Chapter 19: The Goal
Many teams consisting of two or more people set off in different directions, each team walking without knowing what awaited them in the future.
Aiden was watching them with eyes gleaming with a mysterious sparkle, as if looking at a collection of moving living treasures.
He smiled lightly and muttered to himself:
[I memorized all the directions!] Then a wider smile spread across his face as he added to himself: [We will meet soon!]
"Come on, let's continue!" he said in a firm voice before moving with confident steps.
Those who wanted to follow him did, and those who preferred to go alone departed.
In the end, a group decided to stay with Aiden, numbering twenty people accompanied by a number of pets.
Most members of this group were teenagers, along with three women and four men.
But Aiden didn't pay any attention to the number, nor did he care about their ages or gender. What mattered to him was only that they chose to walk behind him and surrender to his leadership.
The group continued their journey in the city's vicinity, cautious of approaching the area where the terrifying pack of "Earth Wolves" was seen.
The hours passed relatively quietly, as Aiden managed to save a large number of living beings, earning valuable fate points in the process.
However, he often arrived late to find the creature breathing its last breaths, and even using his "[Healing]" skill didn't change anything.
This made him lament his luck every time he lost such precious opportunities.
And his mind was always occupied with thinking about a faster and more efficient way to collect as many points as possible.
But his internal voice was suddenly interrupted:
"Ahem!"
The sound came from one of the three women who chose to follow him from the beginning.
A woman with a slender body and fair skin, her long black hair flowing freely over her shoulders.
Her eyes were fixed on Aiden's back with a hesitant look, carrying something of anxiety and fear.
She took quick steps until she was beside him at the front, trying to match his pace precisely.
Her pale lips moved slowly, and her voice came out stammering:
"Si... Sir..."
Aiden only glanced at her for a brief moment before returning his gaze to the road ahead.
But she didn't consider his disregard an insult; she repeated the same words with a more trembling voice:
"Si... Sir! I want... to ask you something!"
This time, Aiden looked at her calmly, but his features carried clear annoyance.
[Oh my God... women are so annoying!] he said to himself irritably, then said loudly:
"What is it!"
His voice was so strong that everyone turned to him and pricked up their ears to listen.
After all, Aiden didn't talk much.
Since the moment he killed that man in front of them, they had only heard very few words from him, and he was always immersed in his mysterious thoughts.
Even when he was rescuing survivors, he wasn't the one extending a helping hand directly; instead, he would send members of his group to bring them to him if they needed treatment.
Nevertheless, endless questions began to arise among them about what Aiden was really doing.
At first, some thought he was proficient in some kind of magic or hidden power, but they soon began to realize, with the passage of time and seeing what was happening with their own eyes, that he wasn't an ordinary human at all.
One of the situations that stuck in their minds was when Aiden discovered children buried under the rubble of a huge residential building.
No one could hear their faint cries, but Aiden picked them up from a distance.
And when he sent a group to check, they indeed found the children there, but they couldn't rescue them.
Then, Aiden stepped forward himself, grabbed a part of the collapsed building weighing several tons, and simply lifted it as if lifting a light piece of wood.
Those present froze in their places, unable to believe what they saw.
Even the strongest man recorded in the Guinness World Records didn't exceed half a ton in his maximum lift, while Aiden lifted several tons as if they were nothing.
Everyone was sure they were following a being who wasn't an ordinary human, but something closer to "superhumans" they were used to hearing stories about or seeing on screens.
Many wanted to come forward and ask him about the secret of his strength, but they restrained themselves, realizing that if Aiden wanted to hide the matter, he wouldn't answer them.
So they contented themselves with feeling grateful for their decision to join him and pitying those who left him and departed alone.
They looked ahead at the man leading them: a tall body, broad shoulders, shiny black hair like a black hole, wearing a simple black shirt and sky-blue pants he found in one of the destroyed houses.
His hands were in his pockets, his steps steady without shaking, and he showed no sign of fatigue despite hours of walking.
The woman beside him finally gathered her courage and said:
"Si... Sir... I want to ask you. Where are we going? And what is our goal?"
Aiden suddenly stopped, so the entire group stopped behind him; even the pets sat on the ground as if aware of the moment's gravity.
He slowly turned his head, his deep black eyes reflecting the sunlight filtering through the ruins.
He first looked at the woman, then at all the faces full of anticipation, curiosity, and fear.
"The goal?" he repeated the word with his resonant voice.
"The goal is to survive. To become stronger. To stop being prey in this world that has become a jungle."
He paused for a moment, then pointed with his hand toward the horizon, where towering buildings less damaged than others loomed.
"As for where we are going... over there. In that area, something awaits us."
Then another woman from the three women stepped forward, her disheveled hair falling over her pale face, and said nervously:
"But... that area is dangerous. We heard terrifying sounds coming from there."
A cold, challenging smile appeared on Aiden's lips.
"Exactly... because it's dangerous, we'll go there. Because danger means opportunities."
"Opportunities?!"
Some group members repeated the word in their minds in surprise before one dared to raise his hand, saying:
"What kind of opportunities?"
Aiden's smile widened as he stared at the invisible screens before him:
[Fate Points: 500 points]
[Ding! Skill created: Achievement Thief. Skill cost: 250 points]
[Do you want to obtain the skill?]
[Yes!] [No!]