The cold tip of the bronze spear glinted as Jeemin took it out of the golden pouch.

"Man, that hurts..."

"This is like haunted house..."

Several voices of people came at the center of the mansion. When he took a peek, he could vaguely approximate around twelve people were talking and studying the interior of the mansion.

At the center of the people was a girl wearing a green scholarly robe. She was gracefully looking around with her emerald eyes. Her skin was smooth and pale white, while her lips were rosy red.

Her eyebrows were sharp but had a hint of gentleness. She would check the condition of the people around her and would help them up from time to time.

Around three people were closely guarding her. A tall burly man with a tattoo on his arm, a lean guy with a poetic vibe, and an average man wearing a simple blue shirt.

Jeemin gripped the spear tightly and took a breath.

"Check the second floor, we'll handle the first two rooms." The girl with emerald eyes spoke.

"Go up muscle head, I'll take care of Lily here." The man with a poetic vibe went closer towards the girl wearing green scholarly robe.

"Have Carl stay with you, who knows what perverted things you might do to Lily."

The poetic man glared at the burly man and smiled at Lily, "Mademoiselle, I'll go to the ends of the earth for you. My life is yours to take and—"

"Dale be careful, there might be traps lying around the second floor," Lily said as she ignored him. He could only wryly smile and swallow the words that he was about to say.

She gave him a look and said, "Lee Mingwoo, we don't have much food and water now, I suggest for you to save your energy for useful things."

"You're no fun," he sighed.

"We're not having fun here. We already lost five people from the forest, six people at the mountain, and three people died of thirst on the desert just now. I know you don't care about them, but each of them had their own stories they weren't able to tell."

He could only sigh and gave a nod as he saw the grief in her eyes, "This is the reason I like you, you have something I don't, alright let's be careful."

She frowned for a moment but decided not to speak.

As they were about to explore the interior mansion, a figure wearing a black leather robe with a spear in his hand emerged from the right door.

Dale immediately drew his sword as Lee Mingwoo and the average guy wearing blue shirt quickly went in front of Lily while holding knives on their hands.

Neither side spoke. The eerie and deafening silence pervaded the mansion.

With his eyelids drooped down, he coldly pointed his spear towards the collapsed staircase backdrop.

"That's the exit." His voice was cold as he stood firmly and looked unfazed in front of them.

Little did they know that his feet was trembling, the hand clasped around the spear was sweating like waterfalls, and his heart was almost at his throat.

Luckily, I could still remember that there was a gate at the end of that tunnel, whether it's the exit or not, I'll just have to bet my life on it.

"Who are you?" Dale asked, his voice was deep and fierce.

"You can call me Azrail," he replied as he retracted the spear and held it upside down.

"If that's the exit how are you still here?"

Jeemin gulped inwardly as he concocted excuses on his head.

"That's none of your business." When he couldn't generate a solid excuse from his measly brain, he decided it was better not to make any in the first place.

Dale was about to speak but Lily interrupted him, "Check what's below the collapsed staircase backdrop."

Dale looked towards Lily and then his gaze lingered on Jeemin for awhile before climbing up the stairs. After he reach the middle floor, he stretched his neck and peeked below.

"There's a white tunnel and a door here."

"How can you prove that there's no trap there?" Lily asked calmly as her deep emerald eyes gazed at him.

"You could send one of your people there," Jeemin replied flatly.

"What if you are lying and one of my men dies in there?"

Jeemin frowned as he was starting to get anxious.

"What if I'm not lying and one of your men don't die in there?"

Lily was stunned momentarily before speaking, "Well, we'll thank you of course."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"..."

After some unbearable awkward silence, Lily finally spoke again.

"Anyone wants to volunteer to check it?"

"Screw that! Why don't he check it?!"

"Look at him looking cool and shit, I say we beat him up and spill information for us!"

"Yeah that's right, he could still have food and water with him!"

"He even had a spear on his hand!"

The crowd behind Lily started walking towards Jeemin. Their eyes were weary but was filled with greed; just one word from Lily, Jeemin was certain that they would immediately pounce on him like hungry beasts.

But Jeemin neither spoke nor made any movements, his eyes were cold and calm. He tilted his neck to ease his anxiousness, but Lily and rest perceived it differently.

How can he be so calm? Lily thought.

Dale gave her a look that said, "forget it, don't mess with this guy."

Suddenly, Jeemin roused his Origin and swung the down the spear. The wood on the floor cracked dangerously, some splinters of wood even flew into the crowd's direction.

The gust of wind produced from the single swing he did was enough to cause them to widen their eyes.

Lee Mingwoo took a step back from shock.

What strength! That's not something you could normally do.

He raised his guard as he went closer to Lily and whispered, "That movement just now, if that hit a human being, I'm sure he would be cut into two."

"If you still don't want to leave this place, then don't blame me from going on a rampage. I'm a little bit stiff dealing with all the traps here so I might make a mistake and hit one or two if I swing again, and oh, it's a good training by the way." He said with lackadaisical tone as he rested the spear on his shoulder.

"Feel free to steal my spear. Of course, that is if you are prepared to pay using your life."

He snickered but his legs was trembling unnoticeably.

I should regain my limb as soon as possible, I can't use a weapon properly. Without Claire's greatsword, I'm nothing but a baboon swinging a long stick around.

Lily fell in thought and said, "Then I'd rather check it myself if there's no traps."

"Lily!"

"No, we'll do it for you, you've already done a lot for us!"

"It's just that, what if we die?"

Lily sighed and spoke, "Then that's easy, I'll be the one who'll—"

"I'll do it."

The man beside Lee Mingwoo interrupted as he swiftly went below the collapsed middle floor of the staircase backdrop.

Soon, a cry came from the white tunnel.

"There's a stairway here leading up. The air is fresh and the sunlight is warm! There's no trap, it's safe."

As soon as the man wearing a blue shirt shouted, the rest of them followed one by one. But they didn't forget to glare at Jeemin as they left.

What's with these people? Are they right on the head? Jeemin sighed in his heart.

"I'm sorry earlier by the way, you know, we're just being careful. We've lost a lot of lives already, I'd appreciate it if you'd understand." Lily walked towards Jeemin without paying heed to Dale's warning.

"What's the point?" Jeemin frowned and uncharacteristically asked.

Her emerald eyes and her meek and beautiful face was making him uncomfortable, he took a step back and spoke coldly, "I'd appreciate it if you leave this place faster."

Lee Mingwoo tugged at Lily's sleeve and said, "Let's go, he's not right in the head. It's better not to get involved with him."

Lily gave him a scrutinizing look before leaving with the rest.

Cold sweat trickled from his back as Jeemin breathed in and out, calming his trembling hands.

After determining that there were no people left on the mansion, he kept the bronze spear away as he swept all the remaining tunnels clean for more treasures he could find.

He found a worn out incomplete map of the desert and forest, to which he deemed useless. Going back is just courting death because there was no time left.

He also found some broken sword, aged boots, leather vest, chopping board...

"!"

Chopping board?!

He found some rotten apples, dusty bottled wine, tattered shield....

Suddenly, he saw what seems to be an audio head jack lying on one of the tunnels.

As he picked it up he couldn't help but cried out in suprise, "There's even a manual!"

An earphone jack was resting on his hand as he read the manual before him.

[Mana Audio Jack]

After plugging it on a phone, insert mana on the jack to initiate charging.

Charger?

Now that he thought of it, he immediately recalled something.

The first privilege reward after we left the hall!

He looked at the empty air and muttered, "Privilege rewards."

[Pick one: Rope, Condom, Cellphone]

After he chose the cellphone, it was sent immediately to his golden pouch. When he checked the phone, to his suprise, its battery was completely drained.

He then plugged the mana jack on the phone with difficulty. After he was done inserting it with the help of his teeth and remaining hand, he asked himself, "Now what?"

He pressed his thumb on the magic jack but nothing unusual happened. The phone didn't lit up nor made any signs of being charged.

His eyelids drooped down depressingly as he realized what's wrong.

I don't have any mana yet.

When he determined that there were no treasures left on the mansion, he sat on the staircase backdrop for awhile as he gathered his thoughts.

His chin rested on the back of his palm as he started organising in his head.

Now, I need to deal with these strange memories. If these things are really what I think they are, then I should make a rough plan first...

My performances in the subsequent stages after the cave is good as Mili reminded me, there might be some decent organizations eyeing me now...

*

Inside a crude hut sat two people talking to each other with stern faces, with the table in between them.

One was leaning forward with an interested gaze while a tiger's coat was resting on his wide back.

"...So they're called watchers huh..."

Cipriani Markez held his chin as he spoke with deep voice. His eyes narrowed as he said, "Interesting. Continue."

"As I said, the prophet told me - the one you told me to communicate with - said that they are called watchers."

"They?"

"Yeah, the prophet said that the name displayed on the system notice we're just their make up names. They're not allowed to divulged any information from the outside. But before the prophet stopped replying to me, it mentioned the word 'recruitment.'"

"... Hmm. So, have you tried talking with the other watchers yet?"

"Yeah."

"Did you gain some important information?"

The man wearing a white priest's robe hesitated for a moment. Seeing this, Cipriani Markez gave him a smile that was not a smile as he spoke, "I guess even a god's servant is greedy. Fine, keep all the information all by yourself. Oh, am I forgetting something? I swear I remembered saving someone, he even called me, what was it again, saviour?"

Cipriani Markez smacked his lips as he rapped on the table with his other hand. He leaned his back casually on the chair and tilted his head as his deep unfathomable gaze landed on the priest's eyes.

"Augustus, we know that this awful place is just the beginning. If I am right, there's a vast world out there. I'm sure they're watching over us right now as they deliberated who are they going to choose among the participants."

"Don't you think it's better to build a bridge between us before we go separate ways outside?"

Augustus unconsciously glared at him and spoke in a loud voice, "Bridge? You've already burned it when you dismantled the congregation I was trying to form at the hall!"

"Now, now, calm down. Shout at me one more time..."

The table in front of them suddenly trembled. Cipriani Markez's piercing gaze made Augustus reeled back from fear.

He felt a formless force pushing him down as his eyes widened from shock and terror. Cold sweat dripped down from his back as his hairs stood on end.

"You—"

Knock, knock, knock.

The wooden door of the hut shook as someone knocked from the outside.

"Are you trying to break the door?" Cipriani Markez bellowed and retracted the formless force.

"No Boss, I'm just too strong. Anyways, we have another batch of new arrivals."

"How many?"

"About fourteen, I guess."

Cipriani glanced at Augustus as he stood up, "Let's continue this later, let's take a look."

When Cipriani was about to leave, Augustus suddenly spoke, "T-the information is about the next stage."

Cipriani stopped in his tracks, looked back and said, "Explain it quick."

"The next stage requires the cooperation of the entire people around here. The danger far surpassed the previous stages, Based from the information, whatever it is, it can kill several people in a blink of an eye."

Cipriani creased his eyebrows. He was confident because he already gained control of some sort of power, but he was taken aback after hearing Augustus' information.

"Was it stronger than the intelligent hound we killed?"

"According to what the prophet told me, the next one is likely closer to a human being."

Cipriani Markez face became stern as he said, "Then we'll just need more people."

Augustus' hairs stood on end when Cipriani Markez uttered the word 'people' like he was speaking of disposable items soon to be used.

When he recalled the amount of people who died on the mansion, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva from fear.

"Do you think you're special enough to be called twice?" Cipriani Markez coldly spoke when he was already halfway through the door.

As soon as Augustus was jolted awake, he immediately stood up and followed behind.