NOVPUBDaniel was at a loss for words.
He had not anticipated that the Spirit Magazine would yield no special reward.
But then, the system’s voice resonated.
[Awarded 10 million StellarCoins.]
[Special reward obtained: Empowered Strike.]
At last!
A glint sparkled in Daniel’s eyes.
He had known there would be a special reward.
Otherwise, the Spirit Magazine would’ve been a grave disappointment.
But what did ’Empowered Strike’ entail?
With curiosity brimming in his mind, he tapped into this newfound power.
In an instant, the entirety of the Empowered Strike ability was laid bare before him.
Store the force of a previous attack and unleash an additive strike at any moment.
In essence, if he had invoked a hundred-fold damage a second ago, after channeling through the Empowered Strike, he could strike with the same force yet again in the next moment.
Daniel’s eyes widened, and his mind raced.
If he were to store the power of an Empowered Strike with another Empowered Strike, wouldn’t that allow him to deliver two consecutive attacks of equal force?
Yet, he soon realized that wasn’t the case.
After each use, Empowered Strike needed a period of recuperation.
There wasn’t a set recovery time, perhaps it correlated with the magnitude of the stored power.
In essence, with Empowered Strike at his command, Daniel could, within a short span, launch two assaults, each possessing a hundred-fold damage potential!
Daniel couldn’t help but burst into hearty laughter, "Hahaha! Trust the system to grant such an incredible reward!"
His gaze naturally landed on the Siren Monster.
"Can you see me?!" The Siren Monster’s face underwent a drastic change, becoming more contorted and grotesque.
Clutching the dagger tightly in his hand, Daniel suddenly unleashed a formidable force.
Activating the hundred-fold damage, the aura around him surged, reminiscent of endless tidal waves.
This attack was the culmination of his abilities, nearly depleting his Spiritual Power and pushing his Attack Power to an unprecedented zenith.
"Die!"
A deep roar emanated from his throat, as the silk thread dagger, swift as lightning, left his hand, aiming straight for the Siren Monster’s throat.
Suddenly, the creature’s eyes glinted with a terrifying red light.
In the next moment, time seemed to pause, with the silk thread dagger hanging in mid-air.
Then, with a crisp snap, the dagger shattered like ice, fragments scattering on the ground.
A sardonic smile played at the corners of Daniel’s mouth, "What kind of trick is this? Clearly, I’m no match."
No sooner had the words left his lips than the Siren Monster appeared in a flash right before him.
The next instant, darkness enveloped his vision.
...
[Remaining retrospections in the next 24 hours: 7.]
Daniel sighed.
The Siren Monster seemed even more terrifying than he’d imagined.
His full-strength attack hadn’t left a scratch on it.
Even the Clown would show a hint of disarray in its presence.
Could it be...
That its strength was comparable to a level 5 Evolver?
The mere thought sent shivers down Daniel’s spine.
If true, this creature was as fearsome as a devil.
Over the next span of time, Daniel pondered his own rank and power.
Boring hours always seemed to fly by.
Soon, the day of Samuel and Rachel’s engagement arrived.
Martin had always assumed that Daniel was in the dark about the event and planned to discreetly leave with his team.
However, as he was about to board the vehicle in the underground parking lot of the Investigation Bureau, he was stopped by Daniel.
"Martin, you shouldn’t go."
Halfway into the car, with one leg still hanging out, Martin was pulled out by Daniel.
He was livid, but given that the man before him was his trusted lieutenant, he could only ask in confusion, "Daniel, we’re attending the engagement of a friend you don’t know. Why would you come?"
Daniel brushed him off, swiftly getting in the car and closing the door behind him.
Only then did he roll down the window, turn with a cheeky grin and say, "Come on, Martin. You’re the worst liar I know."
Martin’s eyes widened comically, his hands nervously interlocking. "Am I? That’s not true!"
Seeing Alex and the others in the car snickering at him, he flared up in embarrassment, "You bunch of scoundrels! You must’ve spilled the beans to him, didn’t you?"
The rest immediately turned their heads, feigning ignorance.
Seeing the situation, Martin moved to open the car door.
Click.
The car door conveniently locked itself.
"Hey! What’s the meaning of this?" Martin protested.
Daniel simply smiled, "Just wait for us at the Investigation Bureau. We’ll be back soon."
"Drive on," he commanded.
Mike pressed on the accelerator, and the car zoomed off into the distance.
Martin, left behind, stamped his foot in frustration. "Why do they get to attend the banquet while I have to stay back at the Investigation Bureau dealing with those stodgy investigators?!"
Having said that, he sighed deeply, a trace of worry appearing in his eyes.
...
Inside the car, a thick silence enveloped the atmosphere.
Nobody knew what to say.
After a while, Brooks, with an arm around Daniel’s neck, tried to lighten the mood. "Cheer up! You’re about to see your girlfriend!"
Alex’s voice, calm and flat, echoed back, "And also attend her engagement to someone else."
Except for Mike, who was driving, everyone turned to look at Alex, while Mike occasionally glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
Brooks gritted his teeth, "You sure have a way with words, mate!"
He then turned back to Daniel, trying to console him, "Daniel, you need to understand that nothing in this world is perfect, you..."
But before he could finish, Daniel leaned back, eyes closed.
Seeing this, Brooks just shrugged, "Alright then, rest up."
Julia, seated beside the driver, cast a glance towards Daniel, her eyes revealing an indescribable sense of melancholy.
...
Golden Shores City was vast in itself.
Thus, even though both the Investigation Bureau’s headquarters and the banquet were located within Golden Shores City, they were still over two hundred kilometers apart.
After what felt like an eternity, Mike roused the lightly dozing passengers.
"Wake up, everyone. Take a look ahead."
Blinking awake, the group looked forward.
The vehicle was moving through a tunnel, and what was peculiar was that the tunnel ahead was filled with people.
Everywhere they looked, there were soldiers in full combat attire, armed with automatic rifles.
"What’s going on?"
"They’re all fully armed. Judging by their patches, they seem to be from the assault team."
"All this for just an engagement party? Isn’t this security a bit over the top?"
"It’s understandable, actually. With guests like Orland, Andrew, and other high-ranking officials attending, any incident here could plunge the entire nation into chaos."
At that moment, a unit of soldiers, weapons in hand and in a state of alertness, approached the vehicle.
The stern-looking officer in charge coldly ordered, "Everyone, prepare for inspection!"
The team was momentarily startled but soon regained their composure.
Given their current abilities, they weren’t overly concerned about facing firearms.
They weren’t completely invulnerable, but neither were they as susceptible to injury as ordinary people.
Even Mike had the capacity to heal wounds in record time, and any bullets could be surgically removed at a later date.
But they were there to attend a banquet, not to act as terrorists, so of course, they wouldn’t make any rash moves.
As the group disembarked from the car, the sergeant demanded, "Invitation!"
None among them responded.
They exchanged glances, each one looking to the other in bewilderment.
Eventually, every eye settled on Daniel.
Wearing a puzzled expression, Daniel questioned, "Why are all of you looking at me? You don’t seriously think I have the invitation, do you?"
After all, he was the last one to be ’officially’ invited to join the ride.
Growing frantic, Brooks exclaimed, "Man, did you leave the invitation in the car?"
Just as Daniel was about to retort, realization dawned upon him, "Martin has the invitation, doesn’t he?"
Like chickens pecking grain, everyone vigorously nodded in agreement.
...
Meanwhile, back at the Investigation Bureau’s headquarters.
Martin sat in his office, idly toying with a finely crafted invitation in his hand.
His brows were furrowed in what appeared to be concern, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Those rascals, daring to leave me behind. Without this invitation, I’d love to see how they plan to get into the banquet!"
"If they can’t even get through the door, there’s no way they’ll cause any trouble. Two birds with one stone. I truly am a genius!"
"Hahaha!"
His boisterous laughter echoed throughout the vicinity.
...
Upon realizing that Daniel and the others couldn’t produce an invitation, the soldiers immediately chambered their rounds, clearly ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
The leading sergeant, with a stance ready for confrontation, demanded,
"Who exactly are you people?"
"Without an invitation, what business do you have in this private tunnel?"
With a keen eye, Julia noticed a symbol on the inner lining of the sergeant’s combat attire and, adopting a stern face, retorted,
"How utterly bizarre! As members of the Investigation Bureau’s special investigators, you don’t recognize fellow investigators from the headquarters?"
"Or perhaps, you deliberately pretend not to recognize us, just seeking an excuse to give us a hard time?"
The sergeant, with a mix of seriousness and caution, scrutinized Julia before replying,
"Be it from the headquarters or any other branch, my duty is clear - no invitation, no entry."
"If you don’t have the invitation, I’m sorry, but you must turn back."
Visibly agitated, Julia began to retort, "You..."
But before she could finish, the sergeant interrupted,
"Miss, this is my duty!"
"To get through, you either produce the invitation or you’ll have to walk over our dead bodies!"
