The Citadel gates opened as Adam stepped outside, facing a desert landscape full of dunes.

He remembered well his first day as a Phantom, and the more time passed, the fewer negative memories he had of that time.

Perhaps it was nostalgia, or perhaps Adam understood that,t regardless of Aiden Henk's intentions and how likely it was that he could have died that day, it was still the best turn of events for him.

He did not have the Spark like many other talents who managed to become Phantoms and undergo training at the academy before their first mission.

For him, everything was quick and harsh.

He didn't have a powerful bloodline or influential acquaintances who could help him become a Phantom.

In a way, Aiden Henk was his only chance to be where he was now.

"Ah..." Adam sighed deeply as he watched the active wind rushing through the gate. "Aiden, what should I say to you when we meet? Have you really forgotten about me, or do you have some plans for me?"

Although Adam had learned a lot about Aiden Henk from other people, he had never met him in person.

He didn't know why, but it just hadn't happened on either side.

Other than wanting to talk to Aiden Henk about that day, Adam had no other reason to contact him.

Adam felt that sooner or later, Aiden Henk would come to him, but he didn't know when or why that would happen.

Well, Adam didn't know many things, such as the fact that he had already met with Aiden's main ally, Gladius, a Phantom who did not belong to any of the main factions but possessed formidable power.

They were watching him, waiting for him to become strong enough for Aiden to do what only he and Gladius knew about.

Neither Wilfred, Frida, nor Damien, nor the most important people in the government, knew what he was planning.

However, even Aiden Henk himself was not sure that he needed Adam. He was one of the candidates, and it was not just that he had to choose one of them. Aiden was not sure that any of them would be suitable for his plan.

This continued from one World Wipe to another, while Aiden remained patient and waited for the moment when he could fulfill the wish that had been hanging over him for several hundred years.

In any case, Adam now had other plans.

He couldn't think about Aiden Henk and his hidden motives when he now had another, more important task before him—the Primal Lands.

To begin with, Adam had to get to the Detached Mountains, and unlike most Phantoms, for whom this place remained a secret, he knew where he needed to go.

Step. Step. Step.

Slowly, Adam climbed the desert dunes as he looked around, enjoying the view of the lands closest to the walls of the Citadel.

There was practically nothing here, anomalies appeared extremely rarely, strong monsters died quickly due to the large number of Phantoms hunting here, and the same was true of the nests.

"Hah, so not only was I able to kill a monster and become a Natural Phantom, but I also immediately received an Artifact. Only now do I realize how lucky I really was back then. It's incredible." Adam grinned as he looked ahead.

In the distance, he could see a line of moving trucks. It was a caravan, one of the ones that had saved Adam. Among them were not only Phantoms, but also Harvesters, which Adam hadn't encountered in a long time.

'Harvesters, right? Well, they are simple people, they can't travel in the Tarnished Lands, let alone the Dark Shore. Although the Citadel does not need such high-level materials, right?'

All the K0, K1, and K2 Phantoms usually went on missions together with the Harvesters so that they could collect resources and materials from monsters.

But when a Phantom became stronger, there was no need for that. It wasn't just that it was becoming too dangerous for the Harvesters, but also that the Citadel did not need even more resources.

In fact, the Citadel continued to collect resources from both monsters and mines at the Lower Ring just to keep the economy running and society active.

Everything necessary was located at the Zero Day Vault, a special storage facility that ordinary people did not know about and would never know about, as they would die the day before the Citadel had to use the Zero Day Vault.

"Well, it would be interesting to see what the newbies are up to now, but I only have two hours to go, right?" Adam asked, turning to Silvana.

In response, she nodded deeply.

"Sure, I understand that the land around the walls has a special meaning for you, but as always, we need to move on. We can't stay in one place for too long."

Adam scratched the back of his head with a slight smile on his face.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I was lost in thought."

Silvana sighed. "Don't worry, I could never go through what you did. What's more... after you were thrown into the trash, killed the monster, and returned to the Citadel, you chose someone with a perpetual frown on their face, like me, to be your partner. That... That was your best decision."

"Hahahahahahah!"

Adam laughed out loud before shaking his head and leaning forward.

"So that's what this is all about? Alright, I get you."

Whoooooosh.

In the next moment, his frame shook as he sprinted forward at tremendous speed, leaving behind a trail of dust and sand.

Several Phantoms hunting in the distance couldn't help but notice this.

"Look! What the hell is that?!" The man exclaimed with wide eyes.

The first thing they thought was that it was some kind of powerful monster, but soon they saw that it was actually a young man with burning eyes who was moving forward toward the empty expanse that awaited him a few kilometers ahead.

The Detached Mountains were already close.

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