"I'm tired."

A statement that has become ever more prevalent in my life as the days go by in this new hostile world. I was summoned to be a hero by something or someone, and I have to save this world from destruction. However, during my stay, time and time again, I have been harassed, attacked, stalked, hunted, and chased with no end in sight. The only respite I have gotten is right now, with the defeat of the Splitter Worm wave boss, which in and of itself was a whole mess.

The soldiers, guards, militia, whatever they are that were stationed here seemed to at least be thanking me by not immediately turning on me once the wave ended. But seeing the aftermath, I can see they have more important duties to attend to than trying to imprison or kill the person that saved them from annihilation.

The physical toll of being flung around slammed into, rammed, bitten, overworked, underfed, exhausted, and constantly running for long periods of time puts a pretty horrible and excruciating pain on every limb of your body after the adrenaline runs out. The mental toll of the aftermath is starting to get to me in more ways than one.

The collapsing buildings and ruins of the town center were the main things that became apparent as my mind shifted from survival mode to mostly normal mode. Even if it was nighttime, I could still see what looked like limbs sticking out from under the rubble of the broken and destroyed cobbled and stone houses. And not just one but dozens upon dozens. The garrison group that I helped all split up to help out the people in the outskirts. Kazen instructed me to find any survivors in the ground zero of the boss fight.

I was not hopeful in any way as I heaved and used the little strength I had left in my tired and weary body to move the rubble that was piled on top of these protruding limbs. And from what I saw after removing it, it only made my stomach churn for the worse. The horrific smell of dead beetle juices and dead matter was already nauseating, but seeing a horribly crushed body was even worse.

There are a few times in my life when I throw up. I was always one to have a strong stomach, either from bad foods or from nasty illnesses, but the sudden urge I got from looking at the deceased remains of a person, I couldn't tell if they were a human-like one or an animal one since all that remained was a horribly disfigured clump of remains that made me throw up the small amount of food I had left and then some in my stomach.

That person, they had a life, a story, a family maybe, possibly a lover, and now it's just gone. Horribly disfigured, crushed, and now made to look like a pile of remains. The more I looked around, the more partially exposed limbs I could see sticking out from the ruins, pots, pans, broken glass, broken tables, and collapsed who knows what was littered across the whole area. Even with it being nighttime, the destruction and death were all too apparent for me to try to ignore.

Conrad and the others were out doing who knows what, so I only had myself and my thoughts to comfort myself. I threw up again, well, I tried to as everything left in my stomach had been emptied already. So I just spent a good minute gagging and coughing violently as I attempted to support myself on one of the few still-standing pillars, even if it was mostly broken.

It took a good minute for me to recollect myself. The sound of my coughing and gagging went unnoticed as the sound of collapsing unstable buildings in other areas of the town was still pretty prolific. I tried to ease my mind by opening up my status menu if there was anything to take my thoughts away, and there sure was a lot.

Looking at my level, it thankfully seems to have skyrocketed thanks to fighting all these wave monsters.

Alex Rodgers: LV 50

Faith: LV 47

Nickoli: LV 45

Conrad: LV 72

The level gain was staggering; even Conrad had some decent change surprisingly. Either way, we all have gained a pretty great amount of levels just from this wave, so at least for the next one, we will be prepared as we know how the waves of calamity operate. Well, not really, but I at least know what to expect.

I tried to brush off some of the beetle remains that have stained my school uniform, which by now looks like it has been through hell and back. The matter instead got stuck to my hands, which I rubbed off on the pillar I was supporting myself with.

"I definitely need water and soap and probably a heavy-duty pressure washer to get all this stuff off my outfit," I murmured with a sigh.

There was a growing headache that was joining the many other irritations I mentioned earlier, making my existence ache. Though I doubt I could find any intact beds that I could sleep on among the rubble. Honestly, the agony I have to go through to even sift through the rubble makes me just want to take a small nap on it, but that is just asking to be crushed by something.

That and also probably the amount of cuts I would get from trying to sleep on debris even in a mostly clear opening. It also doesn't help that a good chunk of my outfit has holes and cuts in it by this point. But I have gotten used to it at this point… Wait did my phone fall out?!

I quickly checked my back and front pockets to try to find my phone. After a few moments of frantically looking, I felt it in my front right pocket, and I immediately calmed down. I wiped as much of the beetle remains that were on my hands as I could on a collapsed piece of a building near me before I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

Remarkably, even though I was getting flung from place to place and almost killed multiple times, my phone remained in one piece. I guess I was right not to choose an OPear phone with its thin cases compared to the bulky one I got my model with. Either way, other than a few scratches on the back of the case, it seems mostly intact. I am tempted to power it on, but I remembered its low battery, so I just decided to keep it as is and put it back in my pocket.

Well, at least one thing was not completely destroyed, so that's a massive relief. I don't know what I would have done if my phone had been destroyed, alongside all the remaining videos, audio, and pictures of my past world… Yeah… Now thinking about it, I really am one to get pessimistic and aggressive when at the end of my wits.

My parents always called me the calm and collected one of the family, though the more and more I have been in this world, the more I have been seeing myself do stuff otherwise. But it's not like it's my fault, right? Any rational human would have a similar train of thought or reaction based on the circumstances… wouldn't they? I'm not in the wrong... right...?

It's not like I had much to work with, a half-assed tutorial and given two teammates of questionable help only does so much. By the time Conrad came around, we already wasted a good chunk of time just being on the run, so there is also that. That reminds me, where the hell are those Mythic Heroes? Conrad brought up how they were ordained by the Gods or something to protect the Faith and the people, but so far, it looks like a whole lot of nothing.

Before I knew it, I was unconsciously pacing around the little patch of an area without loads of rubble while occasionally kicking a pebble or some dust. Then a voice suddenly called out from next to me.

"Hey-"

Unconsciously, I turned and faced the source of the voice. I could not fully make out the figure due to the darkness, but I could guess it was one of the men under Kazen. He had his right arm slightly out, almost as if he was going to try to touch me to get my attention, but he snapped it right back as I turned to face him.

"What?" I asked him with a monotonous tone.

He seemed to be taken aback and was not responding, so I decided to press on.

"Hello?" I said as I turned my body to now fully face him.

"Oh right! Sorry, um, Sir Kazen wants to see you urgently," he stammered.

"Did he not want me to try and find any survivors in the rubble?" I responded as I crossed my arms.

He seemed to be afraid or frightened. I think I can slightly guess why. My parents always said that sometimes I had an aura of fear and a look that shot daggers into people. Part due to my red eyes, which some people at my church when I initially came thought that I was the devil's son or a little imp or demon. I luckily don't get called that anymore, but with me staying up late and not sleeping and my already quiet and reserved personality, I can see why people don't really approach me.

However, for Tyler and Branden, it was the exact opposite, as they saw the red eyes as alluring and mystical. Tyler always is the one to believe in the astrology or astronomy stuff with healing rocks and chakra. I forgot what it's called. Tyler just loves fire-themed stuff; one of his favorite games is Lucifer 5, after all…

"Um, Sir…?"

"Oh, right, Kazen wanted to see me or something, right?" I asked as I recollected myself.

"Um, yes," he nodded.

"Sorry, sure, lead the way," I said with a sigh.

The person turned around and began to sift through the rubble. I followed them, better to keep as much distance as I could from… the stuff. The smell of dust and stone at least faded as we got farther from the center of town. He was leading me the opposite, or at least I think opposite of where me and the others initially came from.

The area at least seemed to become less destroyed the further we walked as well, though not enough for it not to be apparent that conflict came through. Multiple buildings had holes or destroyed sections with the road itself had holes and craters in several spots as we walked. I was unintentionally slightly limping as we continued to walk; I guess the healing potions that I drank could only do so much, I suppose.

Unlike the sights near the center of town, I could see people, though battered and beaten, walking around looking at the remains of what I can assume to be their homes and shops. Some were just sitting against a wall while visibly shaking; the sound of crying could be faintly heard in multiple directions. Luckily, my mental state was spared from seeing any good details due to the darkness brought on by the night.

While I understood the need to probably hear those calls and help out, I was not in the mood nor in the mental and physical state to help out much. It's not like they would want my help anyway; as I was following behind the soldier person who was leading me, the few people who seemed mostly unfazed seemed to move aside and part ways whenever they noticed I was following behind.

Whether that is due to the weapon I had attached to my side, my looks, or even my demeanor, I couldn't care less at the moment. I just wanted one thing: sleep, followed by food, though the latter can wait as I don't exactly want to throw it up right afterward.

After about a minute or two of lightly jogging, somehow with whatever energy I had left in my body, I came across a makeshift tent of sorts set up against a building. It was actually illuminated with large stakes dug into the ground around it, probably to bring warmth and a light source.

There were large groups of people huddled around it on either side, with about three guards protecting the supposed entrance from a group of people arguing with them. I paid them no mind as the soldier who was leading me tried to sidestep the group to get inside, and I followed suit.

"How come he gets to go and not us?" I heard a voice cry out behind me.

Suddenly, I felt someone grab onto my left arm, which made me freeze in my tracks. I turned to face them to see what looked like a person like Conrad who looked to be a human with animal-like features. I couldn't exactly tell what type of animal, but it looked to be a dog or something along those lines.

"How come you can come in and act all…" His voice trailed off.

As the person who grabbed me looked me up and down, he could tell something was off, and his tone changed from one of frustration to one of confusion.

"What? I'm here to see Knight Kazen, that's all," I remarked as I tried to pull away from his grip. However, I was pulled back as I attempted to turn around.

"Wait, who are you? You definitely are not part of the garrison with that odd attire, and you are certainly not a noble with the rips and tears in your clothing," the person continued.

The soldier that was escorting me looked like he was trying to speak up but couldn't find it in him to do so, so I just waved my hand and responded myself.

"I'm just a person helping out, that's all, don't you worry," I reassured them.

There was no point trying to tell them that I was a hero or something else along those lines, since apparently, the three Mythic Heroes are the only well-known ones. Being a legendary hero instead of being revered seems to bring the status of being hunted down and mocked. So is the duality of Heroes. Complaining about it won't fix anything, though, as much as I wish it did.

"Now looking closer, what animal are you?" He asked questionably before starting to reach for my ear, "I don't recognize those ears you have-"

I swatted his hand away and forcibly pulled myself from his grip.

"Don't worry about it; I just said," I spat, "I'm not in the mood to be dealing with this, especially now."

I think he tried to reach for me again but finally, the soldier escorting me moved in front of him to prevent him from doing so, as I heard a clanging sound followed by an audible "ow." As I stepped into the tent, I came to see Kazen hunched over a table looking at multiple sheets of what looked like to be paper.

He seemed stressed as he was rubbing his chin and looking sporadically at each one of the sheets. He did not notice our entrance as his head seemed to dart from thing to thing on his paper, so I decided to get his attention.

"Hey Kazen, you alright?" I called out to him.

He immediately snapped his head at me before fixing his posture and responding, "Ah, Hero Alex, I did not notice you; my apologies, I could be saying the same for yourself," he joked.

"Maybe, if anything, I just want to rest, but considering how the aftermath is looking, it is not likely I will get my wish," I sighed.

"Sadly so, we need to focus everything we have on the relief efforts after this disaster. I'm pretty sure you saw the clusters of people outside the tent, either completely defeated or angry and irritated," He elaborated. He then slammed down his fist, "Reestablishing order and treating survivors is our top priority!"

I can see why he is in charge; his personality is one to rally others in times of crisis and not to waver in the face of danger. I guess I can do the latter to an extent, but for me, it's more a rage that almost takes over my body whenever I'm at the end of my wits.

"I see, well what did you want me for? You had me looking for... Survivors last time I remember," I asked.

"Yes, right, what did I need you for… here! Come to this side of the table, Hero Alex," he signaled to me.

I walked around to his side of the table, and he pointed at what looked like to be a map of the town. Multiple areas of said map are crossed out or scribbled on along with a weird symbol next to it. I can only assume it is writing in their language or signs with special meanings. I leaned over next to him to take a closer look.

"As you can see here, currently from rough estimates I have done in my head, I can see that a majority of the commercial and a good chunk of the residential areas have been completely leveled or irreparably damaged for the time being," He motioned as he tapped on the scribbled part of the map, which I assume was over the town center.

"I see…," Momentarily, a few images of what I saw there flashed in my head, but I did my best to push them aside, "Any good news?" I inquired.

He gave a deep and heavy sigh before responding, "So far no. I have the few men we do have left spreading out to see the damage. From the looks of it, everything is either heavily damaged or destroyed to an extent, with the worst being in the center of town. But thankfully the destruction decreases as it comes further out to the edges of Klut," He explained.

Just as I thought, there wasn't much for us to help the other side of town as we fought the hordes of beetles. Still, though I would imagine that Kazen and his men could have put up a good fight for a bit, but judging from the mostly scribbled out map it says otherwise.

"Worse yet, there have been some reports of some Avils being in the outer edges of the town causing panic," Kazen stated as he tapped a symbol next to the edge of the town on the map.

"I assume you dispatched people to deal with these monsters… right?" I asked him expectantly.

He rubbed his face and gave another sigh before turning to face me, "Sadly, due to our limited numbers, I could only send a person to confirm whether or not they were there or not, and that's it. The few men we do have available are either tending to survivors, looking for survivors, or trying to keep the peace and prevent mass panic and chaos," He then shook his head before continuing, "Though the last part is with limited success, as you can probably tell by looking outside."

He motioned to the exit and to the sound of clamoring people and crying voices.

"I don't blame them. There is only so much we can do. I sent two of my men to look for water and food, respectively, but to no avail as of yet. Any food we do have might be where the barracks used to be, though there are also reports of multiple Avils being in the vicinity of them. I don't want to risk sending any good men on a suicide mission. But," He stated the last part not before turning to me and grabbing my hands.

"Hero Alex, even now I have a plethora of questions to ask you about your holy artifact and where you came from, but in these trying times, we need all the help we can get. Listen, I wish not to burden you any longer than needs to be, but please, please, please. Give these poor folks something to eat; they are starving out there. If there is any hope of a sustained relief effort, then we would need you to venture into the remains of the garrison and bring back any supplies or food you find," Kazen pleaded as he looked into my eyes.

While he did not show it, I can see that clearly he was tired. Tired and stressed, among many other things, something that I saw in myself whenever I stayed up late on a test day, but even more so now in this other world. It was sort of seeing a reflection of myself, a more mature one for sure, but still.

I pulled back from the hold he had my hands in and rubbed my eyes before responding, "Alright, I'll do my best, but do know you have some explaining to do yourself. And on top of that, I want the first chance at any food or sleeping items found, is that okay?" I proposed.

"Fine by me, the sooner the better. Please be careful, however, I don't want to be losing you of all people. The person who saved my life at a time when I one hundred percent expected to die in the face of such a perilous foe," Kazen agreed.

"Good, where exactly is the garrison or barracks or whatever? I don't exactly know the layout of the town, especially now with everything falling apart or destroyed," I asked Kazen.

"Oh right, my apologies," He frantically began to move papers aside before pulling out what looked like to be a smaller version of the map he was looking over.

He looked over it for a second before shaking his head, but then he proceeded to use one of his writing utensils to mark something on the map before handing it to me.

"This map may be outdated but it should still tell you the general location of where the outpost is. It's near the center of town tucked into a corner, though by now it's probably crushed under mountains of debris so you might have to excavate and move said debris before finding it," Kazen stated.

"I see… I'll do my best though don't expect anything from me," I remarked as I began to walk out of the tent.

"Please be sure to be on the lookout for any survivors, and direct them to the makeshift camp we are setting up; at least here we have some warmth and a small slice of peace in comparison to what I have been hearing has been happening in the edges of town," Kazen pointed out.

"I'll try, though considering my lack of upper body strength and how exhausted I am, I doubt I will be able to do anything crazy," I wearily chuckled.

"Don't worry about it, after what I saw what you could do in the face of immediate destruction, you have earned my respect. And if that is anything to go off, you will do plenty more," Kazen remarked as I exited the tent.

I went outside to see a similar scene as when I arrived, restless or seemingly tranquil huddles of people all around the tent. There were not just animal people but a surprising mix of people with animal features spread around. I still wonder why and how they are seemingly coexisting well, but I can ask that later once I have a proper rest.

The dog person that grabbed me earlier seemed to not be in the crowd as I peered over the shoulders of the soldiers left to keep the peace, though, from the looks of it, he seemingly disappeared. I did a quick scan of the area to see if I could find him but he really did disappear, not like I cared though.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with," I sighed as I opened the map.

There were various small bubbles and bars of text plastered around, and from the looks of it, it might have been used for a brochure to advertise to move in, as the town looks less developed than what it is now. Conrad luckily marked where to look for the outpost on the layout of the map so I at least knew somewhat where I was going.

I began to make my way past the soldiers and into the street where I initially was escorted by the soldier who brought me here. Following it in a mostly straight path, past the ever so sporadic people who were wandering in the direction of the makeshift camp, seemingly to take refuge from the town unfolding around them. At least that means that the men that Kazen sent out did not get ambushed and killed by those... Avils...? if I remember their name correctly.

The sights have not gotten any better, of course, the sound of collapsing buildings though more sporadic than normal has been replaced by the crackling of the settling rubble that came from said buildings. Nevertheless, I marched on, even while in pain and in heavy need of rest there was no break in sight. And with adrenaline not pumping through me I can do nothing other than try to get accustomed to it as best as I can.

As I eventually got closer to the center of town where I was originally, I opened the map or brochure that Kazen gave me and gave it a quick glance.

"Alright… from the looks of it I should only need to take a right then the entrance should be near there," I murmured to myself.

As I made it to the clearing of rubble and debris that used to be called the town center, I did my best to avoid making eye contact with any of the apparent limbs sticking out from under the rubble. One random thought that came to mind is if I did throw up, then what would I? Since I highly doubt that my stomach has any contents left stored in it after throwing up not once, but twice.

After jumping over some rubble and unpleasant remains, I eventually made it to what I assume to be the entrance of the outpost. From the looks of it, it was a shell of its former self with broken walls and a barely held-together bottom foundation. It looked like there used to be a second and maybe even third floor attached to the building, and that it was just ripped clean off.

There was a metal door that was surprisingly mostly intact other than some bends and markings left behind on it. There was no clear way of trying to get in as the door lacked a doorknob, so I aimed my weapon at where I assumed the doorknob would be and fired once.

I tried to push the door open to no avail again; I guess it's not a traditional door from where I come from. I aimed this time at the other side of where the doorknob might be, same thing with no real effect. I gave the door a solid kick; however, as I did, I felt a very slight pressure from the side of my feet.

Now this is peculiar; that would mean that the main things holding the door in place must be on the sides somehow, or it's double-hinged or something else like that. Actually, I have another idea. I aimed again this time next to the original bullet hole I made and fired 4 more times. I was able to make a bigger opening and in turn, I could now crouch down and see through it.

I looked inside to a pretty pitch-black building, other than a faint light of what I can assume to be a hallway a distance in. Even with my eyes more adjusted to the darkness for now, I can't really make out anything of note. Wait, what was I doing again…? Oh right! The door!

I angled myself to face upward and saw through the hole that the door was being held in place by a piece of metal that slid over the corners of the door. I then backed away and aimed at each respective corner. I pushed against it, and as expected, the door felt much weaker than before.

I took a step back, and as I did in soccer and in my previous unfortunate and necessary robberies, I delivered a solid kick at the center of the door, which in turn made it swing inward, opening it. I made my way inside and changed into my Kaol Pistol weapon form and used the equip effect of Ignite, which made the weapon form burst into flame.

I navigated around the building looking for anything useful; there were a number of things that I was not sure about their use, so I just absorbed them and stored them in my weapon storage for safekeeping. Stuff like maps, what looked like armor, and weapons. I was able to unlock a new weapon by absorbing what looked like ink as well.

Ink Pistol LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: Writing Skill 1

Equip Effect: Write

[O]

I continued on, looking through every nook and cranny, absorbing anything I could as it might have its uses later on. There was a staircase that led to the second floor, now the roof, in which a little moonlight could be seen bleeding through faintly. So there was no point in going up.

There were no windows as well, which I guess while aesthetically it makes the place feel very compact and cramped, actually saved them from receiving more damage probably. I eventually finished looking through what remained of the building, other than a couple of more papers, weapons, and books there was nothing much.

The sleeping quarters were probably on the higher floors, so I doubt I will find anything for that, but while I'm here, I might as well check the roof even if earlier I decided against it. Climbing up the wooden stairs made a very weird creaking sound with each step, though I paid it no mind as I made it to the top.

On the roof, as expected, there was barely anything, though there were lots of glass shards scattered around, so I took the opportunity to carefully absorb them, which in turn gave me another weapon form.

Glass Pistol LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +3 Attack

Equip Effect: Magnify

[O]

I moved to the edge of the second floor, or roof, whatever it is now, and looked at my surroundings. The thick smell of dead matter and dust was still prevalent and seemed to have a near ceaseless and endless effect on the air, which in turn made me nauseous the longer I stayed.

As I was about to turn around; however, something caught my eye hanging from an outcrop on the side of the building… a blanket. Or at least what looks like it, it was pretty basic, white with some stains of dust and dirt but a dirty blanket of sorts is still a blanket.

I leaned over carefully to not fall over and tried to reach for it to no avail. I was about to go down and to the side of the building to see if I could possibly reach it there by jumping but then I remembered, I have skills for this.

"Wire Bind X"

I did not have the energy to yell at the top of my lungs as my voice already hurt from talking; either way, a few wires protruded from the tip of my weapon form onto the blanket and began pulling it towards me. I grabbed it before it fully got pulled into the fire, and held it in my free hand.

"Looks like at least I can come back not empty-handed," I murmured to myself.

However, as I began to walk down the stairs, I slipped on the lower part of the blanket that was dragging on the floor, and I fell face forward onto the stairs. Next thing I knew I heard a loud crack as I slammed right through the wooden stairs and was sent falling a very short distance down before hitting the ground.

It was hard cobble but luckily my arms absorbed most of the impact to avoid me probably getting concussed in the process of landing. As I tried to regain my senses, I tried to grab onto something to get back up, only to feel a wooden surface. I turned and brought my weapon form closer to illuminate, and I saw a few wooden crates stacked on each other.

There was some weird text or symbols written on the side of it, but I decided to just open them as I could not read. I found what seemed to be… food? It looked like food but not really, just clumps of meat stored in bags. Some more bad thoughts from earlier resurfaced again at the thought of it, but I did my best to wash them away and refocus.

I opened another one; this one contained some sort of liquid. I decided to risk it, and I opened a flask and gave it a sip, then I proceeded to drink the whole thing. It was water, luckily, stale water, but water nonetheless, so I did not care. Looks like I hit the jackpot.

I backed away from the crates, and I tried to absorb the crates whole like I normally do with the material; however, for some reason, the weapon did not allow it. Maybe because of its size, I was not sure, but any configuration seemed to fail. Eventually, I just decided to absorb each item individually; while tedious, it went rather fast as I would only need to hold it and have the weapon somewhat close to then absorb and move to the next.

There were 10 crates in total, with each containing a rather large amount of food. I wasn't sure how much time I spent absorbing, but by the time I finished, my eyes and stomach were practically fighting to see which would be the death of me first. Once I finished, I did my best to climb back up, which I was able to do after some failed attempts and another chunk of the stairs falling off.

As I was excited, however, I was reminded of the horrible smell of the roaches once more… oh right! I forgot I could get the roach weapon forms. I could do it later… but there really is no point in not trying to unlock them along with the boss weapon forms. I might as well get them now, who knows where they might end up later.

I hobbled as best as I could to where the battle was, where the worm was, luckily it seemed to not have moved an inch from where I obliterated it, alongside multiple of its roach minion's corpses. Which was just a prime opportunity to absorb, even if I was extremely tired.

Splitter Worm Blunderbuss LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: Underground battle skill 1, Skill: Splitting Shot

Equip Effect: Agility Up (Small)

[O, O, O]

Splitter Worm Core Tesla Gun LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 magic attack

Equip Effect: Mana Recovery Up (medium)

[O, O]

Splitter Worm Muscle Pistol LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: SP up (Small)

[O]

Splitter Worm Skin Pistol LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: Digging Skill 1

[O]

Inter-dimensional Beetle (Swarm) Carbine LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 Attack

[O]

Inter-dimensional Beetle (Swarm) Exoskeleton Pistol LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +5 Defense

[O]

Inter-dimensional Beetle (Armored) Shotgun LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 Strength

[O]

Inter-dimensional Beetle (Armored) Exoskeleton Pistol LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +10 defense

[O]

Inter-dimensional Beetle (Ariel) Sub Machine Gun LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +7 Agility

[O]

Inter-dimensional Beetle (Ariel) Exoskeleton Pistol LV 1

Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +3 Defense

Lots of words I could not bother to read in my current mental state, so I just equipped the most fancy-looking one, and I started to jog as fast as I could back to camp, which at the rate I was going at while limping was more of a fast walk, but it's not like I cared. After about a good bit, I eventually made it back in one piece, surprisingly. Even with my horrible pains, I was somehow still enduring with barely any sleep.

There were more people than the last time I was there with Kazen; it looks like his work of consolidating people worked. It was eerily quiet as many seemed to be sleeping or just staring blankly into space. I don't blame them really; I'm about to join them soon anyway, hopefully. As I entered the tent, I saw Kazen along with a few other soldiers looking at a map behind his table.

This time he was able to notice my approach and turned to face me on my arrival.

"Hero Alex! You're back! I was worried for you!" Kazen said.

"Yeah yeah, sorry, but I'm really, really tired, and hungry, here," I said as I opened my menu and began to deposit all the food I had in the corner.

"So you did find the food stores; I was worried that they were destroyed in the battle against the great worm beast," Kazen said with a sigh of relief.

"Oh yeah, and then there is this," I continued as I deposited all the water contained into another corner.

"Wonderful!" Kazen gleamed.

After about a minute, all the food and water had been deposited on their respective sides. I was already extremely tired, and I needed sleep badly. So I just began to pile everything I found into a selected space with no regard for order. Though I did try my best even in my sleepiness to keep them in piles as best as I could.

"It looks like you have found plenty of items; I'm surprised this many were left," Kazen remarked.

Last but not least, I piled all the clothing into a corner against the supposed wall, and I lay on top of it. Next, I took out the blanket from the gem storage and wrapped it around myself as I snuggled on it. I was not super comfy but when you are as tired as I am I did not care.

"Um, Hero Alex, you do know you are still covered in-"

"Yes… I know… let me sleep now…. Wake me when food…" I drowsily said as I began to almost melt into the makeshift bed of clothing.

I don't want to deal with all of this anymore; I just want to rest. I could care less about what he has to say to be honest at the moment.

"Uh- Alright, Hero Alex, rest well," Kazen sheepishly stated as he then turned to his papers once more.

"Yeah… night…"

End of Chapter 17

[Other World Index]

[Splitting Shot]

Splitting shot is a skill unlocked by absorbing the remains of the Splitter Worm wave boss. The skill in question shoots a singular projectile of what the user is holding before multiplying into two midair.

Authors Notes:
Hello everyone! Sorry for the late upload, I was extremely busy with real-life stuff and unable to upload last week as planned. Luckily I was able to make it up with a slightly longer chapter this time which I hope you all will enjoy. Alex is now facing the reality of what conflict brings? How will this affect his mental state? Please be sure to come back next week to find out!

MWP Server: Dis co rd. gg / Bu ha 9 Qa Kz W

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[Data Expunged] Transcript:

"General, we have just gotten orders from Sir Xiloas to go and handle a supposed issue happening in Klut town."

"Really? Him? We never get any order from him of all people, but it's better than just sitting around I suppose."

"That you are right General."

"I don't even know why they have me stationed here, wasting my talents when I could be out there in the field of battle fighting for glory!"

"General, I think we both know why you are in the backlines playing as a pawn in the political game then being in the frontlines."

"Fair, still though it's not even my fault how I even got here, by anyways how far is Klut town from our current location?"

"It would take about 3 days or so to reach there General."

"That's awfully slow…"

"If we march both day and night with minimal rest we could reach there in half the time."

"Excellent then, inform the men, we move in less than an hour!"

"You know they won't want to hear this right?"

"Bah! As I care, they also know how they got here under my command as well, they can complain all they want!"

"Yes, General they can."

"Let's get a move on now, onwards! To Klut town!"

Date Recorded: [Data Expnuged]