The Place Where Everything Begins

The reason why he let Eddie be the one who lit the bomb fuse was simple...

Because Mitchell couldn't be the first one to raise the topic, for he was their leader who truly led everyone here, unlike Eddie, who was akin to a symbol of a ball-but-no-brain person.

Furthermore, Eddie was also one of their leaders who was mainly responsible for leading the battle against the monsters, so he was the most suitable one here.

*Murmur*

*Murmur*

The murmuring voices from the crowd were getting louder and louder with every passing second.

They talked and discussed the topic with solemn faces, whereas someone even argued with other people around them endlessly, trying to voice their reasons for others to agree.

Until...

"Eddie is right. We lack people for the next wave. So... I think..."

A woman in her late 40s suddenly said, interrupting the current atmosphere...

After she spoke a short sentence, she paused for a bit to attract everyone's attention before continuing,

"Those 'people' should come and help us fight in the next battle when the monsters come. Otherwise, all of us better be off dead."

The person who had opened her mouth to talk was actually Claire, one of the two 'Karens' within the group whom had been ostracized from Mitchell's plan when he started off the 'coup'.

Due to being ostracized at that time, she had to grit her teeth and fight in the front line for five long monsters waves. It was fortunate enough that she survived until now.

However, another 'Karen', Aylin, was not so lucky as she had died since the fourth wave.

That's why Claire felt very depressed that her heart was ready to explode anytime.

What did she do wrong for them to treat her like that?

How could it be her that was ostracized and isolated by the mass?

How could it be her instead of those old and young people?

Where did they get such privileges to act so leisurely while everyone else risked their lives for them?

Well, she was indeed one of the Karens, as she had the mindset of the Karens...

Thus, this was one such opportunity to let out the compressed air within her small heart by 'ostracizing' other people back.

Furthermore, Claire's speech just now was like fuel put into the tiny sparkle that Eddie had lit up earlier.

That's why...

"Yeah... At least fend off one or two monsters shouldn't that hard, right?"

"Hmm... Come to think of it... That's true indeed..."

"That is... It couldn't be helped; we really need more people..."

"They get a free ride because they are elderly and children? That's not fair. We are humans all the same..."

"Right! I agree."

"They must fight too!"

The fuse that had been lit by Eddie a moment ago finally exploded within the crowd of people by having Claire as the fuel...

The stress and madness from the past seven hordes of monsters finally blew up like a supernova as it swept past everyone within the tutorial chamber swiftly.

It was, after all, their lives that were on the line here.

How could they use their own lives to protect strangers?

Was that supposed to be how the world operated?

To protect innocent people and bring peace back to the world?

Well...

To be frank, that's just complete bullshit, as it would not work on Ortus at all.

Ortus operated with one principle, 'weak meat, strong eat', as weak people had no place to thrive there, they would slowly die out one by one in the end...

Meanwhile...

"I'm scared..."

*Sob* *Sob*

"..."

"Why... I don't want to fight..."

"..."

Those six people, which comprised two kids of a little bit more than twelve years old and four older people at the age of more than sixty, could only remain quiet, cry, and worst, try to run away.

But they had no place to run away to...

This place was not the old Earth anymore...

It was only a matter of doing or dying for them from now on...

'Is this why they create the tutorials? To let everyone realize that they shouldn't be weak?'

Mitchell, who had been observing the situation till now, thought to himself wonderingly.

Unsurprisingly, he didn't feel much pity towards those people at all...

Still, Eddie was different from Mitchell as he currently felt quite guilty inside his heart because he didn't want to see those innocent people hold weapons up to fight against monsters.

But it was necessary, so he could only grit his teeth strongly, trying hard to push the churning guilt back down into his stomach.

He was willing to stomach and hide the guilt within the deepest part of him if it meant he could survive this shitty tutorial.

'I must survive no matter what; I've already promised with Skylar to find her sisters...' Eddie thought with determination.

When Mitchell finally saw those elderly and children who didn't know what to do anymore, Mitchell decided it was finally time to give them a way out of their current predicament.

Mitchell, the mastermind behind this situation, suddenly spoke up after a long time,

"Please calm down and listen to me!"

His voice was loud enough to make everyone heed his words...

"..."

"..."

"..."

After seeing that everyone's attention was on him now, Mitchell started his long-awaited speech,

"Thank you for your understanding. After seeing many of you arguing with one another chaotically, me... as a leader of everyone here and also the one who sees through the real problems you guys are arguing, I would like to propose a way out of this situation 'peacefully'."

When everyone heard their leader said so, they started getting interested in his so-called 'proposal'...

"Please say..."

"What is it?"

"..."

"We're hearing..."

"..."

Even the elderlies and kids had some hopes reflected within their eyes now...

After all, their light of hope and kind-hearted Mitchell that had led them through the past seven hordes had finally spoken up.

Unbeknownst to the ignorant 'them', the next part of Mitchell's speech was going to bring them back down to face the harsh thing called 'reality'...

Upon seeing their reaction that was 'as expected', Mitchell continued his piece,

"As everyone had said, 'we indeed do not have enough manpower to fight in the next wave'. So, I would like to suggest that they also fight alongside us, but..."

Mitchell spoke by twisting some words here and there, as it should be 'As Eddie had said' instead of 'As everyone had said'.

Well, he was pretty smart...

However...

"What are you saying? They are elderlies and children!!"