Adam didn't answer as he just looked at her.
The woman smiled lightly.
"I know you already have a team."
She said.
"But I'd still like to make an attempt at recruiting you into ours."
She gestured at the three behind her.
"We've cleared boss floors together since the first floor, so I can assure you that our efficiency as a team is high. We're aiming for the top, nothing less."
Adam glanced at the group.
They looked prepared and professional... but that didn't an much on its own.
He gave her a small nod, just enough to show he was listening.
He had no intention of actually joining.
But hearing what other teams had to offer gave him a better picture of who was worth watching.
It was just habit at this point.
Back in his last life, when he used to lead squads in real combat, gathering intel like this was second nature.
The woman seed to catch on.
"I'm Dana."
She said.
"My ability is [Insight Chain]. I can see partial information about people's powers... the closer we are physically, the more detailed it gets."
Adam's expression didn't change, but his eyes sharpened slightly.
That was definitely quite a useful ability...
Dana continued.
"That's all I'll be revealing for now. But I can assure you… the others on my team are just as capable. One of them is a movent-type specialist. Another is a burst-type caster. And our fourth is a defender who can delay entire squads. We're not weak, and we don't plan on losing."
Adam didn't reply right away.
He looked at her calmly, then at the three behind her.
"Not bad."
He finally said.
"I'll think about it."
Dana smiled.
"I'll take that as a complint."
He turned back toward the board.
[143/160]
Only a few more left.
Dana gave him one last nod before turning around.
Her team followed.
Kristoff, who had watched the entire conversation from a distance, stepped beside Adam with a raised brow.
"…You're not actually thinking of joining them, right?"
Adam scoffed.
"No."
Kristoff blinked.
"Then why'd you let her talk for so long?"
Adam glanced at him.
"Information. That's all."
Kristoff scratched the back of his head.
"Man, you're like a battle nerd."
Adam didn't deny it..
...
Dana turned the corner and kept walking until she was out of sight.
Suddenly...
Her steps got shaky as her chest tightened.
She finally dropped to her knees and threw up on the floor.
"Dana!"
Riven rushed to her side, kneeling next to her.
"What's wrong?!"
Her whole body trembled.
She didn't answer.
"Talk to . What happened?"
He asked again, more carefully this ti.
The rest of the team stood nearby, frozen in place.
Dana coughed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, then looked up.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
"I... I tried to see his ability…"
Kael's expression shifted.
"Whose?"
"The Chosen Conduit's..."
She breathed out.
"I looked just a little. Just to get a sense of what he had..."
She looked like she was forcing herself to stay still.
Her hands were shaking.
Mira stepped forward.
"And…? What did you see?"
Dana's mouth opened, but no words ca out at first.
She looked like she was trying to speak through a choking feeling in her throat.
"There were… eyes. So many of them. Watching . Not from him… but from sowhere else. Far away and just staring..."
Riven frowned.
"What kind of ability is that..."
"I don't know!"
Dana snapped, her voice cracking.
"I couldn't see anything... just those eyes. The mont I looked into him, it was like sothing looked back...."
Her teammates went quiet.
Dana's voice got quieter.
"They weren't passive either. They were curious. Like I was a bug they found crawling sowhere I shouldn't be."
She clenched her fists, pressing them against the floor to stop herself from shaking.
"If we ever get matched up against him… we're not fighting."
Kael opened his mouth, but she cut him off.
"I an it. I don't care if we get to the finals."
Mira took a slow breath.
"Dana, it could've just been so kind of illusion—"
"It wasn't!"
Dana said, eyes locked to the floor.
"We'll die if we go against him..."
There was no arguing with her after that.
...
'She definitely checked my abilities while she was talking to …'
Adam narrowed his eyes slightly as the thought crossed his mind.
He wasn't too bothered by it.
Even if his abilities were exposed, it wouldn't really matter.
He could defend himself just fine even if people knew what he could do.
'Still… I wonder which part she actually saw?'
He leaned back on the rock he'd chosen to rest on, his eyes drifting across the open area.
A few Hunters were walking around, either preparing for their matches or chatting in small groups.
It was calm now, but tension still hung in the air.
As Adam settled in, he noticed a group heading his way.
There were five of them... although none looked particularly special.
No flashy weapons or rare gear, just regular combat clothes... and their looks were average as well.
At first, he thought it was another team trying to recruit him.
But then he realized sothing.
'Hmm… but there's five of them already. That's a full team.'
His expression hardened a little.
He didn't say anything at first, just stared quietly until they got close enough.
The man in front raised a hand casually.
"What is it?"
Adam finally said, his tone sharp and warning.
He didn't like being bothered for no reason.
The man didn't flinch.
He just smiled like he had expected the reaction.
"Relax. These are my puppets."
Hearing that word, Adam's expression didn't change, but his thoughts did.
'Puppets...'
He instantly thought of Celestia.
She'd ntioned sothing about this before...
How she would use puppets on the fifth floor and how she'd enter teams into the tournant, all to help him kill Elaric.
"Celestia,"
He said flatly.
A small smile ford on the puppet's face.
"I figured you'd recognize ."
She replied, stepping forward while the other four stood still like statues.
Adam looked at the other puppets briefly, then back at her.
"You're using these bodies to fight?"
Celestia gave a calm nod.
"Worried about them?"
She asked with a light chuckle.
"Don't be, these are all the bodies of people who've either committed rape, murder, and other various cris that people would deem highly immoral."
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