''W-what happened here? '' Following Sami, Karan arrived and questioned while horrifiedly surveying the surrounding dead bodies.
''Brother Raydon was here,'' Rayn exclaimed, his face beaming.
''What exactly are these dreadful things? They don't resemble humans. '' Pana remarked in fear. She'd never seen anything like this before, and now hundreds of them lay before her, their heads separated from their bodies.
''H-he really killed all of them? '' Pana excitedly turned to face Rayn. She was trying to picture Raydon heroically battling these things with his sword in hand.
''Yes. The time that Boss arrived to save me, we were surrounded by these. He made every effort to save me, but still, we were unable to escape from them. '' Rayn glanced at Dan's bloodless face as he spoke, feeling guilty as if he were reliving those moments, and his eyes welled up with tears.
However, the next moment a sudden gleam appeared in his eyes, and his momentary sadness vanished. His face broke into a broad smile as he continued, speaking with extraordinary reverence.
''But just as Boss and I had given up and were getting ready to die, we heard his voice. ''
No one made a sound as Rayn continued to speak at this point. Everyone was listening intently to him with their full attention. They were all waiting with great anticipation despite knowing how the story would end.
Rayn's body showed a slight tremor as a result of his extreme excitement. He exhaled deeply, collected himself, and carried on. ''He was standing right next to us and was giving us a calm stare. With his smile, he gave us the impression that we weren't surrounded by hordes of monsters, but were simply lost while wandering the streets, and he was only here to show us the way. ''
Everyone experienced what Rayn was feeling at the time as though they were living it. They were moved to tears as they listened to his story and felt a weight in their chests, but it wasn't the sadness they were feeling.
Rayn continued when he noticed everyone staring at him with urging eyes. ''He then drew a sword from nowhere. When I saw the sword, I was thinking about how beautiful it was glowing in the moonlight, and when I regained my attention, he had already vanished. ''
Rayn continued, his gaze fixed on the monsters that lay around him.
''The only thing we could see at that point was the monsters being executed one by one. I wasn't even sure how. They were running one second, and then they were falling to the ground with their heads severed. '' Everyone's expressions while listening —including Dan and Rayn's—were a mix of awe and respect. Although they were aware that Raydon was an item holder, they found it extremely challenging to even imagine what Rayn was telling them.
''He is… '' Pana attempted to speak, but she was unable to find the right phrase to describe Raydon. For a while, everyone just stood there quietly, taking everything in.
''Let's not sit here and wait. He must have gone to Ashskin's headquarters. Let's go check it out.'' Dan's words grabbed everyone's attention.
''What? Is he fighting the enemy? I-I want to see. '' Fatty Sami, who was lying on the ground, jumped to his feet and exclaimed enthusiastically.
''Are you sure? Won't we just be a hindrance to him if we go? '' Karan spoke, but it was clear from his voice that he was excited and also yearned to see everything for himself.
''Yes, yes we have to go. We can just observe from a distance,'' Pana chimed in.
Everyone just wanted to see Raydon wreak havoc at the Ashskin headquarters. Nobody even considered that he might lose to the enemy item holder.
''Then let's go,'' Dan said, and as he was about to turn around and walk away, he heard Sami's voice calling out to him.
''Boss, hold on, what's that on your hand? Tattoo? I didn't know you had a tattoo,'' Sami inquired.
''Huh? What tatto… '' Dan didn't understand what Fatty was saying and looked at his hand, shocked by what he saw.
''W-w-w-what is this?! ''
''B-boss, I-Is that? '' Karan had a good idea what it was.
''I know what that is. Boss, you've been chosen for the awakening! '' Rayn, whom Sami had recently taken on his back, yelled with delight.
Everyone was aware of the tattoos on the hands of the item holders, as is common knowledge in this world. Specifically, what is the black tattoo with the inscription 0 is. It demonstrated that a person had realized their full potential and was chosen as an item holder.
''Me? Am I really chosen? '' Dan said with wide-open eyes, then his legs gave way and he fell to his knees. It was a huge shock for him.
'I am as a nobody has been chosen? Why? '
Dan had conflicting thoughts. He didn't even have a family and had been living in the slums with everyone else since birth; his only concern was making it through another day. He possessed no abilities, wealth, or influence. However, this nobody has now been selected to awaken as an item holder—whom everyone knows to be immortals.
'Is it because of him? ' As Dan looked at his tattoo, tears began to fall onto it. He could only think of one person who could grant him the right to be chosen.
''Do I really deserve this? '' Dan murmured, and everyone in the vicinity heard him. They could relate to Dan's current emotions.
''You have no way of knowing that right now. You can just show him that you deserve it by doing your best. '' Karan approached Dan, placed his hand on his shoulder, and said with a smile.
''Karan is right, boss. At least you will soon be an item holder. What should we do? '' said one of Raydon's trainees.
''Yes, yes, I, too, want to be chosen. ''
''He gives us power casually; all we have to do is accept it and later repay him with our loyalty. Just accept it, Boss. ''
Everyone was voicing their support for Dan. But they were unaware that this support would soon turn into a declaration.