*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Several figures arrived at the mouth of a massive frozen cavern. Earlier, Reyes had instructed the Silvermist Guild to scout the entire terrain to ensure there were no traps or mbers of the Lich Court lurking about. So far, they had found nothing suspicious.
They had suspected a trap might be hidden, so they purposely halted and observed the other individuals who were not part of their faction. As these people blindly ran towards the location, Reyes expected so hidden traps or worse, instant death traps, to activate.
However, nothing of the sort occurred.
Reyes furrowed his brows, pondering to himself with a thoughtful expression. "If it's not outsiders, then it should be inside the frozen cave," Reyes noted, giving a sidelong glance towards Jack, who was breathing heavily, fog forming in the cold air.
Oblivious to the look, Jack gripped his odachi tightly as he scanned the forest, observing all the people pouring into it from every direction. The sound of marching footsteps and shouting echoed, and occasional clashes occurred at the forefront.
These people probably knew how vital Elental Crystals were and had co to claim them for themselves.
But unlike the alliance, they didn't have any grand goals for the crystals... their main aim was to auction them off and make money that would last them for decades.
"If it were rely for money, I wouldn't be here," Jack sneered in his mind as he thought about the people waiting at ho for him to bring back the Elental Crystal. His family was wealthy; money was the least of his problems, and the Elental Beast was also not his concern.
'Apparently, it's very important to that man.'
'And by a stroke of luck, today happened to be the last day.'
A few days ago, Jack had received a call from his father, who gave him exactly seven days to retrieve the Elental Crystal. If he failed, he would be disowned. In Jack's bizarre family, being disowned had a much darker aning. The thought alone made his stomach churn.
"We're all pawns for that man,' Jack gripped his odachi, a determined glint flashing across his eyes. The cross beneath his eyes lit up with a dim white light that was extrely difficult for anyone to spot unless they paid ticulous attention to him. 'And who knows what he'll do to Mother... no matter what, I must get that crystal.'
He looked at everyone and added in a cold voice, 'Even if I have to let the wicked one take control...'
The last ti, Jack hadn't fought the Elental Beast alongside the others—he had only observed. From that, he could tell that most of the people here would only get themselves killed. That was why Reyes was also watching them, rather than stopping them.
They were nothing more than cannon fodder.
"I just hope they weaken it considerably," Reyes muttered in a low voice that everyone around him could hear. However, he soon shook his head. "They won't be enough."
The beast was far too powerful. It had frozen professional Awakened who had graduated from academies—what chance did these rogue Awakened, who probably didn't even have licenses from the Adventurers' Guild, stand?
"So what should we do?" Captain Bofan inquired, staring at Reyes, the brains behind this operation.
"We wait for them to enter the cavern first. If nothing happens, then we wait for the Elental Beast to deal with them, and then we join the fight," Reyes stated flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Captain Bofan glanced around anxiously, playing with his fingers. He seed to want to say sothing but was holding back, and everyone noticed this. Sensing their collective gaze, Bofan exhaled deeply, mist escaping his mouth as he pointed at the people.
"Those people... they're all my citizens. Could we at least include them in the plan? I know we've prepared, but I'd like to avoid as many deaths as possible," the sheriff in Bofan—the man who had sworn to protect Coastal City—couldn't help but speak up.
Reyes massaged his temple upon hearing this. Knowing Bofan's personality, he had expected sothing like this to happen and had already thought of what to say.
"Captain, I hope you understand that it would be nearly impossible to control these people." Reyes spoke calmly. "Look at their faces—they're blinded by greed. They haven't faced the Elental Beast before, so they're hot-blooded. Do you think they'd listen to us?"
Reyes paused, and Captain Bofan looked around. As he observed the faces of people rushing into the forest, he could see greed shining in their eyes, practically reflecting gold coins. He realized that Reyes was indeed right.
"Wait, let try first," Captain Bofan insisted.
"Sure," Reyes simply responded, taking a step back. If Bofan could convince them to join, it would be beneficial as they would have more help, but he seriously doubted it would be possible.
Nodding, Bofan took to the air and flew to a higher altitude. Everyone saw him flying in the sky, but he was ignored as if he were the wind. Reyes pursed his lips into a tight frown as he shouted at the top of his voice.
"Listen up, everyone!" Captain Bofan's voice bood through the air. "I know you're all here for the Elental Crystal, but I implore you, do not rush in blindly! The Elental Beast is very powerful! You'll all get hurt!"
Just as Reyes had anticipated, Captain Bofan's words were t with scorn and ridicule from the crowd.
"Mind your own business, Sheriff!" soone jeered.
"Yeah, we don't need your help!" another person chid in.
Ignoring Captain Bofan, the crowd continued to surge forward, their eyes sparkling with greed and desire for the crystal.
Reyes shook his head, his expression grim. "I told you, Captain. They won't listen."
Captain Bofan flew back down, a complicated expression on his face. "I've done my part. If anything happens to them, then it's their fault..."
ROOOOAR!
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed through the surroundings, and an overwhelming chilling aura poured from the mouth of the cavern. The fierce energy washed over the crowd, causing those rushing toward the cave to tremble like leaves in the wind. Several of them, frozen in fear, ford wet patches on their pants.
Reyes' eyes flashed sharply as he recognized the aura. "The beast... it's truly here."
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