He read all the options he had carefully. The first one promised strength, but he figured in the long run it would stagnate and become weaker. The second one didn't really impress him. He was quite tempted by the third one, he imagined himself as a tactician, leading armies to victory through strategy. He didn't even look at the fourth one, he surmised that it was due to the influence of the shroud and he didn't want to get any more mad than he already was. What remained were two options, but deep down he already knew which path he would choose. The one that would not offer him immediate overwhelming power but in the long run would be an absolute menace.
{You have chosen the Path; Abyss Walker. Abyss Walkers are beings who thread the line between existence and oblivion. They are transcendent of boundary, able to move, think and fight in ways that defy perception…. To walk the Abyss is to walk alone, not in darkness, but in the absence of all things that comfort the living. Recruitments to evolve
{Kill 150 Unwoven beings>>>0/150
Kill 2 First Weave beings using darkness manipulation>>>0/2
Kill one Second Weave being in a single attack>>>0/1}
"What in the name of… What do you mean kill a Second Weave? A measly level 26 First Weave almost killed me. Where even do I find the Second Weave bastard?" Garret cursed
He could somehow accept the first two. But the third requirement almost made him cry out to the heavens. Clearly in a bad mood, he walked out of his 'room' towards the center of the gym where Eira was together with the others. The light from the gymnasium spilling across his face. Conversations halted mid-breath.
A dozen of the survivors sat in a loose circle Kael, Eira, Leah, Dave, and a few of the teachers, faces drawn, voices low. The topic was the same as always: food, or the lack of it. Most of the survivors froze at the sight of him, upright, walking, calm as if the man who had nearly died two days ago had risen from a grave. Kael blinked, his voice breaking the stunned silence.
"You've got to be kidding… he's walking?"
Garret ignored him, rolling his shoulder once, feeling the soreness of muscle stitched back together.
"Then dismantle the Leontaur," he said flatly.
Silence fell. All eyes turned to him.
Kael blinked. "The what?"
Garret frowned, realizing none of them had gone near the ruined section where he'd fought the beast.
"The monster outside the medical wing," he said, as if it should have been obvious. "It's dead meat literally. We can use it."
Shock rippled through the group. One of the staff members paled, muttering something about contamination. Eira, however, didn't flinch. She had been expanding their safe zone, but not that far north, not toward the wreckage and the smell of blood she'd been trying to ignore for two days. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're serious?" she asked.
Garret met her gaze without hesitation. "I don't say things I don't mean."
Then, "Tell me, Garret… can you keep your word?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What word?"
"You said you owed me," she replied without hesitation. "Then I'm calling in that debt. My friend's still trapped in the girls' dormitory. I intend to bring her back."
For a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of the emergency lights. Garret looked at her, at the frost hiding behind her composure, and then at the others, who couldn't decide whether to look at him or the floor.
"…You're serious," he finally said.
"I don't joke," Eira answered.
He exhaled through his nose, gaze dropping briefly to his right palm. The pain had dulled to a heavy throb. He flexed his fingers, testing them. He had to save his sister. he has postponed it enough already.
"Three days," he said at last. "I'll go with you, once this arm's fully healed."
He also had to save his sister. But in the meantime. Garret's gaze drifted over the gathered group before settling on Leah and Dave.
"Leah. Dave," he said quietly but firmly. "You're coming with me."
Leah blinked, startled. "W–with you?"
Dave straightened, his usual unease written across his face. "What for?"
Garret's expression didn't change. "To see if you've got what it takes to survive." He paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
"And to make you stronger."
The words weren't a request. They carried a weight that left the air still for a moment. Kael frowned, stepping forward.
"Hey, hold on, you're barely healed, and now you want to drag them out there? You trying to get them killed or something?"
Garret's eyes flicked to him, calm but sharp. "If I wanted them dead, I wouldn't waste my time teaching them."
That silenced Kael, though the tension in his jaw didn't fade. He looked ready to argue again, but Eira's hand lifted slightly, a subtle gesture that made him stop. Leah hesitated, glancing between Eira and Garret. Dave clenched his fists, trying to hide his fear. Garret turned, already heading for the gym's side exit. Kael folded his arms, scowling at the door Garret had just gone through.
"This is pointless," he muttered. "We should just wait for the government. They'll send help, soldiers, maybe even rescue teams. Running around out there is suicide."
Garret paused mid-step, his hand resting on the metal frame of the exit. The faint creak of the hinges filled the silence as he turned back toward Kael. The look in his eyes made the room feel colder.
"You really believe that?" Garret asked quietly.
Kael straightened, defiant. "Yeah. It's better than dying for nothing."
Garret studied him for a long second, not with anger, but with the kind of pity that cut deeper than contempt. He took a step closer, the dim light glinting off the faint scars on his face.
"Your naivety," Garret said softly, "will get you killed in this world."
The words hung in the air, heavy and final. No one spoke. Even Kael's retort died before it reached his lips. Garret's gaze swept over the group once more, over Eira, who met his eyes without flinching, and over Leah and Dave, who stood uncertain. Then he turned away.
"Ten minutes," he repeated, pushing the door open. "Those who want to live. Follow."