“So what’s with Gul’sa Mun, Gorou? Why is he helping us?”

“Well, it’s actually kind of a funny story.”

Gorou explains his story as we continue to kill the hundred-eyed dogs that were surrounding a sphere made of dirt. Most of us were out of energy but with the help of Gul’sa Mun, the dogs were easily taken care of. Jill walks up to the sphere and presses her hand against it before it crumbles. 

There were about 50 villagers inside the sphere. They were lucky that only the hundred-eyed dogs noticed there presence. If it was the hippo or bear-like creatures then the sphere wouldn’t have made it. I’m glad they’re safe.

“So Gul’sa Mun is actually Gul’sa Quan’s father?”

“Yep.”

“But why would he help you then? Wouldn’t he hold a grudge against you for killing his son?”

“I thought the exact same thing but when Gul’sa Mun broke through the sphere, I couldn’t feel any hostility from him. I was ready for a fight but stopped myself as Gul’sa Mun began speaking to us. It was thanks to Donnel and Jill that we could understand what he was saying.”

“He was asking Gorou whether he killed the wielder of the greatsword. We were still wary of him but something compelled me that I shouldn’t lie to Gul’sa Mun. I explained how we met Gul’sa Quan and the situation in the lizardman village. His attitude was stern when he learned of Gul’sa Quan’s death and the death of the lizardman king. The only sign of emotion was anger when he learned that the lizardman king’s actions led to the village being partially destroyed.”

“Gul’sa Quan was originally going to be the lizardman king but since I killed him, I’m now the new lizardman king according to Gul’sa Mun. That’s why he’s calmly following us.”

““””What!?””””

Gareth, Mako, Fifi, and I couldn’t help but shocked at Gorou’s sudden statement. Jill goes into more details and it seems like in the lizardman culture, whoever kills the king can become the new king. The inheritance of the throne was quite complicated this time around because Gul’sa Mun was suddenly teleported out of the lizardman village.

Even though a different lizardman became king, according to Gul’sa Mun, he wasn’t a true king. Only Gul’sa Quan has ever defeated him in a battle and that’s enough to earn him the right of kingship. Since he was teleported out of the village without being able to pass down the crown, Gul’sa Quan is the only one eligible for the crown. Obtaining Gul’sa Quan’s weapon was enough proof for Gul’sa Mun that Gorou had killed Gul’sa Quan, the rightful king. Gorou was now the lizardman king even though he isn’t a lizardman.

“Congratulations, Lizardman King Gorou. The future of the lizardman kingdom is in your hands.”

“Please stop it!”

“It’s such a good title though. I’ll start calling you Lizardman King Gorou from now on.”

Gorou was embarrassed as we continue to tease him. This was my revenge for him teasing me about my antics during that feast. The mood had lightened up after escaping from Gorango but we still weren’t safe yet. After reuniting with the 50 or so people they had saved, we cautiously walk through the village.

Some of the houses had collapsed while most of them had serious damage. It was now inhospitable for the humans and the frogmen to live. Fortunately, most of the bodies scattered throughout the village were those of monsters. From their injuries, it seems like the monsters fought with one another while rampaging through the village. There were still monsters roaming around but we quickly handled them.

With our current group, only monsters like Gorango would pose trouble for us. Walking up the path towards the dungeon’s entrance, the concentration of monsters grew. We hurried our pace as our worry for the others grew. Like we had expected, there was a horde of monsters trying to break there way into the warehouse. The steel frame was still holding on but it was battered from all sides.

Kayla gives us a signal and we begin our onslaught. The ground turns into mud and roots grab the monsters’ legs as they struggle to escape. Those that were strong enough to escape are immediately glued against the ground by Cammy’s ability. All of their mobility was lost and they weren’t able to prevent the 10 feet long sword from slicing through their bodies. For the smaller monsters like insects, a tornado sucks them up and shreds them into pieces. 

The only monsters left alive were the stronger ones but with our combined efforts, they didn’t pose a problem. After dealing with the monsters we walk up to the warehouse and Kayla knocks on the door.

“Open up, we’re back from fighting the dino!”

Kayla continues knocking but there’s no answer. Gorou and Gul’sa Mun easily pry open the steel doors as we enter. Jill seals the entrance with earth magic to prevent any other monsters from coming in, but that makes the dark room even darker. Fifi takes out the Flying Lamp from her pouch and secretly hands it to Jill. Those from Unit I still didn’t know about her so we had to be careful.

Jill lights up the lamp and lets it fly in the air. We can see our surroundings but there weren’t any villagers here. Kayla calls out again but no one answers her. We investigate further but the only place left is the entrance to the dungeon. Taking a set of stairs down, we arrive at the basement. The dungeon’s entrance was just up ahead.

“Hello, is anyone there? We’re back.”

“Kayla?”

Light creeps into the dark hallway as the door opens up. William holds the door open and I can see the villagers behind him worriedly looking at us. Many of them were injured so Gorou immediately begins healing them as we regroup. Kayla explains the situation to William and the other members that were left behind to protect the villagers.

William, Rachel, CZ, and Ken from Unit K and 6 others from Unit I. Conrad and Urban were the only ones I knew from that group while the others are unfamiliar to me. Looking closer, the other four are on the list of suspicious individuals. There were 6 suspicious people but the other 2 had died during the fight with Gorango.

“Good job making it back alive, but what should we do now? The village is still overrun by monsters and I’m sure the village is in a mess right now.”

“According to Gorou and Jill, our lizardman friend over there can lead us out of the swamp. We’ll use his information and evacuate everyone out of Consal.”

“Really!? But transporting a few hundred people isn’t going to be easy.”

“Yes, that’s why we’ll wait for the horde of monsters to die down before we try and escape. Once the monsters find out that there isn’t any food to be found here, then they’ll start to leave. Other than that, we’ll also go out and kill as many monsters as we can to thin the horde.”

“Alright, that sounds like a plan. Eat dinner and get some rest, you guys deserve it.”

The villagers were resting on the large staircases while some were cooking dinner in the pots and pans they brought along. The villagers that Gorou and Jill saved reunited with the others, but I couldn’t help feel sad at the situation. Before the attack from the monsters, there were a little over 500 villagers but now there’s only a little less than 300 villagers left. So many villagers lost there lives.

“Cheer up, Jude. I know you did your best to protect us.”

“Thanks, Brisben.”

I take the bowl of soup from Brisben and begin eating, it was delicious. Even if transporting 300 or so people is difficult, I swear I’ll protect them. The others who just returned join me as we begin eating dinner. It’s been a rough night.

“Gorou, where is the person you mentioned earlier?”

“Oh, he should still be sleeping. Is there something you need from him?”

“Hmm, from what you described about him, I think he’s a “gifted” one. It’s normal for them to awaken in these kinds of situation.”

“I see, I’ll let you know when he wakes up.” 

I listen in on their conversation and I’m quite interested on these “gifted” people. I understand the general concept of the “gifted” but it’s still an interesting phenomenon. Unlike Mako and I who learned magic, most “gifted” ones just suddenly awaken to their abilities one day. But that isn’t the only way for “gifted” ones to obtain their abilities. For example, Conrad’s ability is inherited from his family instead of being awakened.

“Am I going to experience this “awakening” thing one day, Fifi?”

“Well, yeah. As you accumulate more experience, the higher the chance you’ll awaken to a new ability. It varies from person to person, but experience is what causes beings to “awaken.” Back in my day, we called it “ascension.” It’s rare but it isn’t uncommon for beings to go through ascension. I expect you to at least go through 10 ascensions considering the blood coursing through your body.”

“10? Is that a lot?”

“Yep, and each time you’ll become stronger. You might get a special ability like Rachel’s ability or you might even awaken to new magic like Ken. The possibilities are endless.”

I see, I hope I can ascend soon. If I can have more abilities, that means my ability to protect everyone in Unit K increases. Our talk was interrupted as Rachel, Ken, and CZ decided to ask us about their abilities and how they can improve it. It seems like they overheard us talking. Since it would look weird if the others saw them nodding there head while no one’s talking, I have to speak on Fifi’s behalf.

“CZ, your ability to stun targets is incredibly useful but it’s useless against someone who’s stronger than you, right?”

“Yes.”

“You should train your eyeball by trying to stun multiple enemies at the same time. I know you’re hesitant because the stun time significantly reduces, but with consistent training, it should become stronger.”

“Oh! What about me? Can I improve my metal ability?”

“Yes, your metal ability depends on mana so train it, and don’t be stuck with just making metal sharp. I’m sure you’re used to just shaping them into sharp objects, but you need to be more flexible in how you use it.”

“Hmmm, I’ll try.”

“And for you, Rachel! I know you’ve been feeling depressed because you haven’t been able to use your ability to help us lately, but you need to know that your ability is the strongest out of all of us. Increasing your mana pool will help increase how much you can store and release, but that isn’t the only way to improve. You need to learn how to put yourself into a position where you can use your ability, don’t just wait for orders from others.”

“I-I see. Thank you.”

I sigh a breath of relief as I can see that the three of them were seriously taking Fifi’s advice, even if I have to suffer for it. Fifi continues to pull at my hair as she complains about my explanations. I clearly heard what she whispered into my ear, but I had to normalize it so the others could understand her intent since she’s never been a good explainer.

We talk through the night and as the villagers begin to sleep, we join them. Laying on the cold hard ground with a thin cloth over me, I couldn’t help miss the softness of a bed. It’s only been a few days since I’ve last slept on the ground but I couldn’t get used to it. 

“Yes, everything will be fine. Just help us…”

“Ok. Are you sure they’ll accept me?”

“Just trust us…”

As I was dozing off, I could hear a group of people speaking in whispers. I didn’t recognize the rest but one of them was definitely Leaf’s voice. I wanted to listen more but exhaustion took over my body as I fell asleep.