Game World's Awakening
Chapter 106: Movements behind the curtains

Chapter 106: Movements behind the curtains

Seeing the beautiful face in front of him, Elliot raised his right hand and caressed her face, gently brushing her hair back behind her head.

"Are you sure about what you’re saying?" he asked.

His gestures left Jenna stunned for several minutes.

"Yes," she nodded after coming out of her daze. "I’m completely sure."

Elliot curved his lips slightly and couldn’t resist smiling.

"My father once told me that I couldn’t leave a woman without an answer when she revealed her feelings to me," he said suddenly. "But I don’t know how I should respond either."

He moved a little closer to her. "So..."

Then he returned her kiss. It was awkward, too; it was his first time. But it was full of feelings.

Jenna was amazed by this beautiful gesture, but she didn’t know what else to do. Although she had told herself that she had to see it through to the end, when she found herself here, she could only admire him and lean against him. Completely expressionless.

Elliot hugged her gently. He didn’t know what to say either.

They were both total novices who had to learn every step of the way. Still, they both enjoyed this beautiful moment together, looking at the stars.

"Do you think it was wrong to have tortured him so much?" Elliot asked suddenly.

Jenna looked up at him, but didn’t pull away.

"Did it feel good to do it?"

He smiled.

"I’d been longing for that moment for a long time. I thought that... if I could have had a little more time, maybe I could have made him feel the pain my sister and mother felt."

She nodded. "Then it’s okay," she said. "Sometimes it’s not about what’s morally right. It’s not about what someone else says, but about doing what you want and need to do. He deserved it, right?"

Elliot nodded gently once more.

’Do what you want and what you have to do, huh?’

She was right.

He didn’t need to question whether it was right or wrong. He deserved it. All the Clarks deserved it.

"Now we’ll probably have to face the Clarks head-on. And maybe their allies." Elliot looked down at her. "Do you still want to stay by my side? The trouble could spill over to you or your family."

She didn’t even have to think about it.

"I’m not afraid of anything, Elliot. You should know that." She said. "If you want to face them, kill them, and get revenge, I’ll help you. After going through life-threatening trials together, I don’t think you need to ask that. I’m willing to do anything."

"Even if it could lead to your death?"

"Didn’t I answer that question before?"

"I remember, back in Tall-Ar."

She smiled. "Then you already have your answer."

But he sighed.

"This time it’s not the same."

"Death is death, Elliot. If they threaten you, they’ll threaten me. Right now, we’re on the same team, and we have been since that moment. Maybe we’ve spent very little time together, but it’s been intense. I found what I wanted here, so don’t ask me to leave."

Elliot smiled, somehow wanting to kiss her on the forehead, and couldn’t resist. He went and did it.

"Thank you."

She looked up at him and stared intently. "Every thank you is a kiss you owe me," she whispered boldly, taking Elliot by surprise.

He looked at her and saw her cheeks turning redder and redder, until she looked away and covered herself with a pillow.

"Hahaha. I didn’t expect those words to come from you."

"Ah—" She tried to run away, but then Elliot pulled her back toward him. The pillow fell off, and she was face to face with him.

He didn’t have to think too hard; they were both immediately attracted to each other, like magnets, and soon an inexperienced kiss shook their bodies.

--

Elemental Mansion, home of the Elemental Academy Guild.

Alexander Clark and his allies stood before the leaders of the Elemental Academy, with Master Roy at the head.

Alexander took out several briefcases full of money and placed them on the floor.

"That’s 50 million dollars in cash," he said.

Master Roy stared at him.

"For his head?" he asked.

"Yes," Alexander nodded. "If you need more..."

"No, the money is enough," Master Roy replied. "It will be given to the young men anyway. I just want something." Immediately, he took out some documents and placed them on the table between them.

"If you give it to me, I can guarantee his death by tomorrow."

Alexander frowned and grabbed the document. His eyes widened for a moment when he saw the contents.

Those with him tried to shout, realizing it was too much, but he stopped them.

"I can do it. But first, you must bring me his head," he said.

Master Roy smiled and nodded.

"Good." He stood up and held out his hand. "I hope you keep your word."

Alexander did the same. "If you keep yours, I assure you that it will be yours by tomorrow."

"Hahaha, let’s go eat. Let’s celebrate our next victory."

Everyone left the room and went to eat at a nice restaurant. They didn’t move that night.

--

But the news about this hit the city like a bullet.

The next morning, everyone in the city found out what had happened.

Seven people died on the combat arena, all from the same team.

The Clark Group was finished in terms of the 16-18 age group. While it remained a powerful guild, it now mainly relies on the presence of members who are there to participate in the Leveled Leagues. These members tend to be 20 years old, on average.

They are still a powerful guild, but this represents a significant decline for them. Even more so when you consider that they lost a lot of money and that three of those who died were not members of the guild, but imported foreigners.

All of this entailed significant processes, detailed explanations, and excessive compensation for failing to protect them.

Therefore, for many, the Clark Group would lose its position as one of the city’s leading guilds, at least in the short term.

Tyler Clark can only grant them the status of the strongest family, but he does not support the guild as such unless he decides to join it.

But that would mean burying his career, so it was out of the question.

The only thing that could save the Clark Group would be a significant profit during the Leveled Leagues. But there was still time for that.

Among the rumors circulating in the city, one began to gain momentum during the morning.

Elliot Clark was a vicious man who loved to murder and torture his victims. The rumors were so strong that they affected Angelic Wave’s investors a little, despite the win.

That’s because Elliot Clark was being groomed as the Guild’s new image. What on earth would they do if he had such a bad reputation?

That’s why they had to turn to Steward for help, to find a way to fix it.

Steward’s answer was simple but brilliant: a wave of newspaper promotions revealing all the good things Elliot had done since he had awakened (many of them false) and also the reason behind Elliot’s torture of John.

With the story told by authentic dramatic professionals, many people believed it. By the time the Tournament Final began, everyone agreed on one thing: Elliot was a great man willing to give his life for his teammates, but would never forget a betrayal.

He would take revenge in the worst possible way, and yesterday was a perfect example of this.

Even Elliot was surprised that it all happened in such a short time.

What’s more, somehow, everyone looked at him favorably now, and his popularity increased within the city.

Numerous strange stories about him began to be told, and some of the misfits who were once his co-workers now began to write stories about him.

They all sold like hotcakes, quickly and at a good price.

Something that hadn’t happened since his father’s time.

That morning, even fans of other teams came to watch the match. No one wanted to miss the possible birth of a legend.

He had won MVP three times in a row. If he won one more time, he would cement his place as the greatest genius ever to step foot in the Tournament.

Furthermore, if the team performed as they had in the last four matches and managed to defeat their rival, who had already eliminated them once, there was a high probability that the Five Star Knights would come from the same team.

That’s because Chris and Rich had performed very well in their last few fights, and if they shone against three Masters, it could earn them enough credit.

But that remained to be seen.

That’s why the Combat Arena was completely full. And much of the population watched the next fight with rapt attention.

They could be witnessing a historic moment.

In fact, they were. The Final began with something that had never been seen before.

The appearance of the Judges, who were always behind a results screen.