"So how do we divide it?" Reno said after seeing the bottle of honey.

"...What do you mean?" Mir was confused.

"You don't have a virus neutralizer formula with you to control your physical, mental, or spiritual changes if you consume this stuff. The National Exam is three months away from now. You wouldn't be able to use this honey by the time you get your results and apply for scholarships. Besides, wouldn't any company be more than willing to hand you these sorts of resources as long as you sign a contract with them?"

Reno looked him dead in the eye and replied, "You don't need to worry about my progression, Mir. I'm not suicidal enough to risk becoming an abomination just for a few months of head start against my peers. I know what I'm doing. Since I did my job as a bait, I should be given a proper share of the loot, no?"

Mir's eyes narrowed. So far, he had thought of two reasons why Reno had been so desperate as to hurry into the sacred ground one day after getting the license. One day wasn't enough time to prepare. Had Mir not had Murray to rely on, he would have never dared to come to this place without a preparation period of at least a week.

The first reason could be that he had been hired or coerced by the people of the Ravensworth family to spy on them inside the sacred ground.

The second reason he had thought to be likely was that Reno didn't want to waste much of his time traveling inside the sacred ground with the National Exam knocking on the door. He had come just to walk around the peripheral, less dangerous areas and would go back home without risking anything after a short trip.

But now, he was being forced to consider a third reason; Reno might be carrying around a secret of his own too, just like the two of them. His motive for coming here might not be simple.

"You're right, you deserve a share. But do make sure not to eat your share anywhere near me or my brother. We don't really want to deal with it if you turn into a mutated killing machine."

Murray pulled off the cork of the bottle and handed Reno his backpack. Reno discarded the water from his flask to receive his share of the honey in it.

Once again, Mir felt the temptation to ask Murray for a share of the loot too. But he wouldn't have any use for it anyway right now. So...

Wait a minute, maybe there was a way.

On their way back to the grassland, Mir contemplated the possible route he had discovered for him to increase his stats just like Murray and Reno. Under ordinary circumstances, he wouldn't have considered it an option. But the terrifying experience on the riverbank and the possible advancement of both of his teammates was making him feel rather jittery inside.

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He wanted to take the risk and see the results. But his natural cautiousness advised him against it.

He was still feeling conflicted when they reached the spot where they had discovered the corpse of the stranger.

"Where the hell did it go?!"

Murray's confused exclamation brought him out of his stupor. As he looked around the area, he realized that there indeed was no sign of the corpse. Not even the blood, torn flesh, and the stink of the corpse could be found.

The bees were still here, dead or fatally injured, lying on the ground in dozens. The man had killed many during his fight against the Purplevein Queen.

"What are you talking about? Was there something else here?" Reno said, confused. Once Mir explained their discovery, Reno shrank away from the spot he was standing on, appearing fearful. He had plenty of reasons to, of course.

Not only had a man been killed here, his horribly mangled corpse had also been dragged away without a trace by someone..or something.

In the dark, their imagination fired up countless horrifying scenarios, trying to rationalize the incident. Obviously, a dead man couldn't disappear just like that. There had to be a reason, a logical chain of events...

"I suggest we leave as soon as possible. This place doesn't quite feel safe anymore. Let's return back to the data tower."

Murray, surprisingly, suggested the most reasonable proposal. Although returning to the data tower right now could possibly let them be found by their pursuers, there was too much surveillance around that area for one to act brazenly. Murray's Deacon status also earned him some respect among the soldiers. The data tower might be the safer option for them compared to what horrors were roaming the sacred ground at night.

Both Mir and Reno agreed. Together, they headed back at a brisk pace through the relatively sparse woods.

Half an hour later, they made it back, safe and sound. The soldier on the counter looked like he was expecting company.

"The inexperienced ones know when to come back...if they are wise enough. Good decision, I say. Your life is worth more than an adventurous experience. The sunlight in the daytime may be dangerous, but to ordinary people, the night is equally risky. Spend some more time here and get yourselves used to the wildlife. There's no need to hurry to enter deeper into the sacred ground where even more terrible regions await."

The soldier's eyes were mostly focused on Mir as he spoke the last part. Mir understood why after taking a look at the mirror in the washroom there. His eyes looked rather haunted. Streaks of blood were still stuck on some parts of his exposed skin.

The good news was, Mir's numb hands and shoulders had begun to show signs of healing, thanks to Murray's gel. The drops of blood leaking out from the tiny injuries had stopped, forming clots. The numbness had also lessened.

From the store of the tower, Mir bought a second jacket with the extra money his parents had secretly placed in his bag. This time he chose an even more durable one. It came with air filter masks, detachable, large pockets, and a pair of metal studded gloves that would be of great use in hand-to-hand combat.

The watch showed the time 20:59 when the second train showed up, its electric engine humming deeply which triggered Mir's minor PTSD.

Over a dozen people disembarked before the train left for its next stop deeper into the sacred ground. Neither Mir, nor Murray could tell if any of these newcomers were working for the Ravensworth family. Unwilling to tempt fate, they decided to avoid meeting them face-to-face. Handing their backpacks to Reno and telling him to stay inside the data tower, they walked out, choosing to sit in a relatively dark spot nearby.

"You bought your bottle here? You don't plan to drink the honey right here, do you?" Mir said in a hushed tone, watching Murray pull off the cork.

"The faster my stats max out, the better it is for both of us," Murray answered.

"You gave our backpacks to Reno and left him with the newcomers as a test, didn't you?" Mir said, changing the topic.

"Yes. I want to see what happens. Who knows, someone might make a stupid move..."

Murray had set a small trap using two bee stings. He had inserted them into the ziplines of the bags before handing them over to Reno. If anyone moved or opened the bags, the stings would either break and fall down.

"You also chose to bring us back because you wanted to tease our enemies, right? You can't be certain of that dead stranger's identity, so you thought returning here might let you find a clue."

Murray patted him on the back.

"Little bro, you're good, but not that good. Stop trying to guess every motive behind my actions. Most of it isn't as complex as you're imagining it to be. Cool that head!"

Mir didn't quite believe his words. But seeing how defensive he was getting, Mir took the chance to throw his hook.

"Murray, what if I used the diary to eat mutant meat and other virus infected food?"