Against the Five

Kin didn't believe it and was constantly asking Crystal about the details of his mysterious man, whom Crystal claimed was her boyfriend.

As for Crystal, he only used Adam to push back people she knew would be interested.

"They caused… the mountain range to collapse?!"

"You best keep this a secret, Kin. The Temple I speak of is at the heart of the collapse. In fact, it's what caused this calamity in the region. The fight was… incredible. I've never seen anything like it. Challengers were fighting against a Monster of Antiquity. I was the sacrifice that they planned to offer to the monster. My cold affinity and the frost of an Ice Heart Maiden would have been perfect to drowse the beasts to sleep. But the beast awoke and chose not to eat me. The five captors arrived, and a great battle occurred. But right as the battle was about to end, he arrived."

"Your… boyfriend?" Kin listened.

"Yes. We were trapped within a safe gap we found in the mountain. He used his Challenger powers to save us. And well, that's where we got to know each other better. He taught me how to use my powers." Crystal held out her hand, and the ice formed.

"He is also the one who helped me tame this Raptor. He said that it's a special breed. This was the lord of the Hunter Raptor Mountain. But apparently, it's a mutation. This Raptor was lucky enough to eat the remains of a Jurassic Dragon and gain much of its power." Crystal explained. This would be the story that she planned to reveal to the world.

But as Crystal relayed this story, she could not help but think of the heavenly moments a day ago when her lips would always be less than a foot away from his.

"Wow… To think that you'd meet a man of legend. It sounds… so unbelievable!"

"How do you explain the Raptor then? Do you know of any beast tamer with a raptor? Besides… our link is even more incredible than you think."

"No, I guessed that. The actions of the Raptor were so precise. You didn't have to order it with commands. It just moved and knew what to do. That was one of the things that shocked me the most… But where is that man."

"...He left. He was on an incredible mission. The kidnappers that took me in were part of a massive organization. Challengers were just soldiers to them. He is fighting that and is probably… off to draw away the attention from here."

The more Crystal talked about Adam, the more he realized that his exit would mean that Adam would attempt to draw away all attention from her just as she did with Mattia.

Kin was also shocked. Here was one of the women he longed for and dreamt of secretly. He had seen her tears and pain growing up and even vowed to be a man who would be strong enough for her. But he could only sigh.

"Heh… And here I thought I finally had a chance with you. I guess being an Arvus isn't enough. You've already killed one…" Kin gave a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, Kin. I don't even have many memories of you. That Challenger said that there was a terrifying curse at work. The curse is cruel. It aimed to keep me crying. You've been watching my life, weren't you? Did you notice? Events would always attack me, though it won't slay me, but it would keep my heart shattered as one would break the ice."

"...I have. That was one of the reasons I wanted to be strong. But I'm happy. Seeing you now, no longer in tears but strong enough to fight back, is also good. At least you won't cry anymore."

"I'm tired of crying. I want to fight back."

"How can I help?"

"...You don't know what you're asking. The curse yearns to keep me in tears. I am not destined to have friends. That's how terrifying the curse is. You might laugh it off or think I'm being paranoid. But the curse will kill you if you try to be my friend. I'm not joking. I found a powerful person who understood the same curse I had been through, and he had to leave me because the curse would only amplify if the two of us were together. I will do this alone."

"The way I see it, you need as much help as you can get. Look, I'm happy you are strong and have found a guy. But the fact is, he's not here right now. I've completed two tests as an Arvus. That gives me some skills. And honestly, I feel that I could take on an Arvus for a time."

Crystal smirked as if she had heard an absurd joke.

"You don't know what you're asking."

"I've seen things too, Crystal. I can already make some connections. Let me ask you this... Your kidnappers, there were five of them, right?"

Crystal was surprised at Kin's words.

"How… how did you know?!"

"You think they only sent Challengers? There are Brayvions and Arvus teams of Five. It's an organization that always operates based on the power of Five. A mysterious group. I didn't know they had Challengers until you said it."

"You've met them in your adventures?!"

"I did. The first test, where the next blessing of the Arvus was, ended up in a massacre. I've been traveling without showing my power because I was the lone survivor of this test. The Five men who took part in the test were already Arvus. They killed everyone who took part in it. I was lucky enough to survive because they thought I was dead. I managed to take away the blessing of that Test. In fact…" Kin took something from his pocket. It was an orb with the symbol of an eye.

"What is that?" Crystal could sense a strange power from the orb.

"I'm not sure. But the Sage Spirit that managed the test told me to get this orb. Here was the power of the Test. The spirit examiner sensed that the Five I met sought to take away the power of these Tests. Like you, I'm on a mission against the Five!"