I felt the scorching sun stinging the skin on my exposed arms and smiled at the familiarity of the sensation despite it not being my own, as it came from the memories of this body's former owner.

I opened my eyes, and sure enough, found myself standing in the middle of nowhere in what seemed to be like your typical dessert.

Though the sign of this piece of land still lingers, and you could spot them if you look hard enough, but for all intents and purposes, it was still a dessert.

My smile became more pronounced as I heard groaning from behind and turned around, my smile freezing even as I spotted the many familiar faces standing behind me.

'So that's why the smug bastard was grinning so much.' My eyes twitched as I spotted Briar's face as she rubbed her forehead, raising her head and locking eyes with me.

However, I didn't have time to overthink as a missile in the shape of little Billy suddenly emerged from within the crowd, flying towards me at maximum speed.

"Kaden!" Billy exclaimed in an excited tone as he tackled me, making me grunt as I barely kept my balance, staying on my feet.

"Hey Billy," I remarked in a constrained tone, smiling bitterly as the huge goofball hugged me hard enough for my aura-protected intestines to ache.

"Boss," Clark greeted, adjusting his glasses with an impassive look, but I could tell he had many questions.

"Clark, fellas," I greeted back as I turned to look at the crowd behind, noting Vilhelm and Arden were present as well. However, what surprised me was number 99, who I still didn't know his name being here as well.

'Well, at least Johnny didn't go as far as sending the two freaks Gamma Ball and Stink Bomb.' I mentally sighed as I patted Billy's back, finally making him release me from his titan hug.

"Well, you guys probably have a lot of questions," I said as I turned to address the gathered crowd of people full of familiar faces. Some of them I personally knew, while others were people Clark had recruited.

"But the gist of it is that the OWR raided the game simulation facility," I explained in a solemn tone.

"But although they managed to cut end the game, it wasn't without a price," I added, as I paused, not sure of how I'm going to tell them about the death of the most powerful human on earth.

"The Deterrent is dead," I stated, deciding that I didn't want to beat around the bush, making everyone gasp in surprise.

"Are you talking about that Deterrent?" Number 99 asked in a disbelieving tone, looking both confused and exasperated, making me nod with a sigh.

"But How could this be?" number 99 asked, seemingly unable to process how someone like the Deterrent can die.

"At the end of the day, Clay Warner was still a human, despite his strength," I replied with an indifferent tone. "And I think he was lured into a trap of some sort," I added, shaking my head.

"What makes you say that?" Vilhelm asked, displaying no emotion as he seemed just as indifferent about the matter as I was.

"Well, I've met some contestants affiliated to the game, disguised as contestants," I replied, frowning at my less than pleasant encounter with Demira.

"Though they didn't outright say it, their words made it seem like they knew the game would be cut short," I added with a shrug.

"But what would the game master gain from luring the Deterrent into a trap and killing him at the expense of his own game?" Arden asked in a confused tone.

"This makes little sense," he added, scratching his bald head.

"Your guess is as good as mine, but that doesn't change the fact Clay Warner is dead," I replied, shaking my head.

"And with his death, the fragile peace he's been keeping with his mere presence is bound to collapse sooner rather than later," I stated in a firm tone, watching as everyone's expression began shifting in realization.

"That's right," I said with a sigh. "Clay Warner's presence did not deter hostile aliens; it also kept the big human faction from tearing each other apart," I added as I stood straight, ready to sell my pitch.

"A storm is coming, ladies gentlemen," I remarked as I put my hands behind my back. "And we need to be ready for it," I added as I scanned the faces of everyone standing before me.

"We're all free men and women now, but that means nothing if we all die once everything turns to shit without getting the chance to enjoy our newfound freedom," I stated again, watching most people frown, seemingly confused at what I was trying to say.

However, there were still people who already knew I was trying to recruit everyone here, like Clark, Vilhelm, and Arden, merely smiling as they listened to me or keeping a neutral expression.

There was also Briar, who was keeping surprisingly quiet as she looked at with a cryptic look, which I dreaded the meaning of, but I digress.

"We are now at a crossroads, my friends," I remarked as I brought one of my hands to the side, opening my palm as I pointed in one direction.

"We either scatter and resume our previous meaningless lives, as the outcasts the game master branded us as," I said in a serious tone, making many people wince, seemingly remembering things they didn't wish to recall.

"Or we can unite and weather the incoming storm together," I concluded, bringing my other hand to the side, pointing in the opposite direction with a clenched fist.

Everyone who wasn't in the know began murmuring among each other, but it was number 99 who was the first to speak.

"And if we don't wish to stay?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Do you plan to hunt us down and kill, like you planned to do with the contestants who refused to take part in killing the undead king?" he asked again, smiling in bemusement.

"We were fighting for our lives with a sword hanging over our heads, and there was no chance for mistakes," I replied, shaking my head. "The fact someone lured the undead kings and its army to the meeting point should prove my point," I added with a shrug.

"But it's different now as I know for a fact everyone who leaves will do so to reclaim his life before the game and not try to take advantage of those who stayed, unlike the fence-sitters back then," I reasoned, making many people nod.

"So no, I will not impede anyone who wants to leave," I remarked with a smile. "Not only that, but I will help you all find your way home since we're currently in the wasteland, my home turf," I added with a carefree expression.

"That's the least I can do for fellow outcasts who survived the same twisted game," I concluded with a light chuckle, pausing as I waited for everyone to process my words.

"Now that you mention it...," Vilhelm remarked with a grunt, trailing the end of his sentence as he began looking around. "How did we all get here in the first place?" he asked, his gaze settling on me.

"Well, I didn't want to leave the game empty-handed, so I took the chance to loot the facility while everyone was busy with the attack," I replied with a smirk, having already prepared an excuse.

"And that's when I chanced upon the game master's teleportation device," I added, taking the half-dismantled device out of my inventory.

"Luckily, everyone was registered inside the device's AI, so it didn't take me too long to figure out how to operate it, and here we are," I concluded, with a shrug, still grinning as I stored the device back into my inventory.

"So you do care!" Briar exclaimed with a broad smile as she began walking towards me, causing me to mentally sight as I returned her smile, nodding in her direction.

"You should have just said so," Briar remarked with a pout. "I thought you really wanted to leave me behind and get away by yourself," she added with a smug expression.

"And you were right," I murmured under my breath, holding back a sigh of annoyance.

"Hmm, what's that?" Briar asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Nothing," I replied with a smile, shrugging off her answer as I turned to look at the gathered crowd.

"I had intended to teleport us all into Fallout town, but it looks like something went wrong with the process," I stated with a frown as I began looking around me in mock confusion.

"So we need to figure out our current location and make our way to the closest town before we run out of supplies," I remarked, my gaze settling on the crowd again.

"You all have until then to decide whether you want to stay or leave, so have an answer by then," I concluded, and everyone nodded. "That settles it. Let's get going, then!"