Ep. 6 — Chapter 22: Safety (1)

It only took a short few moments for the mist to subside. Even so, I could barely see ahead of me. The blur in my vision was even worse than the thick fog, but I no longer felt the suffocation from the blow to the gut now. Only the blood trickling from my mouth and nose.

I was still laid on the ground, the cracked concrete under me made in an uncomfortable place to rest my head. But that doesn't matter now.

The ringing in my ears was still present, but somewhat died down. I thought it was a good sign, until I realised that I couldn't hear anything anymore. My ears felt clogged, instead of ringing. Like the feeling when something is being blown into it, just enough but not so much so only the inside of the ear gets filled with air. Even so, I don't have the strength to try to unclog my ears, if that is possible to begin with.

[Sub-Quest 'Passing Through Blind' has been forcibly ended.]

[You have successfully completed the sub-quest.]

What's this?

[An error has occurred during the 'Boss Battle' sequence. Rewards will be distributed amongst all players participating in the sub-quest.]

[Your overall share during the 'Boss Battle' is 47.332%. Distributing rewards…]

I was a bit shocked. Although my vision was still blurry, I could still make out the contents on the screen in front of me. Numerous messages appeared and I received some 8,000 Points in compensation. And an additional 3,000 Points for completing the sub-quest. I started to lose strength in my body and could feel my consciousness fading away.

I wasn't sure where the man from earlier had gone, and I barely had enough strength to move my head. So I remained in my position, and only waited for something else.

There was one final message I saw before completely blacking out.

['System Monitoring Process' is currently taking place.]

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Leon had gotten up a few minutes ago. The fog which had surrounded him had disappeared completely, with no trace of it left. He wasn't sure what had happened, but the moment he stepped foot into the mist, Rayes was gone. He tried to go back, realising that he was lost within the thick fog and lost consciousness after the 'Fog' had fully overtaken him.

Now that he was awake, a message was floating above his face.

[Your progress of becoming a 'Wanderer' has been cancelled!]

And another one.

[You have successfully completed the sub-quest 'Passing Through Blind'.]

Leon got to his feet, shaking his pounding head. He hissed in slight pain, almost forgetting where he was and realised that he was still on the highway. He looked around him where several other bodies lay. They were still unconscious. He started counting, and the number easily went over fifty. He was baffled by the number of people that had also partook in this sub-quest and began wondering just how long they had been here.

They should've been here before him. For how long, though?

He started walking towards one of the bodies. It belonged to a young woman. Black hair went down to her waist and her face was pale. Leon soon realised that it wasn't her skin tone, but that she was most likely…

"Miss?! Miss, are you alright?!"

No breathing was heard or felt. The woman laid lifeless on the ground and Leon approached her without caution. As he neared, a system screen appeared before him.

[Transformation Progress: 93.78%.]

Alarmed, Leon quickly picked her up and tried to find ways to stop the transformation, or at least delay it. For a while, he panicked and searched through her entire body whilst being as careful as can be, not realising the presence behind him.

"She can't be saved." The voice sounded smooth and soft, but it also felt rigid. Leon spun around in a panic and met the other person. It was a man clad in black attire with a blade strung up to his waist. The deep sets of black eyes stared at Leon with intense emptiness and he spoke again. "You can't save them. They've turned into wanderers, and without the fog, they can't survive."

Leon felt sudden offence by his words and tried to retaliate. "No way! She can still survive! It's only at 90%!"

"The moment you start turning into a wanderer, there's no going back." The other man's voice was firm. As much as Leon wanted to argue, the other individual seemed to possess a higher standing and overall authority than him. If he tried to do anything rash, it could be met with severe consequences.

Either way, Leon was adamant in saving the woman. Her, at least.

"There has to be a way, right?"

He received no reply.

"I woke up! I survived, so she can as well!"

However, the other man's eyes remain unchanging, causing more despair to overtake Leon's mind. His eyes trailed back to the woman's face and then back to the man, who had started to move from him. Leon quickly got up to his feet and tried to reach the man, but turned back to the woman.

94%.

Is it possible to save her?

Leon wasn't able to come to a conclusion. As much as he desired to save the woman's life, what if it really is impossible to save her? And even if he did save her, what about the rest of the people? He glanced around the place. Several other people were on the floor, collapsed, as well.

"What do I do then?!" Leon cried out, his last remaining hope was shattered.

The man had reached quite a bit of a distance before stopping in his movements. He didn't turn, but only glanced over his shoulders to see Leon. "Leave them."

"I…"

No matter what, he couldn't. It becomes evident to the other man as well. Leon bit his lips and felt his throat was stuck. He wanted to try something, but he wasn't able to speak. Perhaps, it was because he realised the meaninglessness of his actions?

"You can't always be the hero, no matter how much you try. So just give it up and save yourself. You can't survive in this place like that."

Leon was left speechless. He looked around, seeing the countless bodies laid all around.

"Even if there is a way to save them, it would have to be through the system's will. And they're not ones to be benevolent enough to let you save worthless lives. Livestocks. That's what they are to them. So I suggest you move on." The man's words only became harsher. "There is a safehouse near here. If you move now, you'll make it before sunset."

"Safehouse?"

"It was just made official by the system last night. So you should be able to clear the main quest once you get there. Rest there and continue your journey to the Guild Tower after you've made preparations."

"How did you…?"

"Everyone else comes through here to get to the Guild Tower. So I assume you are as well." He said, rubbing the hilt of his blade with his hand. "Get going."

Leon watched as the man continued making his way down the road in silence. He didn't say anything but continued to watch him moving further and further away. His frame is smaller than Leon's but he sees that the man could easily take him down with his bare fists alone.

"If you really want to save someone, there's someone back there. He's still alive. Take him to the safehouse as well."

Another guy?

Leon turned towards the direction he pointed at and began to run there. It was because he was too late to save the others that he's moving with haste now, so he doesn't miss the chance to save someone's life. He ran past several bodies, skimming their progress bars. They were all past the 85% mark. It was then when he saw a figure in the distance. Familiar black shirt and grey pants, with a long strip of chains lying besides him.

"Sir Rayes!" He cried out and quickly arrived at his side. His hand touched his chest and he was overcome with joy as he felt the thumping of Rayes's heart. However, the man was completely out cold. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth, and even a bit from his ears. Leon frowned at the condition of Rayes and slowly picked him up.

He carried Rayes on his back and looked up at the sky. It was still bright, and the man did mention that they would arrive at the safehouse before sunset, as long as he moved now. With little struggle, Leon began running forward, in hopes of reaching a safehouse as soon as possible.

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The room was dimly lit. Room…

Was it the guy earlier who brought me here? I groaned, feeling numb all over my body before slightly rising up from my position, sitting up on the bed. It was a small room. Concrete walls and even the floors were concrete. There was no window, and the room was lit by a set of candles hung around the wall instead. It gave a dungeon-like atmosphere to the place. And since everything was concrete, it was cold in the room.

There is an ice pack placed on my stomach, and several others wrapped in bandages around me. Thanks to that, the pain was lessened, but I did feel numb all over. I slid off the bed and staggered as the cold sensation of the floor touched my feet, but I managed to get used to it in time.

"Sir Rayes?"

The familiar words made my turn to the door. Well, there is no door. So the doorway. I turned to the doorway to find Leon smiling brightly, a tray in his hands. "You're awake."

"You're here?"

"Ah, yes. I brought you here." Leon replied, walking in and placing the tray on the nightstand beside the bed. It has a bowl of soup and two pieces of bread, along with a metal cup of water. It reminded me of rations given to people after a natural disaster, inside the shelters. Either way, Leon took one of the bread and split it, offering it to me. "Eat, sir. We'll be safe here."

"Where is this? Where did you get this food?"

"Ah, this is a safehouse."

"Safehouse?"

"I asked that too. Apparently, this man told me that this place was just made into an official safezone, so we had completed the main quest."

That's a first. An official safezone, huh? "That man…where is he?"

Leon shrugged his shoulders and shook his head with a slight frown on his face. "I don't know either, Sir Rayes. He told me about this place and left right after. I thought I would find him here, but I haven't seen him anywhere."

Just who is that guy anyway?

How does he know so much? Even a veteran player such as myself has never heard of a second safezone during the first main quest. Well, maybe that was because I wasn't really a hardcore gamer anyway. It has been a while since I last played [World Ascension], even before the start of this Game. Nevertheless, that guy sure knew a lot. It would be best if I got the chance to recruit him to come with me. Having someone as powerful as that would be best for me.

"So, this is a safehouse? And we've cleared the main quest?"

"Yes, sir."

I nodded my head and took the bread from the tray, dipping it into the soup before putting it in my mouth. I haven't eaten for a day, so the food felt even more delectable than ever. Leon saw this and felt the need to add a remark.

"You should thank the lady who made that. Her abilities allow her cooking to have healing properties. And also enhances flavouring."

Right, this is a safehouse. Meaning that there are definitely other people in this place. And perhaps, I could find other people to come with me. After all, most of them here should be new players as well, meaning that they would have to move on either way. And there could also be…

"Leon, do you mind taking me around?"