Utopian System

The hours that followed were torture.

The group took turns watching the crystal, waiting for any sign of change or the return of the five rebels.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, footsteps were heard approaching.

Elio appeared, his expression changing from curiosity to concern as he saw the tense faces of his team.

"What's this crystal? Why the long faces? What happened?" he asked worriedly.

Zara stepped forward, taking responsibility for informing him. "Elio, we have a problem," she began, her voice trembling. "Five of the soldiers... the ones Taron was watching..."

Elio listened in silence as Zara and the others recounted the events.

The discovery, the initial discussion, the moment of distraction, the sudden action of the five soldiers, and the crystal's message that prevented them from following.

With each word, Elio's face darkened more.

When they finished speaking, the silence that followed was heavy, laden with implications.

"I understand," Elio finally said, his voice controlled but with an underlying tone of steel. "They've made a decision... Listen everyone, when those soldiers come out of the crystal, we must be prepared for any eventuality. It's possible they'll return with power that exceeds our expectations."

He paused, making sure everyone understood the importance of his words.

"That's why most of us must remain in front of the crystal. We need to be ready to attack together if necessary. We can't take risks."

Zara nodded, understanding the strategy. "Do you think they'll be that powerful?"

Elio sighed, remembering what he had seen on the surface. "I don't know for certain, but after what I've seen, we can't underestimate anything related to that crystal or the mana deposit."

The others leaned forward, eager to hear what Elio had discovered.

He told them about his ascent.

"The mana deposit," he said, his voice low but intense, "isn't simply a deposit. It's a mountain, and at its summit..."

He paused, recalling the vision he had witnessed. "At its summit, there's a beam of light, and from that same peak, endless swarms of Locus emerge."

A murmur of awe and horror ran through the group. Micah was the first to find his voice. "Are you saying this deposit is the source of the Locus?"

Elio nodded gravely. "It seems so. This and the other deposits we've been searching for, our hope of saving the city, are also the source of our concerns."

♢♢♢♢

Elio stood before the crystal at the entrance of the challenge.

He still couldn't believe what had happened.

The silence was broken by the sound of crystal transportation.

The soldier, the lone survivor of the challenge, emerged from the crystal, his eyes blinking to adjust to the light.

Before he could say a word, he found himself trapped in a carbon barrier, courtesy of Brok.

Elio stepped forward, his voice as cold as ice. "Are you ready to die? Since you're alone, I want to hear your excuse now... Tell us in front of everyone why you did it."

The soldier, eyes wide, began to stammer. "Wait, Von Elio! It's not what it seems. I... I just wanted to survive. I brought back all the belongings of my fallen comrades.

They forced me, I swear!"

Elio let out a bitter laugh. "Forced? You? The same one who was planning to 'change the power structure'?"

The soldier paled. "How...?"

"Taron told me everything," Elio interrupted, his voice laden with contempt. "Your plans, your offers to other soldiers. Once again, the people I trusted show their worst side..."

The trust and camaraderie of the last few months, reduced to ashes by greed and betrayal.

The soldier swallowed hard, his mind working frantically. "Von Elio, please. I know I made mistakes, but the information I have... it's crucial. You need to know what we saw in there."

Elio considered for a moment, his face impassive. "Speak. And we'll see if that reduces your punishment."

The soldier began to recount the events of the challenge, his eyes nervously moving between Elio and the others present. "The Locus... they were different. Stronger, smarter. And the emblems..."

"Emblems?" Zara interrupted, stepping forward.

The soldier nodded. "Yes, there were four. Power, life, wall, and attack. Each one doubled a statistic."

As he spoke, his mind worked frantically. He was surrounded by the strongest: Elio's group and Milo's, his own batch, 17 people of his same level and 2 superiors.

And thinking about Cassandra's end, it wasn't a good idea to release all the information yet.

But trapped in carbon, he had no options... unless...

Unless he managed to enter his book!

He had the penguin now, if he could reach Elio's level, or surpass it, then perhaps.

Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence.

Elio narrowed his eyes. "Why are you stopping?"

The soldier didn't respond. Instead, he ordered his elephant to undo the carbon barrier.

He was about to touch and enter the 7th book challenge but...

Zara reacted instantly, her penguin creating a new ice barrier. The intense cold made the soldier scream.

"Don't try anything stupid," Zara hissed. "Spit out all the information. Now."

The soldier, with a twisted smile, brought out his newly acquired penguin and cancelled Zara's barrier…

And reached for his book again.

Everyone present raised their hands.

But Elio acted first, his patience exhausted, sending his eel. The creature coiled around the soldier, discharging electricity. The young man screamed and fell to his knees, paralyzed by the shock.

"Retract your invocation and close your book," Elio ordered, his voice dangerously low. "Or the pain you're feeling won't go away until you die right here."

The soldier, trembling from the discharge, finally surrendered. He retracted his invocation and closed his book.

"Now," Elio said, "speak. And this time, don't stop."

The others enveloped him in carbon again, now more alert to deny his control or that of his elephant.

The soldier, defeated, began to recount everything in detail.

He described each level of the challenge, every Locus faced, every emblem obtained. He spoke of the tactics they used, of how each level was more difficult than the previous one.

"The Locus of the fifth level," he said, his voice trembling, "had a strength of between 15 and 20. Our armors... they weren't enough."

Zara exchanged a worried look with Elio.

"It's the truth," the soldier insisted. "I saw them tear my comrades apart as if they were made of paper."

Elio pressed for more details. "The emblems. What else can you tell us about them?"

"Each one doubled a statistic," the soldier repeated. "Power, life, wall, attack. But... they're lost upon exiting the challenge."

Micah, who had been taking notes, intervened. "What about the 'permanent reward' you mentioned earlier?"

The soldier shook his head. "I don't know. We didn't get that far. The crystal mentioned there would be one if we reached the end, but..."

"But you preferred to save your own skin," Elio finished, his voice laden with contempt.

The soldier lowered his gaze. "I... I had no choice. The others had fallen. I couldn't continue alone."

"Couldn't you?" Elio's voice was sharp as a knife. "Or you didn't want to risk your life for the good of the city?"

The soldier swallowed. "I... I didn't want all the equipment and cores to be lost, I brought them back with the information as an apology, Von Elio. Please forgive me!"

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