Andrew was angry. No, he was furious.

He was furious at the whole scenario. Furious at whoever had come up with it. As he looked around, his stern eyes beheld the sheer number of corpses lying on the ground. They were caught by surprise by the fog monsters and tens of soldiers were now dead at his feet. While more well-prepared than Liam's camp, Wang Lei's fort had been attacked by a much larger number of fog monsters and while Andrew and Wang Lei were powerful, they were still nowhere near the same level as the young man. The result was that, overall, there were more losses among their army when compared to the hunting camp. That did not change the fact that their warriors were more used to defending themselves against attacks. It was simply that they were caught unawares by enemies incapable of feeling pain or fear.

All the dead around Andrew were the result. People with hopes and dreams, people they loved, and people they hated. Humans. Andrew was furious. Furious that so much life had been lost. It wasn't what he stood for. Ever since his youth, he had grown to believe that life was the most precious thing in the universe. He had been forced to fight and even kill to survive in the merciless rainforest, but ultimately that conviction hadn't changed. It was why he was so affected by Ryan's death, on top of already having a bond with the man. Life was sacred. Seeing the result of such a battle, the number of good people lost, because of a design choice made by some higher power infuriated him to no end.

Taking a deep breath, Andrew tried hard to calm down. Remembering his training on Earth, he breathed in and out almost rhythmically, following a specific pattern that slightly changed every time he inhaled and exhaled. It was the breathing method that worked the best for him. Slowly, he managed to get a hold of his emotions, pushing them down once more. His anger was now silent and cold. It was still there, but it was under control. This was when he was at his most dangerous.

"Fuck all of this."

A voice interrupted Andrew's thoughts. As he turned around, he found himself facing a tall Chinese man.

"Hopefully, Liam will be here soon. That way, you'll be able to return to the camp and help around over there. Thank you for helping us out, though."

The man continued to speak, his calm and deep voice not being able to hide the seething rage underneath. Both of them felt the same thing, albeit for likely different reasons. Andrew suspected Wang Lei's fury was more due to how frustratingly difficult things had become, instead of a way of mourning the lost life. He silently nodded. Wang Lei had already become used to the man's silent treatment, so he continued to stand next to him unbothered by the lack of a response.

"When will Liam be coming?"

Surprisingly, Andrew opened his mouth and asked him a question. The moment he did, all of Wang Lei's attention was placed on him. His voice was heard so rarely nowadays that when he spoke, people tended to pay attention to him.

"I don't know. A few days from now, maybe. A week, if we're unlucky. When everything calms down a bit."

Andrew's stern expression turned pensive for a moment before he nodded at Wang Lei, turned on his heel, and headed directly to the Ruin. His steps were firm and he never looked back. Wang Lei's eyes showed a mixture of emotions as he looked at the man's back, from admiration to a slight degree of envy.

"Sir, we need you to decide where to assign the ninth guard group."

From behind, Yichen approached him carefully. As always, he was acting as an advisor and secretary to the territory's lord. Wang Lei turned towards him, before walking off in the direction of the town hall. Unlike Andrew, he did not have the luxury of going off and attempting to get stronger.

...

‘Are you sure you can do it?’

Liam ran in the middle of the forest, jumping from tree branch to tree branch as a way to avoid the fog monsters below. In his mind, he spoke to Andrew. The older man had contacted him to notify that he was attempting to clear the Ruin over at Wang Lei’s once and for all. In fact, it was something Liam had planned to do eventually, but it was good that Andrew was going to be the one to do it. The man had been on the verge of developing his own Aura for a long time now. Maybe this would be the final push he needed. Liam hoped that the others could also have learned how to use it, but at this point, Andrew’s development was more important. A single powerful individual could make more of a difference in the current situation than a group of several underpowered warriors.

‘Alright then. I hope you succeed. Remember to feel it as it flows throughout your body. Breathe it in.’

Liam was a bit surprised. A Ruin was a difficult challenge that had taken him long months to clear. It seemed like Andrew had been spending quite a bit of time inside the Ruin for him to be so confident. After cutting off the connection, Liam continued his run in silence. He was moving to Wang Lei’s fort at nearly top speed, crossing almost two kilometers per minute. This way, although he would get a little bit tired, he could go from one settlement to the other in a bit more than ten minutes.

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After arriving, Liam greeted the guards and other warriors he came across, His gaze momentarily hovered over the entrance to the tunnel by the hill, where the mines and the Ruin were located, but ultimately he decided not to do anything. It was a trial that Andrew needed to overcome on his own. Heading to the town hall, Liam walked by the smithery and the other houses, carefully observing them. Unlike before, their structure seemed stronger, with traces of metal and stone supporting the buildings. It seemed like the smith and his assistants had become more proficient.

Entering the town hall, Liam nodded at Yichen and spoke directly to the man sitting upon the main throne, bent over a piece of parchment with a focused look.

“Wang Lei. I’ve arrived.”

The man’s gaze rose, his black eyes staring deep into Liam’s blue ones. A clear expression of relief crossed his face, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he let out a breath he seemed to be holding in for a long time.

“Oh, thank the gods. There’s something I want to ask you to do.”

Facing Liam’s inquisitive look, Wang Lei explained the issue. A worrying congregation of fog monsters was located someplace west. Scouts reported that it had grown in the past few days, reaching a dangerous size. Several powerful mist monsters had been sighted, though there were no behemoths.

Liam frowned. Objectively speaking, the fog creatures were a waste of time. They gave no XP, but were as dangerous as the living versions of the monsters they mimicked, if not even more, due to their inability to feel pain or be wounded. Because of that, they were a very real threat. Liam felt like he was beginning to understand why the other species could try to become as powerful as possible. The prospect of getting rid of the fog monsters’ harassment was incredibly attractive.

“…We suspect there is a large crack over at where they are. If possible, could you also try to figure out if there is a way to stop the Shades from appearing again?”

Liam blinked.

“Shades?”

“Yes, it’s what we’ve begun to call the fog creatures. You know, since they’re made of black fog and also look like they’re made of shadow and stuff. ‘Fog monsters’ doesn’t really roll off the tongue, does it?”

Liam stared at Wang Lei and Yichen, who seemed to be completely serious. Suspecting the people around him were all diehard fantasy fans who felt the need to name every single thing they came across, he simply nodded.

“…Huh. Alright, I’ll see what I can do. Thanks for telling me.”

“No, we are definitely the ones who should be thanking you.”

Wang Lei closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, having Liam’s commitment to solving the problem calmed him down. Yichen lightly smiled and bowed at Liam, who awkwardly bowed back and waved goodbye. It was time to get to work. Before that, however, there was something he needed to do.

Leaving the town hall, he headed to the smithy. Walking inside, he realized how much had changed. From a cramped hut, it had now become a more open space. The smell of metal assaulted his nose, while the heat prickled his skin. Several tools lay on the tables, as well as various weapons. Some only had a metal blade or tip, while the others were made completely out of the material, as if they were giant metal pikes. The ground was covered in shavings and ash, curiously adding a more natural feel to the place. In the middle of it all, a huge furnace burned like a flame-devouring monster, generating the omnipresent heat. In front of it, a small man hammered burning otherworldly iron into shape.

The man seemed to be struggling, however. His arms shook while sweat covered him from head to toe. It seemed like the heat was beginning to take its toll on him. Approaching the man, Liam put the palm of his hand over the man’s back. Activating his Aura, he made it cover the man’s figure.

“…!!”

The man flinched and then continued hammering, this time with much more power and rhythm than before. Slowly, the metal in front of him began to take the shape of a sword. Putting it in a bucket of water for quenching, the man then looked back.

“What the hell was that?!”

Liam simply smiled, not giving him a response. The man seemed completely unbothered by his reaction, his eyes burning with expectation. Deciding he still had a bit of time, he helped the smith complete his work or at least part of it. A good blade took days to forge, after all. Later, the smith wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Damn, kid! Ever thought of becoming a blacksmith? I could teach you!”

Laughing, Liam shook his head.

“If you also developed Aura, you wouldn’t need me.”

“Oh, so that was Aura, huh? I should drop by the Ruin more often. Learning that stuff seems a whole lot useful.”

Content with how he had motivated a man to become more powerful, Liam smiled again.

“I’ve come here because I need to check up on some things with you.”

“Alright, sure, you’re allies with the town head anyway. What you need?”

“How are the mining operations going? Also, would it be too much for you guys to gather some stone for my camp?”

The smith rubbed his beard, a pensive expression on his face.

“The mining’s going fine. We’re now pretty deep underground and finding a good amount of ore. No monsters or accidents so far. About the stone, however, it won’t be that easy. If you’re planning to build stone walls, then in order to gather enough of it without altering the topography near the fort, we would need to go somewhere far away. I can’t think of a place.”

Liam stopped for a moment. An idea began to take shape in his mind.

“What if you could harvest stone from one of those big cracks on the ground? The terrain would already be fucked up anyway, it wouldn’t matter much.”

The smith narrowed his eyes.

“What are you playing at? Those keep leaking the fog.”

“There might be a way to stop that. I’m still figuring it out, but what if?”

The smith rubbed his beard once more.

“If you find a way to stop the fog then yeah, I guess it could work. The stone would be a bit less resistant but also easier to mine because of it. And as you put it, there would be no need to worry about the terrain.”

“It’s a deal, then. I’ll try it and keep you updated. If I succeed, I’d like you guys to please mine some stone for us.”

“Sure, no problem.”