Roma walked with the group—no, followed would be more accurate, as he carefully kept himself somewhere in the middle of the formation, not too far ahead where danger lurked, and not too far behind where he might stand out, maintaining what he believed to be the perfect position for maximum survival probability.
"…Stay low… stay normal… don't attract attention…"
That was his mantra.
The forest path was unnaturally quiet, so much so that the only sounds breaking the silence were the crushing of dry leaves beneath their boots and the occasional clink of weapons. Roma's eyes darted everywhere, constantly scanning his surroundings.
"…Ambush spot… that too… and that tree? Definitely hiding someone…"
His imagination was running at full capacity, while the other bandits around him walked as if this was just another ordinary outing. One of them even yawned lazily.
Roma stared at him in disbelief.
"…How are you so relaxed?"
When they finally reached their destination, Roma came to a stop, and his pupils shrank slightly as he took in the scene before him.
"…So, this is it…"
The place was silent—not peaceful or calm, but the kind of silence that lingered after something terrible had already taken place. Two or three wooden buildings still stood, though barely, with cracked walls, partially collapsed roofs, and exposed support beams that resembled broken bones. Everything else had been reduced to rubble, with burn marks staining the ground and splintered wood scattered in every direction. Some areas looked unnaturally clean, and Roma immediately understood why.
"…Looted."
On the way here, he had imagined multiple gangs clashing, fierce competition, and chaotic fights over resources—the classic main character battlefield scenario. But now, as he looked around, there was not a single outsider in sight.
"…There's no one."
He blinked once, then exhaled deeply.
"…Thank heavens."
For a moment, he even felt like kneeling down in gratitude.
The bandit leader stepped forward. He had a tall figure, a strong aura, and a Stage 6 pressure that faintly spread around him, making his presence impossible to ignore.
"Search everything," he said calmly, his voice steady as he continued, "every corner, even broken wood—check underneath."
At his command, everyone immediately began moving.
Roma also moved.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"…Act natural."
Roma crouched near a pile of debris and picked up a broken plank, looking underneath it only to find nothing.
"…Good."
He placed it back and moved to another spot, repeating the same action, once again finding nothing.
"…Even better."
Around him, the others were genuinely putting in effort—digging through rubble, breaking apart debris, inspecting walls, and even climbing unstable structures without hesitation. Roma watched them for a moment.
"…Such dedication… such willingness to risk death… inspiring."
As time passed, it became increasingly obvious that there was nothing left. Even the smallest valuables had already been taken.
Roma nodded to himself.
"…As expected,"
While moving around, he noticed a young man nearby, around twenty-one years old, whose aura felt almost identical to his own.
"…Ah… a fellow weakling."
The young man glanced at him.
Roma looked at him slightly.
"U r the new guy right, Kiran."
Roma paused briefly.
"I am Roma."
Roma leaned slightly closer.
"…Do you know what happened here?"
Kiran glanced around cautiously before answering.
"…Yeah, I heard from others."
Roma listened carefully.
"This was a noble family," Kiran began, "…about fifty years old. Not very big, but stable."
Roma nodded.
"…Leader?"
"Chakra Foundation stage."
Roma's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That's strong."
"But it didn't matter," Kiran continued, lowering his voice. "…They were wiped out."
Roma felt a chill run down his spine.
"…By who?"
"…One guy… or maybe four or five."
Roma froze.
"…Excuse me?"
Kiran shrugged casually.
"That's what people say."
Roma's mind immediately processed the information—Chakra Foundation leader dead, entire family destroyed, and the attackers only numbering a handful.
"…Not something I should ever meet."
"Apparently, years ago, they offended someone," Kiran continued.
Roma nodded slowly.
"…Of course they did. This is that kind of world."
"That guy came back… with friends… and destroyed everything."
"…Everyone died?" Roma asked.
Kiran shook his head.
"…No."
Roma blinked.
"…No?"
"He killed all the strong ones, but let the weak go."
Roma frowned.
"…Why?"
Kiran shrugged.
"Said he's not bloodthirsty… just settling a score."
Roma went silent.
"…Interesting."
Kiran added one more thing.
"…He said they can't use the family name anymore."
Roma nodded slowly.
"…So he destroyed their identity."
"…Exactly."
"After that, other families came and took everything valuable. No one left anything behind," Kiran explained.
Roma glanced around again.
"…Makes sense."
"Our boss waited," Kiran said with a faint smirk.
Roma raised an eyebrow.
"…Waited?"
"Yeah. Let others loot first, then came here."
Roma paused for a moment.
"…That's actually smart."
Roma looked toward the leader in the distance, his expression turning thoughtful.
"…Calculated… patient… opportunistic…"
He nodded internally.
"…This is what a real leader looks like."
Then he added silently—
"…Also slightly shameless."
Roma sighed.
"…But even then… there's nothing left."
Kiran nodded.
"Yeah… we're basically searching garbage."
Roma crouched again, picking up another broken piece.
"…Garbage that could collapse and kill us."
Just as Roma was about to move again, he suddenly paused.
"…Hm?"
Kiran also froze.
"…You saw that?"
Roma nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
In the rubble ahead, there was a slight shift—so small it could have easily been missed.
Roma's heart rate instantly increased.
"…Alive?"
His instincts screamed at him in order—run, call someone stronger, or pretend he saw nothing.
He chose—
"…Observe first."
Kiran whispered cautiously.
"…Animal?"
Roma shook his head.
"…Too controlled."
They moved forward slowly, step by step, carefully approaching the rubble.
Roma swallowed.
"…If this is something strong… I'm dead."
When they reached the spot and moved a broken plank aside, they finally saw him.
A young man, around twenty years old, his body thin and covered in dust, his clothes torn beyond recognition.
His breathing was weak—barely there.
"…Alive," Roma whispered.
Kiran crouched down.
"…Barely."
The young man's lips were dry and cracked, his face pale, his eyes half-closed.
"…Starving," Kiran muttered.
Roma stared silently.
This wasn't just injury—it was near death.
Roma's mind began racing.
"…Survivor? Left behind? Or hiding?"
He looked at the young man again, then at the system.
"…Recruitment…"
He froze.
The condition was simple—
Someone just needed to say:
"Yes, I will join your group."
Roma looked back at the dying man.
"…He might not even survive…"
And yet—
"…But if he does…"
The wind blew softly across the ruins as the sky burned orange under the setting sun, while around them the bandits continued searching aimlessly, completely unaware of what was happening here.
Roma slowly crouched down, staring at the half-dead young man.
"…Hey."
There was no response.
Roma narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…This might be… my only chance."
Roma stared at the dying stranger.
"…If you can still speak… then say it."