Outside the cloud.
Garan’s sharp eyes watched his team handle the mob, prepared to make a move should he be needed.
"Wind users, start!" He uttered.
On cue, the wind users surrounded the mobs roughly corralled by the team. Their arms extended, making waving motions as they manipulated the wind around the mob, solidifying the corral.
The fire users ignited their arms, throwing their attacks into the wind, burning many of the monsters inside.
A cacophony of growls of different monsters echoed, and they decided not to prolong the monsters’ sufferings.
"Now!" Garan ordered. On signal, a dozen elementalists bombarded the monsters, taking a life every few shots, leaving the last kill to whoever by luck.
Soon, another team came in, with another small wild mob following behind them.
The team continued to train, almost desperately, and slowly they grew stronger day by day.
As he watched his soldiers train and fight harder than before, Garan couldn’t help but look at the cloud again, heart filled with longing for his beloved.
Garan couldn’t help but recall the events a few days prior, many hours after his desperate attempts to get inside.
.
.
.
—A few days ago—.
Garan did not know how many times he tried. Until, finally, he stayed for more than a minute.
After going back and forth, he had felt that the cloud was truly something that protected what was inside.
During that time, the sense of urgency that hit him had already subsided.
’Was Althea alright now?’ Garan remembered thinking, hope slowly replacing the despair.
Since they were children, he and his wife had had a nearly telepathic connection. At the time, he had a feeling that she was truly out of danger.
It was also at that point that he also understood that what he was doing was pointless.
He felt that there was something else he should be doing—or rather, preparing.
Memories of their first arrival came to mind. The suffering, the deaths, and the losses.
Then the knowledge of the strength discrepancy between territories… how powerless they were when they first arrived in a town, how they could only clench their fist after being bullied and looked down on.
He could still remember he was spat on by a mercenary, just because the man’s girlfriend looked at him.
They were fortunate that senseless bullying of people far inferior in level was looked down on here. This was likely caused by the rules of the territory wars and the 5-level gap effect—as well as pride in strength—otherwise, there would have been far fewer survivors than the score of them.
The number of times he’d have been killed simply because women looked at him in admiration would’ve been countless.
In any case: Strength was always the answer.
His cerulean eyes stayed on the cloud, looking at it deeply. If it truly was the manifestation of the so-called Protection Period, then it would be a double-edged sword.
The soldiers had nodded in response, fists clenched in emotion as they recalled the tragic memories, though their eyes on him all throughout.
"Assist me to build up our forces on this side, strengthen yourselves…
"…So we can properly protect our loved ones once this cloud no longer do so."
A renewed goal lit up the fire in them. They raised their hands to salute.
"YES, CAPTAIN!"
.
.
And now, at present, Garan looked at his team desperately training—even more than before—because now they had true and palpable hope of reuniting with their loved ones.
"Boom!"
"Yes! Finally leveled up!!!" Luis yelled, letting several embers spark around him. He had finally gotten past level 10.
"Me too!"
The men laughed at each other, feeling their growths, excited to meet with their families and possibly show off.
A small smile graced his lips, and he walked away heading to another place to train.
"Don’t worry Althea," he mused, tone now much calmer than it was. "I will protect you well this time."
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