26 A Glorious Feas

After the gruesome battle that took place in the massive room, a six man Caretaker committee led James and the other survivors through a well illuminated maze-like hallway. Apart from the sounds of the feet marching on the tiled floor, not a single word was spoken. Most of the survivors had somber expressions on their blood-stained faces, even though a warm breeze whistled through the hallway, most of them felt a chill run down their spines. The memories of what happened in the spacious room, continued to flash in their minds like a broken record. However, the countenance of a select few differed from the majority. Instead of somber reflection, their eyes carried the same indifference as their demeanor. Some even had radiant smiles on their faces as they giggled at their counterparts with crestfallen expressions.

Like most of the youths, James looked dejected and listless. His blood-red hair was disheveled while coagulated blood dyed his robes. Although he had his head lowered, those around him could hear his subtle grunts of pain as he clenched his left arm which resembled a bloody mess. Apart from a select few, nobody mocked or laughed at him, because ninety percent of them nursed one form of injury. In fact, some of the survivors had injuries that would make the skins of most people crawl from terror and disgust. Unlike James, these people bawled in pain and misery. However, their misery was like a sweet symphony to others.

"Where are you leading us to? We have been walking for the last thirty minutes, at least tell us our destination!" A limping Dark-Elf bitterly complained. Although he said these words, he took a battle ready stance. After what he had experienced thus far, he knew to expect the unexpected.

Naturally, his shout drew the attention of everyone including the caretakers. Which caused the man familiar man leading them to stop in his tracks while turning around. With a gentle smile on his face, he glanced at the apprehensive Dark-Elf with his black beady eyes while stroking his goatee.

"We are almost there. I know you're tired, but trust me, you don't want to rest now. But if you insist, be my guest. Just to be certain, are there others who would like to rest, too?" Bronwyn said as he glanced at the other youths with his beady eyes. Just like him, the Dark-Elf also stared at the others in anticipation. He knew they were just as tired as him, but he was the only one who had the balls to speak up. However, his expectation was soon cut short by the stoic demeanors of the others. He knew that their silence meant they had no interest in siding with him.

The reaction of the group made Bronwyn chuckle softly while he fixed his gaze of the Dark-Elf, "Hmm… It seems you're alone. So what will it be? Will you rest up, or will you join us?" Bronwyn asked with an amiable smile on his face.

"No… No. I'll continue. Since we are almost there, I can endure," the Dark-Elf hurriedly said as he could not hide the terror in his voice.

"Fantastic. All right, let's continue," Bronwyn retorted while giggling and clapping. Since none of the youths said nothing in response, he continued trekking towards their unknown location. Meanwhile, cold perspiration covered the forehead of the Dark-Elf while he struggled to maintain a steady breathing pattern. After everything he had experienced in the damned forsaken place, he knew what fate would have befallen him if he had chosen the other option.

"What a fucking coward," a Demon snickered. His mocking words drew ire of all the surviving Dark-Elves, while the Demons could not stop themselves for laughing in delight. Even though they were all in a precarious situation, the Demons would never relinquish an opportunity to mock an Elf. Although a stared daggers at each other, none of them had the intention of attacking. Because they did not know how Bronwyn and the other caretakers would react. Using their earlier experience as a reference, they dared not attack.

With such thought in mind, members of both faction could only stare at each other in silence. The limping Dark-Elf could hardly maintain his calm, although he could not fight, it did not mean he could not hurl insults at the Demons. Just as he was about to speak, a small but firm hand covered in blood tapped him from his back. Startled, he turned his head while staring at the human with his lilac eyes. Overcoming his initial surprise, anger swelled his heart with his face distorted by rage, and his soiled robe irked him the most. The perfect vessel to vent his anger had appeared, he thought. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the soft voice of the human, "Good job. You made the right decision friend," James said while tapping the shoulder of the livid Dark-Elf.

"Don't touch me! And who the hell is your friend? Look at what you have done to why robes… are you fucking blind? You're lucky we can't fight here," the Dark-Elf said as he swatted James's hand from his shoulder while using his other hand to shove James.

With a wry smile on his face while clenching his teeth in pain, James took hurried steps away from the enraged Dark-Elf. James's words and comical retreat only served as a temporary means of entertainment for the already amused Demons.

"What a retard. Why do we have to be in the same place with such lower beings?" the same Demon said with a dejected sigh. Openly mocking all the other races naturally made the Demons the focal point of everyone's anger. However, the Demons did not give a damn about the feelings of the orders.

James who retreated earlier was being eyed other humans, and from the looks on their face, they did not like the fact he dragged them down with his moronic actions.

"What an idiot. This is the fifth person he has randomly approached. Is this the place to make friends? How did someone like this survive?" a young girl muttered while shaking her head. Meanwhile, James still had his head lowered while softly grunting his pain. However, the sides of his lips curved into a faint smirk.

"System, was that long enough?" James said within his mind.

<Ding! >

Congratulations!

The user has placed the Skills–Rot Inducement and Curse Inducement on the Target.

<Ding! >

'Hahaha… That old bastard did a good job sending me here. It might be a loony bin, but it's a haven for me. Thank God those caretakers did not see through the Mana Manipulation. I don't need everyone wandering how I survived the battle unscathed. Hopefully, I'll find a way to sneak out of here,' James mused with a brilliant smile on his face. However, the moment he raised his head, he noticed the crazy redhead had her pitch black eyes fixated on him. With her beautiful appearance and graceful demeanor, James might have thought she was cute. Unfortunately, he knew she was a cold-blooded psychotic maniac.

Like a scared little kitten, he dodged her gaze while pretending to be scared. Noticing James's reaction, the redhead Demon turned her attention to an Ogre with a mottled scar on his back.

'Has she figured it out yet? No… no, that's not possible. Even though she could see in the darkness, she should not have noticed I'm the Grim Reaper. My Grim Reaper form and physical form share no similarities and I don't emit any scent while using it, so it's impossible for this crazy bitch to know. In fact, everyone thinks I survived the massacre by share luck, and my actions of tactlessly trying to form friends should cement the thought I survived by luck,' James thought as he continued to feign being scared. With no further altercations, the survivors and caretakers continued trekking in the hallway.

…

After making several turns and walking for a further twenty minutes, James and the others, arrived in front of a humongous mahogany door which had the depiction of a dragon intricately etched on its surface. Although it was only a carving, these youths could felt an overbearing aura as they stared at the door. Whether it was the elegant wings or the spear like claws of the carving, it stirred a myriad of emotions within the youths. Even James who stood at the rear of the group had an awed expression on his face as he stared at the magnificent carving of the beast. Although he did not know why, he felt as if the Mythical Beast–A Dragon, stood before his eyes. He could only take in deep breaths of fresh air while calming his frenzied heart.

Lost in the carving's splendor, they suddenly heard Bronwyn's familiar voice, "Children, we'll take our leave here. A feast awaits you beyond this door. Don't worry, this time you'll truly get to enjoy yourselves. Hopefully, we'll meet again. Once again, I welcome you to Kynar."

The moment he finished speaking, Bronwyn and the other five caretakers walked in light steps towards the same direction they trekked earlier. With a few meters separating Bronwyn and James, the former had a brilliant smile on his face as he stared James. With his beady eyes seeming to have an amiable gleam in them. James, on the other hand, smiled faintly as Bronwyn stared at him.

"Hahaha… Come look for me later, kid. I like people smart enough to know when they're out of their depths. You must survive first though…" Bronwyn whispered as he walked ahead of James. Since he controlled his voice, only James heard the content of his words. Meanwhile, James eyebrows became furrowed after he heard Bronwyn's words, while his lips distorted into a faint frown. However, he said nothing in response–only staring at Bronwyn's back and that of the other caretakers.

'It seems that bastard fell for antics, too. But what did he mean by I must survive?' James mused.

"System, can you can the room at the other end of the door?" James asked within his mind.

<Ding! >

Warning! Warning! Warning!

I can execute the request, but there is a 100% certainty the user will be found out.

Will the user like to continue with the request?

<Ding! >

'What?! 100%? Shit… I've to find a way to leave this place,' James mused with his mouth slight opened while his eyes bulged in surprise.

"Cancel the request. That bastard mentioned a feast earlier, who knows if another death match awaits us. System, assuming that slimy weasel is telling the truth, scanning all edibles and any potential danger once I enter the room. Disregard my command if I would be exposed," James said via his mind, and the system acknowledged his words with a notification in his mind.

For the first time since Bronwyn left, James focused his attention on the other youths and the scene he saw made him to chuckle slightly. From the Demons down to the Slimes, most of them looked agitated and cautiously stared at each other. Apparently, Bronwyn's words activated their already frantic survival instinct. Only a few of them maintained a calm demeanor, but that did not mean they were complacent of potential sneak attacks. Joining the majority, James took cautious steps backwards while his blue eyes darted from one figure to the other. He looked just as apprehensive as the others. Meanwhile, only the crazy redhead remained carefree. In fact, she laughed at how serious the others were behaving while twirling her body like a playful child. However, no one dared to take offence or make fun of her. None of them wanted to offend the little psycho.

"Why are you guys so serious? Didn't you what the Caretaker said, huh?" the crazy redhead said as she stared magnificent dragon carving. However, silence greeted her words. In fact, those who had already distanced themselves from her, increased the already established distance.

Since none of the others answered her question, the crazy redhead shook her head gently while sighing like a dejected maiden. Before anyone could react, she suddenly twirled around and pointed towards a random direction.

Confused and frightened, the Ogre in the direction she pointed hopped to his left, then his right, but the finger of the young Demon still pointed towards him. Scared out of his mind, the Ogre subconsciously pointed towards himself with his index finger, as if asking for confirmation. Without saying a word, the young Demon nodded her head while flashing a brilliant smile at him. Before the Ogre could say anything, he heard a soft voice, "Congratulations, I've chosen you to open the door. No need to thank me, it is your honor. Hurry now, a feast is waiting for us, and I'm hungry."

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Author's thoughts.

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Hi guys, Mrdojo here.

Thanks for reading and I'm sorry about the errors. I'm still using my phone to type and it is painful using it to edit. By the way, we have gotten to the half way point of the second book (70k words so far), I know that the book 2 has been slow, but things are about to go crazy from now.

Yeah, I also wanted to let you guys know that I've decided to concentrating on writing NS-B2 until I finish it. Writing both novels at the same time is no longer feasible. Hopefully, I'll be done with the book 2 of NS this month or first week of June, then I'll focus on T7Rs.

P.s. please leave a review of the second book. I love to read your response. Thanks for reading.