Since Claire wasn’t acting like her usual self and she was one of our best-ranged attackers, Sandra decided to delay our next mission. So, for three days, we only hunted to increase the strength of our forces. The first two challenges were practically mental tests, and just like me, everyone else was thinking the third challenge would be a real battle. It was only a hypothesis, but we wouldn’t lose anything by raising the strength of our forces, although it seemed that we wouldn’t use them all at once as we had imagined.

During those three days, I only managed to break my limit a single time, but that didn’t worry me, my skills were becoming more efficient, so I was able to progress even without breaking my limits. I also used the statue to confirm the price of a few things that I would need to leave the city.

Evolved Mutant Eagle (Thunder) – HP: 800 MP: 3200 STA: 800

Physical Limit Lv 20, Mental Limit Lv 30, Sensorial Limit Lv 10.

Skill: Thunder Storm Lv 07, Electric Prison Lv 03, Bite Lv02.

Price: 200000 Evolution coins.

Skill: Mana Cost Reduction.

Info: this skill reduces the cost of other skills by 5%.

Price: 50000 Evolution coins.

For now, those were the things that I needed most. Although the effects of the Mana cost reduction skill was weak, it would get stronger eventually. The evolved mutant eagle would help a lot in battles thanks to its massive amount of MP and skills, and more importantly, I would be able to fly on its back. That monster could fly easily at seventy miles per hour, and even though it didn’t have much STA, I would be able to cross great distances. I already could buy the skill, but I decided to create first the evolved mutant eagle. With some luck, I would be able to use it during the challenges.

On the night before our third mission, I was meditating on my bed while Claire was playing with the kids and forcing herself to smile while she was at it. She was better than before, but the second challenge marked her for life. Harry, Rose, and Sarah tried to talk with her, but they didn’t succeed in cheering her. When they tried to talk about the second challenge, Claire panicked and avoided eye contact. She was feeling ashamed; I was sure of it. Although she was strong-willed, the copies that she saw probably shocked her. Everyone has some pride in who they are, so it is hard to face our flaws, even more, when those take our forms.

While I was thinking about those things, someone knocked on the door and opened it. Sandra appeared and looked at me.

“Can we talk for a minute?” Sandra asked.

“Sure.”

I already knew what she wanted to talk about, so that didn’t surprise me. What surprised me was the fact that she waited three days to talk about the things I said to Harry, Rose, and Sarah. I got up from the bed and then I followed Sandra, surprisingly we left the hotel and climbed one of the towers. Three survivors were there wearing heat vision glasses, but they left the place without making a fuss.

“Can you kill the mutant lizards while we talk?” Sandra asked.

“I can, but is this going to take long?”

“I don’t know; it’s up to you,” Sandra answered.

Sandra’s usual serious and determined behavior disappeared; she didn’t look confident, and she seemed to be thinking about something. I sighed because she seemed to be slowly changing; I felt the presence of some mutant lizards approaching, and then I killed them before they could try to knock down the tower. Anyway, the change in behavior was somewhat expected. Until now, most of us only struggled to survive, but now most of us were adapting to this new environment. All of us, even me initially thought in some months or weeks, the monsters would disappear, and then everything would return to the normal, but we were wrong.

“Harry told me about your plans,” Sandra said thoughtfully looking at the starry sky.

“And?”

“Can’t you reconsider? “Sandra asked, looking at me. “In a few weeks, things will get better.”

“I can’t, and how do you know things will get better?”

“Because Lucius and I are planning to leave the council,” Sandra answered as a matter of fact.

Now that was surprising, and I didn’t know why she would do that and also didn’t know how that would make things better. Those two were the voices of experience in the council; without them, the council members were only a group of college students.

“I don’t really care, but I think you should reconsider. Although they are strong, they can’t lead the others without you two.”

“Of course they can,” Sandra said, smiling. “Harry is my son, and even though he is a bit dumb sometimes, Rose and Sarah will help him. Those three will be the new leaders.”

“Do they already know about it?”

“No, we will only tell when we complete those challenges,” Sandra answered. “Did you see their expressions after those two challenges? They didn’t change; those two challenges didn’t shake them up. Do you know why? Because they are young and idealistic, they know who they truly are, and they don’t hide what they think from the others.”

“I don’t think that is possible. Besides, the words young and idealistic can be replaced by inexperienced and naïve.”

“Maybe,” Sandra laughed. “But I truly believe they will do a good job, they are strong, and they don’t hesitate in helping the other survivors. They will become the leaders that we need.”

It seemed Sandra reached the same conclusion Claire and I reached a month ago. Although I honestly thought they would still need Sandra and Lucius to lead the others. But Harry was young, but he could learn to command like his mother, Rose and Sarah would offer him some advice at the right moments. Sandra and Lucius would step down, while Harry, Rose, and Sarah would become the symbol that we can survive in this new world full of monsters.

“What about Claire and Charles?”

“They will understand our decision,” Sandra answered. “They are more warriors than leaders.”

“And what are you and Lucius will do after that?”

“We will just become normal survivors,” Sandra answered after she rubbed her chin. “We will help the other survivors using the knowledge we had as a former firefighter and martial artist. But we will also collect information to them. To prevent future problems, you already know why.”

They would also step down to keep in check the greediest survivors. Since the beginning, they were trying to be as democratic as possible. But that also could give a chance to a new Ken, or a new Ann appear.

“I know that I annoyed you a lot,” Sandra showed a severe expression. “But it was only because I didn’t want to see you die. We need, and we needed your skills, but I only tried to keep you with us because I know your parents.”

Sandra’s words surprised me a lot. She never said that, but judging by the fact that she was always trying to keep me on a tight leash, it wasn’t hard to believe.

“Anyway,” Sandra said nervously, “When Harry, Rose, and Sarah become the new leaders, you will be free as much as you want in this camp. Even though you don’t consider them to be your friends, they care about you, and they won’t force you to do anything that you consider annoying. Now you have no more reasons to leave, right?”

“It doesn’t matter who is the leader after we complete these challenges, and I get the strength that I need; I will leave this city.”

“… All right then,” Sandra said after a long sigh. “I won’t insist on this matter anymore. But you can always return to this place, Ethan. Either you help us or not; it doesn’t matter. We will always wait for you.”

After saying those words, Sandra left and entered the hotel. It was nice to have a place to return, but this place was always making me remember unpleasant things. When I was with other people, I felt insecure. Those survivors lost their families and friends, but they found a new strength in other survivors, they became friends, and they got stronger together. But I was different; the most important persons in my life were still alive. However, I couldn’t feel stronger while thinking about them, I only felt weaker. That was one of the reasons I wanted to leave this place, not to feel weak.

‘… She said that she knows my parents. Then that means she probably knows about… no, it’s not possible.’

I got rid of those thoughts when the survivors who would stay in that tower returned. After that, I returned to my room and resumed my meditation.

The next morning, Sandra repeated the same words she had said four days ago. They replaced the two survivors who had died, nothing unusual happened. So, we just departed to the tower without wasting time.

Although she looked tired like she didn’t sleep well in days, Claire was killing monsters like usual. Sandra and Lucius didn’t seem strange either, but I couldn’t really talk about the old man. I knew almost nothing about him. After fighting some minor nuisances along the way, we reached the tower and just like before, Sandra nodded and we entered.

The usual dark and empty space was nowhere to be seen, I could see a massive door behind me, and in front of me, there was a small jungle. A river, trees, rocks, and monsters could be found in that place. But weirdly, I also could see the massive walls of the interior of the tower. I focused my sight, and then I noticed a long staircase on the other side of the jungle; it was a spiral staircase which seemed to lead to the top of the tower.

“Finally, some real action, but this will take a while.”

I was alone, and I couldn’t even see the top of the tower, but at least I would get stronger and get some coins while climbing the staircase. After all, I could see many nests and beehives on the walls.

Mutant Monkey (Earth) – HP: 1500 MP: 600 STA: 1200

Physical Limit Lv 20, Mental Limit Lv 5, Sensorial Limit Lv 10.

Skill: Iron Punch Lv 05, Stone Wall Lv03.

Mutant Piranha (Ice) – HP: 500 MP: 1800 STA: 600

Physical Limit Lv 05, Mental Limit Lv 22, Sensorial Limit Lv 11.

Skill: Ice Bolt Lv 06, Bite Lv05.

Mutant Spider (Poison) – HP: 800 MP: 1400 STA: 1200

Physical Limit Lv 08, Mental Limit Lv 17, Sensorial Limit Lv 12.

Skill: Acid Sphere, Spider’s Web Lv 04, Bite Lv 04.

Those were the only new monsters inside the jungle; I had already found the others in the last two months. Fighting against them was really a pain in the ass, the freaking piranhas could spit ice bolts even from inside the river, so I had some difficulty killing them using only the metal bolts. The mutant monkeys were strong physically and by activating the iron punch, they could charge at fearsome speed, but I could avoid such obvious attacks, the problem was the stone walls. It goes without saying, but my steel bolts couldn’t destroy those walls. Finally, the mutant spiders were weak, but the acid sphere was fast, and their webs were strong enough to slow me down for a few precious seconds.

You have obtained 30 Evolution Orbs.

You have obtained 30 Evolution Coins.

You have obtained 27 Evolution Orbs.

You have obtained 27 Evolution Coins.

You have obtained 32 Evolution Orbs.

You have obtained 32 Evolution Coins.

“At least this is better than mental battles where I don’t earn a thing.”

After an hour using my senses nonstop to avoid being hit by any skill, I finally reached the staircase. But after walking just for a few seconds, new enemies appeared. Crow, bees, and other small flying monsters began to approach and attack, but I already knew their attacks and movement patterns, it was easy to get rid of those.

You have obtained 12 Evolution Orbs.

You have obtained 12 Evolution Coins.

You have obtained 09 Evolution Orbs.

You have obtained 09 Evolution Coins.

Occasionally, one of them would use their small brains to hit me with some skills, and rarely would I got scratched. Little by little, I was losing HP, but a single arrow in their heads was enough to kill them and cool my head.

I climbed, and I climbed, and then I climbed a little more. My notion of time inside that tower was weird, but after what seemed to be five hours, I reached the top of the staircase. I finally could see the door, which would lead me to the top of the tower, but in front of the door, I saw an arena.

“What the…”

In the middle of the arena I saw a man wearing an orange uniform, he seemed a bit familiar.

“Welcome to the third challenge of the doomsday tower. Survive, and you may proceed, die, and the ghost survivor will take your place.”

‘Ghost survivor?’

When I put my feet on the arena, the other man finally moved and glared at me.

“Tsk, a fucking brat killed me… you will pay for this!”

“Do I know you?”

The other man charged with a very simple spear, but his charge was so clumsy and slow that I waited until the very moment to evade. Because of that, I saw his face closely and remembered him. Without a second thought, I aimed, and two steel bolts pierced his head.

You have obtained 60 Evolution Orbs.

You have obtained 60 Evolution Coins.

“Oh, you are one of the assholes who kidnapped Rose and Sarah. Don’t worry; the world is better without someone like you. You can return to your eternal slumber.”

“You may proceed...”

The third challenger had been awfully easy, so easy that I hesitated in opening the door. But to my surprise, when I touched the door, I returned to the start point on the bottom of the tower.

“Seriously?”

I crossed the jungle again, but I didn’t find the corpses of the monsters which I had killed. I was still getting orbs and coins while killing the same monsters, but I had a bad feeling about that.

After six hours, I reached that arena again, and there I saw another man, totally different from the previous, but he was also wearing an orange uniform.

“Survive, and you may proceed, die, and the ghost survivor will take your place.”

“Oh, boy… this will take a while.”