Luke was walking outside. Snow was falling steadily, and the wind blew hard against his coat. Around him, people huddled near campfires. The street had turned into a makeshift camp. Everywhere he looked, he saw survivors. So were carrying firewood. Others stirred food in dented pots over weak flas.
So faces he recognized from the Haven. Others were new. As he passed by, he received a few cold stares. No one confronted him, likely following Allison's orders. That small group in the house he had just left were the only ones with enough standing to question her openly. After wandering for a while, lost in his thoughts, Luke decided to climb up the ruins of a partially collapsed building. He sat on the rooftop, letting the icy wind cut across his face.
"Snow…" he murmured, catching a flake in his hand.
He had first arrived in this world in deadly, frozen terrain. His eyes drifted toward the distant Safe Zone, then toward the castle on the horizon.
"I'm close to going ho, everyone," he whispered, thinking of his family.
The sa family he had turned his back on, all to uncover the truth about what had happened to his mother. Now, when he finally left this world, he would have his answer. And maybe, just maybe, he could move on. He sat there for a while, just him and his thoughts. Even Artemis remained silent. Though, in fairness, she never spoke to him when others were nearby.
Lying back on the rooftop, he stared at the falling snow. His mind drifted, pulling him back to his first night in the capital of the kingdom. Doing what he was doing now, lying on a rooftop in peace, would have been impossible back then. There was no rest. Not even for a second. And at night, things beca far worse. So much so that Luke found himself missing the Midnight Wardens.
Among all his mories of that place, and all the truths he uncovered, one stood out. The mont he approached the castle. It was strange, being so close, yet so far. The exit was right there, but the castle had been sealed. He couldn't leave.
A mask appeared in his hand, one of the items he had obtained during his ti in the capital. He studied it quietly. Out of all his gear, this mask, while not on the sa level as the Beast Lord's legendary drop, was still special.
After a mont, he sent it back into his inventory.
"I'm still not strong enough," he muttered to himself.
Opening his system screen, he looked at his class, sothing he had earned in the capital. A hidden profession, one that had granted him new abilities. His eyes scanned his race level too.
"I'm close…" he said softly. "I need another epic skill. Fast."
He almost considered returning to the capital imdiately. But ti was no longer on his side. The group urgently needed to take the second fortress.
Once that's done… maybe I can slip back into the capital and grind a few more levels.
He read the description of the epic skill in his system. The words pulsed on the interface, as if they had been written just for him. It was a dangerous power, brutal and dark. There was sothing sinister in its nature, sothing that felt like it was staring back at him. At that level, it wasn't just a weapon. It was a pillar. One of the few capable of carrying him through to the end of the tutorial.
Luke wanted more. More power. More control. Even though he was undeniably one of the strongest among the survivors, he didn't feel ready. Not yet. The castle awaited, and he knew he would need everything, every edge, every ability, every shadow he could carry with him. But what really ate at him was a different kind of emptiness. One that grew louder every ti he thought of Earth.
He knew. He had been declared dead long ago. And the worst part wasn't that. The worst part was what he had left behind. That family. That girl. His sister, who no doubt was still waiting for news. He didn't want them to go through what he had. The waiting... that was the true poison. Hope was a cruel prison, harsher than loss, because it made you wake up every day believing maybe, maybe that would be the day they returned. Until the next morning crushed it all over again.
That was how he had lived. Waiting for his mother. For years. And now he was doing the sa to the Baumanns. To the world, he was gone. But to them... hope still lingered. Hope that would turn to pain. Luke felt a quiet anger toward himself.
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He looked at the palm of his hand, where he held the item he'd earned after killing the Beast Lord. He studied it for a mont, then tucked it away.
"Two Lords down… just one left," he murmured.
Then would co the chanisms. And finally, the road ho. No factions. No politics. No gas. Just a path. A destination. He was about to stand when he heard a soft sound behind him. Turning, he saw Allison climbing up the broken roof with surprising ease, moving as if that high ground belonged to her. She approached without a word and sat beside him.
"It's been a long ti," she said with a faint smile.
"Many months," he replied.
"I'm glad you're still alive… and sorry about the blade to your throat. And the ropes."
Luke shrugged. "I went along with Evangeline's plan. But did the ropes have to be that tight? It's hard to walk when your feet are basically glued together."
"In my defense, I didn't tie them."
Luke nodded, a flicker of humor returning. "It was Quinn. He seed very enthusiastic about it."
"Don't be too hard on them. You did rather coldly admit to killing Angelica. And said a few... other things."
"That was after they tried to kill . And I had my reasons."
"I know," she replied, her voice softer now.
She took a deep breath, thoughtful. "Did you kill Angelica for the reasons Jonathan ntioned?"
"You don't trust ?"
"I do," she said firmly. "And even if you'd done it in cold blood, I know you would've had a reason. You've saved more than once, Luke. I just want to know if you trust enough to tell the truth. Even if it was to level up."
"I killed her because she asked to. She didn't want to die from the poison. Or from the injuries Paul gave her. It was her choice."
Allison stayed quiet for a few seconds. Then she nodded, accepting the explanation without pushing further.
Luke pulled a bow from his inventory and handed it to her.
"After that, I got revenge. I killed Paul, with her bow."
She held it for a mont, then handed it back with quiet respect.
"You're more serious now... at least when you were dealing with the others earlier," he said.
"That's because I wasn't just being Allison," she replied. "I was being Allison Rhiannon. Daughter of a clan. An heir. And heirs… don't get to be soft."
Allison began telling Luke how things had changed since he left. She didn't ask about what was beyond the barrier, what he had seen, or where the third chanism was hidden. There was no interrogation, only quiet conversation, as if she respected that those answers would co in ti. From what Luke gathered, Jonathan had left the Haven to join Bartholow's faction. He had never returned.
After that, Allison was forced to step up and lead the Haven. At the ti, she had also been revealed as a noble from the World Governnt. Her identity was exposed the sa night Erza Grimhart arrived with Bartholow, just before the ant invasion.
Shortly after, Mason had co to help. He'd arrived in the tutorial a year earlier and ca from a lesser family that served the World Governnt. He'd known Allison in childhood.
Since then, more people had joined the Haven. Over ti, they began making the strongest mbers even stronger. Allison and Mason combined their knowledge of the system, knowledge passed down from their noble families, to teach others how to awaken Professions, how to level up efficiently, and how to lead small hunting parties against monsters. After Angelica's death, sothing changed. People didn't want to just survive anymore. They wanted to fight.
Their leader's death had motivated them. That was when Allison began gathering those she trusted, slowly preparing for an expedition through the orc forest. After gaining power in the dungeons along the wall, they set their sights on the Orc Lord.
Over the course of several months, more and more people joined the cause. They built camps deeper into the forest, pushing closer to the mountains. Along the way, they used every encounter to strengthen their group, fighting beasts, even giant crocodiles in the swamps.
By the ti they launched the final assault, there were seventy people in the expedition. Sixty-three ca back. Seven were lost in the final battle against the Orc Lord.
He had been holed up in ruins deep in the forest, surrounded by waves of orcs. The hardest part had been carrying the wounded back down from the mountains. They had no healers. So had lost limbs. The journey back had been long and painful. Now, in the camp below them, about fifty people remained. The others had returned to the Haven for treatnt under Thiara's care.
Luke glanced down. Movent had started in the camp, people gathering, shifting, preparing.
Allison stood. "Let's go," she said.
"Where's everyone going?" Luke asked, standing with her.
"We're going to activate the second chanism."
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