The group of young Campers hiked back to the city in silence. They trudged on, thinking about the events of the past hours. None of them could understand why Abyss Eye had invited them to join his team. They believed the S-rank formula was compensation for the incident, but he also recruited them.

For what was that considered recompense?

Eldon’s breath came in short bursts as he struggled behind the group, attempting to keep up with them. He swallowed dry spit, his chest burning from exhaustion.

He, like everyone else, had experienced a boost in strength from practicing Abyss Eye’s formula last night. In fact, he might have experienced the greatest progress, since he was a normal person now.

As an ordinary person, he had more potential for growth than abnormals. Where the others had experienced a small but distinct increase in strength, he had grown three times stronger. That was the only reason he could keep up with them.

Despite everything, Eldon found he was calm. A vague sense of acceptance had settled inside him. He felt… free.

His previous weakness would have guaranteed his immediate demise in the upcoming war. Now weaker, he no longer worried about his strength, because it made no difference to do so.

Losing his power relieved him of the burden of survival.

However, Eldon thought. I don’t want that.

Giving up at this point meant all his previous efforts were for nothing. His resolution to rise above the status of cannon fodder would become a joke.

Breathing sharply, he stared at the blue sky and the blazing sun overhead. The afternoon radiance burned his eyes and skin, helping him in his struggle against the encroaching peace.

At this moment, Eldon remembered the feel of the wooden staff and the exhilarating feeling of striking with all his strength.

“You alright?” Zachary placed a hand on Eldon’s shoulder. The black-haired young man had been walking next to Eldon. You’ve been silent since last night. You do not have any untreated injuries, do you? I don’t doubt his skills, but Abyss Eye isn’t a physician, so he might have overlooked something.

“I’m fine.”

They walked in silence for a bit more.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Zachary said. “How were you injured? Did Abyss Eye use too much force when he captured you?”

Eldon widened his steps, opting to ignore Zachary’s question. He didn’t want to know what decision Zachary would make when he realized he had become useless.

Zachary followed beside Eldon, shaking his head with a smile.

They carried on for a while, and Eldon sank into his thoughts, pondering his next actions.

Soon, the city’s walls were visible in the distance.

In three days, we’ll gather here. Eldon surveyed the ramparts, gates, and surroundings of the city. Campers in their bone-embroidered uniforms would stand there, covering every inch.

Am I okay with being cannon fodder? No, even worse than that? Do I accept being the first to die?

Eldon stared at his hands, and again, a shimmering image of the crudely crafted staff appeared.

Slowly, he clenched his fist on the formless staff.

To avoid it being his end, he had only one path to choose.

A group of nine monks sat in rows of three in the lotus position, offering prayers to the hundred-armed statue before them. Six of them were bald, their heads smooth and shiny, holding beads in their hands as they chanted mantras with closed eyes and devout expressions. The other three shifted uncomfortably, sometimes peeking through closed eyelids.

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Though they imitated the others’ pose, it was clear the three men weren’t genuine monks. They visibly struggled to keep focus, and they couldn’t refrain from looking at the foot of the statue where one man sat.

He sat erect, his hands contorting into hand seals as he feverishly led the group in prayer. The man’s thin, gangly frame lacked power, yet the three men shivered upon seeing him.

“Amithaba,” a voice whispered into the men’s ears, startling them so much they nearly leaped to their feet. “Enlightenment comes not easy. It takes a heart of stone and a mind of steel to obtain a modicum of it. Intensify your efforts, and you will naturally be rewarded.”

Nodding, the men shut their eyes.

“This lowly one sees potential in you. Attain enlightenment, and you can remain in this lowly one’s team. Otherwise, you might have to seek solace elsewhere, Amithaba.”

Upon hearing that, the men threw out all extraneous thoughts and intensified their efforts. The gentle voice led them along, offering advice. Soon, they became absorbed in prayer, chanting the mantra with devout expressions.

The city’s gates were wide open when Eldon and the others arrived, with carriages and tamed beasts laden with goods filing in and out. Adventurers made up the bulk of the procession, with a few merchants mixed in.

The guards didn’t stop the group from entering when they saw their uniforms. Logan had mentioned that the guards would allow them in, but the others had had their doubts. However, those doubts were now cleared.

As the group entered the city, Aiken began walking in a different direction from the rest of them.

“Aiken!” Zachary called out to him. “Where are you going?”

“What’s it to you?” Aiken glanced back. “We’ve completed our aim, haven’t we? I see no more reason to stay with you losers.”

“We’ve joined an S-rank team, but that’s not the end,” Zachary said. “We need to retrieve supplies from the Guard House. The President mentioned that in his speech at the banquet.”

Aiken paused, but then kept moving. “I’ll collect it on my own. I don’t have to go with you.”

“Yeah, but…” Zachary trailed off as Aiken disappeared into the crowd.

“That bastard has no sense of unity at all,” Logan said as soon as Aiken was out of sight. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

Eldon disagreed with Logan’s assessment. He recalled the short, stocky boy who had sat with him on the roof the previous night. While Aiken had joined Abyss Eye’s team, Galen had not. Aiken’s irritation could have something to do with this unfortunate situation.

“I’m sure he has his reasons.” Zachary turned to Ray and Hollie. “Are you guys heading to the Guard House? Why don’t we go together? We’re a team now, so we might as well get used to working together.”

They had no objections, so the group of five walked together through the streets of Spire’s Base until they arrived at the Guard House. Soldiers of the Spire’s Guard crowded the Guard House. It was their base, but there were rarely so many of them around.

As the day of the mission drew near, tension was bound to rise, and when tension rose, conflict was bound to follow. The Guards were taking measures to protect their barracks from irritable Campers.

The President had not mentioned where they had to go, but it was easy for them to figure it out. There was only one place in the Guard House where they handed out supplies.

The Quartermaster’s Store.

The Quartermaster’s Store kept all the resources of the New World Government, from the most precious items to the most worthless. People said it was the most closely guarded place in the world, second only to the Spire itself.

It was clear upon their arrival that the Quartermaster’s Store’s reputation was not unfounded. Even Eldon, who had lost his abnormality, could sense the danger radiating from the building. The guards on either side of the entrance wore a different uniform from that of the Spire’s Guard.

Their robes were blood red, as were their eyes and hair. With thin, pale skin that revealed the green veins underneath, the guards were expressionless, their eyes staring into space as they stood motionless like statues. The group of them stopped just beneath the entrance steps, but the guards did not seem to notice them.

“Do we go in or…?” Logan asked. The guards scared Logan for a good reason. It was impossible to fake their genuine bloody aura.

“We should be fine,” Zachary said, but even he sounded uncertain. “We’re here on the President’s orders, so they shouldn’t—”

The guards’ crimson eyes flicked over to them. Eldon’s heart stopped.

A moment later, they looked away, and Eldon felt a rush of relief. A giddy feeling overtook him and he swayed on his feet.

I am truly too weak. He now had zero resistance to power suppression.

“Fuck,” Logan muttered, his eyes wide as he patted his chest. “I’m pretty sure my heart is bleeding from how hard it pounded just now.”

The others also heaved sighs of relief.

“It should be safe, since they did nothing,” Zachary said. “Let’s go in.”

He led the way. Eldon followed him, and the others came behind. They watched the guards, but even as the group walked past them, the guards didn’t react.

They pushed through the doors and entered a large hall. People in all kinds of uniforms and suits were trooping about, causing a din. However, what first caught their eyes was the array of red that lined the walls.

“Are you kidding me?” Logan almost shouted. “There are more than two of those monsters?”

Indeed, rows of red-robed guards stood in the hall. They didn’t move or speak, and the people in the hall seemed to ignore their existence. They seemed to be there as deterrents or as some sort of reminder to the people in the hall. Maybe that was why, despite the noise, everyone seemed to get along like gears in a well-oiled machine.

“Over there,” Zachary said, pointing at a counter near the door. A woman in a black suit sat on the counter, smoking a cigarette and watching the proceedings in the hall like a bystander. However, on the counter was a holographic projection of the Campers’ emblem—a giant bone cross.