O'Brien had been in a good mood for the past two weeks. It was not uncommon for one city to split into three pieces, with all fragments heading to different regions in the global expansion.

O'Brien had even heard sorrowful tales of cities being split into over a dozen pieces, causing families to forever be lost to each other.

The problem was not being split up for most, but the particular region within the New World you were lucky or unlucky enough to end up in.

While his comrades from Monvec did not mention landing in one of the top hellscapes, some of them did end up in a tough situation being directly in the Yellow Sand region of the Six-Colored Desert Plains.

O'Brien's current location on the border between the Giant Tree Forest Plateau and Six-Coloured Desert Plain regions was quite a good outcome.

He and his group were in a better position than he thought. The ruins and secret realms nearby were numerous, well, according to the rumours. Furthermore, it was also near to the elves who would settle there in the near future, lessening the amount of other intelligent alien races that would be active in the region.

O'Brien intended to fully enjoy this period of peace, well aware of the dangers that would roam the land in the coming weeks.

In the New World, as far as humans were concerned, trouble would come find you even if you stayed in the same place. O'Brien had time to relax in these past two weeks, as if the apocalypse was just some horror-themed vacation with no threat of imminent death.

Yet, nothing could be perfect.

"So? Did they come begging again?” O'Brien mockingly asked. “Did their tears move you? Were there a hundred crying children?"

Of course, Jules flamed up. "Would it kill you to have some basic human decency?!" Another entry in her regular headbutting with their beloved chaperone, the Prince of Douches.

"As a matter of fact, it would,” he answered, slowly pulling his white locks into a ponytail. “Same for you as well.”

“Please educate me on how, Your Royal Doucheness,” Jules scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.

O’Brien carefully wrapped a long lock to secure the others in place, his perfectionism guiding his fingers. “Even if they are incapable of stabbing you in the back now, what happens when you are exhausted from protecting them? If a strong wave of monsters appear and you create an escape pathway for them, do you think they will shed tears for your noble sacrifice as you die covering their retreat?" He massaged his temples with a roll of his eyes. Her lack of simple logic baffled him at times.

“An empathetic human wouldn’t let children die like that!” Jules bit back.

"I've said it many times, but I'll say it again,” he sighed. “I'm not stopping you. Feel free to go save them. You can die trying, but you sure have fancy aspirations when you can't even back them up with strength.” He felt Roya staring at him, but he fixed his gaze on Lea, the most cool-headed one of the group, it seemed.

“You've seen movies, or whatever hell it might have been. Even just surviving in society would tell you. Humans are less than dogs, since man's best friend doesn't bite the hand that feeds them, or gloat while stabbing you in the back, twisting the knife so they can torture you with the pain for as long as possible."

The oozing nobility and kindness from these four women had caused him no small amount of headaches these past two weeks.

"Well... We can at least give them a little food, can't we?” Lea softly argued, grabbing her elbow.

O’Brien threw his hands up in exasperation, causing her to lower her gaze, but she continued to speak.

“Even if we aren't protecting them, we are the ones who cleared out most of the supermarkets and convenience stores. Some medicine as well. We...don't exactly need those. None of us are on prescription drugs, but we emptied out all the pharmacies here as well."

What had he been thinking? She had been adamant and headstrong in the beginning when it came to saving lives, the same as Jules. Rose was uncharacteristically mute, still not fully recovered from the brutality that had unfolded before her eyes weeks ago.

When they tried to go out on their own against his advice and were surrounded by Sickle Beetles, he was the one who had to come and save them, only because of Rose’s plea.

The commotion they had caused trying to save that group caused the rescuees to all to end up in the belly of the ambushing new foe.

According to O'Brien's mocking jeers, if they hadn't made so much noise screaming for help and using their new abilities so flamboyantly, many would have survived the encounter. Instead, they all wiped out the people they wanted to save.

By extension, they had murdered all those people because of their actions.

This caused a relapse in Rose's mental condition. Jules and Lea dealt with more trauma, tears, and a major loss of appetite. As a former soldier, Roya had long controlled her reactions to death, making her an exception to the guilt O’Brien had thrown on them, though she respected their mourning with silence.

The event caused four days of wonderful peace and silence for the joyful young man.

The section of the city that had ended up at the border with them was only about one-fifteenth or less of the entire city structure. The battered buildings included residential apartment complexes, malls, flower shops, vegetable markets and the like. Convenience stores, supermarkets, and gas stations were not as numerous in this particular city compared to some others.

Considering Sickle beetles and a weird giant Green Worm were roaming the city ruins, it was that much harder to go scavenging for supplies. These monsters were not mindless zombies. They were predators who could feel the body’s warmth and scent from a distance.

Due to the calamities a week before the apocalypse, many persons had stockpiled preservable food, but with majority being lost in transition as the earth shifted, supplies had begun to run thin only two weeks into the New World.

Initially, O'Brien didn't have a plan concerning others. He just happened to be near the Altar and Hope Medallion when the terraforming began, instructing the women to awaken their aperture. When he came to his senses after it ended, he had an epiphany. He could leave the Altar and Medallion, but that would be such a colossal waste.

This was a strategic item that entire shelters were built around with it as the core!

Surely, he could use it to his benefit somehow.

He had the idea to follow the standard apocalypse procedure and gather food and daily necessities, although he himself had no need for them. Why? He didn't need it, but someone would, wouldn't they?

It was a common practice to barter such items in the New World, so the plan was concocted within his mind. Outsiders were charged a higher premium when trying to buy from settlements.

Although the New World had yet to form their mature systems of exchange, he still could barter them for cards that most people did not know the use of. He would also spread the word to the smart ones who recognized the value of cards, offering to teach how to use them. With the medallion in hand and an unused Storage Ring, he had everything he needed to carry out his plan.

He alone could monopolize all the food in the city. The portions he couldn't carry close to him or on his person, he had hidden well in the lairs of monsters so no one could get to them. Call him petty, but it was an investment worth making.

He made sure many people saw him from windows and their hiding places as he swept the place for food and medicine. If they were not nearby, he would deliberately take a detour towards them. Advertising at its finest. He would have made a great entrepreneur if the world didn’t go to shit.

Survivors would seek him out once information spread that he had what they needed. He had especially left scribbled notes and markings in supermarkets, gas stations, and convenience stores he had been to, to paint them a clearer picture and guide them to him.

He was practicing screaming, 'Hey, I did it! I have all the food! You want some? Then come find me!'.

Now after two weeks without renewing their food source, the survivors had finally started to crawl out of their hiding places. It was like smoking out an anthill.

Having his hair tied back and sleeves rolled up, ready to work, he addressed his sympathy party once again. "Let me guess. You want me to help them out for free, isn’t it?” he directly asked Jules.

“Well, it’s a human —”

“Not gonna happen. I don't mind being inhuman, in fact, i don't care the slightest what anyone thinks of my humanity," he cut her off, heading up the steps of his RV. Did she think, because he was helping her to repay his debt to Rose, he was some Santa and would be giving away gifts freely?

As if.

He’d rather wrestle a Flame Abyss Titan.

"O'Brien, there are several children in that group,” Rose pleaded, hurrying after him. She held the railing and looked up at him, her once cheery face now a canvas of depression and PTSD. “We saw…tiny babies, weeks and months old, skinny mothers that can barely breastfeed." She knew she had the strongest voice among them to try and convince him, yet it was difficult to sway his rock-hard heart. “Think of—”

Stolen novel; please report.

"Babies have the lowest survival rate at this point of the apocalypse,” he statement, watching her tired face fall. He rubbed his face with his palm, drawing a long sigh. “I sound like a broken record. Again, Rose, are you prepared to lay down your life and protect them for the rest of their lives? If not, then don't needlessly extend your helping hand. They'll start thinking they’re entitled to your, you —" O'Brien froze for a second, whatever he was building up to dying on the tip of his tongue.

Why convince them with his words when seeing for themselves would teach them a better lesson?

It would be a fun past time.

"Fine. We'll help,” he resigned, the words tasting like cardboard on his tongue, quickly adding, “Just a little.”

Roya raised her head, glancing at the others to know if she heard right. “Did he just —?”

“I'll give you some food. I cleaned out most of the stores in the district, but there are places that would have bulk stock of similar items already bought and stored within their facilities, like jails and hotels. I'll get some things ready before we'll go and collect whatever they can exchange, then we'll give them a little charity afterwards to surprise them. Good?"

A smile from this ashy being still bordered on being unsettling to the women. More than that, they doubted their ears.

Did he really give in?

They were giving their all, not expecting much since he was as stubborn as a mule, but he actually agreed!

Rose frantically nodded, not wanting him to change his mind. "Of course. Thank you so much, O'Brien. Thank y—" Before she could finish, he disappeared within the RV. Within a few moments, they heard the shower start to run.

"His body language and behavior were thick with distaste and aversion at first," Roya commented, having had professional requirements to be able to read body language.

“True,” Lea agreed, slowly cracking her knuckles in slight hesitation. “I wonder why he changed like that so fast…”

They were so used to him cutting them off and flinging their barely spoken views out of the window like a toddler hosting a tantrum. This was quite unnatural, coming from him.

"Sure enough, it's Rose again,” Roya observed, leaning closer to the blonde and lowering her deeper tone. “Do you think he has feelings for her and this thing about a debt is a lie?" Rose was an earshot away, but was telling Jules something.

"I don't think so," Lea replied with a little chuckle, loosening her tightened shirt sleeves. O'Brien's actions and personality displayed no regard for human life at all. It was easy to guess that he could harbor feelings for Rose because of the way he treated the rest, but he only gave her the bare minimum of good treatment, so that was out of the question unless he came out and admitted it himself.

He had been changing in recent times, from dissatisfaction to indifference, but he was still far from a charitable person.

Roya lifted her brows, her lips in a thin line. “I smell a trick. This sounds too good to be true.”

"Whatever the case, we got what we wanted since he'll help," Lea shrugged, being able to help made her feel a lot better. She had healed their injuries but her natal card, Light of the Asshai, could only heal wounds and not satiate hunger. “I don’t see how he’d possibly —”

“He could poison them,” Jules interjected, sitting beside Lea and joining the conversation.

Rose let out small gasp in synch with Lea. “Don’t think about such a thing!” she scolded her niece with an angry pout.

Jules folded her arms across her chest, crossing her legs at the ankles. “I mean, he’s done it once. Who’s to say he wouldn’t do it again? He’s a twisted soul.”

Roya held up her palms. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s not go that far, Jules. Yes, there are chances he could do something horrible like that, but he's not wrong, you know.”

They all snapped their necks to her with appalled gazes.

“I mean, the things he’s said,” she quickly clarified. “If you give them everything for free, they'll start to rely on you. If they don’t earn it, entitlement slips in quickly. It's hard to say it, but yes, they'll be burden to us. Let’s admit the truth." She clicked her tongue.

Of course, she stood on her friends’ side, but she felt she needed to say something towards their holy mother actions. She could feel that things were not headed in a good direction, like that Gianni guy who came with his child out in this dangerous environment to beg for food and guilt trip them. He was clearly playing the pity game.

For some reason, Roya supporting O’Brien’s views caused an outburst, but it wasn’t from Jules.

"So what?! You'd have us watch as they die when we can save them with just a little effort?!” Lea snapped, growing red as her delicate face twisted in anger. “You actually agree with that psychopath? Listen to yourself! No wonder you weren’t as persistent as we were. What did children ever do to you?!"

Roya’s brow only creased slightly, but her dark eyes betraying her surprise. It was rare to see Lea display such behaviour. Jules discreetly scooted away from Lea’s side.

Realising her actions, Lea sighed and covered her face with her hand, her voice lowering to a whisper when she raised her head once more.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped,” she apologised. “It's just that I made it my life's goal to help as many people as I can. That's why I became a doctor. I already know that many people have died and are dying as we speak. I keep having this nightmare… I see their faces…their half-eaten corpses…that hideous giant worm biting into them one by one. Then I wake up. All this is getting to me and I don’t know how much more I can take, standing back and folding my hands."

"We're all in the same boat, aren't we?” Roya asked without malice. Though she didn’t show it often, she wasn’t completely numb and emotionless, just someone trained to control her reactions to the cruel world. “Humans in a world against humans. I understand your pain..."

Lea pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. She wasn't the type to cry in public like Rose, but her heart felt full with sorrow. So many people were in suffering and pain, yet she could do nothing to help them. It was as if her natal card heightened her shared pain with the suffering.

She felt two strong but arms gently hug her from behind.

"Don't worry," Roya whispered, her face buried against her fair head. "It will all be alright in the end. We'll manage somehow."

As the hot afternoon slowly rolled by, they looked forward to their latest mission. Jules continued practicing with her Boots of Hermes, aiming to get strong enough to make a difference. With angry huffs and a red face, she poured all her energy into mastering her natal abilities.

Rose was back up in the lookout cabin. For once in a long time, she was in high spirits with a big smile on her face. Roya started packing weapons and emergency kits. Yes, the kid was powerful and all, but they couldn’t rely on him for absolutely everything. She was good at following orders when she wasn’t leading, but taking the initiative was important as well.

O'Brien had actually given them zero responsibility. He had left the summoned wolf to fight off intruders and notify him of any dangers it could not handle with a howl. From the beginning until now, he had never relied on them, so they couldn't interact with him as teammates.

They were just baggage he was logging around.

*

O'Brien leaned against the balustrade of a building’s roof, sucking on an orange popsicle. Now three and a half floors high, it had fallen off its original height of twelve. Below him, a fierce battle was unfolding as the four women faced just three bugs.

"No, no, army chick, you're a lot better than that!” he transmitted his voice directly to Roya as he watched. “Special opps, right? No, you're too specialized. Are you a merc? That's it, isn't it?" O'Brien smacked his lips together, enjoying the sugary ice. "Your response is good enough, but you're too trusting of your eyes. Also, are you underestimating those bugs? Sure, they aren't the brightest little bulbs, but they know enough to play dead, pull tricks, and plan ambushes."

Roya gritted her teeth against the jabs and the loud chewing noises within her ears.

"Feel everything around you,” he continued. “Your senses have grown stronger; use them. Don't put all your energy into one arrow. Do you want to faint after three shots? Are you stupid?"

But she knew better than to ignore his advice.

Feel it.

Feel it.

After taking a breath, she held a majestic silver and purple-lined bow, drawing an invisible string.

The bow was bigger than her body and quite heavy as well. It was made of unknown metals and wood, with many inscriptions and runes carved into its sleek and robust body.

She carefully poured only a little of of her card essence into the bow, forming a thin arrow of light much smaller than her previous attempts. Although it was small, she felt she could let loose several of these.

Swoosh!

The arrow pierced through the air in an arc before it fell straight onto a beetle, denting its thick carapace as if it had been smashed with heavy stone.

"Fuck. Too weak,” she muttered to herself, already readjusting. “Just a little more, then." Once again, she took a stance, aiming to fire a stronger arrow. Her steady pupils had hawk-like focus as her prey never left her line of sight.

Both of her arms were steady as she rested one knee on the surface of the car she was using as her foothold, titling the giant bow so she could aim properly.

Turning his focus to a different fighter, O'Brien widened his eyes at the large nutcase on the battlefield.

"Oi, oi! Is your head for decoration? Can't you see that flying up so high sucks out much more of your card essence?” he asked Jules with a groan. Must he teach everything? Watching her unsteady flight, he cracked a mocking laugh. “Am I mistaken, or are you actually an uber Card Grandmaster? Wow, Your Holiness, your elegant flight is so mesmerising. I'm blown away. Truly. Can I have your autograph?"

A vein protruded in Jules’s forehead as she viciously smacked the Sickle Beetle with a piece of steel she had picked up, ignoring O’Brien as much as she could. She flew several meters high in her glowing golden boots, the thin wings of light unfolded like an insect’s as they flapped, bringing her closer to the beast as if she weighed almost nothing. Due to still not perfecting her mastery of flight, she veered off-course and struggled to maintain balance, like an amateur iceskater.

O'Brien made sure to mock her the most, laughing like he had front seat tickets to a comedy show. Just to further piss her off, he refrained to advising her.

“Good luck doing any damage with that flimsy piece of metal! I admire your —” The very piece came flying towards him, causing him to duck. When he raised his head, he met blazing green eyes glaring at him and a middle finger declared between them, a sight he was rapidly growing used to.

Sending Jules a smug smirk, he turned his attention elsewhere, his face falling flat immediately before he slapped his palm to his forehead.

"Hey, Doc, are you the same as that knucklehead over there? Why the hell are you healing tiny scratches immediately? Are you their mother? Does a scrape go straight to your heart like that?”

Of course, Lea responded to his rhetorics. “I can't afford them losing too much blood.”

“Yeah, yeah, after you waste so much energy on their minor wounds, the little essence left in your aperture would definitely heal the fatal ones in a breeze,” he sarcastically bit back like a mosquito in her ear. “You're a healer. Your major role is saving your energy for critical wounds."

Watching the blood red thorns wrap around the wrong parts of the enemy not far off, O'Brien bit into his popsicle speechlessly, wondering if common sense was lost to them.

"This is going to be a long walk…" he muttered, crunching the cold treat before whipping out a bottle of wine and a cigar.

Training while traveling was a good choice, considering the monster density in their path from their previous location to the shelter they were heading to, but he had certainly underestimated the amateurs’ stupidity.