Rewards

The journey to the blockade continued in silence. Much later, after they had boarded the beast of burden, Northern became aware of the travelers' condition.

A horde of monsters had attacked the nearest town to the southwest, forcing many to flee for their lives. However, countless others had fallen victim to the ravenous maws of the creatures lurking in the thick forest. Those who had survived owed their lives to hundreds of lost lives—and three Drifters.

Among the group, only the old man and the pregnant woman were ordinary humans. The other three bore bleak, sullen expressions, their eyes heavy with the weight of loss, pressing a suffocating tension onto the atmosphere.

At first, Northern didn't care. He truly didn't. But as the journey dragged on and he observed how disconnected they were—each person withdrawn despite sharing the same beast of burden—he found himself pondering the weight of hundreds of lives.