195 Risk
“I understand your concerns, Daniel… and I respect it. However, you have all reached the limits of your strength. You need ample rest…”
Daniel and the rest of the Camp members lowered their heads and looked guilty. Despite their good intentions, they were only going to be liabilities. The bunch had also realized it!
“… Besides, it’s because your Levels are all low, that’s why you can not sense it…” My tone became more ominous as I looked at them and released an inkling of my pressure to make them feel terrified.
“… If you cross that third Gate with your current Levels, you’ll all die!”
I could hear all of the Gifteds swallow the moment my statement dropped. Their eyes showed something that had been missing for some time… fear!
Sweat formed on Daniel’s face and his face fell as well.
“Ah, I see… understood.” Aware of his own weakness, the boy bit his lip in frustration and decided to leave me at my decision.
It was a good thing none of them pursued any further.
Seeing as no Demons were left in the second compound, we decided to make it our temporary base. I brought out a few curtain blinds and drapes to serve as mats for everyone to sit on. The ground was rough and dirty, so this made the Gifteds far more comfortable.
Next were meals. Bringing out snacks and sugar-filled soda, I poured them out benevolently for my growing investments to eat and drink to their fill.
After I was done bringing out the necessities, they thanked me profusely, but I waved off their expressions of gratitude with a chivalrous statement that made me cringe so much in my costume.
“Helping others who are in need is only common sense!”
I nearly bit my tongue saying it since the statement was the very antithesis of my philosophy. The only reason I blurted out such hypocrisy was due to my current position as a white knight. Plus, I thought it sounded cool since I picked it up from one of my favorite Light Novels.
‘Good grief… have I gotten too ‘In-Character’ with this facade?’
The bunch of Gifteds I spoke to dumbly accepted the logic, though, and gratefully enjoyed my kindness to them.
I shrugged and moved away from the bunch, gazing upon the third Gate from my distance.
“Hey…” A whisper came from behind me, and Lara dashed toward me with swift movements.
“Erm… are you sure you want to go in alone?”
I nodded and told her to watch over the others. My voice was low, tone sharp. Being Level 90, it wasn’t impossible for her to understand what I meant.
She nodded immediately and returned to where her seat was.
Looking at her back, I felt a swirl of unfamiliar emotions wash through me and shook them off before any could register. Now wasn’t the time to entertain silly ideas.
For a moment, my thoughts hadn’t perceived Lara as a mere ‘tool’, but as a woman… no, a girl… I couldn’t explain it, but the idea was too dangerous that I quickly shut it off.
‘That’s enough of that!’
My eyes returned to the gate and I cocked my head to the direction—my body following swiftly afterward.
In a couple of light steps, thanks to my swift movements, I reached the gate. Feeling the gaze of everyone rest upon me, I felt a little shy.
They all sat far away from the entrance, at a corner that wasn’t facing the gate. This was to ensure that no stray attack would reach them from the opening I would soon be making.
I gulped a little.
Even though I told them that they would certainly die if they came with me simply because I didn’t want them tagging along, it wasn’t a lie.
I could feel the strong presence that existed beyond this door. I had felt it since the last time I made it this far, which was why I chose not to venture any further.
My Level had definitely grown beyond what it used the be during my previous attempt, but not by much. The strength of the opponents beyond this gate was nothing to scoff at.
‘But I’m in a hurry…’ I clicked my tongue.
This was no time to be stingy with my abilities.
“Let’s do this!”
Adding strength to my legs, I jumped higher than the fence and stood on the long platform that stretched as far as covering all sides of the compound.
My face lifted and I saw the enemies I would be challenging… they were frightening.
“This is… a little more than I expected…”
The third compound stretched beyond the space that both the first and second had. Calling it enormous didn’t do it justice!
My eyes could barely contain the whole scenery—even with my heightened sight.
What was worse…?
The Demons that stood below me covered over seventy percent of the unbelievably large field. It was an unprecedented sight, making me almost grateful that I chose to stand on an elevated platform instead of charging from the gate.
If I had my doubts before, any such feelings vanished the moment I took a look at this crowd.
“Yep! They would have surely died!”
[SYSTEM ALERT]
<Danger!> <Danger!>
My grin became fiercer as I saw the double signs of danger. For the System to have revealed such a thing to me… it meant there was a chance I would be defeated. No, if I calculated the chances of victory as null with three danger signs, two meant that I was most likely to lose.
In such a situation, it would be easy to feel discouraged and choose retreat. However, that would simply be foolish. There was no way I could turn back now and continue a fool’s game that had no end.
I needed more EXP! That meant an inevitable clash with stronger Demons. Whether I liked it or not, I would once again need to risk my life!
“Huu… let’s do this!” I exhaled, glaring at the Demons who glared at me with equal resolve.
On the farthest end, I could see the massive gait of the creature that had given me goosebumps even when I had stood before the gate.
It stood, motionless, waiting for an action from me. Such behavior was only allowed for the strong.
“That one… is strong!”