"Do you see that?"
"This is insane!"
"Is he even human?"
"I almost feel bad for those ghouls."
The soldiers mostly new recruits stood there in shock, unable to believe what they were witnessing. One man stood alone in the field, facing hundreds of ghouls by himself.
Those miserable creatures didn't stand a chance against him. He cut down dozens without slowing and kept slaughtering more.
And yet, even though the scene looked completely unnatural, the veteran soldiers standing at the top of the hill barely paid it any attention. It was as if this kind of sight was perfectly normal to them.
One of them called out, "Hey, you bastard, where's my piece of meat?"
"Does anyone know where I can find the wine?"
The crackling of roasting meat and the rich smell of food filled the air.
"Haha, I won this round." One of the soldiers tossed the dice and won a game.
"You're just lucky," another replied.
One of them grumbled, annoyed that he lost his bid, "Motherfucker, I just bid 20 coins on you—why did you lose!"
None of them cared about the dozens of ghouls dying on the hill below. There was no reason to worry with that Saint present.
On that night filled with laughter for some and shock for others, a single Saint closed a Level Four Gate alone.
While wiping the blood from his face, the military leaders playing cards welcomed the saint.
"Welcome back, Leonard."
"Bring me some food and wine, I'm exhausted," Saint Leonard smiled as he sat down, observing their cheerful faces.
Someone called out to him, "Have you heard the news, Leonard?"
He looked up and responded, "No, what news?"
"They closed another gate in the north, and it's a Level six gate."
Leonard looked at him. "Hooh? who did that ?" He asked with a clear lack of interest.
"Saint Rowena and her team did that"
"I see…"
-----------------------------
Jin walked out of the military complex, yawning. "I guess I'll look for Morgan tomorrow."
He had asked about Commander Morgan all day, but for some reason, everyone either avoided the question or hurried away.
"What's with these people? Are they scared of him or something?" Jin sighed and headed back toward the medical complex.
When he returned to his room, he threw himself onto the bed and started thinking about today's events, which were totally new things for him.
It was the first time he'd talked to a woman. The first time he'd eaten with so many people. And also the first time he'd eaten that much meat.
Rich people really are wasteful.
He had also learned a lot about chaos creatures, about war strategies, and other things from the soldiers here.
Jin stared at the ceiling. "What a long day."
"I wish that old man were here to try that food."
He sighed, closed his eyes for a moment, and let his thoughts drift.
He had some thoughts about everything that had happened this week, and other thoughts were fantasies imagining himself as the wealthy owner of a huge farm.
"Heh… heh… heh… look who's rich now."
Jin continued imagining himself as someone important … but deep down he was lonely and sad.
While he was lost in those thoughts, a voice suddenly shook his very being, ringing violently in his ears.
"We are the Will of Amon, are you ready to answer?"
Jin suddenly sat up, clutching his chest.
He looked around fearfully, but there was no one there.
"Ah… am I imagining things now?"
Suddenly, a burning pain shot through his body a pain he had never felt before.
He wanted to scream, but he couldn't… his voice wouldn't come out.
He felt like he was burning alive if he had to describe such pain!
His body started shaking, and shaking hard. The pain was unbearable, spreading everywhere. He couldn't think of anything else; all he could feel was this pain.
The pain grew so intense that he lost consciousness…
The next morning, someone shook his shoulder forcefully to wake him up.
"Wake up, boy. Hello, can you hear me?"
Jin opened his eyes slightly and heard someone calling him, "Hello, are you alive?"
He began to regain consciousness when a sudden slap came from nowhere and woke him completely.
"Ouch! What the fuck?" Jin rubbed his cheek, glaring angrily at the person who just slapped him.
"Are you fucking crazy! Why did you slap me?"
"Oh, thank goodness you're alive!"
"Sorry for the slap. I thought you were dead," the person apologized.
"Who the hell slaps someone thinking they're dead? Who are you, and what do you want from me?" Jin responded irritably, rubbing his cheek.
The man sighed, apologizing again. "I apologize. My name is Sai, Deputy to Commander Morgan. The commander sent me to bring you to him."
Jin looked at him clearly annoyed. "Morgan, huh? Fine, I wanted to see him anyway."
Sai smiled. "Yes, yes, please follow me."
Jin followed him. Morgan's office was a bit far from the medical complex, but they eventually reached it.
"I have brought Adrian's grandson, Commander," Sai said, knocking on the door.
"Come in," Morgan responded.
They both walked in, and Jin's first impression of Morgan was that he was a powerful figure—no, more like a beast or a bear perhaps.
"You are Adrian's grandson, correct?" Morgan asked.
"Yes, that's me. Do you know who my grandfather is?" Jin replied.
"Yes, I know him well. I used to hate him."
Jin looked at him a bit annoyed. "Huh, why do you hate him?"
Morgan chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, boy. I did hate him, but I also respect him deeply. Anyway, Elena told me you wanted to see me. So, what do you want?"
Jin looked at him, unsatisfied with his answer, then said, "Well, Elena told me you're strong enough to train me."
Sai, standing to the side, looked away, whistling with a terrified expression.
Morgan laughed heartily as he looked at both of them. "You want me to train you, boy? Ha ha ha! I never thought Adrian's grandson would ask me that."
"Do you think you can handle my training?"
Jin answered firmly, "Yes, I don't think it could be worse than my grandfather's training."
Morgan smirked. "I believe you most likely have two months to prepare for Lucaria."
"But don't worry the training will be extremely effective."
Jin shivered a little; for a moment, he somehow reminded him of his grandfather.
He looked at Morgan, who was smiling at him, then glanced at Sai, who was still whistling and staring at the wall behind him, clearly wanting to stay out of this.
Jin moved closer to Sai and whispered, "Am I in trouble?"
Morgan watched them both, still smiling happily.
Sai quietly whispered back, "Yes, big trouble, and please don't drag me into it…"
I have a very bad feeling about this, Jin thought to himself.
Morgan talked to him and explained some things about the complex. They decided to start training tomorrow morning. After saying goodbye respectfully, Jin left the office and headed to the restaurant.
After he arrived, he looked at the variety of dishes in front of him. The food was free he was treated like a special guest, thanks to Morgan.
He chose a chicken and rice meal, served with a side of vegetables, and started looking for a place to sit.
As he was looking around for a spot, he saw Elena eating with another girl. She noticed him, waved, and called out, "Jin, Jin, come sit with us!"
Jin wanted to ignore her but couldn't be that rude.
"Hello," he greeted as he sat at the table with them.
Elena smiled. "How was your meeting with Morgan?"
"I don't know. I have bad feelings about him."
Elena laughed lightly. "Don't worry, Commander Morgan is actually a nice person."
"Well, I hope so," Jin replied, then looked at the other girl who was smiling.
"So, who is this?" he asked.
Elena smiled and gestured to her friend. "This is one of my friends, Melina. She's beautiful, isn't she?"
Melina smiled and said, "Hello, Jin. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Jin, slightly embarrassed, looked away and replied, "The pleasure is mine."
They all started enjoying their delicious meals and chatting a little, but Jin eventually stopped talking. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he let them talk among themselves while he drifted into thoughts about what had happened last night.
What was that exactly…?
Although he couldn't remember exactly what happened, he did remember the intense pain he felt yesterday.
Unaware of his nervous and confused expression, Elena noticed and asked him, "What are you thinking about? Is something bothering you?"
Jin hesitated a little, then said, "I fainted last night before I went to sleep somehow, and I don't know exactly how it happened."
Elena was surprised. "You fainted?"
"Yes, all I remember is feeling intense pain when I heard something speaking to me, but I'm not sure what it was."
"I don't remember what I heard either, but I think I fainted because of it."
Elena looked at him with some concern, then asked, "You don't remember what the voice said?"
"No, I don't," Jin answered.
Melina asked, "Do you think someone broke into your room?"
Jin replied, "No, I'm sure no one was in the room before I fainted."
Both girls were confused, so Elena said, "Maybe you should see a doctor. It might be some physical or psychological symptoms from the forest incident."
Jin sighed slightly and nodded in agreement…