“You’re a bigger threat than anything Archie can even dream of.” She explained while looking at Silas’ eyes with an unempathetic glare.
“You already said the commander was only the third to fourth strongest. What is there to worry about?” Silas argued.
“You’re a six-year-old who killed a grown man capable of killing several beasts with sapphire cores when using all the power at his disposal.
He deemed you too much of a threat to be kept alive, yet you somehow still came out the winner. Is that not enough of a reason to fear what you might become?” She retorted with a snarl.
“…”
“Wait till they hear about you having two possible blessings, 5 elemental affinities, and a work ethic comparable to War’s. I can’t believe you spent three days out here just to train.”
“I have level three clearing… I can only leave 3 times.”
“You can if you’re with a general.”
“…Death, you bastard…”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“Of course he didn’t tell me! You think I would choose to cultivate in the wild?”
“I don’t know. You seem like that kind of person.”
“I’m a kid…”
“Heh. You became an adult the moment you lost that innocence in your eyes. Don’t worry; it happens to the best of us.” A beautiful smile blossomed on her face, replacing her previous fiery glare.
A few seconds later, Life placed her hand on one of the trees, creating a green handprint on it before the ground under them began to shift.
When their platform reached the level of the large root, they both stepped onto it and walked toward the city.
Since it was Life who put her hand on the tree to activate the platform, there was no need for Silas to register back in or show any identification on the way in.
They both walked in complete silence, yet that was not the case with everyone around them.
The streets were bustling. Almost everyone was a warrior of some sort. Everyone in the city seemed like they could fight and always wore armor on them instead of normal clothes.
Well, everyone who could afford armor. Almost everyone wore one or two pieces of leather to protect themselves. Others wore the fur of a strong beast, while some wore scales for protection.
“I need to buy armor.” Silas commented, hoping that the woman beside him might have pity on the young child before her.
“I think you’d have a better time if you worried about your rent and food instead. From what I understood, you consume a tremendous amount of calories to heal in the way you do.
Sure, your cultivation technique seems to help you in the process, but your body essentially uses all the fat storage you have to keep you alive.” She smiled while Silas froze at the mention of a cultivation technique.
“I must ask, where did you learn such a technique from. It’s almost as if it was made specifically for this type of training…”
‘She’s too observant.’
“You were saying something about the Generals’ strength rankings? What rank are you?” Silas blatantly attempted to change the subject, piquing her interest and telling her that the topic was off-limits.
“I’m last.” She spoke with almost too much pride.
“You sound proud…”
“I’m a scientist. I conduct experiments and have a knowledge of runes beyond your understanding.”
‘I doubt that.’
“I simply do this healing thing on the side. I’m useless on the battlefield so technically the only thing I can do in a fight is heal people.” She shrugged.
‘That is the single most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard.’ Silas held those words back, only saying them in his head.
He was a scientist. The best in his field. Did that stop him from destroying the USA? Did that stop him from essentially conquering the world? Of course not!
He wanted to scream, ‘This woman speaks nothing but nonesense!’, but of course, he held himself back.
“I guess that makes sense…” is what he actually said.
“Archie is the second strongest, right behind the War. The rest of them kind of mix together, though it is agreed upon that Death is 3rd.”
“Death? Really? On the same level as the commander?” Silas asked with a perplexed expression.
“Everyone had a trump card; I’m sure even you do. Though, I must admit that some trump cards are stronger than others. The commander’s trump card was his o’ divine passage. Only god knows what Archie’s is. War… Let’s not talk about her…
And Death’s is one that even Archie is wary of.” She explained, making Silas narrow his eyes before eventually nodding.
As they walked toward his apartment, Silas looked around the streets to better understand the city. From the rent alone, he assumed that the people in the city must be earning quite a lot, but it didn’t make sense. They all looked way too poor to live in a city like this.
Maybe hunting paid a lot? Or maybe the jobs paid a lot more than they would in towns or other cities around the kingdom.
Though, even if that was the case, it seemed like even here, only the strong got to live in luxury, while the weak groveled on the streets with no hope in sight.
Some that walked with chainmail or even steel-plated armor walked around with smiles on their faces, laughing and enjoying their lives. They were most likely the strongest groups in the city.
The rest were depressing to look at. Sullen and empty eyes. Small statures. Hell, even the children weren’t saved from this fate.
Silas understood way too quickly what Life meant about him losing the innocence in his eyes… Back in Uladia, he would have seemed like an outcast due to his early maturity, but it felt normal here.
“I know what you’re thinking.” After seeing Silas’s mild reactions to the city’s state, life finally spoke up, but Silas quickly cut her off.
“I expected nothing less from a city filled with bandits.”
“Neither did I when I first came here.” She sighed.
“I’m assuming you changed your mind about these people?” Silas asked while giving her a side-long glance.
Life halted her steps, making Silas look back with a raised brow to see why.
“S- Game… Darkless City is… despite its name, a dark place. Everyone came here because of something they lost or might lose.
Everyone here had a horrible life or a tragic loss before coming here, whether that was the loss of money, their friends, or even their family.
Everyone in this city is here for a reason. We all think we’re different when we see all these people around us with sullen eyes and no hope left in their hearts, but ultimately, we’re proven wrong.
Everyone is here for a reason, so that includes me… And that includes you too.”
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