Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 2052: The Girl at the Tar Lake

Adam’s journey began with a Spark talent test at the Morton Observatory. He didn’t have the talent, so he returned home with only a few credits.

But things didn’t go according to plan, and in the end, he had to fight a monster to survive and become a Phantom.

Silvana had heard Adam talk about this many times. She knew full well what had happened at the Tar Lake, not only from his stories, but also from reviewing the official records once she gained access to them.

Still, it remained the only significant battle on Adam’s path where Silvana wasn’t present. She was an Operator, and until Adam became a Phantom, they simply had no reason to know each other or work together.

Thus, Silvana wasn’t with Adam at that moment, and she didn’t see exactly what happened then.

Well, it was time to change that.

Now she was inside the old crate, with chunks of flesh from the previously exploded Spark Seeker scattered across the floor.

Silvana tried to make out anything in the darkness. Her confusion and fear quickly turned to disgust when she felt blood on her fingers, and a sharp metallic smell hit her nose.

Then, her eyes widened as she began to recall what Adam had said about his first fight.

"This... Is this the very crate Adam ended up in because of Aiden’s mistake?" Silvana muttered as realization struck her.

Then, she turned around, remembering what was about to happen.

Crash!

The crate slammed into something as if it had been washed ashore.

Silence.

Nothing happened for a moment, but Silvana held her breath. She knew a monster was already moving toward her.

Its sharp claws pierced the thick metal, forcing Silvana to step back. The monster, with its elongated jaw, pushed its way inside as its long paws, each bearing two sharp claws, tore open the front of the crate, revealing the corpse of the Spark Seeker in the distance.

Silvana held her breath, pressing herself against the wall.

She knew what kind of monster it was.

"Two-Clawed Cat..."

Not counting the Spark Seeker at Morton Observatory, this was the first monster Adam had ever encountered.

But he wasn’t the one who killed this monster. At that moment, he was too terrified and could barely breathe, let alone fight the monster with his bare hands.

Whooooooosh!

The massive lance with its spinning tip pierced the monster’s chest, tearing the Two-Clawed Cat to pieces. After all, it was a weak monster, even for the K0-Phantoms.

Silvana glanced to the side only to see a man wearing steampunk glasses and long, desert-style clothes meant to protect him from strong winds.

He absorbed the monster’s gene, pulled his lance out of the corpse, and looked at Silvana.

"Girl? Hmm? What are you doing here?" He tilted his head, confused.

Silvana’s pupils contracted as she realized something.

’These aren’t just memories, they’re also an illusion. Adam should be in my place. That’s what actually happened. I’ve never been here, yet he sees me.’

"Well, I just got a gene and saved someone. Sounds pretty good, right?"

The man smiled and leaned forward, holding out his hand to her.

"Come on, I’ll help you get out of here. Grab my hand."

Silvana gulped.

Whooooooosh!

At that very moment, a thread no thicker than a human hair sliced through the man’s neck.

His head crashed to the ground as a stream of blood gushed toward Silvana.

Without wasting a moment, she lunged forward and grabbed the man’s lance. Now it was her weapon.

"If he saw me, then I can influence these memories. After all, I’m not just looking into Adam’s past, I’m going through my own trial. I need to understand what he had to endure just to at least meet me, rather than dying right here."

Step.

Silvana stepped out of the crate, knowing what awaited her on the other side.

It was the Silver Weaver, the very same monster Adam had killed more than two years ago. It was exhausted and wounded, having been moving toward weaker territories for a long time.

No one knew exactly what had driven this Silver Weaver to the tar lake. But it was obvious that, before this, it had either lost a battle or encountered some kind of anomaly.

If the Silver Weaver had been at full strength, Adam would never have been able to kill it, especially using another Phantom’s weapon. All he had back then was a sturdy, heavy weapon with a sharp tip. He had no access to energy or abilities.

Clutch.

Silvana’s grip around the lance tightened as her jaw clenched.

"Ghra..."

The Silver Weaver let out a deep rasp as its sharp claws flashed.

At that very moment, several silver threads shot toward Silvana, intent on cutting her to pieces.

Adam didn’t leave the crate. He defeated the monster right there. Silvana had already altered the course of this memory, and that wasn’t a good thing.

’If Adam had acted the way I’m acting now, those threads would have severed his arms and legs. He would have died. Either way, I don’t want to repeat his actions, I want to forge my own path to victory!’

Her eyes blazed with a bright fire as she leaped forward, darting between two threads before they could close in on her.

In the end, the silver threads only cut the edge of the crate, while Silvana ran toward the Silver Weaver on the right.

Now, she not only wanted to win, but she was also full of rage. She was furious after what the Lost Sun had told her.

"You..." Silvana growled, seeing the Silver Weaver from Adam’s inner space instead of a monster. "We’re allies, and you’re just as close to Adam as I am. But that doesn’t mean I’ll lose to you!"

In a sudden movement, Silvana stepped forward, grabbed the lance with both hands, and thrust it straight into the Silver Weaver’s neck.

Then, she pressed a button, causing the tip to spin like a drill, tearing the Silver Weaver’s neck to pieces as its head flew off to the side, reflecting in Silvana’s green eyes, which were filled with the desire to achieve victory.