At the height of incomprehension, authorities had declared the zone of destruction forbidden. None could enter, bar for some persons able to help with the situation.

  The festival had been put on hold, stands weren’t open anymore and the competition would have to wait. People quit the Fourth Land, fearing for a grander danger incoming. Couldn’t blame them, with what happened to the other Lands so far, Astor would move out to the Mainland and call it a day. But he couldn’t, he was on a Journey, had to achieve a quest, and more importantly, he wanted to stay with his friends; no matter the reason.

  Cayn hadn’t come home last night. Bel went out to look for him and even asked some [Guards] to help her. As for Astor, he babysat the cats, fearing that they would run away and get engulfed in the black portal too.

  Going downstairs, in the inn, he went to buy some food. It was weirdly calm down there. Quite pleasant for Astor’s ears, but oddly ominous in reality.

  “Fish and milk for the cats, huh?” the innkeeper said, handing the food. “I’m glad I have some clients left.”

  “Where is everyone?” Astor asked, paying up.

  “They got scared by the black thing, I lost all my clients except your party.”

  Astor knew about runaways, but that much? What happened to bravery.

  “Is it that dangerous?”

  “The black thing? I can’t lie and tell you it’s safe, because I’d like you to stay. That thing is a like no skills works against it and it keeps growing when you throw stuff at it too. I might have to move out at this rate.”

  No wonder everyone ran away, if even skills couldn’t do anything; what could?

  Astor thanked for the food and asked her something, “Could you take care of the cats for me?”

  “For you?” the innkeeper replied. “Anything I guess.”

  Astor went outside, leaving the cats behind, reluctantly. Holding hope high, he searched for Cayn. They either have to deal with the black portal or get away from the Fourth Land too.

  He started with the camp held by Leander, where most [Guards] were. Bel was probably somewhere there and Astor needed information.

  “Blueys!” Leander greeted him, as he barely put a foot in the camp. Wrong name… “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m looking for Bel, and also Cayn.”

  “Oh right, she went to look for him an hour ago or so but I don’t know where she is.”

  “Which direction?” Astor asked.

  Leander pointed. “There, I’d love to accompany you guys but I have the item to deal with.”

  “It’s fine,” Astor replied as he caught a glimpse of Hyakinth wearing heavy equipment. He was probably going to appraise the item causing chaos.

  Astor wanted to know more about everything but his curiosity had to wait. Cayn was the priority.

  He ran to the direction told.

  ***

  His running didn’t last long, he should start to work out a little more. Breathless, he observed the area around.

  It was nothing but the same streets he had been in the last few days. Buildings, houses, empty stands, closed stores. No one was out. Were the inhabitants also gone? The nature of the haywired item being undisclosed; it would make sense. Better be safe than sorry. Adding to that the tourists running away, the city felt lifeless.

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  How harrowing. Where could Cayn possibly be? And where did Bel go?

  Loud noises came from a nearby building. He approached out of curiosity.

  “I can not condone what you are all doing, and as long as I am here; you will not budge.”

  “You’re talking like you have the upperhand, we’re three here and you’re locked with us as long as we decide.”

  “He has the upperhand,” clanking noises resounded. “Four [Guards] and two adventurers against three inventors, who would win?”

  Skills names pronounced. Loud sounds inside, and chaos ensued. They were fighting.

  Astor distanced himself from the building and observed it as it looked odd. The building wasn’t taking any damage, but given the amount of skills activated; it should be blown up by now. Was it the new type of lock Hyakinth’s shop had?

  People talked, “Hey Green-eyes, I think we might be fucked.” That sounded familiar.

  “Well, whose fault is that?!”

  “What?! I didn’t think our fat asses would break the ceiling.”

  “Well now we can’t spy on them anymore and discover what the gravity warper was about!”

  “It’s fine, I brought four [Guards]. What’s the big deal?”

  Definitely Bel and Cayn. Perfect time for Astor to come to the rescue. He could come from above and fall from the apparently broken ceiling, but they seemed stuck in the building. Breaking the lock would be easier.

  If he recalled correctly, the lock functioned with mana. How do you disrupt the flow of mana again? By overflowing it with your own mana. Remembering the sensation he felt when he was tampering the dungeon core, Astor poured his mana into the lock with basic [Element].

  The lock broke, the building started taking damage, and the door opened on a crouched Cayn’s face. “Ouch.”

  “Sorry,” Astor said.

  “No it is my fault, I was— Astor?”

  “Yo, Blue-eyes!”

  “Hi.”

  “Hey, did you know Cayn had the [Rogue] class?” Bel told Astor, although a big fight was happening.

  “I didn’t.”

  “He was trying to pick the lock!”

  “I was just trying to get us out of here.”

  A firebolt hit Bel and Cayn’s back out of nowhere. Their clothes caught on fire.

  “Ah shit! Fire!” Bel screamed.

  Astor extinguished them. He got angry at what happened.

  The [Guards] were struggling against the inventors, who all used items to attack. One of them used an item who produced elements: the culprit. The other two had weirder items, Astor didn’t know how they worked but the [Guards] were afraid of approaching them.

  In the heat of the moment, Astor used [Element] to create droplets of water. Indeed, if the items had something in common: it was their metallic components. Using the droplets, he generated static electricity and as thunder appeared at the palm of his gauntlet-covered hands, he launched it at the inventors.

  They got swiftly electrocuted and fell to the ground. The [Guards] used their skills to tie them up, restricting their skills too.

  Penalty: -3 levels.

  Oh, right. That’s a thing.

  Cayn latched out at him, “Why did you do that?”

  Astor just wanted to retaliate for them, he said nothing, knowing he was in the wrong.

  “Do not ever risk your System Access ever again.” Cayn scolded. “We still need you.”

  “He’s right Blue-eyes.”

  He knew. He regretted it too. The System could have decided a harsher penalty, that’s what books told him. He needed to play it safer.

  “Sorry.”

  “Do not say that to us, say that to the ones you knocked out back there.” Cayn was being excessive, all things considered, but he wasn’t in the wrong either.

  Astor walked toward the inventors, and as he did so, he recognized their faces. The Helper lady, the one who made the gravity warper. Another Helper, who used to talk about elements. And one last, who spent more time with his childhood friends.

  Three sinners, who by inexplicable miracle, still had System Access. Or did they?

  Astor refused to spare sorry for them, out of respect for himself. They were part of the reason why he had such an unacceptable childhood after all.

  He got out of the building in a fuss, passing through his friends. Not knowing what to do with the overwhelming influx of emotions imbuing his mind; he let everything out and became numb. He had it long coming, ever since he saw the Helper lady that day, or perhaps even before.

  “Is everything alright?” Cayn asked, catching up to him and lending his shoulder.

  Astor’s body reacted by itself. Heart shaking, mind confused. He wasn’t exactly crying as his chest didn’t hiccup, it was more like a stream of emotions being poured out in the world. His bottle of pent-up feelings broke, in a sort. It was the first time he experienced such a thing before.

  “Ya, he is right. Penalties happen more often than you’d think,” Bel said. “I accidentally kicked someone’s balls once.”

  Cayn frowned at her.

  “Ok, it wasn’t very accidental, I confess.”

  ***

  Time passed and Astor calmed down.

  “Are you feeling better?” Cayn asked, holding the crouched down Astor.

  “Sorry,” Astor said, spacing himself away from Cayn; he didn’t want to sully his clothes.

  “It is fine, do not worry. I did have a mental distress once, a while ago. So I understand and feel you. Can you stand up?”

  Astor stood up, feeling much better. “Where is Bel?”

  “She went to see the [Guards] inside. We do not have to, we can just go back to the inn directly, what do you think?”

  Astor made Cayn worry a lot, and he felt bad for that. He didn’t feel like he deserved so much. His friend was too good for this world. Astor wanted to feel worthy, so he braced himself and decided to face the Helpers once again. No more being a burden for Cayn; neither for Bel.