Following Deka, the two walked deeper into the cave. There, Arthur saw a small area where all the mercenaries had stationed themselves. There were tents, a small fire with whatever wood they had gathered, and several other survival tools.
It was a full-fledged camp that could contain at least 30 people if not more. Arthur whistled under his breath at the sight.
‘The fact they could build such a camp in this cold cave… They’re truly experts.’ He thought to himself.
His eyes then shifted to the mercenaries all around the camp. Some were simply lying on the rough ground, trying to sleep and recover from the deep injuries while others were going around, making food, fueling the fire, and bandaging the injured teammates. The atmosphere was very gloomy and dark, just like their surroundings.
It was clear that the past two days had hit these people hard and it will take some time for them to recover mentally and physically.
Arthur would be lying if he said he fully sympathized with them, but he did understand the feeling of despair. He himself had gone through such an experience before and it was truly soul-crushing.
‘… No wonder Deka hesitated. These mercenaries are barely able to stay alive. There is no way they can suddenly stand up and move.’ He thought to himself.
“What do you think?” Noticing Arthur’s silence, Deka asked.
“…” Arthur’s eyes shifted to look at her before he exhaled a small breath. “It doesn’t look good. Your team is completely demoralized and broken.”
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“…” Deka pursed her lips slightly. “I know. I’m one of them.”
Staring into her eyes, Arthur could see all the pain she was harboring at that moment. Since she seemed to have taken the role of a leader, the weight on her shoulders was way heavier than everyone else.
Each soul she loses is because of her decisions and the guilt she carries with it is equally ridiculous.
‘But, she’s still standing and doing everything she can to save them. That’s admirable.’ Arthur blinked silently.
“Well, I won’t lie to you, Deka. Saving these people is going to be very hard. They can’t move and they certainly can’t fight so we will probably have to carry them to the settlement. If what you said is true and that forest is infested with monsters then that task would be damn near impossible.”
Arthur was strong, and he could take on a few Yetis if he pushed himself for it. However, to also protect several injured men at the same time was extremely hard.
‘I don’t even know if they can handle the trip back in this weather. They would die freezing before they die from predators.’ He mused.
“I know… I already know… But, what am I supposed to do? We can’t remain here or the Yetis will eventually find us. They already got awfully close and if we didn’t fight them far away from here, they would’ve already discovered the cave.” Deka replied as she rested her back against the wall and rubbed her forehead. The stress she was feeling at that moment was threatening to split her brain apart.
Every possible solution seemed so far out of reach and she couldn’t do anything about it. Time was ticking off and help might not come for another day or two.
“So, what are we going to do?” Arthur asked.
“… I… I need to think. Give me some time.” She replied. “I will figure something out, surely.”
Arthur stared at the woman for a few seconds before he nodded his head and turned away. “Well, if you don’t find a better plan. We will do it our way.”
“Your way?” She asked.
“Yes, while it’s going to be a very hard task, I really don’t care about that. If there is a chance then I can pull it off, it’s that simple.” He replied. Arthur’s tone lacked any sort of uncertainty and his domineering presence made Deka blink in surprise.
She couldn’t sense any hesitation from him. A young man who was barely in his teenage years had that level of confidence in himself. Deka had seen many unbelievable talents before and at a young age too with enough Ego to fill the entire world. However, a rarity are those who can truly show confidence and not arrogance at that age.
“I’m going to see if I can help these people a little,” Arthur said. ‘I didn’t bring with me enough health potions to give them. I must keep most in case of emergency.’
In his inventory, Arthur had 10 potions he had stored and bought previously. He forgot to stock up and he didn’t even think he would need a stock of these potions when his trip was going to only last a day or so.
Still, he knew he could spare a few potions to help.
“Hey, you right there.” Looking around him, he noticed one of the medics treating a wounded mercenary and called for him.
“Huh?”
“Come here.” He said, beckoning him with his hand.
“…” The mercenary medic blinked confusedly before he approached Arthur. “How can I help you?”
“Here.” He said as he pulled three potions out. “Give these to the mercenaries with the deepest injuries, they will help.”
“Oh? Health potions?! Thank you so much, sir!” The man smiled widely at the sudden gift and quickly hurried back to his work.
“Now… What am I supposed to do-“
“You.”
Before Arthur could even finish the sentence he felt someone approach him followed by a cold voice. Turning around, he saw Sergi eyeing him with a scornful expression.
‘There he is again.’ Arthur fought the urge to roll his eyes. He knew that Sergi wasn’t going to let him go that easily, especially after their first meeting.
“What do you want?” Arthur asked.
“…” Sergi squinted his eyes. “Did you completely ignore my warning?”
“Duh? Why would I care about a random person’s threats?” Arthur shrugged. “You best believe I’m doing what I want.”
“Random?” Sergi clenched his fists as he fought the urge to punch the young man in front of him. He truly couldn’t believe how one person could be this irritating to him. It was as if Arthur was created to be the perfect antagonist for him.
“Listen here, kid. I have been holding back myself for the past several days because I don’t believe killing a young kid is the right thing to do and that warning was in your best interest. You gifted bastards are only weapons of destruction and your presence here is unwanted.”
‘Is he repeating the same things he said to me last time?’ Arthur sighed. The way Sergi spoke felt like he was just saying sentences from memory that were hardwired into his brain at some point. There was a clear sign of indoctrination all over the man’s personality.
‘Whatever cult he was in had done wonders in making him hate the Gifted Ones.’
“I really don’t care about that as I said. You can hate me however you want, I really cannot care any less. One thing I must say though… I think you should focus more on your work and leave the Gifted Ones on their own. We aren’t going to harm you. We’re here for one single reason and that’s to get stronger and explore this world.”
Arthur knew that his words didn’t apply to all players as some were trying to truly take over the entire game. But, for the most part, the player base was simply playing a game and exploring the world for adventure and thrill.
‘If we’re truly going to destroy then I’m certain the signs would appear very quickly. So far, I haven’t seen any.’
“That’s what you tell yourself. We do not want any of you to step into our lands and take over them. We have been preparing ourselves for the end of the world, and it’s all because of your arrival.” Sergi replied in a furious tone.
‘He won’t listen will he?’ Arthur frowned.
“Well, suit yourself, I have some other stuff to do. Bye.” Arthur waved his hand as he turned around to leave. “Oh, and one more thing, you better not try to do anything funny as I try to help your friends out of this cave because if you do… I won’t spare you even if you beg for your miserable life.”
Then, he walked away without looking back again. The warning was clear as day and Sergi understood it. Arthur wasn’t dumb enough to think that Sergi wouldn’t play the dirty game and try to get rid of him during the escape and it could very much hit Arthur when he least expected it.
The best part was that even if he died, then Arthur was going to simply find Sergi and make him regret his actions greatly.
‘Still, for their best interest, I won’t kill him yet. I can’t put myself in more trouble.’
A//N: Thank you all for the gifts, golden tickets, and PS. Let’s keep it up!