Liam sat pensively in the camp’s main hut, with Cassandra sitting in front of him. Yichen was relaying Wang Lei’s message to both of them at the same time. It seemed like he had gotten more skilled with time.

‘It’s fine. Thank you, Wang Lei.’

The communication was then cut off. Cassandra made a deep sigh.

“Well, I already kind of expected it to go down like that.”

Liam nodded disappointedly. They were on their own. Cassandra stood up before opening her mouth once more.

“We should start as soon as possible. I’ll tell the others to try to get some wood to reinforce the walls. You should focus on dealing with the stronger fog monsters for the time being. What do you think?”

Liam also stood up, nodding again. He agreed with her. He shouldn’t go off and do his own thing when his camp was in danger. Part of his responsibilities revolved around keeping as many people alive as possible, after all. Cassandra left the hut, leaving Liam alone with his thoughts. The youth grasped at his weapon, absent-mindedly inspecting it. What should he do moving forward? In the short-term, he was supposed to help around the camp, sure, but what then? Could he truly leave to go look for the others? Or should he stick around his new allies and wait for a better opportunity? He did not know the answers to these questions. All that he knew was that he felt uneasy. The Convergence of the Tutorial Zones was a complete game-changer and he refused to believe it was over. Something was about to happen, and he did not know what it was.

‘Calm down.’

He then took a deep breath. He should focus on the present. For now, his duties were simply protecting the camp from the fog monsters until it could protect itself. Only then would it be time to think about what to do in the future. Focused on his new task, Liam followed Cassandra’s footsteps.

For the next few days, the camp was unceasingly attacked by the fog creatures, which came in several waves at a time. Curiously, ever since Liam took position among the defenders, the waves decreased in number but increased in intensity. Stronger monsters came each time, all of them concentrating their attacks on him. It was as if they were trying to wear him down. Nevertheless, he persevered. It was a rather good arrangement, in a way. The monsters were so focused on him that they barely fought against the other hunters, letting them recover from the first attack and coordinate their offense.

Gradually, the camp’s already existing wooden wall was reinforced by the hunters’ hard work while they were protected by Liam. Originally a simple layer of wood, the walls were now made of a mix of strong wood and stone, similar to those that surrounded Wang Lei’s fort. While brick walls were still beyond the camp’s abilities to build, these walls would be able to withstand the attacks of the weaker fog monsters, letting the hunters use bows and other long-ranged means of attack from an advantageous position. The construction was only barely completed, the trees being corroded by the fog more and more, their wood being lost to the cracks.

Without the cover of the canopies, the terrestrial creatures now faced harassment from the birds and insects, which now moved around in much greater numbers. Liam even saw a few of the scorpion mosquitos, just like the one he’d fought before.

‘A long time has passed since then.’

Much had changed, but much had also remained the same.

‘I wonder…’

How would he have turned out if he hadn’t met Cassandra and Andrew? If he hadn’t decided to trust them? Maybe he’d have returned to the state he was in after escaping the government laboratory. Would Arthur be in the same situation? Would he be gradually isolating himself, deciding not to trust anyone once again? Liam was worried. He felt the urgency of needing to find his friend as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would risk having him become someone unrecognizable.

Liam blinked, coming back to the present. He was standing still after having killed another wave of the fog monsters. Around him, tens of hunters chopped off wood from the few remaining trees, which were mostly those that were far too large to be chopped down, even when eroded by the fog. While watching them work, Liam kept thinking about something he had talked with Cassandra about.

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‘The walls won’t last long.’

The fog was capable of corrupting the wood and soil. Even if they built up a reinforced wooden wall, it would only last so long before the fog completely destroyed the wooden parts. The walls were a short-term solution to a problem that would stick around for far longer.

‘We need a quick way to harvest stone.’

Only rock and stronger materials seemed to remain largely unaffected by the fog, though Liam couldn’t be sure if that was really true. Maybe they could simply withstand the fog for a longer period. Either way, they needed a quick way to build up new walls made of stone. However, the hunters were still not strong enough to break stone apart and with the attacks by the fog creatures, they didn’t have the time to go on hunts to level up. The food stock was already starting to dwindle because of it. They would need Wang Lei’s miners, but those would already be busy with trying to get enough stone for the whole fort. Liam once again thought about Cassandra’s idea of moving everyone to Wang Lei’s territory. It seemed like they would truly have to create more space if they were to survive.

As the hunters hauled the wood back to the camp, Liam mentally discussed what to do with Wang Lei using Yichen’s communication.

‘I know. Just try to expand your territory outwards when replacing your walls with ones made of stone, please. I should be able to head over there soon and help you with keeping everything under control.’

Somehow, Liam could hear Wang Lei mentally breathe a sigh of relief.

‘He should be the one you’re thanking, then.’

The two of them continued to talk while Liam walked back to the camp. After arriving, they talked for a few more minutes before wrapping up the discussion. Wang Lei had agreed to house the camp’s hunters as long as they managed to help control the territory, which was honestly a given. The hunters would also have to fend for themselves in terms of hunting and resources, which they were already used to. What Liam and Cassandra truly wanted were Wang Lei’s patrolling defense force and miners. They were the reason why the man managed to have a more developed shelter. The metal weapons and pieces of armor made by the smith were completely invaluable, especially now that the number of enemies had increased due to the fog monsters’ existence.

Deep into the camp, Liam knocked on the main hut’s door before entering. Armaan was nowhere to be seen and instead, Cassandra was staring into the air as she sat on the hut’s main chair. She turned her attention towards him as he walked in.

“So?”

“He agreed, but only when they get their situation under control. It is as expected.”

“I see.”

Cassandra sighed and closed her eyes, as she now often did. Having developed this new habit, she was growing increasingly comfortable with it.

“How are you feeling?”

Liam’s voice rang out in the hut, a worried tone having taken hold of it.

“Overwhelmed.”

Liam understood her. Even though she hid it well, Cassandra was by far one of the kindest people he had ever met. He couldn’t even guess how she must be feeling, being capable of not only seeing those who would die or live but also having to put on a front of confidence and leadership to those same people. The burden she carried grew heavier and heavier. Liam walked up to her and crouched.

“…I’m here for you. Tell me if you need anything and I’ll help. We’re in this together.”

Although they had only known each other for a few months, he still valued their friendship. He did not wish for her to feel the way she did. It was a far cry from his younger self. Looking back into the past, his past self was someone completely unrecognizable. These changes were due to the actions of a single man, who had decided to stick by him through thick and thin. Liam momentarily got worried again before throwing the thought to the back of his mind. It wasn’t the time to think about that.

“…Thank you.”

A light smile danced on the corner of Cassandra’s lips and for a moment, she looked as if a heavy load had been lifted off her chest. Feeling satisfied with that result, Liam sat on the throne’s armrest, next to her.

“I’m going to have to go over to Wang Lei’s soon.”

The young woman nodded. For better or worse, Liam was a great military resource comparable to an entire army. While the fort wasn’t far away, it was still a considerable distance of over 20 kilometers. Even if Liam ran at a speed of one kilometer per minute, it would still take him more than twenty minutes to go from each settlement to the other. During that time, a lot could happen. It was enough time for hundreds of troops to be slaughtered if a fog behemoth showed up. For that reason, he had to be mindful of when to make the crossing between the two settlements.

“We’re almost done with the walls and I’ve managed to get a few hunters on guard duty. We should be alright for the time being.”

After speaking, Cassandra slowly exhaled and looked at the ceiling.

“I just want this whole thing to be over. What are you planning to do afterwards?”

“After everything’s over?”

“Yeah.”

Liam stayed silent for a few moments. Say he succeeded in changing everything he wanted to change. What then? Would he be hailed as a hero? Or would he be able to live a normal person’s life?

“…I don’t know. Just live somewhere peaceful and have an ordinary life. I’ve had enough fighting for a lifetime.”

Cassandra smiled.

“I’d like to have a country house. Somewhere where I can have lots of animals and live without worry. Maybe a farm or something.”

Liam blinked in surprise. He never took her to be that kind of person. She certainly gave no indication of being an animal lover before. Then, he smiled as well. It sounded nice.

“Then I’m gonna live with you. That’s what I plan to do.”

“Sure, I can make sure the basement is clean when you need to move in.”

The two of them laughed. It was refreshing to be able to talk like this even in the midst of the oppressive outside scenario. Liam treasured each of these moments.