Ark Undead

Even with the immortal's caresses, the kitten's eyelids seemed to be fighting, and it couldn't be opened no matter how hard it was pulled.

"Goodnight, teacher..."

The girl's breathing gradually calmed down, and she fell into a deep sleep, clutching the immortal man's arm.

The Undead shifted his position slightly, making it easier for Melantha to lean against him.

She's already very tired today, don't wake her up.

Just sleep like this.

"Good night."

The Undead stared at the campfire.

For him, the night was still long.

343. Moving Forward

A clock is a measure of time.

But for PhD students, such a benchmark is too fast and too hasty.

The pen was held tightly in my hand, and the inscription formed by the ink flowed slowly on the paper.

He chased after his predecessors, trying to etch that era into his own hands, but could only catch glimpses of it in his dreams.

Perhaps it's the silent sky of childhood, or perhaps it's the unattainable dream of seeing only a fleeting moment of light throughout one's entire life.

Fragments surviving from countless documents and memories danced merrily in my kaleidoscope-like brain.

He tried to reach out and grab it, but even the afterimage refused to linger in his palm.

"PhD?"

The doctor suddenly realized what was happening. He turned his head and saw a child staring at him with wide eyes.

Amiya?

"You're spacing out again, what's wrong?"

Amiya reached out and touched the Doctor's forehead.

He then muttered a couple of things under his breath, seemingly relieved that the doctor didn't have a fever.

The professor looked down at his hands, his fingers gripping the pen tightly, but he could only leave large ink stains on the paper.

Has she fallen asleep again?

With a heavy sigh, the professor put the pen aside and held his face in his hands.

"I forgot to put the lid on."

Amiya picked up the doctor's pen, removed the cap from the top, and then gently closed it.

"I feel groggy every time I wake up these past few days. Is it because of the air raid sirens a couple of days ago?"

"no."

The doctor knew what Amiya was talking about.

Kal'tsit made a deal with the deep-sea hunter from the ocean.

Even the elite operators only knew that someone had secretly infiltrated Rhodes Island, then breached the walls and kidnapped Specter.

But Kal'tsit still told the Doctor and Amiya about it.

She asked the two of them to keep it a secret and not tell anyone else.

In fact, if she hadn't been worried that the doctor might misjudge the situation because of this, she probably wouldn't have even wanted to tell the doctor.

To be honest, when he first arrived at Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit's attitude towards the Doctor left him feeling lost.

He didn't remember what he had done, nor did he remember whether he knew Kal'tsit or not.

That stranger harbored great hostility towards me the moment we met.

Kal'tsit used the term "traitor" to describe the Doctor on more than one occasion when speaking to him privately.

He didn't know what Kal'tsit had gone through to form such an impression of the Doctor.

However, during this period of time, the doctor would occasionally glimpse images from the past in his dreams.

Even his own attitude and consciousness gradually began to understand Kal'tsit's excessive attitude.

He seemed to understand why Kal'tsit called him a traitor, but he didn't care.

In fact, even though this happened a long time ago.

Kal'tsit also began to try to trust the Doctor again, and their past relationship and feelings were gradually unearthed.

But the doctor still couldn't forget about it.

What exactly did he do?

Betrayal, betrayal of whom?

Is it an individual, or their shared ideal?

Staring blankly at the clumps of ink on the notebook, the professor's mind was in complete turmoil.

He should have grasped something from his memories, but he found nothing.

Amiya gently draped the Doctor's trench coat over his back.

The air conditioning in the library is so cold that it feels icy even in spring.

"Don't forget to sleep with your clothes on."

Amiya gave her instructions, then turned her attention to the documents in front of her.

As Amiya grew up day by day and mastered some of the power belonging to the "Demon King", Kal'tsit finally began to share the burden in her hands with Amiya.

She believed it was time for Amiya to gradually take over some paperwork and some detailed matters concerning Rhodes Island.

The skills he gained in Chernobog have not faded even after several months.

According to Amiya, the Patriot was unguarded when she tried to watch his memories.

Or rather, he needed Amiya to see through him completely.

Even the Doctor had this suspicion: Patriot might know what Amiya's power really is.

What emotions drove that warrior named Patriot to allow Amiya to browse his memories?

Even in the later battle with the Black Serpent, he intentionally guided Amiya to control this power.

Kal'tsit spoke with the Doctor after the war.

The Wendigo clan's secret arts allow them to traverse the river of time, projecting visions of the future into the present.

What kind of future did he foresee that allowed him to make such a decision?

Even the PhD student couldn't figure it out.

If it were him in the past...

Take a deep breath and clear your mind of distractions. Doctor, Doctor, you vaguely remember that you have a very important task to do today.

My biological clock, accurate to the minute and even the second, starts reminding me that it's time.

"Amiya."

"Hmm? What's wrong, Doctor?"

"Time to go to the bridge."

The doctor gently patted the girl's head beside him and then put his arms into the sleeves of his trench coat.

"Today is the day we depart for Victoria."

...

Five days have passed since the Warriors Tournament opened.

Over these five days, the Warriors Tournament, which originally had several hundred participants, finally came to its last day.

From such a vast number of warriors, the best of the best are selected and granted the qualification to participate in the Undying Arena.

After the final day of competition, only sixteen people will remain.

Morton is popular because of his indifference to winning and losing, and his brilliant performances.

After the first day of competition, they earned the opportunity to return to the arena.

Perhaps it was because Morton's connection with Rhodes Island was forged on the very first day with a glass of wine.

In the following days, Morton did not encounter a single operator from Rhodes Island.

They even encountered players who eliminated Rhodes Island operators on two consecutive days.

After Morton had thoroughly punished those warriors with his heavy hammer, he never forgot to wave to the Rhodes Island faction and then clench his fist in an exaggerated expression.

It's like saying it to them.

Look! I've avenged you!

Morton's frank personality and honest appearance quickly won the favor of the people of Rhodes Island.

During the banquet, a group of operators, including Katie, would gather around to listen to Morton boast about his combat exploits on the border battlefield.

Even Instructor Yato and Instructor Dobermann would chat with Morton about interesting stories about the players after a day's battles.

Of course, both of them wanted to recruit Morton to Rhodes Island.

They also have other targets, but right now, Morton is the only one who is associated with Rhodes Island and is quite powerful.

It's worth mentioning that Bloodthorn from Kazimierz and the red-haired girl Surtr also passed through layers of selection.

Bloodthorn is already incredibly powerful on its own, and it's also an operator from the island.

Although the main attackers of Operation A1 encountered Bloodthorn, the battle ended in a relatively amicable atmosphere.

Bloodthorn even pointed out the opponent's weaknesses in combat.

As for Mr. War Knight, who was a guest, his performance over the past few days can only be described as mediocre.