Alisha did not immediately explain about evolved abilities and led them outside the tent, guiding them towards the training camp.

On the way, Liam saw depressed soldiers going about their jobs.

The bright morning sun and warm weather stood in contrast to their mood. Dark clouds seemed to be hanging over them, projecting a gloomy atmosphere. Most of them were going about their jobs with bent shoulders and downcast looks. The tragedy of the previous day was still fresh on their minds, and the warmth wasn't enough to uplift their spirit.

The refugees faced the brunt of their anger. Liam expected it as the person responsible for the attack was a refugee.

An army cook was shouting at a woman covered in dirt. Her clothes were so stained it was impossible to guess their original color. Two trembling children hugged the woman while she begged the man for food. It did not evoke any sympathy in the man.

When the cook shooed her and turned around to leave, the woman clutched at his pants unwilling to let him go. In a fit of rage, he swung his arm at the woman, but the attack never landed. Nora appeared between them, stopping the attack.

Liam was glad she interfered in the quarrel. It wasn't out of concern for the woman, but because he found something about Nora that could be useful.

While Nora's official designation was a captain, Liam knew she was anything but simple. The strange gear, amount of trust Alisha placed in her, and freedom with which she acted made him understand that she had a lot of secrets.

Just by the size of her mana pool, she seriously outclassed deputy commander Mitch.

Even if he didn't consider the previous points, her closeness with Alisha was reason enough to pay attention to her.

Nora resolved the conflict and walked back with flaring nostrils.

"I can't believe he had the gall to refuse serving food to the villagers. Weren't the instructions clear?"

"What did you expect after the previous night's events?" Alisha asked.

"It's not even their fault," Nora griped. "What do they get by taking it out on someone defenseless? Rather than being happy, the woman was terrified by my interference. No matter how much I asked her to file a complaint, she remained mum."

Nora threw a dirty look at the cook. "I was looking forward to teaching him a lesson."

"Don't do unnecessary things," Alisha said. "Unless you are willing to serve food every day, the woman would never complain against the cook."

Liam shifted his attention from their conversation to the surrounding soldiers. Though he did not show it on his face, their reactions amused him.

Noticing the commander, the soldiers deliberately took detours, avoiding their group like a plague. The expressions of fear present on their faces transformed into rage when they caught sight of him and his friends.

A few exceptions existed. Some of the women slowed down when they were passing by and gazed at Liam for longer than necessary.

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Ignoring the obvious glances, Liam voiced out some questions he had. "How do stats affect evolution?"

"Stats directly relate to the mana pool," Alisha answered. "I told you evolution requires an average stats of 1.7. For every 0.1 increase in the average stats, you add 20% more mana to the initial mana pool."

Her answer left everyone speechless. "Isn't that way too overpowered?"

Nora snorted. "Of course it is. Otherwise, why do you think people will waste time and resources increasing their stats. The returns wouldn't justify the efforts. It would be better to evolve and focus your efforts on spells and mana control."

"Even so, it is way too overpowered." Standing out from the majority of the people made her happy, but it sounded too lopsided.

"Really?" Nora sneered. "Do you know how many people in the evolved community have their stats greater than 2? Less than ten percent, with most of them hovering around that number. After reaching it, strengthening yourself will be too cumbersome and wasteful."

"Wow! I didn't know surviving the Rift had so many benefits! Do you send a lot of people into the Rift for training? Even if a few of them survive, it will be a definite plus."

Liam noticed Alisha casting a barrier around them when Jade mentioned the word Rift.

"First, don't mention the Rift in public," Nora hissed. "Second, did you forget your background? What will you do if someone overhears your words?"

Glancing around, Liam noticed the wide berth soldiers were giving them. The only way their conversation would be overheard was if they started shouting.

Nora noticed his expression but wasn't willing to back down.

"There are a lot of spells that can listen in on conversations," she stated with a straight face.

Jade nearly burst into laughter. Thankfully Liam intervened, drawing Nora's attention and allowing Jade to control her expression.

"Using the Rift as a training tool is a viable option, isn't it?" Liam was genuinely curious about the answer. The plan would lead to a lot of deaths for sure. Still, it was also a way for a nation to increase its power by a large degree. Opening portals to that place wasn't going to be easy, but if the various nations worked together, they could open them a few times every year.

"It's impossible," Alisha coldly stated. "Only 1000 people managed to survive that place and escape without turning into a corrupted."

"It isn't too bad. The way ...."

"Over a period of three millennia," she added, cutting off Jade's words.

Her words stunned everyone. Liam wondered if she was exaggerating.

"It means that only 8 people manage to survive the Rift every generation. In the three thousand years, do you know how many people were unfortunate enough to be trapped in that place? Millions, if not billions. Your idea was beyond foolish. The only thing it will accomplish is to increase the number of corrupted."

"Do you know how many races Onterrath had before the Rift emerged?"

All three of them shook their heads.

"Twenty. Now a measly four remain. None of them were weak, managing to fight against the elves, dwarves, humans and orcs, but they all perished."

"The people who escape from the Rift are those who left their marks on the continent's history. You will be sought by every faction present in this world regardless of race. It is a hidden truth known only by a few people. Most of the population doesn't even know of the Rift's existence and many of those who do don't understand its terror."

Alisha slightly shivered alarming Liam. She wasn't the only one. Nora was also rubbing her arms as if she was cold. It made him wonder if they were also survivors. If so, he would have to elevate their danger level to a much higher degree.

Alisha stopped walking, turning to look at them. "The three of you are anomalies. How did you even manage to survive?"

Almost instinctively, Dunn and Jade turned towards Liam.

Cursing their thoughtless actions, he diverted the topic. "I was mostly lucky. Anyway, is bigger mana pool the only advantage of having higher stats?"

"Surviving in the Rift has nothing to do with luck," she continued undeterred. "It requires will, determination, skill, talent, and so many other factors."

She stared at him for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Eventually, she resumed walking and answered the question he asked.

"Mana pool, spells, and evolved ability are what set evolved apart from the normal humans. You already understand Mana pool. Let me display how stats affect spells and evolved ability."