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Maybe it was because the demon leading their section had died, but no organized attacks came before Russell's team got relieved. The replacement crew showed up right on schedule, looking fresh and alert compared to Russell's exhausted group.
Then they saw the teacups.
The new arrivals stared in obvious confusion at Russell and his teammates casually sipping tea from old-style porcelain cups, sitting around like they were having a picnic instead of holding a defensive position.
"Wait, is it really that easy today?" one of the replacement cardmakers muttered, looking between the tea setup and the suspiciously calm battlefield.
Russell caught the comment and had to suppress a laugh. If only they knew what happened an hour ago.
After completing the handover procedures, Russell and his two teammates headed back to the main camp. When they arrived, an administrator informed them that the overall mission had been completed and they were cleared to evacuate.
"That's it?" Russell blinked in surprise. "We're done already?"
Nolan, who'd been through this before, shook his head. "Russell, you're missing the bigger picture. We're not the only cardmakers who entered this pocket dimension. There are also elite teams running assassination missions against high-value targets. Sounds like they completed their objective, which means the demon command structure probably collapsed."
That made sense. Take out the leadership, and organized resistance fell apart pretty quick. According to normal procedures, after clearing the dangerous stuff, a pocket dimension like this would become a training ground for students. But given the current situation with pocket dimensions popping up everywhere, the Association would probably just exterminate everything and seal it.
Russell's thoughts immediately went to Hazel. She was almost certainly part of one of those elite assassination teams - her diamond-level power would be wasted on defensive line work. Plus, knowing her personality, there was no way she'd voluntarily come to such a crowded, chaotic battlefield unless she had a specific high-priority mission. Staying home reading books was way more her style.
Senior sister has it rough too, Russell thought with sympathy. After spending months as her student, he'd figured out that her cold exterior was mostly a defense mechanism. She just didn't know how to interact with people comfortably, so she put up walls and pretended to be aloof.
Following Nolan's lead, Russell made his way back through the pocket dimension to the exit portal. Stepping through into the cool night air of normal reality felt surreal after hours in that hellish warzone.
"Huh," Russell said, looking up at the dark sky. "I didn't expect my first legion mission to end like this."
Sure, it had been terrifying in places - that flesh giant attack would haunt his dreams for a while - but overall, things had gone well. More importantly, he now had a much better understanding of Fubuki's defensive limits.
Nolan scratched his head. "Yeah, this was unusually fast for me too. Legion missions usually take at least ten days to two weeks. But I guess the Association's being serious about handling these pocket dimensions quickly."
Made sense, Russell thought. The higher-ups must know something about why pocket dimensions kept appearing. With the frequency increasing, cutting through problems fast was probably the smart move.
Russell's mind drifted to darker thoughts. Based on what he'd learned, these pocket dimensions might have been worlds like theirs once. Just conquered, transformed, enslaved. If Earth got turned into a pocket dimension... well, it'd probably be one of the strongest ones, given the power levels here.
Better pray that never happens, Russell thought with a chill. What's the point of becoming Palace-level if you end up on a leash like those pocket dimension monsters?
After registering his successful mission completion with the administrator, Russell said goodbye to Nolan and Luke. Both men looked dead on their feet.
He made his way home through shadow-space, too tired to care about showing off. When he finally collapsed onto his new custom bed - oversized and incredibly soft, designed specifically for certain... activities - relief washed over him in waves.
Russell lay there for a few minutes, just breathing. He was about to drag himself up for some meditation when a memory surfaced: the promise he'd made to Fubuki in the pocket dimension.
A wicked grin spread across his face. Well, a promise is a promise. And I did say I'd make things fair for everyone.
He summoned all the girls at once.
"Alright ladies," Russell announced with exaggerated confidence. "Today, I'm going all in."
What followed was... memorable.
"Nami, how does my technique compare to your weather manipulation?" Russell asked at one point, earning an exasperated laugh.
"Kiss-Shot, you can't actually bite through the skin, so don't—hey, not like that!"
"Captain Unohana, do these moves count as experiencing your combat style?"
"Lily, don't worry, I'll make sure you get plenty of magical energy this time."
"Fubuki, use your telekinesis to move yourself. I'm exhausted."
Several pairs of eyes stared at him with varying degrees of amusement and exasperation.
Today, I am absolutely the protagonist of one of those harem stories, Russell thought with zero shame. And I'm completely okay with that.
Several days passed in a blur of recovery and relaxation. Northgate University still hadn't announced when classes would resume, giving Russell an unexpected vacation. He spent most of it meditating, processing the experience of fighting alongside a gold-level commander.
The intense battle had done something to his mental capacity - he could feel the expansion, the new space available for another silver-level card. The only thing holding him back was waiting for the Association's point rewards to arrive.
Should be any day now, Russell thought, scrolling through his phone while eating lunch. His Shadowkhan had gotten really good at cooking - today's meal was some kind of stir-fry that rivaled restaurant quality.
Ding. You have new points to check.
Russell nearly dropped his phone. "Finally!" He quickly navigated to the points platform, eager to see the reward.
The number that appeared on screen made him do a double-take.
"Fifteen thousand?!"
He stared at the display, convinced he'd misread. But no, those zeros were definitely there. Fifteen thousand points - that was more than seven times what he'd earned from a single practical training mission.
Okay, calm down, Russell told himself, though his heart was racing. Let's break this down logically.
The points weren't all from one source. There would be rewards for escorting civilians during the initial invasion - probably around 2,000 points for that. The support mission where he'd saved Wade's abandoned civilians and helped kill demons - maybe 3,000 for that. Which meant the pocket dimension battle, including helping kill that gold-level flesh giant, had netted him a solid 10,000 points.
That's actually fair compensation for almost dying multiple times, he decided. Though I'm not complaining about the amount.
With this kind of wealth, he could easily afford materials for his next card - Nel Tu - with plenty left over. The only question was whether to save the excess or spend it on something else.
"I'm running low on utility cards too," Russell muttered to himself. "After I make Nel, maybe look into some more versatile options."
But another possibility was nagging at him. With this many points, he could potentially start working on a field card for Hueco Mundo. If he could create Las Noches to pair with Seireitei, the synergy effects would be incredible.
Let's see what's available.
He spent the next hour browsing, cross-referencing different components and checking prices. Most of what he needed for Nel was already in his possession - he just needed one more piece to complete the set.
Then something caught his eye. A material listing that looked almost identical to the [Man-Eating Antelope] he'd harvested from the flesh giant's remains.
Silver-level material [Man-Eating Antelope] (Red), priced at 6,100 points.
Russell leaned forward, reading the description carefully. The name was nearly identical, just one word different, but the quality jump from blue to red was massive. This had to be from the same pocket dimension - probably harvested from one of the larger, more powerful antelope demons he'd seen during the legion battle.
"Red quality material," he breathed, excitement building. "I've never even seen colored materials for sale before."
This changed his plans for Nel significantly. He'd been prepared to create her at standard power levels, but with red-quality materials in the mix, he could push her strength higher. Maybe even include a weakened version of her Resurrección transformation - something the original Nel Tu couldn't do.
Russell's finger hovered over the purchase button for a moment, double-checking his math. 6,100 points was a significant chunk of his reward, but it was worth it for this kind of quality upgrade.
Screw it. I've got the points, and this opportunity might not come again.
He tapped the screen.
"Transaction successful."
The notification chime was crisp and final. Russell felt a mix of excitement and mild panic looking at his reduced point balance. He'd just spent almost half his reward on materials.
But as the system confirmed delivery and the [Man-Eating Antelope] (Red) appeared in his inventory, Russell couldn't help but grin.
This is going to be worth it.
(End of this chapter)
PLZ throw powerstones