The Dreamer's POV

"Damnit… DAMNIT!"

Francis's hands trembled with fury, the fine crystal wine glass slipping through his fingers and smashing against the opulent office wall.

His white hair, usually perfectly coiffed, seemed to bristle with his rage, and his blue eyes, cold and calculating, were now wild with anger.

"Three Rankers, THREE!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the room. "How could this have happened?"

His secretary, a young woman with an otherwise unflappable demeanor, stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock.

She'd never seen Francis like this, so unhinged and furious.

His breath heaving, Francis continued to pace the room, recounting the plan that should have been foolproof.

"The expedition team wasn't supposed to arrive for several more days. The Nine Headed Dragon Alliance base nearby would have ambushed them, weakened them, and the Lyma Capital would have been in flames. The chaos, the suspicions among the Noble Families, the opportunity to exploit the Lyma Family's weakened state—all of it was perfectly orchestrated!"

He slammed his fist on the massive oak desk, causing the decorative items to rattle. "And now," he spat, "it's all ruined. Every single member we sent—eradicated!"

He could see it all, the conflict among the remnants of the Lyma Family, the other Noble Families' suspicion and greed, the seeds of discord that would have bloomed into a full-fledged crisis within the entire Southern Kingdom.

The throne, the power, the influence—all of it was within his grasp.

"And all of it," he growled, his voice low and dangerous, "all of it undone by a single person."

His secretary dared not breathe, her eyes locked on Francis's face, twisted with rage.

"Mikey Rael," he hissed, the name like poison on his lips.

The single variable that wasn't supposed to even exist to throw a wrench into his plans, yet kept interfering one way or the other.

"How the hell has someone like him managed to get this far?"

The fury in Francis's eyes was like a storm, churning and dark, his voice still raised, but now with a more mellow, dangerous edge.

He paced around his luxurious office, his elegant black suit somehow mirroring his darkened mood. His secretary watched him, her face pale, eyes wide, as he raged about the surveillance reports.

"Lucy Fer!" he growled, his hands clenched.

"How could she have appeared in the Lyma Capital? And speaking with Mikey Rael? A nobody, a mere insect, and he's conversing with Lucy Fer?"

He slammed his fist into a bookshelf, sending volumes tumbling to the ground. "She even eliminated the dragons and wyverns for him! For HIM!"

His voice broke, and he stood, shaking, the veins on his face throbbing, his eyes bloodshot with his rage.

"This loss..." he whispered, almost to himself, "this unbearable loss. How did it come to this?"

His secretary continued to watch him, her heart pounding, afraid to speak but knowing that she had to say something. She saw him break more objects, his anger unabated, his roar filling the room.

"Sir," she finally ventured, her voice trembling. "Should we... should we make a move to eliminate Mikey? It seems he will be a hindrance to our plans going forward."

Francis's face turned to her, and she shrank back at the look in his eyes.

"Are you an IDIOT?" he yelled, his voice thunderous. "Do you not understand that if Lucy Fer is allied with Mikey, anything against him now will point the finger at The Alliance? Do you want to incur Lucy Fer's wrath?"

He was panting now, his face flushed.

"We don't have a member who can take her on without causing major loss on our end. I'm still looking for a way to bring her to our side, and you suggest attacking her ally?"

The secretary's face went ashen, and she stammered an apology, tears welling in her eyes.

Francis seemed to deflate suddenly, groaning and sinking into his chair, his face in his hands. "I'll have to find another way," he whispered, his voice ragged.

The room was filled with the echoes of his anger, the broken glass, the shattered dreams. His secretary stood, frozen, knowing that this was a turning point, that something had shifted in Francis, that the game had become more dangerous, more personal.

And in the silence that followed, she knew that the path ahead was fraught with uncertainty, that the stakes had been raised, and that there was no going back.

The Alliance's plans had been thwarted, and Francis's wrath was a force unto itself.

But beyond that anger, she could see something else in his eyes, something cold and calculating.

A determination that would stop at nothing. A resolve that would see the game played to the bitter end, no matter the cost.

"Pathetic… all of them…"

Enjoy new adventures from empire

A dark cloud seemed to settle over the room as Francis sank into his chair, his body trembling with barely controlled anger.

The elegant office, with its luxurious furnishings and art, seemed to mock him, a constant reminder of what he'd lost and what could have been.

The silence was deafening, filled with the echoes of shattered dreams and thwarted ambitions. The secretary knew better than to speak, knew that no words could soothe the tempest that raged within Francis.

His eyes, once full of cunning and ambition, now burned with a single, relentless purpose. Revenge.

"Mikey Rael," he whispered again, the name becoming a mantra, a vow.

The game had changed, and Francis was no longer simply playing for power or influence. Now, it was personal, and he would stop at nothing to destroy the one who had taken such a milestone from him.

'The best path to take now… yes…'

He looked at his secretary, the lines of his face softened, but his eyes still sharp, piercing. The air was filled with a tension that seemed to hum with the energy of his thoughts.

"Bring in the members that survived Zone 25 and any other nearby Zones in the Tutorial," he said, his voice measured. "I need to know about Mikey. That's where he finished, so perhaps others heard of him or saw him."

'Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but I have to learn more about this variable that shouldn't even be alive, let alone exist in this world.' Francis narrowed his gaze.

His secretary nodded, her face still pale from the earlier outburst. "In our database, we have a few members from Zone 25, but one of them is someone who was a person of interest to you, sir."

Francis's eyes narrowed even further. "I've had many persons of interest, and there's a lot on my mind. Be specific."

The secretary nodded again, her voice steady now. "You actually sent your best piece to personally seek her out."

Francis's eyes widened, and his lips formed the name before his secretary could speak it. "Lisa Scofield."

A slow smile spread across his face, and his eyes gleamed even brighter.

"Yes," the secretary confirmed. "Lisa is currently on the special mission you gave her in another Noble Region."

"Arrange a meeting with Lisa as soon as she's done with the task," Francis ordered, his voice filled with a new purpose.

The secretary nodded. "I understand, sir."

Francis leaned back in his chair, his eyes still burning, his mind working.

"Mikey, your days are numbered," he muttered, almost to himself. "I'll make sure to erase you from this world, no matter what it takes. The future must be exactly how I want it to be."

The room seemed to darken with his words, the weight of his determination filling the space.

His secretary left the room, leaving Francis alone with his thoughts, his plans, his relentless ambition.

His smile lingered, a promise and a threat, as he contemplated the game that lay ahead. He had suffered a setback, but he was far from defeated.

The other pieces were moving, the board was shifting, and he was ready to make his next move.

Mikey Rael was the only problem since he was a variable he hadn't accounted for.

But Francis was a master at this game, and he knew that even unexpected variables could be controlled, manipulated, and ultimately destroyed.

After all… only he could see the end.

***

[STATUS WINDOW]

- Name: Francis Baker

- Race: Human

- Level: 41

- Life Force: 2 (+1,000), (+1,000), (+1,000) = 3,002

- Energy Level: 1 (+1,000), (+1,000), (+1,000) = 3,001

- Combat Ability: 1 (+1,000), (+1,000), (+1,000) = 3,001

- Stat Points: 120

- Currency: 512,490

- Role: <The Seer>

- Authority: <Time>

- Titles: <Visionary>, <The One Who Saw The End>, <Chosen One>, <Capitalist>, <Mass Murderer>, <Survivor>, <Ranker>, <Leader of Men>, <Spendthrift>, <Dictator>,

- Skills (Exclusive): <Vision>, <Future Sight>, <Time Stop>

- Skills (Non-Exclusive): <Hyper-Speed>, <Full Immersion>, <Perfect Teleportation>, <Perfect Haven>, <Absolute Appraisal>, <Perfect Resistance (Peak)>, <Perfect Elevation>, <Absolute Domination>, <Elemental Attribute (Full)>, <Perfect Regeneration>, <Unbreakable>, <Mind Invasion>, <Perfect Flight>, <Perfect Body>, <Ally Boost (Peak)>, <Language Comprehension>, <Skill Roster (Custom)>, <First-Hand Information (Custom)>

- Items Equipped: <Perfect Suit Set (Peak)>, <Perfect Ring Set (Peak)>, <Perfect Underwear Set (Peak)>, <Future Journal (Peak)>

- Alignment: Neutral Evil

[Additional Information]

You can see the future and flow of time, allowing you to know what will happen before such an event. Be wary, however, as the future can always change based on your actions, or the influence of others.

[End Of Information]

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[End Of Arc 2: The Great Expedition Arc]

<New Arc In Progress...>

{Arc 3: The First Trial Arc will resume shortly.}

~Thanks for reading this far. There's a lot to unpack, so I hope you will all stick around to see even more!~

I appreciate the support you all give.

Cheers!