A Perceiver? Alain pondered in his mind what Marika had said. It was rather simple the reason he decided to focus on strength. After all, he sought more power to one day slay his fabled Elder Giant who killed his entire family. And in his teenage mind at the time, strength equals might. But could there be another choice? Alain had hardly considered that focusing on your reflexes and senses would translate into becoming stronger. Sure, you could dodge a giant’s attacks, but you need actual strength to finish them off.

“Being a perceiver is more than evading attacks,” Marika said as if reading his mind, “high-leveled perceivers could even slow down the flow of time in their head and spot giants’ weaknesses at first glance. Come here,” Marika motioned Alain to go towards her.

As Alain approached Marika, she picked up some small rock fragments from the ground below with both of her hands and held both of them in front of her with the back of her palm facing up.

“I’ve seen high-level Perceivers do this to warm up. Place both of your hands on top of mine,” Marika said.

Alain quickly followed her directions.

“Pay close attention. I am going to drop each of these rocks unannounced. Your job is to simply catch them as they fall. Bring the rocks back into my hands and place your hand on top of mine after you catch them and we will keep repeating this for a while.” Marika explained.

Alain nodded and furrowed his brows in anticipation. Marika suddenly dropped the rock in her right hand and Alain managed to catch it just in time. She did it multiple times at the same pace and Alain caught them all. After increasing the pace a little more, Alain started to fumble and missed catching a couple of rocks.

Marika nodded. “You still need practice but you definitely have the potential. Now, let’s try doing what actual Perceivers would do. Close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes? What?” Alain was struck with surprise as he was told to perform an impossible feat.

“Just try it, as an experiment. The battle just now didn’t last that long so you should still have some nectars left inside of you, right? Try to direct the flow of nectar energy to the parts of your body you think will help you catch these rocks with your eyes closed.” Marika explained.

Alain sighed but complied and closed his eyes.

“Try sensing the slight movement in my hands and the sound of the rock disrupting the air as it falls. Here we go,”

Easier said than done. Alain thought.

Alain missed nearly all of the rocks after he closed his eyes. It was as if he was shooting an arrow with a bow towards an invisible target. He had tried directing the nectar flow to his ears to better listen to the environment but he was not proficient enough in nectar control for that. He caught some of them due to sheer luck but he was definitely not ready to let go of his sight for this exercise.

“I believe that should do it for now. I don't know entirely how to teach you since I'm not aiming to be a Perceiver either, ” Marika threw away the rocks and turned to the dead Kazdal, “Should we harvest some parts? I don’t think we can carry that much without being caught.”

Alain sighed. “Yes. I don’t think we’ll be able to harvest every useful part. Let’s just take its claws and maybe some of its spikes on its back.” He said.

Alain and Marika used their daggers to harvest some of the Kazdal’s claws and spiky scales. But they only managed to carry some of them so with heavy hearts, they needed to abandon the rest of the corpse.

“What a waste,” Alain said as he looked over the entire body.

“Don't be sad. We’ll be able to hunt more in the future.” Marika chimed.

Alain turned his head towards Marika because of those words. He raised one of his eyebrows.

‘We’, huh? Alain pondered in his mind. He had originally sought out the secret passage partly so that he was able to hunt outside solo. For some reason he could not figure out, he was insistent on not joining a party and rather try to kill these giants by himself. But what good would that do? He has had too many near-death experiences fighting alone. His most successful hunts were done with other people, such as his practical exams and his hunt today with Marika. But there was still something tugging his mind, not fighting alone just did not feel right to him, at least not yet.

“Oh? Isn’t that?” Marika noticed giant footsteps coming towards them. Snow the giant white Kashik revealed himself. His yellow and blue pupils were striking under the sunlight. The Kashik was fully healed and looked healthy compared to the last time Alain saw him after the Valang encounter. The giant feline approached the two humans without any reservations.

“How are you doing, Snow?” Alain tried to touch his fur, which the giant did not object to. Snow seemed to have more affection for Alain after he saved Snow and killed the Valang a few days ago. Snow purred as Alain rubbed his fur.

Marika, on the other hand, was still very cautious around any giants even if they were friendly. It was understandable, they were machines of death that drove the humans to hide inside giant buildings rather than rebuild their societies in the outside world. Any sane person would still be cautious, it was Alain and Renald who were peculiar.

“I guess I won’t be seeing you for a while,” Alain said to the Kashik. He was, of course, talking about the long expedition he will join soon.

“The expedition is in two days, right?” Marika asked, still keeping her distance from them.

“Yes, but we’ll have to pack our bags tomorrow and go to the orientation. “Alain replied, “We’ll spend the entire day being briefed and helping with all the supplies we will be transporting. It’s a major project, the entire main street that leads to the main gate will be closed to prepare for the long expedition.”

"We? I guess you have decided to have me join the expedition then?" Marika snickered and smiled brightly.

Alain scratched the back of his head. "I'll...try to talk to my superiors. After today, I definitely know you are capable enough to join us. But...no guarantees," he replied.

“That's good enough for now," Marika said smiling, "I guess we should go back now then,” Marika said as if she did not want to stay with the giant any longer as she looked at Snow with extreme caution. The Kashik also sensed her displeasure towards him and stared daggers at Marika.

“Yes. Let’s go back. See you around, Snow,” Alain said his farewell to the Kashik and went on his way with Marika. He saw Snow eating what remained of the Kazdal’s carcass as he walked away.

They didn’t show themselves today. Alain thought, remembering the mysterious Swords he encountered outside a few days ago. But I’m sure they will have to contact me before I leave for the expedition, so I need to be on my guard.

What greeted Alain and Marika after leaving the red light district was the sounds of commotion and shouting. Near the elevator that led to the second floor, a large number of people gathered, demanding themselves to be allowed upstairs. Protecting the elevator and staircase was the P.O.Bs with their leather uniform and wooden batons.

“We demand a subsidy! Our nectar is running out!” Someone in the crowd shouted.

“ We can’t afford to buy ingredients for our shop anymore!” A woman’s voice rang out.

“My factory can’t produce goods without nectars!”

Tensions were high and people’s faces were red with anger. All facets of professions were there from the shop owners to factory workers. They were all demanding to be allowed passage to the third floor so they were able to protest the high council directly.

“What’s going on?” Marika asked Alain.

“The people are starting to feel the impact of the nectar shortage,” He replied.

“But everything seemed so normal?” Marika was surprised by this. From what she has seen so far, people were simply living their lives normally and businesses seemed to prosper. One could hardly imagine that the joyous atmosphere she witnessed before would lead to this boiling pot.

“It was the calm before the storm. The Sanctuarians like to weather through hardships without complaints, but it seems this time they have had enough,” Alain said.

“Stand back!” A P.O.B officer shouted.

“Disperse or we will use force!” Another officer said to the angry crowd.

“The P.O.Bs are a waste of public funds!” An old man in front of the crowd shouted. “They’re a bunch of corrupted sods! Might as well reduce their funding and subsidize our businesses!”

“What did you say!?” A P.O.B officer stepped forward and confronted the person who said that.

“You heard me! We know you’re in bed with those whores from the red light districts and work with the underworld! All of you are scums! The Giantslayers are our real protectors!” The old man continued.

“Y-you!” The officer swung his baton to the man’s head with powerful force. The old man started bleeding profusely from the strike and fell down like a rag doll. Some people in the crowd caught the old man.

“That’s horrible!” Marika put her hand in front of her mouth in shock.

Alain frowned and clenched his fist.

“Old Man Franu! He’s not breathing!” A lady in the crowd said after she checked his body.

“You sick fucks! He was just shouting words at you! You killed him!” Another person said.

The P.O.B officer who hit the old man took several steps back and his face was red.

“Disperse the crowd!” Another P.O.B officer raised his baton and charged.

A riot ensured. The officers of the law used their wooden batons to push the approaching crowd back. Normal citizens were no matched for the trained P.O.Bs and the were mercilessly beaten down into submission.

“What should we do?” Marika turned to Alain frowning.

“I’m...not sure,” Like a Krinci being chased by a predator, Alain froze, unable to act.

“They broke my arm!”

“Mommy! Wake up!” A boy was holding on to his mother who was unconscious after an officer struck her head.

Marika grimaced. Could this place be not any different than The Domain? She thought. The Sanctuary was undoubtedly better from what she has seen so far, but the current display was swaying her thoughts.

The sight of the boy holding on to his mother struck Alain’s heart chords, bringing up unpleasant memories that he wished were not remembered. He grabbed Marika’s hand and pulled her forward towards the heart of the protest.

“Let’s stop this,” Alain said firmly, his eyes ablaze.

Marika made eye contact and nodded. Other Giantslayers nearby seemed to have the same thought and stepped forward with them. It was going to be a clash between the P.O.Bs and the Giantslayer guild, but it was ended prematurely before it even began.

“CEASE THIS NEEDLESS CONFLICT!” A loud boom rang on the ears of everyone on the first floor. Every person in the vicinity instantly stopped what they were doing and turned to the source of the voice.

He magnified his voice with nectar…Alain thought. It was bound to be someone high leveled.

The source of the voice was from someone going down the elevator from upstairs. The person was a man of regal stature and imposing figure. He wore a pristine white uniform with the logo of the Shields on his chest. The man sported a handsome goatee on his face and his eyes were as sharp as a knife. He looked to be elderly with graying hair but his muscular body suggested otherwise. He was carrying a gigantic black greatsword made out of some sort of exotic giant bone. A squad of Shield soldiers with weapons and shields readied stood behind him.

“Who is that?” Marika whispered to Alain.

“Supreme Commander Tojido Strongfist of the Shields!” Alain muttered. He was a figure people rarely saw. Commander Tojido, despite being the leader of the Shields, was not someone you see every day as he belonged to the High Council on the third floor. His reputation preceded him as his past deeds included driving away multiple giant invasions such as the serpent attack five years ago.

There was also a recognizable figure next to Commander Tojido. An old man of darker skin complexion and a ponytail carrying a longsword on his back.

“Guru Bram!” Alain said out loud. That person was the teacher that guided him through the practical exam against the Rakus a few days ago. He knew Guru Bram was famous among the Giantslayers as he was known to be extremely powerful, but he did not know he knew the commander of the Shields personally.

The elevator finally stopped and opened its doors. Commander Tojido and Guru Bram stepped outside of the elevator. In an instant, Shield soldiers wearing pure white armors created a defensive perimeter around them.

“You P.O.B bastards!” Commander Tojido said with his rough voice. “How dare you hit your own citizens! You are a failure to this society! Move out of here before I make you! I will deal with the crowd,”

Guru Bram chuckled next to him and shook his head.

The P.O.Bs could only grit their teeth and with heavy steps, left the vicinity. It was not only that Commander Tojido would completely wipe the floor with them, but he was also a member of the High Council and those were people they could not question. Their only hope was to make their complaint towards their own P.O.B commander, who was also a member of the High Council.

The people were pleased that not only did the P.O.Bs were driven away, but that a member of the High Council had come down, giving them a chance to state their worries.

“Commander Tojido! Please hear us!” A brave individual in front of the crowd shouted, “ The Sanctuary is going to not last without any more nectar supply! We only have a few months before our economy will shut down!”

Commander Tojido turned his attention towards the person who talked. His sharp gaze threatened the person menacingly. The person almost felt like they made a huge mistake by saying anything. A few tense seconds passed in silence. All of a sudden, Commander Tojido smiled.

“Our nectar expedition is setting out in two days, I’m sure all of you are aware of this, no?” Commander Tojido said.

“But we don’t know how long the expedition would take! What if it’s too late?” The person replied.

“And what if you failed to find more nectars?” Another person from the back shouted.

Commander Tojido frowned. He grabbed his black greatsword and stabbed it towards the ground. The wooden ground cracked under the immense pressure. The people nearby were jolted in shock and took several steps back. Commander Tojido then slammed his fist to his chest where the logo of the Shields was.

“I, Commander Tojido Strongfist of the Shields, swear to the citizens of The Sanctuary that the expedition will be a success and we will find more nectars. I will personally accompany the expedition caravan and will oversee the operations.” He declared.

He took steps forward and used his hand to point at the black greatsword still stuck on the ground so everyone’s attention was drawn to it.

“I will leave my prized weapon, Black Moon, here as a symbol of my oath. On the day we return from the great expedition with those nectars, I will reclaim my greatsword once more! I swear to you on this! Glory to The Sanctuary!” He raised his fist into the air.

Everyone’s eyes were fixated on his fist and a wave of excitement fell over them. A renewed sense of hope was re-ignited in their hearts.

“Glory to The Sanctuary!”

“Glory to The Sanctuary!”

The chants rang out and spread like wildfire.