43 Chaos in Haven

Frederick navigated the streets swiftly while operating his camouflage skills to blend into his surroundings.

The streets were empty, and the newly built buildings were all closed. Scanning his surroundings, he noticed traces of scorched marks, bullet-riddled walls, and the rubble of collapsed structures littering the pavement with some corpses here and there.

Upon closer examination of the corpses, Frederick quickly determined that the majority had been killed by bullet wounds. Additionally, he observed that their authorities were missing.

"A battle happened here, but it doesn't seem like hunters... Was it between candidates?" But after some observation, he noticed something.

"No. It doesn't seem like a fight between candidates. Rather, it looks more like a one-sided slaughter," Frederick calmly remarked, observing corpses and the ruins around him. The lifeless bodies scattered across the area appeared to be those of civilians.

Perhaps not the best moment, but Frederick was lost in his thoughts.

This life proved exceptionally chaotic, with barely anything unfolding as Frederick would have desired. Every plan he formulated seemed subject to alteration due to external circumstances. He had to admit that life itself was unpredictable and chaotic.

After completing Dyrroth, he initially planned to gather some information and recover his accumulated authority before using the chaos created by hunters to gain experience points.

Unfortunately, it seems like they found his hideout and authorities he hid there. Among those authorities was Blood Dominion, an authority the mayor seemed to want desperately for some reason.

However, as he tried to visit a potion shop, someone with an authority which could see an item's worth appeared out of nowhere and tried to rob him.

Without much of a choice, Frederick had to silence him. Yet this action created a snowball effect and ultimately put the whole city on lockdown, further amplifying the tensions already present.

As he was about to try selling some information for weapons, the price of firearms suddenly skyrocketed because of the lockdown he had created. After going to Aegis, he failed to obtain firearms but instead was offered to undergo an extremely deadly process that could enhance and purify his body.

When he was about to start the purification process, he initially called for Thomas because he was unsure if Eris would truly do her best. By calling Thomas and revealing some parts of Aake's diary to him, he would have forced Aegis to save him at any cost.

After all, the information of the 7th round was exceptionally precious for anyone, including Frederick.

However, after seeing that Eris did not even try to accept his item despite offering it, he deduced that she was likely not interested in deliberately killing him. Although he wasn't sure, it was a bet.

Thus, he changed his plan yet again and intended to meet with Markus and use the information obtained through Aake's diary as a trade token for some stuff. Those pieces of information would be worthless after some time anyway.

He would have asked to use a contract to protect himself against the aftermath of the trade so Markus couldn't take back what he gave.

Yet, he hadn't anticipated that Aegis would possess someone capable of manipulating memories, rendering his initial plan incredibly risky. If they were able to apprehend him and extract his memories, all of his efforts would be in vain. Moreover, it could potentially expose the existence of Forgotten Times, threatening everything he had worked so hard to conceal.

But then, as he planned to get rid of Celeste, the one with this incredibly dangerous memory manipulation ability, the hunters became active while he was sleeping.

Then Aegis probably somehow obtained information about hunters despite the lockdown and fleed. It was an extremely bold yet rational move once you know what Hunters can do after truly awakening. They were not the same beings that would stupidly roam around anymore.

He felt like he was a boat in the midst of the ocean, drifting along the waves of an endless storm. No matter how much he struggled, he could never predict the direction of the wind.

After careful consideration, Frederick concluded that leaving the area would be the safest course of action. However, safety didn't necessarily equate to the most rewarding outcome. Amidst this chaos, he assumed that likely survivors were hiding somewhere nearby.

"This also means an opportunity for easy experience points," he mused with a cold expression.

...

Inside one of the dilapidated buildings, a group of people found themselves huddled together in a corner of a dimly lit chamber.

When the city was constructed, it was one of many buildings hastily erected to accommodate all candidates. Consequently, the interior was crude and lacked refinement. Nevertheless, it provided shelter, and that was what mattered most.

"Dad and mom will protect you, okay?" a man murmured, his voice strained yet trying to maintain a semblance of calm as he smiled weakly at his daughter while she clung tightly to her mother, seeking solace in her embrace.

"Okay," the little girl whispered back, her voice barely audible as she buried her face into her mother's chest, her small frame trembling with fear.

"I'll go check the situation outside," a man said, grabbing a handgun he stole on a body.

"Be careful," the woman replied, her voice tinged with worry, her hands trembling slightly as she clasped onto her husband's arm, her eyes pleading with him to stay safe.

"I will," he assured her, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead before pulling away.

The man was in his thirties, and his clothes were ragged. He had a rough appearance, and his eyes were red from the lack of sleep.

As he moved towards the door, his every sense heightened as he froze. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest as he heard faint but undeniable footsteps echoing through the corridor outside.

"Someone is coming," he whispered urgently to the others, his voice barely above a breath, his eyes darting around the room, searching for any potential hiding for his family in case something went wrong.

"What do we do?" his wife whispered, her eyes wide with fear, her arms tightening around their daughter.

"Shhh, stay quiet. They don't know we are here" he whispered, his mind racing as he tried to think of a solution as he firmly gripped his handgun.

"But-"

"Shhh," he hissed, cutting her off.

Armed with his resolve, the man raised his gun and slowly approached the entrance.

'I will protect my family, no matter what,' he vowed, his knuckles turning white from the force he was exerting on his gun.

The sound of footsteps grew louder as they drew closer, and the man could hear his heart pounding in his ears.

'They are getting closer.'

He took a deep breath, his finger hovering over the trigger as he prepared to fire. However, the next instant, the door was kicked open, and a figure clad in a trenchcoat emerged.

"Who are you?" the man demanded, his voice shaking as he pointed his gun at the intruder. The man was wondering how the intruder had found them.

The intruder was silent for a few seconds as he watched the man's gun.

Then, with a smile, he spoke softly and weirdly gravely.

"H-Hey relax! I work for Aegis!" the man exclaimed, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"Y-You are lying! They all left two days ago!" the man said, his voice trembling as he tightened his grip on his gun.

"I see. Did they fight with the mayor's men?" the intruder inquired, his voice devoid of warmth.

"... Yes?" the man stuttered, his hand trembling as he aimed his gun at the intruder.

"Did you see the hunters?" the intruder pressed, his tone growing colder.

"H-Hunters? Why would they—" Before the man could finish his sentence, the intruder slowly advanced toward him.

"Get away from me!" the man yelled, panic evident in his voice as he pulled the trigger.

However, to his horror... His finger wouldn't budge. It was not only his finger but his whole arm. It was as if some invisible force was preventing him from moving.

"W-What is going on?" the man exclaimed, his voice filled with terror as he desperately tried to free himself from whatever was holding him.