Chapter 74. Orb of Control
Succubi Chapter 74. Orb of Control
The simulation faded into soft static. My chest rose and fell with each breath, limbs tingling slightly with leftover adrenaline. I couldn’t even feel my feet. Not because they hurt—just because my brain was still somewhere back in the shadow whirlwind, high-fiving itself.
Then—
-Ding!
The lights flickered. Again.
A mechanical voice—smooth, too polite to trust—echoed through the room.
[Third Scenario.]
[Objective: Locate and destroy the Orb of Control hidden within the area before time runs out.]
[Warning: Civilian presence may hinder progress.]
[Timer: 15 minutes.]
I blinked.
“Orb of Control?”
That sounded suspiciously like something I’d find in a shady gacha game.
But before I could throw shade at the narrator, the floor beneath me dissolved again.
No warning this time.
One second I was basking in the glow of my victory, the next—bam. Feet hit the pavement.
I looked around.
“Oh.”
No jungle. No dungeon. No creepy monster holograms this time.
I stood in the middle of what looked like a city.
Tall buildings, neon signs, floating cars zipping by overhead in strange silence, and pedestrians—actual people—walking around, talking, laughing, bumping into each other like a normal crowd. Except none of them were real. Not truly. Their skin shimmered if you looked too long. Their expressions looped slightly, like buggy NPCs that hadn’t been patched.
Still. Pretty convincing.
I turned in a slow circle.
A kid ran past me holding a balloon. A group of teens shoved each other near a hotdog stand. Someone was breakdancing on a glowing mana tile like this was some arcane dance competition.
“What the—”
Then the voice chimed again.
[Begin.]
And the countdown started.
15:00…
“Piece of cake,” I muttered with a grin, cracking my knuckles. “Let’s go find that orb—”
The crowd swelled. Literally. Like fate said, “Oh really?”
People started walking faster. Tighter. Closer. The sidewalks filled up. The roads too. I took one step and nearly tripped over a woman pushing a baby stroller full of sparkling potions.
My grin faded.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Nope.
They were designed to block me. Every person here. A living, breathing obstacle course made of illusion NPCs with free will scripts.
This was a hell for ADHD people. And yeah, I could tell—the whole setup screamed “test of focus.” Like some genius at the Academy said, “Let’s evaluate their ability to keep their eyes on the goal while surrounded by chaos, distractions, and socially awkward holograms.”
Which, sure, fine. Smart in theory.
Still sucked in practice.
One guy straight-up shoulder-checked me like we were in a street brawl movie.
“Excuse you,” I hissed, dodging between two holographic baristas arguing about matcha.
Alright. No more strolling.
I ran.
Dodged between a couple making out like their world was ending. Hopped over a street musician’s magic harp. Vaulted a glowing fountain full of koi illusions.
I didn’t have time to argue with fake people.
The orb was out there. Somewhere.
And I needed height.
That was step one. If I could see the whole city, I could narrow it down.
So I scanned the skyline, looking for the tallest building in sight. Something pointy, obnoxious, and tall enough to feel like a challenge.
There.
A spire-shaped tower near the edge of the block, topped with a rotating mana beacon.
“Perfect,” I muttered.
Now how to get there?
The streets were packed. Gridlocked. The crosswalks were traps. I saw a guy get stuck behind three nuns arguing in slow motion. I wasn’t risking it.
Instead, I leapt onto a delivery cart stacked with glowing boxes, ran across the top, and jumped onto a nearby balcony railing.
[Shadow Blade – Form: Claw Grapple]
My blade shifted again, melting into a rope-like tendril with a hooked end. I flung it upward, latched onto a window ledge, and pulled.
Up. Up again.
I scrambled my way to the rooftop, panting a little from the effort. My shadow blade reformed, humming softly in my hand.
Then I looked around.
The city buzzed beneath me. Lights. Movement. People. And up close, yeah… the buildings weren’t real-real. Their edges flickered sometimes, like a bad rendering. But still solid enough.
I turned toward the spire.
Still a few blocks away.
The only way forward?
Rooftop sprint.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Parkour mode!”
I jumped. Ran. Rolled.
Vaulted chimneys. Skidded across a glowing ad screen. A holographic cat meowed at me from a sunlit AC unit. I barely dodged a magical drone that tried to scan my butt for “parking violations.”
The closer I got to the tower, the more the crowd thickened below.
Thirteen minutes left.
I could feel the clock ticking behind my ears. Like sweat and pressure rolled into one.
By the time I reached the base of the spire, I was panting, sweating, and a little annoyed that fake people had better cardio than me.
The front doors were blocked by a protest. Of what? I didn’t know. Their signs were blank. Just yelling. Some chanted “down with mana capitalism,” but I was pretty sure the simulation didn’t even know what that meant.
I looked up.
No way I was using the elevator. I didn’t trust it.
No open windows either.
So I circled around the back and spotted a thin fire escape.
Perfect.
Until the bottom section was yanked up. Way too high to jump normally.
I groaned. “Why does every simulation hate me?”
[Shadow Blade – Hook Form]
I launched it again. Caught the railing. Pulled myself up, arms burning.
Up. Up. Floor after floor.
By the 10th story, I could feel the tower resisting. The wind kicked up harder—simulated, of course, but cold and biting. The metal creaked. Illusion lightning cracked across the sky for dramatic flair.
I shouted up at it, “I get it, alright? Drama! You win!”
The building didn’t respond. Just rumbled ominously.
I kept climbing.
By the time I hit the top, I was sweaty, out of breath, and deeply questioning my life choices.
Then I found it.
The orb.
It hovered at the top of a mana antenna—bright red, humming low like it was judging me. Energy pulsed in angry little waves from its core. Definitely important. Definitely the target.
I inched toward the platform.
The orb rose a little higher.
I squinted.
“No,” I muttered. “No, don’t you dare—”
It floated further up. Outside the antenna now. Just hovering in the open air like some smug magical grapefruit.
I looked down.
No stairs.
No catwalk.
Nothing.
I was close, but not close enough.
I groaned, loud. “The hell.”
Ten minutes left.
I sat down for two seconds and stared at the orb like it personally insulted my ancestors.
Okay.
Okay, think.
Couldn’t leap that high without a mana boost.
Couldn’t risk the building collapsing if I used a full Death Wave here.
Couldn’t summon Dark Orbs either. Too much mana flare. The civilians might panic or start throwing fake shoes.
I mean… I could try. But seeing the simulation, I bet they would do it!
That left—
[Shadow Blade – Bow Form]
I aimed. Fired.
The arrow struck the orb… and bounced off.
“What.”
The orb pulsed.
[Warning: Protected by Arcane Shell. Direct Contact Required.]
“Oh, come on!”
Nine minutes.
I looked at the antenna.
Looked at my surroundings.
Then I had an idea.
A very stupid idea.
But that never stopped me before.
I ran back to the far end of the rooftop, lined up my shadow hook, launched it at the opposite tower’s edge—and jumped.
Momentum carried me across the gap. The hook slammed into the other building’s ledge.
I swung like a cursed trapeze artist.
And let go mid-swing, flying across the air like an unlicensed superhero.
The orb rose a bit more.
I reached into my shadow.
And summoned a second hook.
Mid-air. Two-handed.
Dual grapple launch.
One caught the antenna.
The other—miraculously—caught the orb’s base.
I yanked hard.
My body slammed toward it like a heat-seeking missile.
The orb shimmered—
And I punched it with my Shadow Blade just as I landed.
-CRACK!
The orb shattered.
Fragments of light exploded into the sky, dissolving like fireflies.
I rolled across the antenna base and wheezed, staring up at the fake stars above the city.
“Well,” I gasped. “That worked.”
Seven minutes left on the clock.
Way too close.
But hey—style points.
And now?
I was definitely not ready for whatever hell came next.
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