Zachary attempted to pursue Eldon, but he only took a few steps before the Quartermaster made Eldon vanish in a puff of green fog.

Zachary turned to Logan and said in a shaky voice, “Show me your interface.”

Logan did as he said. Zachary stared at the rank displayed on the interface. There was no doubt about it. Logan held the sixth rank.

Logan is sixth, and Eldon is seventh.

That was the only conclusion. Zachary was familiar with everyone in Abyss Eye’s team, and he knew their Danger Ratings. Abyss Eye was an S-rank, as well as the leader of the team. He and Aiken were B-rank. Ray and Hollie were C-rank. Logan and Eldon were D-rank.

The Quartermaster said the team points were distributed based on the individual’s contribution to the team. The campaign against the Monster Clan had not yet begun, so the team members could only be ranked based on their strength.

The team ranking meant that Logan, who just awoke his power, and whose abnormality was geared towards stealth, was stronger than the experienced physical fighter, Eldon.

Zachary couldn’t wrap his mind around it. The Spire made no mistakes, but he could not figure out their reason for ranking them that way.

Wait. Zachary thought of Eldon laying on the ground, bleeding from every orifice. He thought of Abyss Eye, hunched over him, covered in a purple aura. He thought of Eldon’s vigor as he practiced the S-rank formula, and he thought of Eldon’s reticence on their way back.

The blackness he had always suppressed deep down inside him broke free of his suppression again. It traveled through his marrows and vessels, gathering around his pupils, flooding his gaze with

“Abyss Eye,” Zachary spat.

He clenched his fist until cracking sounds exploded from them. His unrestrained bloodlust for Abyss Eye robbed him of his reasoning. He stared coldly at the Store, where Eldon had entered. And then he turned on his heels, intending to leave the cavern.

However, he came face to face with a chubby face. Aiken had been about to tap his shoulder when he turned around. Zachary merely glanced sideways at them and stepped to the side, intending to walk past them, but Aiken followed him.

“Zach? What’s up with you?” Aiken said, laughing, trying to act casual.

Zachary knew Aiken was here to request something of him, but he didn’t care. Once again, he sidestepped him and headed for the exit.

“You owe me a favor, Zach,” Aiken called out to him. “Remember?”

Zachary came to a stop. He had to stop. Back when he entered the depths of the abandoned temple, Aiken had been the one to draw him out. If Aiken had not been there, he would not have been able to escape from there alive.

As he thought of this, Zachary slowly calmed down. The blackness slowly subsided, leaving him rational again. He slapped his forehead in recognition of his folly. Where was he going? To fight Abyss Eye? Or to die?

I owe you another one, Zachary thought, turning around. Aiken had saved him again. Aiken carried himself around like an arrogant bastard who cared less about anybody, but Zachary knew he was more caring than he let on. Zachary glanced at Galen. Whatever Aiken wanted to ask, it probably had something to do with the stocky boy.

“Alright, you’ve got me now.” Zachary said in a resigned manner. “Do you want me to lick your feet and claim you’re the strongest of all time? Is that it? I’ll do it. I’ll do it right now…” Zachary reached forward. Aiken leaped backward.

“What? No. Fuck, no. I just want you to help me—I mean, pay back your debt by doing something for me.” He glanced to the side, and Galen stepped forward. “Galen needs to join a team.”

Zachary gestured round. “You don’t need to waste your favor on that. There are so many teams out here. Pick anyone. I’m sure they’ll gladly welcome a B-rank into their team.”

“Don’t act clueless.” Aiken grunted. “The Quartermaster just explained how useful team points are. Why would anyone invite a B-rank to their team now? I’m sure those rascals who were pestering every single high-ranked Camper they could find are now regretting it severely.”

Zachary nodded. “It would indeed be stupid to do that now. The team points are shared among every member. Any addition now would reduce the points available for everyone in the team. So you’ve chosen me to be the fool here.”

“You’ve always been the fool.” Aiken said. “I don’t know how you snagged the second rank. I’m obviously more capable than you.”

Zachary chuckled. “Yeah, right. Of course.”

The Quartermaster’s words replayed in Zachary’s mind. The second rank can invite or remove members on behalf of the leader. Aiken was evidently trying to make use of this privilege.

Zachary opened his Seeker and navigated to the team interface. Just as the Quartermaster had said, he had the right to add new team members. He completed the procedures and sent the invitation to Galen. Galen accepted the invitation a moment later.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“There you go,” Zachary said, as he confirmed Galen’s addition to the team. “I’ve paid you back. You can’t force me to lick your feet and proclaim you as the strongest anymore.”

“Why would I—”

“Senior Zachary!” Logan suddenly shouted. “Senior Zachary! My points just reduced!”

“Logan,” Zachary said, sighing. “Never feel bad for helping a teammate. In the future, we will have to trust one another with our lives. Don’t let these measly points get in your way. If you want, I can transfer a few of my points to you to make up for it. How about that?”

“But… but..” Logan looked ready to cry. However, he settled for just glaring at Aiken while Zachary patted his back.

“Remember, Logan. We will all win together.”

Aiken laughed, earning himself a glare from Logan. Ignoring it, Aiken gestured toward the Quartermaster. A few Campers had followed Eldon’s footsteps in requesting for the Quartermaster’s help.

“What will you choose?” Aiken asked. “I’m going to do it myself. I have become accustomed to taking whatever I want.”

“You will be quite sad when you return,” Zachary said matter-of-factly. “We have no information on the Store’s layout or its contents. How will you find what you need?”

“I’ll find it. Don’t worry about me,” Aiken said, smiling mysteriously. Zachary rolled his eyes at him.

Ray and Hollie, who had been tallying their points by the side, now left the group, joining the stream of Campers entering the Store. The doorway rippled as they entered and disappeared, like stones falling into a lake. The scenery they could see from the cavern was only a mirage—the doorway was a magical portal to the real Store.

Zachary’s eyes fell on his team interface again, on the six hundred and eighty points he had. Smiling, he started towards the Quartermaster, Logan sticking close to him.

Eldon tumbled onto cold, hard ground in a tangle of arms and legs. He groaned, untangled himself, and laid flat on the ground, panting.

Two seconds? Twenty minutes?

The immediate past was blurry to him. The passage of time had been unclear as he traveled through that black, murky void, pulled along by an irresistible force. He took a few minutes to reorient himself, then sat up.

Eldon sat in the middle of a route. On one side was a never-ending row of wooden bookshelves. These bookshelves were huge, larger than buildings in the Spire’s Base, their polished surfaces gleaming in the omnipresent golden light that suffused the library.

Large tomes filled the shelves. The words on the bindings were foreign to Eldon, and they twirled and twisted in his gaze. Their structure reminded him of the many symbolic characters he had seen, such as the runes on the cavern’s walls.

On the other side was an endless sea of hovering glass cubes. Within these cubes were round pills that radiated different auras. Some gave off an aura of serenity and peace, some of destruction, and yet others of blood and death.

Eldon got to his feet and walked along the route, gazing in all directions. He stopped before one of the glass cubes, one that radiated an aura of blood, staring solemnly at it.

A slight pulsing in his heart told him what he needed to know.

This pill was the miracle cure.

Breathing slowly to remain calm, he inspected the glass cube. There was no lid or opening, making it impossible to take the pill out. He checked for price tags, but there were none.

However, as soon as his fingers contacted the cube, his Seeker lit up, projecting an interface.

Item: Heart Blood Pill

Description: The Heart Blood Pill, forged by a fourth-grade master alchemist, was made from the heart of the Blood Dragon King and a thousand True Relics. The pill holds a nurturing power for blood-related powers and is exceptionally nurturing for powers related to the Blood Thread. It now belongs to the Sinister Ghoul Sect and is kept within the Tome of Ghosts.

Price: 100,000,000,000 Tome Points

Eldon read through it and exhaled. It was just as he thought. There was no way he could regain his abnormality so easily. The description was gibberish, and he didn’t know what Tome Points were, but he understood it was a resource he could not afford. He exhaled and let go of the cube.

“Careful,” said a scratchy voice. “That is not a pill a mortal can hope to consume.”

Eldon swiveled round, settling into a battle stance. He reflexively tried to summon his abnormality, but only got a slightly painful tingling in response. His eyes locked onto the speaker, a holographic hooded figure with an eerie white mask.

The Quartermaster.

The holographic figure pointed a gloved finger at a glass cube that contained a pill that overflowed with an energizing aura. Just by looking at it, Eldon felt the peace that haunted his mind crack as a strong battle intent arose in its place.

“That is what you need. Your measly power—or as you call it, ‘abnormality’—is nothing special. If you truly want it back, I can help you, but let me assure you that this pill is what you need.”

Indeed, the Quartermaster could not have sent him to a pill that was so far out of his reach. However, the Quartermaster’s words still implied that solving Eldon’s problem was easy.

Eldon forcefully suppressed the joy that bubbled up within him, trying to think logically. The Quartermaster had also said he did not need his ‘measly’ abnormality back.

His eyes fell on the pill again, then swiveled back to the Quartermaster. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Ah, forgive me,” the Quartermaster said apologetically. “The Tome must have mistaken you for a bug.”

He snapped his fingers. As he did so, Eldon felt a restriction of some sort loosen in his body.

Must have mistaken you for a bug.

Trying not to dwell on that, Eldon said, “You say this, but how can I trust you?” The words now came easily.

“This is not the time to ask that question,” the Quartermaster said, shaking his head. “You trusted my judgment when you came up to me. Why do you doubt now?”

“I didn’t know I could regain my abnormality then,” Eldon replied. “I only hoped to find anything that could be useful to me.”

“Rest easy,” the Quartermaster said. “I have taken my payment, and I will deliver as agreed. However, again, the choice is yours. There are countless pills and herbs in this Store that can restore your abnormality. You can also purchase them with your remaining points. If that is what you want, I will take you there now.”

Eldon thought for a moment, then asked, “What exactly is this pill?”

“You have the scent of a decent technique on you,” the Quartermaster explained. “This pill will help you increase in leaps and bounds. The technique is decent, but it was tailored for a specific physique. No matter how hard you train, there will be a limit to how much you can gain from it. This pill will help you overcome that limit.”

Eldon closed his eyes. It was as he thought. He never had much hopes that he would regain his abnormality. The only path that had been available for him had been to focus on practicing Abyss Eye’s formula and hoping he grew strong enough to survive the war.

However, the path he thought he lost had reappeared before him. Had the Quartermaster not stated so emphatically that the technique was the better choice, he would have made his choice easily.

Formulas were powerful, but only abnormals could full use of them. Otherwise, even regular people would try to lay their hands on them.

To return to the old path, or to struggle through a new one…

Eldon grabbed his hair and yanked.

He could not decide.