Chapter 378
Chapter 378
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 378
Chapter Title: Interspecies War (17)
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Adora's final words pierced the eardrums and hearts of everyone in the tent like a finely honed ice pick.
The fragile trust and faith in one another that they had barely held onto after Lee Hyuk-soo's words moments ago shattered into pieces at her single statement.
"……!"
Reaper Johnson unwittingly took a step back, instinctively adopting a guarded stance toward his surrounding comrades.
Confusion flickered in his eyes.
A seed of doubt—what if?—sprang up rapidly.
"You mean... there might be a traitor among us?"
Adrianne's voice was low and subdued, but it carried a mix of fury and an unbearable unease.
She swept a sharp gaze over every team member except Lee Hyuk-soo.
Ling-Ling silently gripped her dagger even tighter.
Her senses were heightened to the extreme, catching even the slightest changes in her comrades' breathing or the tiniest twitch of facial muscles.
If there truly was a traitor, she would be the first to eliminate them.
And Han Shin.
His face remained expressionless as always, but his eyes gleamed colder and sharper than ever.
He didn't deny Adora's words.
On the contrary, he thought they made perfect sense.
That was the nature of the Abyss—and this interspecies war.
Han Shin stared at Adora for a moment before slowly scanning the other team members, his gaze predatory, like a beast sizing up prey.
'Interesting.'
A chill of tension flowed wherever his eyes lingered.
Lee Hyuk-soo watched the entire scene unfold with a heavy heart.
Adora's warning might have been necessary, but her method was far too extreme.
What they needed now wasn't distrust and suspicion, but to band together somehow and push through the next trial.
"Adora, that was too far. I'd appreciate it if you held back on stirring up discord without solid proof."
Lee Hyuk-soo tried to rein her in with a low voice, but Adora's expression remained impassive.
If anything—
"I'm certain."
Her resolute tone was enough to freeze the air around them solid.
Her eyes slowly swept over each team member one by one.
Lee Hyuk-soo found himself momentarily at a loss for words in the face of her unyielding conviction.
No matter how much he emphasized faith and trust as the team leader, he couldn't ignore the weight of Adora's assertion—the one closest to Park Chan-woo, who might know everything about him.
"……What makes you so certain, Adora?"
"Because I've already received one."
Every team member, Lee Hyuk-soo included, stared at her in stunned silence, their thoughts grinding to a halt.
They had been eyeing each other with suspicion and anxiety just moments before, but none of them could have imagined Adora—their prime suspect—being the traitor.
She was Park Chan-woo's strongest ally and a core pillar of the team's strength.
"……What did you say?"
Reaper Johnson recovered first.
His face twisted in disbelief, clinging to the faint hope that this was all some cruel joke by Adora.
"You mean... you got a message about betrayal?"
"Yes. More precisely, an 'offer.'"
She continued.
"Warriors from various species sent me messages. Tempting me with all sorts of benefits."
[Sender: Steel Talon Clan]
Target: Adora (or humanity's strongest representative)
Offer: Betray the Windtrace Clan first by eliminating their main warriors and handing over their key strongholds to the Steel Talons. In return: mutual non-aggression pact and full support.
Memo: Wind is untrustworthy by nature. We Steel Talons value strength and oaths. We await your wise decision.
[Sender: Coremind]
Target: Adora
Offer: Induce humanity's defeat. Immediate access to partial 'ancient tech' archives and one combat colossal construct.
Memo: Emotions are imperfect. We prefer efficient transactions. What you need isn't power, but knowledge.
[Sender: Twilight Clan]
Target: Adora
Offer: Join us. Promise of protection and support from the ancient spirit realm.
Memo: You transcend human limits. We will embrace you. Join us now.
[Sender: Nightshadow Clan]
Target: Adora
Offer: Abandon humanity and join the Nightshadow Clan. Guarantee safety for all humanity in the next round, plus vast Abyss Coins and rare resources.
Memo: In chaos, only shadows survive. We grant opportunities only to those we need. Forsake the human faction, and we shall grant you boundless glory.
"……."
"……."
The contents were shocking.
It went beyond mere possibility of a traitor among them. The fact that such specific, outrageous offers had been pouring in to their core powerhouse, Adora.
And that she had kept it all hidden until now plunged the rest into overwhelming chaos and distrust.
"So that's what 'no penalty for betrayal' means...?"
Reaper Johnson muttered in a hollow voice.
His eyes were fixed on the floating mana letters, but unfocused.
"Betray humanity and side with another race, huh?"
Adrianne's voice dripped with raw anger.
She clenched her fists, looking ready to lunge at Adora any second.
Ling-Ling stared silently at Adora.
Her gaze was colder and sharper than ever.
She refused to look away even for a moment, trying to read the slightest emotional shift on Adora's face.
What was the true intent behind revealing all these offers? And what choice would she make?
"Steel Talon Clan, Coremind, Twilight Clan, Nightshadow Clan."
Han Shin murmured lowly, confirming each sender.
All mid-tier seeds.
It meant they all clearly recognized 'Adora' as a threat.
"Did you really receive offers like those?"
Han Min-oh asked in a trembling voice.
Adora brushed off all the stares and questions with indifference.
"Yes. And these are just the tip of the iceberg. In places you can't see, more beings are making secret offers—to me, or to each of you."
Her words felt like an ultimatum.
"So what do you plan to do, Adora?"
Finally, Lee Hyuk-soo spoke heavily.
His voice was deeply subdued, laced with the desperation of a leader who had to salvage this somehow.
His eyes locked onto her.
"Any of those offers... catch your eye?"
At his question, the tent's air froze once more.
All team members held their breath, awaiting Adora's reply.
Her next words might decide not just the representative team's fate, but humanity's as a whole.
And at last, she spoke.
"Who knows."
Adora shrugged nonchalantly.
"If the terms are good enough, isn't the heart always free to change?"
Her words snapped the last fraying thread of trust in the already摇摇欲坠 human representative team.
Her crimson eyes revealed no true intent, merely observing the team's turmoil.
"……You!"
Adrianne exploded first.
Unable to hold back any longer, she drew her sword from her waist and pointed it at Adora.
"Are you really planning to betray us? Fall for those bastards' offers?!"
Her voice brimmed with rage.
Reaper Johnson was the same.
He was already in combat stance, wary of Adora's every move.
"Hey, Adora. You'd better say it's a joke right now. Or else... I won't stand by."
Killing intent laced his voice.
If Adora truly turned, she'd become the team's worst enemy.
Ling-Ling wordlessly moved to Adrianne's side.
A black dagger gleamed menacingly in her hand.
She knew Adora's power well, but if betrayal came, she'd fight to the death to stop her.
Everyone was poised to unite their strength.
In response, Adora shook her head with a sigh.
"'No penalty for betrayal' means exactly this. Races short on warriors will do anything to fill their ranks, using every trick to pull the strong to their side."
"…So what now?"
"Without true bonds, we'll fracture and perish. But relying on simple faith alone can't withstand all these 'temptations.'"
Her words echoed like prophecy in their minds.
Simple faith isn't enough.
Then what was needed?
They stared at Adora with varied expressions—some awaiting her next words, others still doubting her motives, a few already resigned.
"So... what are you saying we do, Adora?"
Lee Hyuk-soo finally spoke heavily once more.
His voice carried deep fatigue, yet the unyielding responsibility of leadership to turn this around.
"If not simple faith, what binds us? Hold knives to each other's throats and watch constantly?"
"Exactly."
"……What?"
Lee Hyuk-soo scowled.
Adora concluded at last.
"Swear to the Herald of Oaths. Stake your hearts and souls."
"……Adora. We're comrades. Didn't we agree to trust and fight together? Why suggest something so extreme all of a sudden?"
Adora maintained her signature impassive expression even at Lee Hyuk-soo's reaction.
"Faith, trust. Haven't you learned by now how worthless such sentimental words are in the Abyss?"
Her gaze pointed to the floating betrayal offers.
"That's the proof. No matter how much you trust each other, before irresistible temptations, that resolve crumbles like a sandcastle. Especially in this trial with 'no penalty for betrayal.'"
She declared:
"Anyone refusing the oath will be deemed a traitor."
That was when—
"Count me out."
Han Shin shrugged, rejecting the oath outright.