Warning for this chapter!
In the golden desert of Nefertari, behind a ruined pyramid, two figures sat across from each other as the dim glow of sunrise bathed the dark sky. Beside them were three tents, two of which appeared foreign, while the third was exceptionally large.
The meat roasting over the crackling fire shimmered enough to make anyone salivate.
"What do you think of the girl?" the first rotund figure asked.
His companion, a rugged, masculine man, replied. "You know the boss already took her... so we'll have to settle for the other one."
The fat man sighed, then tapped his spear on the sand. "Boss always gets the best." He paused, then added, "But no one said we couldn't take the pretty boy. He looks rather delicate with that pale skin."
The masculine man laughed heartily. "Right, if he didn't have some muscle or height, I might've mistaken him for a girl."
They both burst into laughter, then turned their gaze to a navy blue tent. "But what do you think that weakling is doing? I don't want him getting hurt before I get a taste."
"Hmm... I'm not sure, but white light's been coming from his tent since morning," the masculine man continued. "Should we inform the boss?"
"Nah..." the fat man said, waving dismissively. "I doubt such a worthless boy would dare try anything."
"Hmm... is that so?"
"Get your head back to reality. It's time to serve the boss."
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(Back in Kai's Tent)
"Damn bastards, making noise this early in the morning," I muttered, wiping sweat from my temples before trying again.
It was already the fourth attempt at absorbing the slob's core, but I had no success.
I had anticipated this, but it seemed that because I could absorb mana directly into my core, unlike the others, I had no use for a core.
Added to the fact that I wasn't a B-rank, I couldn't just extract it to sell or use it to upgrade my vesper. It was a complete loss.
"And here I was, getting excited that I'd have two sources to fill my core," I said dejectedly.
But it wasn't entirely bad. Having a different means of growing stronger meant I didn't need to compete for resources or let anyone know when I was filling my core. It could even serve as a surprise element.
The downside was that no one could share their cores with me, and in a large-scale battle where loot is distributed and my role wasn't combat-focused, I'd suffer tremendous losses.
"No point beating myself up about it," I murmured, placing the three cores into my bag. "I'll give them to Amy, along with my share of the ripper's core."
I stretched and opened the tent flap. The smell of roasting meat and the desert's dryness mixed into an almost suffocating scent.
"Hey, Kai." Amy, who was tying her crimson hair into a ponytail, approached me.
"Oh hey. The glasses look good on you," I remarked.
"Thank you," she replied shyly, her crimson eyes slightly blurred behind the round lenses. "Amy will wear them regularly," she whispered.
"What was that?" I asked.
Amy simply shook her head and pointed toward the desert. "Amy and the creepy man were talking. He said the temple isn't far from here, and from what he described, there might actually be a gate there."
"Hmmm…"
If the temple acted as a gateway out of here, it meant the temples in other major parts of Nefertari might also function as gates. If my memory served me right, there were about forty or so.
"I think it's safe to say the class is as good as cancelled." Amy nodded in agreement. "So our best option is to reach the gate and escape."
My main concern wasn't just escaping through the gate. It was the gate returning to its original rank. And that's not even mentioning Tomb Thebes or Queen Nefertari, both of whom remained complete mysteries.
"Alright, I get the gist. For now, act like I'm a weakling you're dragging along. Bully me if necessary."
"But why?" Amy gauged my expression, then nodded. "Okay. Amy will try her best."
I smiled. "Alright, you better go before the boss shows up." As she stepped away slowly, I stopped her. "Wait." My voice made her turn. "Beware of roars."
Amy's expression showed confusion, but she nodded. "Okay. Amy understands."
'I doubt you do,' I thought.
Our small group soon began the journey to the temple.
From the chatter I could hear while walking behind the group, I was able to learn a bit about them, like how they seemed to have been working together for quite some time, even their teamwork showed it.
But their disinterest in learning about their fellow travelers' abilities, already painted them as suspicious.
"Yawn!"
The journey became monotonous: fighting an incoming drifter, hiding from another, resting when the boss deemed it necessary. Honestly, I was bored less than two hours in. Maybe I needed a hit of dopamine.
Among the ten, it was easy to identify the strong from the weak. The three men always around the boss, Nassar, along with Nassar himself, were the group's powerhouses, comparable to Amy in overall combat ability.
So a head-on fight was out of the question. They'd kill me instantly. Sure, I could probably take out three of them before dying, but I wasn't planning on dying like some valiant knight. I took pride in being a coward.
Another oddity I noticed: despite their closeness, none of them seemed to know each other beyond surface-level interactions. But I wasn't one to comment on such relationships.
"We'll rest here for today!" Nassar announced.
His men nodded while the lower-ranking trio I dubbed the "Three Musketeers" went ahead to set up the tent. But the truth was, they weren't the ones doing it.
Initially, I suspected they had trapped a class C student inside a dimensional bag. But I soon realized one of them, a guy with auburn hair and orange eyes, had a special talent I didn't yet understand.
At night, I'd see silhouettes, seven female figures, entering and exiting the tent.
'Tonight, I'd remind them that monsters don't always roar,' I thought, entering my own tent as soon as it was pitched.
The night would be long, far longer than they could imagine.
-----
TWO HOURS BEFORE EIGHT
Content Warning: This change in POV contains mature themes including implied sexual violence and coercion. Reader discretion is advised.
(Nassar's POV)
"Haaa! That bitch is really frustrating," I sighed heavily. "Move faster, damnit."
I tried to focus, listening beyond the confines of the small room in my tent that reeked of sweat and perfume.
But all I heard were the sounds of skin slapping skin and the ragged breaths of about eight individuals.
"That kid is really strange," I said to King, who lit my cigarette.
"Which kid do you mean, boss?" King asked.
I looked at him then at the girl in front of me. "The pretty boy."
"Oh, you mean the Kaiser kid," King replied. His long black hair and lifeless black eyes looked even more ominous under the dim light.
"Yeah, Kaiser... What do you think his deal is, anyway?"
"Hmm... I don't—"
King's words were cut off by the purple-haired girl's pleading. "Lord, I've had enough... Please, I want to go home" she begged, but I ignored her.
"Get rid of her," I commanded King.
With a flick of his hand, her head was gone, without a trace of blood on my large red mattress.
"Next," I ordered, turning to the girl with orange hair.
"Yes, my lord."
But as she began to move, a heavy feeling settled in my chest. 'Is this because I want the two new ones, or is something bad about to happen?' I wondered. Then, the tent shook.
"What was that?" I jolted from the bed, scanning the room, before leaving the tent. "What now!" I yelled.
Just beyond the tent was a large pack of Gobolts. "What the hell are Gobolts doing all the way out here?"
Gobolts were rare creatures attracted only to a specific scent, so why were they here, in this hidden location? Worse still—
"A Mollusk Rider."
Terror surged through me as the tremors in the sand intensified. There was no doubt about it: whoever lured the Gobolts here knew full well that they might attract a Mollusk Rider.
But who could do such a thing?
My mind spun, but I steadied myself with a deep breath. "Gather all the men, King. We're going to slay a fucking dragon."