Seeing Nola still playing in the rain, I scooped her up. She protested with a cute grumble, "I still wanna play!" I ignored her, settling her onto my shoulder, and continued walking.
As we moved along the muddy road, I passed the devastation of the crashed military vehicles. Some soldiers lay sprawled like dead dogs, others snored loudly, oblivious to the chaos. In the distance, I heard the wail of approaching ambulances and military reinforcements. I stayed calm, walking steadily away from the scene.
I opened the panel as I walked, noting its latest updates:
Name: Arin
Age: 25
Companion Beast: Bear Cub (Nola)
Sanity Level: 3%
Skills: Basic Disguise
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Nothing surprised me anymore. As the vehicles drew closer, I slipped into the bushes, changed out of the suit and into my casual t-shirt and night pants, then tucked the suit into the beast taming space. Using my basic disguise skill, I altered my appearance just enough to avoid suspicion—too much change would have drained my stamina.
Calm and collected, I emerged from the bushes and walked on as if nothing had happened, blending into the world once more.
I walked along the road, minding my own business. To avoid suspicion, I put Nola inside the beast taming space. Before long, a military vehicle pulled up and stopped me. The officer inside began firing off questions, but I just shrugged and kept a deadpan silence.
Annoyed, he started to rant, but a grizzled veteran in the back interrupted him with a sigh. "Stop it, you moron. You're probably scaring the kid. We already have a bad enough reputation with the public—don't make it worse." The younger officer clamped his mouth shut.
The old veteran leaned forward and asked kindly, "The town is near. Want a ride?"
Sensing no hostility from him, I nodded and climbed in. I sat beside the same officer who had grilled me—he now glared at me as if I'd insulted his ancestors. The veteran sighed again. "Stop staring at that poor kid," he scolded. The officer finally looked away.
The radio crackled: "We lost three of the members. The remaining seven are being escorted." Everyone in the vehicle groaned, and one cursed, "Damn it, those criminals got away."
I frowned. So they see us as criminals, huh?
As we neared a restaurant, I said, "Stop here at the hotel." The vehicle pulled over and I hopped out, thanking the old man, who nodded before they drove off.
Making my way to the hotel, I pulled a purse from the beast taming space—the same one that belonged to the military officer. Back in the vehicle, he suddenly shouted, "Damn it! Someone stole my purse!" The others burst out laughing. No one suspected me—I'd been sitting right in front of them the whole time.
I tossed the purse into a garbage bin, having already taken out five thousand credits. Not bad, I thought, pocketing the cash before heading into the hotel.
Inside the hotel, I sat at a table with Nola, who was happily playing around. The waitress approached and asked for my order. Without hesitation, I took out 4,000 credits and placed them in her palm. Before she could say anything, I said one word: "Meat."
She looked like she was about to list the menu, but I cut her off, repeating, "Meat."
She sighed, "Fine, sir," took the credits, and headed off to fetch the dishes.
A few minutes later, Nola and I had devoured stacks of meat and other dishes. I scooped Nola up and prepared to leave. That's when a police van screeched to a stop outside the hotel. The police shoved an old man out and sped away, leaving him sprawled on the ground, cursing and yelling, "I'm not a madman! Let me prove it!"
I paused, recognizing him—wasn't he the same old man from the YouTube video? Watching him ramble, I sighed, then turned to walk away as he got up and staggered inside the hotel.
It was 9:00 PM. I sat at the table, turning the encrypted card over in my hand while Nola slept peacefully on the sofa. The TV played news about three criminals who'd escaped—details and photos were splashed across the screen. I remained calm, both inside and out.
After a while, I retrieved the encrypted card and typed the website address. The page loaded and prompted me for a password, which I also found on the card. When I entered it, I was greeted by the words: "Secret Hunters Society."
The website was filled with discussions and information about dungeons. My brow furrowed at the mention—dungeons? Then I noticed a freshly uploaded video from the admin account. Curious, I clicked it.
What I saw made my sanity level spike: seven people stood before a group of terrified children. The seven took aim, unleashing their skills to slaughter the orphaned kids. Screams and blood filled the scene. As potions began to drop, I glimpsed, in the background, 240 screens showing similar horrors—each audience applauding the carnage.
My sanity level shot up, rising from 3% to 4%, all the way to 30%.
Noticing my distress, Nola immediately snatched the phone from my hand and tucked it away in her space, shielding me from the nightmare.
I woke up at midnight—exactly 12:00. Nola was asleep on the sofa, her gentle breathing a small comfort in the quiet room. Watching her, I silently mouthed, "Thank you."
Needing some air after everything I'd been through, I slipped outside, leaving Nola resting peacefully. I wandered down the corridor—most people were asleep, while a few kept to themselves, lost in their own worlds. I stepped out from the inn and onto the empty road. The cool night breeze brushed against my face. Crickets chirped in the distance, and the occasional rustle of bushes reminded me I wasn't truly alone, even if it felt that way. I had no destination; I just walked, letting the night carry me.
After a few minutes, my expression remained deadpan, but tears began to cascade silently from my eyes. I tried to wipe them away, but that only made it worse. Eventually, I just stopped, standing under the moonlight, letting the tears soak into my t-shirt. I looked up at the bright, watchful moon and let out a deep, aching roar:
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
I woke up the next morning to find my sanity level had returned to zero. Thinking back on the events of last night, my resolve hardened. I couldn't go after the seniors who had been climbing the tower for years—but I could do something about the seven people from the video, those who had started this journey alongside me.
Clenching my fist, I made up my mind. I would hunt them down—and make them pay.
While I was plotting how to hunt down the seven, something on the TV caught my attention. The news reported a sudden, dramatic decline in vegetables, livestock, and even sea fish—everything we relied on for food was vanishing at an alarming rate. Experts predicted that within a year, famine would sweep across the world.
A realization struck me: in one year, the Infinity Tower was set to summon again. But with this new development, it seemed likely that the entire human race would be forced into the tower. The thought sent a chill through me, but outwardly, I remained calm—my expression betraying nothing.
A fierce determination flickered in my eyes. My plans needed to change. Survival had to come first; vengeance could wait. Maybe the Infinity Tower was orchestrating all of this to prepare humanity for what was coming. I chuckled softly to myself—whatever the tower's intentions, I doubted they'd be wasted.