Page 472

Only one person managed to stay awake, but Vulture and Sparrow couldn’t get through to him as he started mumbling to himself in fear. Kisha awkwardly scratched the tip of her nose, realizing that her intention had been to scare them just a little—not to scare them silly.

But what’s done is done. Kisha, along with Sparrow and Vulture, rested for a while inside the territory.

The two of them took a short nap before deciding to train, eager to prepare for their second level-up.

Kisha had already set a clear timeframe for them to follow, and they needed to grow stronger to make their work easier.

She allowed them the freedom to find their own spaces within the territory and gave them unrestricted access to the Scarlet Honey and Crystal Core until they reached level 2.

While waiting for four STAU to wake up and the other one to get better, Kisha turned her focus to Zeus, giving it the same amount of Crystal Core as she had to Bell.

Meanwhile, Bell was sent to find Duke and assess his condition again.

Like the wall’s deadline, Duke’s mission only had four days left starting tomorrow. Kisha could only hope he’d make it, but more than that, she was worried about his safety.

Deep down, she still feared for his life, and that anxiety kept her from resting easy.

Not knowing his condition weighed on her, so to ease her mind, she entrusted Bell with the task of checking on him and offering whatever support it could.

At least now, the base was stable and didn’t require Bell to remain on constant alert. Additionally, with numerous Scarlet Bees stationed along the walls, even if Bell had to leave, her commands would be acknowledged and followed by the bees, ensuring that the base remained secure in her absence.

The moment Kisha placed 630 crystal cores in front of Zeus, he devoured them as if it were a bowl of dog food.

He didn’t even bother to chew; with each bite, he swallowed mouthfuls of crystal cores, causing Kisha to choke up in worry.

Zeus wasn’t like Bell, who had a special constitution to handle such massive amounts of spiritual energy. She quickly reached out, holding onto Zeus’s head, watching nervously as he consumed the crystals like he’d been starved.

Kisha struggled with Zeus, who had already devoured nearly half of the crystal cores in just two bites.

"Ugh! I forgot this one’s a complete glutton," Kisha muttered as she tried to hold him back. Zeus, however, was fixated on the remaining crystal cores, determined to break free from her grip to get to them.

"Master, delicious! Zeus eat!" Zeus whined, wriggling in Kisha’s grip, desperate to reach the crystal cores.

"No! Sit down for a bit!" Kisha commanded firmly. Just as the words left her mouth, Zeus’s body began to glow, signaling his sudden level-up to level 2. But before Kisha could even process it, another burst of light radiated from him, hinting at yet another level up.

"Great..." she sighed, her heart racing with worry. She quickly stored the remaining crystal cores back in her inventory, fearing that if Zeus ate any more, he might actually explode.

"Arf! Master, tummy hurts! Head hurts! Zeus dying!" Zeus whimpered in a pained, frantic tone, curling up and whining non-stop.

Kisha’s heart raced as panic set in—Zeus was clearly suffering from the side effects of consuming too many crystal cores too quickly.

He’d leveled up without having a chance to properly consolidate his strength, leading to this painful backlash.

Zeus was lucky his head hadn’t exploded immediately. Kisha sat down beside him, focusing intently as she attempted to sense the erratic flow of his spiritual energy.

Gently, she channeled her own energy into his veins, guiding his turbulent energy along a stable path, like a breeze supporting a paper plane, helping it reach its destination.

But Zeus resisted her efforts, his own energy forcefully blocking her aid, causing her guiding energy to rebound.

"Zeus is a good boy, right? Let Master help you. Just follow my energy, and the pain will stop," Kisha coaxed softly, gently stroking his head.

"Master... it hurts..." Zeus whimpered, pressing his head into her hand.

"I know. I’ll help make it go away," Kisha murmured, steadying herself as she sent another wave of spiritual energy into his veins.

This time, Zeus’s energy didn’t reject hers completely; though it occasionally resisted, it allowed her to help guide its flow. Gradually, Kisha was able to ease his turbulent energy, offering him some relief.

"Good boy, just like that," Kisha murmured, her eyes closed in concentration.

Kisha could feel the chaotic flow of Zeus’s spiritual energy—it was all over the place, wild and unstable. Zeus was now at level 3, one level higher than her, making the task of guiding his spiritual energy even more challenging.

As Kisha channeled her spiritual energy, she could feel it becoming increasingly turbulent, creating restless waves within her.

Her mana stirred alongside it, but thankfully, it didn’t seize the opportunity to cause havoc within her system as her spiritual energy remained focused on guiding Zeus.

Beads of sweat began forming on her forehead, her eyelashes fluttering as she concentrated, her face glistening under the strain. Yet, she kept her eyes closed, fully absorbed in the delicate task at hand.

While Kisha focused on helping Zeus, the four STAU members slowly began to stir from their slumber.

Disoriented at first, they blinked and took in their unfamiliar surroundings, struggling to recall how they had ended up in this strange place.

One of them continued to mumble to himself, lost in thought. As memories of the events from just hours before came flooding back, their faces turned pale with worry.

They searched for any sign of Sparrow and Vulture, but both were nowhere to be found.

Kisha, too, was absent. Concern mounting, they had no choice but to begin looking around, dragging along the one who was still mentally adrift.

"Where are they?" one of them asked, scanning the vast expanse of land before them.

"Shit! This really is a farmland," another exclaimed, his eyes widening as he took in the abundance of crops planted all around. "And look at these—these are the same crops we buy from the Supply Center! They look huge and fresh!"

"So, are you suggesting that the City Lord and the other leaders were lying when they claimed that those supplies came from the Coltons’ seized stock?" one of them asked, a hint of disbelief in their voice.

They weren’t fully rejecting the idea, though.

After all, even though they had just been threatened, they couldn’t ignore the undeniable truth of what Kisha had done for the base.

She had stabilized their lives and restored a sense of peace and normalcy, despite the constant threat of zombies and ongoing battles.

Not only did they have plenty of food, but they also had a safe haven to call home.

That alone set them apart from the other survivors they had encountered from outside, particularly the ones from Port City, who clearly hadn’t been so fortunate.

"Now that you mention it, didn’t Captain Sparrow and Captain Vulture say they had taken it too?" one of them pointed out, trying to focus on the silver lining. "And look at them—they’re fine. As long as we take the antidote before the two weeks are up, we should be okay."

Despite his attempt to sound hopeful, his voice trembled, a clear sign that the thought of the pain they’d endure when the demonic insect stirred in their hearts still haunted him.