The whole process went smoothly, though Ram couldn't deny that there was a certain harshness to it all.
"Better this than being wiped out when the Void Space shatters completely," he muttered, glancing back at the cavemen who had made it through.
Out of the initial twenty thousand that entered the Lord's trial, only five thousand six hundred had survived, considering it wasn't even one-third of those that entered.
Starting with the basics, Ram first added the weaker cavemen—those at Tiers 1 and 2, as well as the elders and children—into the Sylvan Soul Kingdom.
These small fries would, can help accumulate some source power. Then he concentrated on the stronger ones.
Those that were upgraded to Tier 3 with the help of Korrin's talent. Among them were more than four hundred cavemen who had undergone special evolutions.
He then turned to the Sylvan Soul Tree, which had grown slightly after collecting more souls. At the base of the tree, the souls of all those fallen cavemen were locked within its roots, waiting to be revived.
But to do so, he needed to save more Life energy and spiritual power, "Thirty thousand... just for Korrin's?" he murmured, calculating in his head. "it must be due to his innate talent and his One-star General quality."
Sighing, he walked back toward Sid and the others, "Reviving them all is going to take some time," he thought.
As Ram neared Sid and Liam, he immediately noticed the change in them, both were upgraded to Tier 3. Looking at him Sid, greeted him with a casual nod, but it was Liam who burst out with enthusiasm.
"Hey, bro! decided to show up, huh?" Liam said, his eyes practically sparkling.
"Thanks to those mushrooms you gave us, we managed to reach Tier 3! Can you believe it?" He slapped Sid on the back, who gave a small smirk and added, "Yeah, not bad at all. The attribute boost helped us a lot to upgrade faster."
Ram gave them a grin, he knew all of it, it was him who used extra Life energy to grow those Mushrooms. Watching those excited guys, he used his Spiritual Eye to check them.
[ Name:
Siddharth (Sid)
]
[ Age:
24/147
]
[ Race:
Human
]
[ Profession:
Tire-3 Martial Artist (0.6%)
]
[ Physique:
47.4
]
[ Spirit:
17.2
]
[ Talent:
A-092 Beast-Man (Transformation ability, can transform into a humanoid monster)
]
Only one card was necessary, and it would bring them all out together.
Just as Mai was about to activate the card, Liam turned to Ram with a suspicious look.
"Hey, bro, what happened to all those cavemen? I didn't see any of them around," Liam asked a hint of doubt in his voice. "You didn't... sacrifice them all, did you?"
"Fuck, I knew it all along... you were up to something like this." Hearing Liam's words everyone looked at him with some suspicion, they had seen it before, more than twenty thousand cavemen entered the trail in front of their eyes, and only less than half returned back.
Ram's eyes went wide. "What? No! I'd never do that." He waved his hands defensively, trying to reassure them.
"I used another method to help them escape the Void Space," he explained quickly, though he deliberately avoided the specifics.
He knew if he went into detail, they might think he really had sacrificed them—especially since the process had been so similar, with many of them giving themselves up willingly.
They seemed satisfied with the answer, though still having some doubt, but didn't press him further.
Mai raised the Return card, giving it a firm squeeze. With a small crack, the card shattered, and in an instant, the space around them warped and twisted.
The dizzying sensation passed, and they found themselves standing outside the Void Gate they had entered before, back in familiar surroundings.
The group exchanged quick smiles, but before they could feel some relief, when a loud, rough voice cut through the air, dripping with irritation.
"Boss, those bastards are out! Damn it, made us wait for days out here..."
Everyone turned around towards the sudden sound with some doubt, just in time to see a hulking figure—a tall, bald-headed man with a heavy prosthetic arm—stomping their way.
His expression was a blend of annoyance and eagerness, and his eyes narrowed on the group as he barked his complaint, he threw a glance over his shoulder, shouting back at someone waiting further behind.
Both Mai and Sid's faces darkened the moment they recognized the man.
They exchanged a quick glance at each other and silently looked at Ram and the others, who instinctively shifted into ready stances, weapons subtly drawn and eyes sharp.
Ram's mind raced as he pieced together the familiarity. 'Wait... this guy's the one who tossed Xiao Mu onto Sid's truck that day.'
The thought brought a brief flash of anger, but he quickly smothered it, keeping his focus on the man advancing toward them.
Sid let out a low, guttural growl, his fists tightening, muscles rippling with anger, barely restraining himself.
His gaze swept around, taking stock of the rough-looking gang emerging from all directions.
They were surrounded—and Sid knew it wouldn't be a simple escape.
Beside him, Liam, who hadn't fully grasped the tension, rolled his shoulders, loosening his fingers as he readied himself to fight at any moment.
"Guess the welcome party's here," Su Mu muttered as he drew her bow, a smirk tugging at her lips as she eyed the bald man and his gang.
Before anyone could make a move, Mai stepped forward, raising a hand to hold them back. "Wait. This isn't your fight," she said, her voice calm but steely.
Her eyes flicked to Sid, signaling him with a silent command passing between them as she continued "This is an old personal conflict, you guys don't get yourselves involved."
Ram started to protest, but Sid moved beside Mai, signaling his agreement. "Yeah, we've got some old unfinished business with this bastard. You guys don't need to be part of this."
The bald-headed man's laughter echoed across the clearing, twisted and ugly, seeing what they were trying to do.
"Ha-ha-ha... you think they can run?" he sneered, flecks of saliva flying as he shouted. "All of you... will die today. You're surrounded by more than three hundred members of our gang. There's no way out except straight to hell!"
"Even my boss is here, you can never escape...ha-ha."
Ram raised an eyebrow, glancing from the crazed bald man to Mai, who was still standing firmly in front of him and the others, her face taut with determination.
He glanced back at Mai, raising his hands in a half-shrug, "See?" he said, his voice steady but carrying a hint of dry humor.
"No need to split up or try to keep us out of this. Since we're a team, we're all in this together." He let the words hang, his gaze sliding back to those gang members surrounding them as he took a step forward, signaling his choice to both Liam and Su Mu.
Sid's eyes gleamed as he cracked his knuckles again, his expression twisted with a grin. "Fine. I've been itching for some action."
Mai, taking one last look at each of her teammates, exhaled her own expression hardening. "Alright, but remember—no one fights alone. wait for my instructions."