Chapter 30: Magic Crystal

"If you want to leave, we won't stop you," Robin said. "This war has nothing to do with you; it is a matter between our Black Mountain Army and Marquis Sid."

"I... I'll stay for now..."

Jennifer was frightened by Robin's words. She felt that if she truly wanted to escape this situation, she would still have to find Vincent. The prerequisite, however, was that she had to find him personally without being captured by these soldiers.

"Don't worry, I will do my best to ensure your safety," Robin added, offering a word of comfort. Hearing this, Jennifer felt significantly more at ease.

"Boss, what... what about me?" the female employee asked, on the verge of tears. For Jennifer, today was like a nightmare, and it was no different for her. She had done nothing wrong, yet she had been inexplicably dragged into this. She never imagined that the boss she had served for so long was actually an agent for Grand Duke Benito—a rebel!

"Genice, why did you bring her? She's a burden!" Matthew glared at Genice.

"She is my employee. If those soldiers see us leave, won't they take their anger out on her?" Genice retorted. "Those soldiers are heartless; I can't just leave her behind. This war has nothing to do with her!"

"I'm saying she's a burden!" Seeing that Genice completely missed his point, Matthew said with exasperation, "I'm frustrated because you just don't get it."

"The Grand Duke said he wants to give us a peaceful Anzio, that he values civilians and education," Genice said with a hint of agitation. "If I abandon her, how are we any different from the current Anzio Kingdom government?"

Hearing Genice put it that way, Matthew was left speechless. *This girl is actually talking back? She wasn't like this when I was training her!* Especially when he taught her about the fate of underground workers, she had always insisted with firm resolve that she would stand her ground. Clearly, this was the gap between theory and reality. When studying, certain actions seem fine or even noble, but in practice, problems arise.

It was like a mother avenging her child who brings a gun into a courtroom to execute the criminal. Letting her in was a failure of the officials, but they were balancing it with human compassion. If one followed everything strictly by the book, they would be a machine, not a human.

In just two short days—or perhaps after a single mission involving several brushes with death—Genice had developed her own perspective. Matthew was the quintessential pragmatist, while Genice was a humanitarian. For Robin, who had grown up in China, Genice's words resonated more. Although he also felt that bringing an extra person was a burden, he couldn't bring himself to abandon her. It could only be said that Robin, like Genice, was still guided by kindness rather than being a cold-blooded politician or soldier.

"Boss, I..." The employee, seeing that Matthew considered her a burden and that her boss was arguing with him over it, grew even more afraid.

"Don't worry, I will protect you. I am sorry for dragging you into this," Genice said apologetically.

"Hmm..." Seeing that Genice insisted on keeping the employee, Matthew cursed under his breath. *I really shouldn't have brought a reservist on this mission!*

...

After the group ran for a while longer, Matthew suddenly stopped. "Huff, huff..." He pressed his hands against his knees, gasping for air. "I can't... I can't run anymore." Matthew sat on the ground, leaning against the wall, sweat pouring down his face as he wheezed like a broken bellows.

Only then did Robin remember that for all of Matthew's status as an "extraordinary," his stamina was even worse than his own. The others stopped as well. Genice and Robin had the same endurance level, E+, and while the other two women were also exhausted, they didn't dare say a word, fearing for their lives.

It was only a matter of time before their pursuers caught up. Whether relying on dogs or other extraordinaries, tracking in this world was far too easy.

"Genice, you were right. We shouldn't abandon anyone. Leave these two to me; I will protect them. You... you take Robin and run. You must find a way to get him out," Matthew said, his eyes staring blankly ahead.

This was what made Matthew an interesting character. He was fundamentally fair. For the sake of the mission, he hadn't cared about the lives of Genice, the clerk, Jennifer, or even himself. At this moment, all he wanted was for Robin to survive and return to the Black Mountain Army, as that was his standing order. Even if Robin couldn't escape, he had to try his best. His hand reached toward the grenade in his coat; he was prepared to sacrifice his life to intercept the pursuers and perish with the enemy. What he had said to Genice was merely to keep her steady. He wasn't entirely immobile, but he needed to save his remaining strength to fight, which was why Jennifer and the clerk weren't as exhausted as he was.

"Really?" Genice, still somewhat naive, believed the team leader she had worked with for over two years.

"Don't give up yet... what exactly is this tunnel?" Robin looked at the long, sprawling passage, which seemed to stretch on forever.

The structure of the tunnel resembled a massive pipe. In most places, it was damaged and filled with earth. The sections that remained intact were made of copper and filled with discarded machinery and mechanisms. Most interestingly, the copper parts of the passage emitted a faint, constant glow, as if the entire tunnel were luminous.

"It's true..." After answering Genice, Matthew looked at Robin. "This is an underground transport pipe left over from the war with Delos long ago. After it was abandoned, people often came here to steal the materials. I never expected that these glow-tubes from back then would still work. My superior saw this, which is why they turned this place into a stronghold."

"But no matter how sprawling this place is, there aren't that many exits. It's only a matter of time before they track us down. Once they seal the exits, we won't have a chance."

"Is the Magic Crystal still there?" Robin asked.

"I have it with me..." Matthew had mentioned before that the item was expensive, so he kept it on his person at all times.

"Even if you awaken now, it's too late. I don't think your awakening will change anything." As he said this, Matthew felt a sense of despair. *Robin really shouldn't have cared about anyone; he should have just run on his own. Didn't you say you were a selfish person before? Damn it, I always say that people who claim to be selfish never actually are!* At that moment, Matthew wished more than anything that Robin had been selfish.

"How can I awaken quickly?" Robin pressed.

"Contact between blood and the Magic Crystal triggers an immediate awakening..."

"Give me the crystal," Robin said, reaching out.

"Fine." Reluctantly, Matthew handed it over. *Even if your marksmanship is incredible, can you defeat a platoon? A regiment? A division? Forget it, a sliver of hope is better than none.*

The Magic Crystal was a transparent stone. There were many types: colorless, red, blue, black, white, green, and gold. Any of them could be used to awaken; only the colorless ones lacked elemental properties, while the gold ones were specific to spiritual attributes. The colorless crystals were the most versatile because using an elemental one carried the risk of conflicting with one's own latent extraordinary traits, leading to unforeseen consequences. Research on these crystals had never stopped, and there were already some results.

[Colorless Magic Crystal]
[Accelerates the awakening progress of an extraordinary]
[Insert into the abdomen to briefly enhance magical power; only one may be used]
[Falls off automatically when the crystal's energy is depleted]
[Note: The wound must be treated manually after the crystal falls off]

*There really are no side effects!* Robin couldn't help but regret not using it sooner. He had read too many web novels and convinced himself that his "natural" awakening would be the best. It was like playing *Teamfight Tactics*—a three-star five-cost unit created with a Neeko's Help always felt less "pure."