Chapter 321: Stable
Earth, Shelter City 9, Player Headquarters, Weapons Systems Engineering & Fabrication Lab.
An old man in a white lab coat stepped forward and bowed his head. The insignia on his chest identified the Weapons Development and Research Department. "Mr. Adyr, first, allow me to offer my deepest apology for the swords not meeting your expectations."
Behind him stood a small army of researchers, all of them gathered from the 12 cities after Adyr’s call to unite every Player Headquarters research team under a single roof. They bowed as well, their expressions aligned in the same sober curve of shame.
Not long ago, after Henry Bates relayed the news that Adyr’s swords had broken during a fight and that he was requesting new pairs as soon as possible, the entire department went into a frenzy to meet the demand.
Yet what they had already delivered to Adyr was the best they could produce at that moment, and the most they could do now was reproduce the same pair again and again; even that they could not do fast enough, which left Adyr to depend on himself, with no weapons, in the other world—the Beyond.
"It’s alright. You do not need to take the blame. Your work is already exceptional." Adyr gave a measured smile, his voice free of reproach or anger.
The researchers drew a quiet breath at that, though the sting of delivering a product that failed him did not leave their eyes.
"To be honest, Mr. Adyr, those swords, even though labeled as prototypes, are still the most durable crafts we have produced so far. We used Axiosteel together with improved versions of L6 and CPM 3V, keeping durability foremost in mind, and we forged the blades using our most up-to-date techniques. Frankly, it shocked all of us when we heard they broke. With what we have on Earth right now, we do not possess a better base material to push their durability any further. We can make them sharper, yes, and we can tune edge stability, but that is the limit with the resources currently in hand."
The head researcher laid everything out in detail, underscoring their shared shock; on Earth, there was no raw physical strength capable of breaking those swords in combat, which was why they kept asking themselves how Adyr had managed to break not 1 pair but 5 within such a short span.
The admission pressed through the room. It left them with a heavy sense of responsibility and a sharper grief, because none of them could fully imagine the kind of battle that would force him to push steel past its limit again and again just to stay alive.
Adyr listened, watched their expressions, and considered the report. The conclusion was simple. Materials available on Earth were no longer enough to support the power output of a Rank 3 Practitioner once a fight escalated beyond controlled conditions.
He voiced his solution without hesitation. "I understand your problem, and it is not about lacking effort or slacking. You reached the ceiling of what we have here. I will try to find a better material, a harder steel, in the Beyond and bring it back for you to work on. For now, please continue your research on the current swords. At the very least, I need a pair ready to make me feel safer."
He was still inside the Legacy Domain. Without a weapon, he could not use his strongest attack, Sword Wave. That absence was a serious weakness he could not ignore.
"Do not worry, Mr. Adyr," the head researcher said, steady and sure. "We will be finished in 2 hours, and we will prepare another pair as a spare for you."
Adyr nodded, satisfied with their efficiency. The Legacy Domain was vast; by his estimate, fully exploring it would take days, so waiting 2 hours for new weapons would not slow his current pace much.
With his request for a new set of weapons complete, and after outlining in precise detail what could be improved in the design, he turned toward his next destination, the Virtual Reality room, intending to level his talents, but a familiar face stepped into his path and stopped him.
"Adyr Hellcraft, you have become a busy man, haven’t you?" Rhys Graves approached at a measured pace, the years of war cut into the hard lines of his face, gray hair framing a watchful gaze, his posture set in that quiet always-ready poise, and his words carrying a lightly mocking, friendly tone.
"Mr. Rhys Graves, you are not less busy than me." Adyr shook his hand in the same friendly manner. "And Hellcraft? Is that what they call me? Really?"
Knowing Rhys’s habit of giving special attention to the surname Adyr was about to take—as if it were a hobby—he grew curious.
"Well, checking the last poll on the internet, it seems like it," Rhys replied with a brief laugh, then added, "I heard you broke your weapons. You really make a hell for your swords, don’t you? The surname sounds more suitable to the ear now." He patted his shoulder in jest.
"Well." Adyr let out a small breath, watching how strangely the man managed to enjoy life. "What brings you here?"
Rhys collected his demeanor at once, answering as if giving a report to a superior, with the professional bearing of a soldier. "After you gave me the role of field commander in the Beyond, our STF division started sending troops to the other world. As the one responsible for their well-being, I came to check the new exoskeletons and the weapons designed for them."
Adyr looked visibly satisfied. "So you started your operations in the Pacthold, huh? How is it? How long do you think it will take you to spread roots there?"
Pacthold was the natural set of doors from the Outer Region to the Midlands, which was Adyr’s future destination; the answer mattered. Strong roots there would mean a reliable army to depend on when needed.
"Commander Selina White is doing a good job," Rhys answered with the same professionalism. "They have secured land there together with Captain Victor Bates and Eren Jager. My team is currently transitioning to build a solid base there. We are trying to stay hidden as much as possible to avoid unnecessary attention from the local races; this makes things slower, but at the current pace, the foundations of a stable communication network are being laid."
"That’s good, really good," Adyr said, the compliment genuine; he even surprised himself at how quickly they were organizing, as if they had been waiting for this moment with everything already prepared.
When he compared the races in the Beyond to humans, he was reminded once more that humans are a highly organized race. With developed hierarchy systems and practical technology, they adapt quickly even to unlikely, unexpected scenarios, turning confusion into coordinated action. That capacity was impressive to watch and genuinely eye-opening.
After thinking for a moment, Adyr spoke. "I have another request for you. It’s actually a message that needs to be delivered to Selina; I want her to handle something for me."
"Just give the order, boy. Everyone already knows you’re the boss here now." Rhys chuckled, convinced Adyr still wasn’t fully used to the authority in his hands.