With their business with Soren and her hideout officially done, Hazel and her group took their loot, left the area, and flew over to their next destination; the Norther District. Soren stated before that they believed that there was a sub-boss located there, so they planned to investigate the area and see if what she told Hazel was actually true.

As the trio flew toward the district, a heavy silence accompanied them. Ever since Hazel ordered Nycteris to finish off Soren, neither she nor Astrid has spoken about it. Or anything for that matter, thus leaving them in the quiet solitude.

That was until Astrid finally broke the silence.

“How are you holding up, Hazel?”

Hazel stayed silent for a moment until she finally responded with a sigh.

“Are you concerned over my mental state after what happened with Soren and the others?”

“I...would be lying if I said I wasn’t.”

Hazel knew why Astrid was bringing this up. It was because she knew that this was her first time killing people, even if indirectly. The dark elf was concerned that Hazel might snap under pressure or lose focus during battle and possibly get herself killed.

“You don’t have to worry about me, Astrid,” Hazel told her. “Although this was my first time taking a life, I have no regrets. Besides, with the world as it is now, something tells me that I would have to get used to this sooner or later.”

Because of everything that was happening to them and their worlds, Hazel doubted that everything would be all sunshine and rainbows when they left this dungeon and returned to their newly merged home.

There will be conflict, chaos, and most definitely, war. And like it or not, Hazel was going to get caught up in the middle of it. It was the goddamn apocalypse for crying out loud. She was bound to get her hands stained with blood sooner or later, so despite her apprehension, Hazel felt that this was necessary for her to survive.

That and the fact that Soren and the rest of her group were vile players who killed other players for enjoyment or just for the hell of it. While Hazel had mixed feelings about taking a life, she didn’t and would never regret taking theirs. That much was certain.

“I...would advise against that.”

Hazel turned to Astrid with a confused expression. “What?”

This was not something she expected to hear from the dark elf. Hell, just before they entered Soren’s hideout, Astrid didn’t even stop Hazel from aggressively mistreating the blond warrior. If anything, she seemed to have encouraged it.

And yet, for some reason, the dark elf said something like that. But why?

“I’m not telling you to avoid taking a life,” Astrid continued. “If you feel the need to kill your enemies, then do it. But you must never grow used to killing. That is the one thing you must avoid at all costs.”

Hazel hesitated to speak. Her words stuck in the back of her throat, threatening to choke her from the suspense and fear.

“And...why is that?” She finally asked.

“Because I’ve seen firsthand what happens to a person when they grow used to killing,” Astrid declared grimly as her expression darkened. “It fundamentally changes you. For better, or most likely, for worse.”

Hazel could tell by Astrid’s tone that she was serious about this. She wasn’t being sarcastic or just plain rude. She meant every word uttered and knew what she was talking about. Which begged the question; who was she referring to?

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She stated that she witnessed this happen to someone else. Someone who was accustomed to killing, and that it permanently changed them. And it seemed to be in the worst way possible as well.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who was this person that got used to killing?”

Although Hazel was aware that she could be crossing a line by prying into Astrid’s life, she couldn’t help but ask after what she just heard. It wasn’t just urging her to know but also a simple yet strong desire to know more about Astrid. More than anything; to also know why she was saying such things to her now of all time.

Astrid was hesitant to answer as she bit her lip in frustration. Hazel said nothing, and simply let her partner decide what to do. If she wanted to tell Hazel, then she would. And if not, then the mage wasn’t going to pester the dark elf any further.

Then, miraculously enough, Hazel finally replied.

“My brother. He...is the one I’m referring to.”

“Your brother...” Hazel muttered as she processed this information. “I didn’t know you had a brother. Or really siblings for that matter.”

“I have a few siblings, actually,” Astrid told her with a sigh. “There are five children of the Tribal chief, and I am the first and oldest daughter. My brother who I was talking about, Kollr, is the second child and first son of the chief.”

“I see...”

This was quite a bit of information for Hazel to process. Not only did Astrid have siblings, but she was also the oldest child out of the five. Which made both of them the oldest child of their families.

Then there was the part about one of her brothers, the second child, that changed after growing accustomed to killing. Hazel wanted to know more about Kollr but wasn’t sure Astrid was ready or willing to talk about such a subject. She was honestly surprised that the dark elf was even mentioning such a thing in the first place.

That must show how much she was concerned over Hazel’s state of mind, and her attitude toward taking lives. She clearly didn’t want to experience another rehash of someone she knew going down that path.

Before Hazel or Astrid could say anything else, the duo player looked ahead with wide eyes as they soon arrived at the Northern district. And as they got closer, Hazel was slowly beginning to believe Soren’s word about the place.

“I-is that...” Astrid muttered in horror.

“Yeah,” Hazel replied grimly. “Looks like Soren was telling the truth about the sea of Fractured swarming the northing district.”

Looking down as they flew by the northern district, all they could see was a massive horde of fractured. So many to the point where none of them could even see the street itself. Just the Fractured humans packed together like sardines as they shambled along the streets like a flood.

“H-how many do you think...”

“Too many to count. I doubt that we’d be able to even take out a quarter of them before the day was done. This is no different than an infestation. I don’t even think there would be this many rats in New York...”

Needless to say, Hazel and Astrid were having a hard time processing the sheer number of Fractured humans swarming the northing district. It made the previous Horde Hazel encountered in both this city and the Town Island look like nothing more than a small crowd.

And somewhere within this little sea of Fractured...was where one of the Sub-Bosses of this dungeon was located. And if that was the case, where would they even begin to search?

“Nycteris, keep flying around the northern district. We need to find the location of the Sub-Boss before leaving.”

“Understood...!”

Per Hazel’s command, Nycteris remained in the air and flew around the Northern District of the city island. While in the air, Hazel and Astrid did what they could and searched down in the district below them from above. They observed every building, street, and back alley, desperately searching for what could be a clue to the Sub-Boss's location.

A few minutes of flying around later, the group soon stumbled across a possible hint regarding where the Sub-Boss could be.

“So, I’m not the only one seeing a small herd of flying fractured monsters circling that building, am I?” Hazel questioned.

“No, you are not,” Astrid stated. “I can see them too.”

Over to their right, Hazel soon spotted a swarm of what appeared to be various flying Fractured monsters pivoting a particular building. She didn’t know what that building was used for, but Hazel could tell that it was built for something extravagant or formal.

It wasn’t a castle or a mansion, but just as grand and massive. A place that could fit hundreds of people with ease.

Wanting to get a closer look, Nycteris landed nearby so they could properly view the building. Even as they landed, the flying fractured remained in the air, hovering over the building like vultures finding food.

And as Hazel took another look at the building, a sudden chill ran down her spine as she sensed something within. While it was faint due to how far she was, the presence was still close enough for her to detect it.

There was definitely something in that tower. Something strong and menacing. Which meant...it had to be the Sub-Boss.

“Alright,” Hazel said with a wry smile. “I think we just found the location of a Sub-Boss monster.”

Despite being scum, Hazel couldn’t help but thank Soren for telling her such an important piece of information.