretched hand. It was a dark cube, one that pulsated with a forbidden power.
—The Unknown Box.
"This is the only thing that can help us out now." Adonis muttered, staring at the item which floated above his palm.
The box bounced steadily in the air, warbling with invitation as everyone stared keenly at it.
"It allows its user to temporarily awaken and use the full potential of a Skill, without any Mana Charge or drawbacks… once per day."
Adonis had used this in the Grand Calamity Class Dungeon, so the Otherworlders could already testify to its power.
"There's something else about it, though…" Adonis furrowed his brows as he continued. "... This item isn't restricted to only one wielder."
The moment everyone—particularly the Otherworlders—
heard this, they gasped.
"H-hold on, are you saying we can use it as well?" Belle asked, her nearly bulging eyes staring at the item.
"Yes." Adonis nodded.
Despite admitting to this, though, his expression remained more grim than optimistic.
"There's a catch, isn't there?"
The sudden question caused everyone to tremble in surprise. They were stunned by what was asked, sure, but more surprised by the one who asked it.
The group instantly stared at Alicia, who had remained quiet until now.
"How did you guess?" Adonis asked, his lips forming a sad, wry smile.
"You would have suggested its use earlier, when fighting the Dragons… no, even before then. During the Grand Calamity Dungeon."
The fact that Adonis never suggested the use of the Unknown Box—not even once—showed that there was something about it that made the Item undesirable to use.
"Am I wrong?" Alicia stared coldly at Adonis while asking.
There didn't seem to be any particular emotion in her eyes at all. It just seemed dull and somewhat dark.
It caused Adonis to shiver a little, but he shook his head regardless.
"No. You're spot on, actually." After speaking to her, he turned to everyone else, sighing as he revealed the problem with the cube.
"It's a cursed item. Using it will cast a random curse upon the target—one that is permanent."
Shock coursed through those who heard this, but Adonis was not done.
"The curse varies. It could be something as simple as being allergic to a certain food, or being crippled forever. It's random, but the effects are permanent."
"B-but why would Sir Ralyks give you such an Item if its so cursed?!" Belle raised her voice as she stared at the item with newfound caution.
"Because my Hero Class prevents curses from working on me. Most curses won't affect me, and the few that do wear off eventually."
In essence, only Adonis could properly use the Unknown Box.
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Thanks for reading!
Can anyone project what will happen from here? I am a bit glad that no one has guessed it yet…
