The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

James gripped his dagger tightly, his hand trembling as he fully understood that he had only one chance. If this surprise attack failed, Elder Astra would likely unleash his formidable power and sinister spells to kill James on the spot.

As he closed the distance, James felt his nerves tightening. He struggled to maintain his grip on the dagger. When he was less than ten meters away, he suddenly sensed a wave of intense energy. A strange figure appeared in his line of sight. The moment this figure materialized, it opened its eyes, staring at James with a maddening and sinister gaze.

In that instant, James's mind was flooded with a torrent of chaotic information, overwhelming him to the point of losing consciousness. A faint smile slowly spread across Elder Astra's face not far away.

"So, you thought you could defeat me this way? Have you underestimated me a bit too much? Did you really think you could trick me?"

Elder Astra had actually sensed James's presence long before. The reason he hadn't made a move against James was that he needed to focus his main strength on combating Irving. Now, not only had Elder Astra successfully dealt with the threat posed by James, but he was also suppressing Irving in their direct confrontation.

Although Irving had called upon the power of the Taikoo Flame Pearl, Elder Astra utilized the immense dark power from the Dark Portal to enhance his dark magic to a level that Irving could not contend with.

Through his colossal projection, Elder Astra shouted in a grand voice towards Irving, "Stop wasting your time fighting me! Your and your friend's schemes have utterly failed! James's surprise attack not only failed, but he's about to become my puppet!"

As Elder Astra spoke, James's body was continuously eroded by dark power. It wouldn't be long before both he and Irving would be transformed into Astra's puppets.

Realizing the situation was dire, Irving sprang into action. He slammed the Staff of Calamity down onto the ground. A shimmering portal appeared within the cracks of the earth. Without hesitation, Irving jumped into the portal.

Irving's actions gave Elder Astra a moment of concern, as he realized he could no longer track him. With Irving vanishing from the battlefield, Elder Astra still considered his mission a significant success. After all, James was on the verge of becoming his puppet.

As Elder Astra withdrew his hand from the Dark Portal, his massive projection on the battlefield faded away. This colossal projection had been entirely supported by the dark power of the Dark Portal, and without its power, it could no longer be maintained. Although Elder Astra had achieved victory, he had also suffered from the erosion of dark energy.

To stabilize his mental state, Elder Astra employed a spell he had mastered. "While I have won this battle, the dark power has still taken a toll on me. I cannot afford to use too much dark energy for a while," he muttered to himself.

As he spoke, the Dark Portal continued to emit dark energy, causing Dark Monsters to emerge from the void around him. Although Elder Astra wielded dark power himself, these Dark Monsters posed a certain level of danger to him. He could only rely on the scrolls he carried to eliminate all the Dark Monsters that appeared from the void.

Once Elder Astra finally stabilized his mind and successfully sealed the Dark Portal using the unique spells of the Night Blades, James had been completely transformed into a puppet. Looking at the now soulless James, Elder Astra smiled and said, "Now, let's head to the headquarters of the Ocean Group! Vicky is someone Irving deeply cares about. If we can threaten Vicky, Irving will surely reappear."

James, now a puppet, expressionless, nodded in agreement. Although he had not been killed, his consciousness was entirely under Elder Astra's control. He would execute all of Elder Astra's commands without question.

Thus, Elder Astra, along with James and the Dark Portal, made their way to the headquarters of the Ocean Group. While he did not waste any time, carrying the Dark Portal was an inherently dangerous endeavor.

To ensure that the seal of the Dark Portal would not be compromised, Elder Astra had to slow his pace. Therefore, before they could reach the headquarters of the Ocean Group, Irving arrived first.

This time, Irving did not enter through the main entrance of the Ocean Group building; instead, he appeared directly in the president's office. Vicky was startled by Irving's sudden appearance. Upon seeing the expression on Irving's face, she realized that something was seriously wrong.

With a hint of concern in her voice, Vicky asked, "Has the situation become really dire? Did you come here to take me to a safer place?"

Irving nodded. "Yes! The situation has worsened significantly. If you stay here, you will definitely be in danger, so you must come with me to the headquarters of the Angel Guild. That's the only safe place right now."

With that, Irving intended to leave with Vicky immediately. However, Vicky felt it was necessary to inform Benjamin first. After all, leaving Benjamin alone at the Ocean Group headquarters would put him in great danger as well.

"Shouldn't we bring Benjamin with us? If he stays here alone, the Night Blades will surely kill him."

"There's no time to notify him! Come with me now, and we'll inform him while we're on the way!"

With that, Irving grabbed Vicky and pulled her along. On their way, Irving dialed Benjamin's phone number. He briefly explained the situation to Benjamin over the phone.

After hanging up, Benjamin sat in his office, expressionless. He knew he had time to escape from the Ocean Group headquarters. However, he felt he should not abandon it. He had built what he believed to be a solid defense here, and he thought it necessary to buy Vicky and Irving more time.

After thinking for a moment, Benjamin issued orders to his subordinates. "Everyone, get ready for battle! We are about to be attacked by the Night Blades, and you must act according to the strategies we practiced before. I believe our defense can succeed this time."

While Benjamin spoke confidently to his subordinates, deep down, he wasn't entirely convinced that this operation would succeed.

He only hoped that the defenses he set up here could buy more time for Irving and Vicky. After Benjamin issued orders to his subordinates, it was only a matter of fifteen minutes before James appeared outside the Ocean Group headquarters building.

James did not launch an attack on the defenders present. Instead, he feigned nonchalance, intending to meet with Benjamin and Vicky. Benjamin was unaware that James had become a puppet of Elder Astra. This was due to a serious mistake Irving had made earlier; he had not informed Benjamin about James's situation. He only notified Benjamin to retreat quickly.

Since James had arrived and Benjamin, unaware of the abnormality surrounding James, naturally went to greet him directly. When the two met, James immediately said to Benjamin, "The situation is dire. Our headquarters at the Green Ivy Company has been destroyed by the Night Blades. So, I can only temporarily take refuge here."

Upon hearing James's words, a look of slight confusion crossed Benjamin's face. "Why would you come here to hide? Isn't the headquarters of the Angel Guild a safer place?"

As he spoke, Benjamin's eyes remained fixed on James.

He had already sensed that something was off with James, but his reaction was still a bit too slow. The moment Benjamin posed his question, James launched an attack on him. Caught completely off guard, Benjamin was severely injured by James's strike.

At the same time, Elder Astra finally arrived with the members of the Night Blades. The subordinates under Benjamin immediately launched their attacks upon seeing the Night Blades members. However, their efforts were utterly ineffective against Elder Astra.

With James's help, Elder Astra successfully defeated Benjamin and all his subordinates. He chose not to kill them outright, believing he could use them as his agents in the real world. After all, he needed to be prepared for the final confrontation with the Shadow Celestial.

"It seems that Irving isn't as clever as the legends say. He didn't even tell you to prepare for my arrival!" Elder Astra said with a smile, looking at the barely conscious Benjamin.

Benjamin glared at Elder Astra and the puppet James with eyes full of hatred. Noticing Benjamin's expression, Elder Astra slowly added, "There's no need for you to look at him that way! He has already become my puppet! His actions in the earlier mission were quite reckless, which is why I was able to exploit him."

Elder Astra spoke with a triumphant expression on his face. For him, successfully controlling James made his subsequent actions much easier than planned.