Katherina and the gang members sighed; they knew Orpheus was strong for him to easily kill the Firedrake equal to a low Level 3 origin master could only mean he was stronger than that. They wondered what his real level was.
Exhausted, the group fell to the ground to recover. Meanwhile, the injured, when being treated while the one impaled in the chest, was still lying on the ground motionless.
Katherina’s expression turned, and she thought.
‘As expected, he dies.’ She had hoped to bring every member back alive, even with a missing limb, but she failed. This put her into a heavy mood. She felt like a knife had pierced her back; it would be hard to announce to her pregnant woman that her husband had died. Katharina was sure the woman wouldn’t be able to take it, and who knows what would happen.
Katherina expected to see Orpheus after he killed the Firedrake; she had few words to say to him. For example, what did he do to her sister Stella holding a pair of black daggers delicately as if she didn’t wish to be separated from them. She was smiling like she had won a lottery.
”Just what in the world happened?” Katherina wondered before; in the next instant, magic circles shone under them, and the next thing they knew, they were back in the training room.
Orpheus was standing before them; only Amber was there with him, and Lilith was nowhere to be seen.
Surprised by the change, the gang members realized that they were back in the capital. Instantly the atmosphere inside the room changed as some of them started to cry; others grinned foolishly. Some hugged each other, and others closed their eyes and sighed in relief. Amber was shocked as she saw a few kissing each other to celebrate that they had survived the six hours.
”It’s good that you are happy, but let’s talk,” Orpheus announced.
Everyone stopped and glared at him. Amber cowered, feeling immense dread. Imagine more than 200 people looking at you as though they want to swallow you alive. It was not something the current Amber could endure.
”Control yourself,” Orpheus warned before continuing.
”I’m glad that all of you come back alive.”
The killing intent increased, and Aileen, who had enough, moved.
“BASTARD, How dare you say that!!!” A yell of profound hatred suddenly sounded. Aileen unsheathed her rapier and thrust it towards Orpheus’s face, full of killing intent.
Amber’s face changed, her eyes turned red, and she stepped forward and blocked the rapier with her sword.
Clang!
Although she blocked, she was pushed a couple of steps. The sword in her hand was still buzzing from the impact, and her arm was numb! Amber instantly understood; she was not Aileen’s match.
Aileen was shocked by Amber not being able to overpower her. She immediately understood that Amber was weaker than her; she smiled; she had just found a way to mess with Orpheus. She immediately launched another attack, but Stella, who understood something as she was the only one to see Amber’s eyes changing, moved.
Aileen felt chill down her back and immediately jumped; she was forced to tilt her head aside.
*Swing!*
Watching the dagger cut a strand of her hair, Aileen turned pale and looked at her sister.
“Stella?”
”Why are you stopping me?”
“… You must stop,” Stella announced with an expressionless face.
“Gulp… By any chance, was your dagger aiming at my neck?” Aileen asked, not believing what had just happened. Never would she have expected her sister to be the one to stop her, and she was rather serious.
“… I knew you would dodge it.”
“… And what if I don’t.”
”I would have stopped.” Stella sheathed her dagger. She could feel the eyes of the other on her, wondering why she did that? Did their comrade dying didn’t affect her?
Even Katherina was shocked by Stella’s behavior. Stella sighed before pointing her finger at the one who should be dead.
”You should properly check before acting so unreasonably.” She said before leaving.
”Unreasonably?” Aileen was shocked, but she moved and checked the man that should have been dead; he was breathing, and his heart was beating, meaning he was alive.
”Impossible.”
Katherina and Aileen looked at each other and couldn’t understand what happened; they had undoubtedly confirmed the man’s death, then how did he come back to life?
Even the other members already mourning for him were shaken. Although they didn’t understand what happened, they were grateful.
”Ah! You were behaving so recklessly because you thought that man was dead?”
An unexpected question reached the sister’s ears; they looked in Orpheus’s direction.
”I stopped his heart because his wound was closer to the heart. With the slightest misstep, he would have died. I treated him as I was bringing you all back.”
Katherina lowered her head, feeling ashamed. When she raised her head again w her pale face regained some color. Together with the other members, they thanked Orpheus.
”Thank you.”
Orpheus nodded before he said, ignoring Aileen fleeing to the back because she was too embarrassed to stay at the front.
”I know that it was dangerous when I sent in that forest, but none of you noticed that it was much easier to advance in strength there? I can see that many of you managed to breakthrough using the special environment overwhelming with origin.”
The gang members looked at each other and nodded. Each one of them could be considered an elite. They understood that that place was truly great for raising one’s strength.
Of course, the premise was that you had to survive first.
After seeing their reactions, Orpheus continued.
“As you noticed, that forest is the best place for rapidly increasing your strength. I can assure you that if you continue using it daily after today, in one year, most of you will be at least one or two-level higher.”
The gang members were greatly shaken by this news.
“But at the same time, that place is very dangerous. The monsters you faced today are just the weakest monsters you can find there. I stopped stronger monsters from coming. Next time you enter, you will face a much more dangerous situation.”
The entire group fell silent.
Orpheus continued speaking and said something unexpected.
“So, I’ll allow all of you to leave. If you are afraid, raise your hand now. I promise you that you will continue with your lives as normal, and it will be as if today never happened.”
”What?” Aileen exclaimed while Katherina frowned, not understanding what kind of game Orpheus was trying to play.
Only Amber understood that her master was doing this to have the most loyal ones stay while sending away those that would quit halfway.
Orpheus continued ignoring the sister’s reaction; only Stella genuinely wanted to know what he was trying to do.
“As I said, I won’t those that desired to go, but if you want to grow stronger, then stay, and I’ll do my best to help you to grow into a powerhouse that will serve my interest. Now, choose.”
The gang members looked at each other. After witnessing Orpheus’s abilities, none of them doubted his words. They knew that this was an opportunity they would have once in their lifetime.
However, they also knew that this opportunity was filled with dangers.
It was possible that they would die instead of becoming a powerhouse.
For a while, the place remained silent as they were weighing their options.
However, before long, someone raised his hand.
”I’m sorry, Leader, I wish I could stay, but I’m a coward who has a family. I don’t want to risk leaving my children to grow up without their father.”
Orpheus looked at him and nodded. He could understand what he was trying to say. For the sake of his family, he chose to be a coward in front of this once-a-lifetime opportunity.
With the first man raising his hand, more soon followed his example.
“I’m sorry, I’m happy with my current life. I don’t want to risk it.”
”I’m the only child of my parents, I’m sorry.”
“My mother is sick; if I die, she will die too.”
“My husband died and left me alone with our children. I can’t risk my life like that.”
In less than one minute, forty-five gang members had raised their hands.
Orpheus looked around at the remaining gang members. When he was sure that nobody else was going to leave, he said to those that chose to leave.
“I understand; you can go.”
The gang members sighed in relief and walked out. Although they felt apologetic to their comrades, they did not want this kind of life.
But when they were about to leave, they froze in their steps by Orpheus following words.
”From now onward, you are no longer under the gang’s protection, your families included, and one last thing, if I ever hear that one of you become a defector and joined the other gang, you will die, your family included.”
“!!!” All the gang members’ faces paled. Those leaving understood that this was not some empty threat. They gulped before leaving with a heavy heart.
Orpheus then stared at the two hundred and five members before flicking his fingers. The gang members felt scorching pain in their arms, shocked they immediately checked to discover a tattoo of a snake biting its tail.
“From now onward, you’re members of Ouroboros. Don’t worry; it is a slave crest; you will find out more in the future. I will let you deal with the aftermath; I will see you soon.” Orpheus said before leaving with Amber.