Aspect

The next two days before the exploration were not pleasant for Lucien, who spent them mostly locked up. The impact of the two people he killed was much stronger than he had expected.

But what can be replicated in a person who grew up in a safe environment like Earth?

Although there are also dark and ugly parts on Earth, Lucien never experienced any of this. All he saw was from the news, where the media manipulated all the information, showing only what was convenient.

...Or the people in power wanted it to be shown.

So Lucien spent these two days in pure torment, eating only lychee and mangosteen... but, despite tasting these two exotic fruits, he tasted nothing. It was as if his sense of taste had disappeared.

Besides, he did not receive any visitors, as if it were a normal thing in this city. So he simply stayed at home, afraid that the bodies of Darc's parents would appear again in his dreams.

On the third day, which was the day of exploration, Lucien finally left the house... His appearance was not the best; he looked as if he had lost a lot of weight, with big dark circles under his eyes.

The sky was still as dark as ever, only occasionally illuminated by lightning. Otherwise, he was still in darkness.

Lucien, with the oil lamp in his hand, sighed and looked sideways, not knowing where to go.

'I must be heading towards the training camp...' he thought.

However, at that moment, a voice was heard behind him.

'So you're already awake. Just in time, Chief Niek sent for you."

As he turned around, he saw.

A man of about twenty-nine to thirty-two years of age, with short black hair and eyes of the same color, which seemed full of experience. His features were not sharp or defined; on the contrary, they were quite average, with nothing remarkable.

He wore a simple blue shirt that showed off his muscles, black pants, and leather boots. He had an amused smile on his lips.

With a grimace, Lucien looked at him for a brief moment with a vacant stare.

"What did you just say?"

"That Chief Niek sent for you. And, in case you don't remember, my name is Otis."

Before Lucien could respond, Otis continued.

"You look pretty bad; it's like you're a walking corpse. Killing your parents affected you a lot. I went through the same thing too."

Lucien arched an eyebrow.

"Did you have to kill your parents, too?"

"That's right. At the time, I didn't understand why I had to kill my parents, but then I realized that it was necessary so they could die as humans."

Otis had a blank look on his face. The smile on his face had almost completely disappeared, and he sighed.

"Yes, if this land wasn't cursed, I wouldn't have had to kill my parents. And if the gods had not abandoned this land, perhaps things would be simpler."

Lucien was silent. His curiosity had been aroused a little. That this land was cursed? That the gods had abandoned this place? What did he mean by that?

Those questions popped up in his mind, but he refrained from asking them since it was not the right time.

Besides, he had to find a way to complete this damned test... but strange,y he felt that it was not long before it was about to begin.

Otis regained his smile again.

"All right, enough chitchat. Let's go to the training camp; the boss must be waiting for us."

Without another word, each with his lamp in hand headed toward the training field, with the sky occasionally illuminated by lightning.

…

A few minutes later, they arrived at the entrapment camp.

A group of people were there; they were the same people in the cemetery. They all looked over at Lucien, and as they looked at his appearance, they sighed.

Niek, with his white beard, approached Lucien and Otis.

"Otis, you can leave."

"Yes, sir."

Otis, without another word, left the training field, which was illuminated by multiple lamps embedded in various poles.

Chief Niek turned to where Lucien was standing.

"How are you feeling?"

Lucien looked at him with a grimace. What kind of question was that? It was not enough just to look at his appearance to notice that he was not well at all.

But, still, he answered.

"Like crap. Every time I close my eyes or fall asleep, I dream about them saying to myself, 'Why did you kill us?' Although, honestly, I don't know how long I can put up with this shit."

Lucien was completely sincere with his words. These two days, he had suffered a hell: he didn't sleep at all, he vomited constantly, and every time he closed his eyes, the damned image of his parents appeared in his dreams.

He even had the thought of putting an end to this suffering. How did the death of two strangers affect him so much? Although he was the one who killed them, he did not expect to have such a violent reaction.

Niek stroked his beard and looked him up and down. He took out a small bottle and handed it to him.

Lucien looked at it curiously. He was waiting for the letters he didn't understand to appear, with the description of what he was about to drink... but, unfortunately, nothing happened.

"Drink it, it will help you," said Chief Niek.

Still hesitant, he uncorked the small bottle made of dark wood. He looked at the contents inside, which were a dark green color. Without weighing it twice, he drank it in one gulp.

The green liquid ran down his throat. Lucien felt the foul taste in his mouth, with a strong bitterness that seemed to linger long in his throat. It made him want to vomit... However, he forced himself to swallow it, as horrible as it tasted.

It didn't take long for the effects to appear. Lucien's previously tormented mind was freed, leaving him in a state of tranquility... In addition, he felt an invisible weight disappear from his body.

He couldn't help but curse internally. What the hell had he done that everything that happened to him was mind-related?

Lucien, feeling much better, sighed in relief. He couldn't believe that just a few moments ago, he was being tormented. What was that horrible medicine he had taken? It was too effective!

"Are you feeling better?" asked Niek.

"Yes, I feel much better."

"Perfect," nodded Niek. "Ard, Luk, Rud, Moran, gather around. Let's talk about the exploration we're going to do."

The group, who had been quietly observing everything, approached each other to discuss what they would do.

With everyone gathered together, they began to discuss what they were going to do on this exploration.

…

After forming a preliminary plan, the group was formed by Niek, Ard, Luk Rud, Moran, and Lucien.

Each of them had an assigned role in this exploration.

Niek was the exploration leader. Rud was the illuminator, although it did not seem to be something impressive... However, due to the conditions here, it was an extremely important job.

Outside, the city is teeming with Corrupt Creatures, which all attack in the dark. So Rud's job, in a nutshell, is the most important for the survival of the group.

As for Moran, Luk, and Ard, their role was support. If they had to face any Corrupted Creature on the way... and Lucien was just dead weight.

He wasn't even needed in this exploration, but as Niek had called him, there he was, about to venture into the darkness, not knowing if he was going to survive.

Chief Niek looked at the group, each with their weapons, and in a husky, deep voice, pronounced.

"Let's go!"