Chapter 95: Greed Blinds Intelligence
Aiden had just walked back into the building after seeing Karina and the wolves off when a nurse rushed towards him.
"Sir! The patients are awake," she panted. "Dexter is asking for you."
The nurse thought Aiden would be pleased to hear that Dexter was conscious. Instead, he clicked his tongue in frustration.
Couldn’t the fool have woken up a few minutes ago?
Aiden turned around, wondering if he should call the crew back. However, he decided against it. It would take an hour to reach the death drop on foot. Now that they were being careful, it would take even longer.
It was better to let them go. Besides, he could send Karina a voice note once he learned about the creature from Dexter.
Reaching Dexter’s ward room, Aiden saw Raveena huddled over him. The woman was clearly worried about her son and wept with joy after seeing him awake.
However, Dexter was happier to see Aiden there than his own mother.
...is it a side-effect of having high faith?
[Affirmative, Host. Tenant Dexter McCoy’s brain has been effectively rewired to serve you. Hence, he is excited to see you.]
Is it the same for the girls?
[Host, I wouldn’t dare mess with your companions. Their feelings for you are heightened, but genuine.]
If you say so.
Did Aiden believe the system? More or less. After what happened the last time she lied, she wouldn’t dare to repeat that mistake, even if they weren’t in the Otherworld.
Aiden was so lost in his conversation with the system that he didn’t notice Raveena’s gaze toward him. Suddenly, she stood up, crossed the small ward room in two steps, and wrapped both arms around him before he could react.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" she said, her tears drenching Aiden’s shoulder.
[Tenant: Raveena McCoy’s affection rose to 99%]
Aiden raised one hand and patted her on the back twice, all the while glaring at the nurse. He had told her to make sure no one was there with Dexter when he got there, yet someone was there to ruin his shirt.
The nurse misinterpreted Aiden’s gaze as something else and shyly looked away. It seemed every woman in the apartment shared a single brain cell to keep misunderstanding Aiden’s actions.
"You should be thanking the staff," he said, clearing his throat. "If not for Jewell, you’d be crying for an entirely different reason."
Raveena pulled back, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Jewell had already told her how Dexter was saved.
Although Jewell didn’t have any concrete proof, he knew his awakening had something to do with Aiden and gave him all the credit for saving Dexter and others.
"No, it’s all—"
Raveena was about to sing Aiden’s praise when he interrupted her.
"I need to speak with him for a bit," he said, nodding toward Dexter. "Alone, preferably."
"Of course," Raveena nodded, and left after kissing Dexter’s forehead.
"Do you require an invitation to leave?" Aiden sternly asked the nurse.
"Oh, my apologies..."
Aiden sighed, rubbing his eyes before pulling a stool next to Dexter’s bed.
"How are you feeling?" Aiden asked.
"Golden..." Dexter whispered back.
The boy’s voice was weak, which wasn’t surprising considering he had lost a lot of blood. So much so that it was surprising that he could talk at all. That’s what Aiden was worried about at first. But seeing Dexter could speak, he got right to the topic.
"Mind telling me what happened out there?"
Dexter took a deep breath and began reciting what he remembered...
***
A few hours ago...
After getting the injector, Dexter was itching to test out his new strength. Although his attributes hadn’t changed by much, and he failed to hunt ghouls, he thought fighting against actual monsters would show him the true difference between his past and present strength.
So, a team was assembled. Dexter, John, Myra, and Michelle. The four of them had known each other from the slums. Besides, Dexter and Myra were enforcers, so they thought to help John and Michelle, who were ordinary tenants, get some caps.
However, things weren’t going as predicted.
"Where have all the critters disappeared to?" John asked, kicking away a stone. "Didn’t there used to be many of them around here?"
"That was the case before everyone began hunting them," Dexter chuckled. "First, the wolves killed their hobgoblin bosses, which scattered the goblins. Then people from the apartment formed groups to hunt them for rewards."
"So, they lost their dominance in the region and left? Quite shameless of them," Myra laughed along.
It was strange seeing that the goblins that terrorized them were now scared of the humans. But that thought only lasted for an hour.
Goblins were easy prey. With them gone, Dexter was worried about the hunters. They relied on the goblins to earn caps. Without them, earning would definitely get troublesome for them.
Soon they reached the boundary of the ’safe’ hunting area marked by the wolves. Aiden had had them mark the area that reflected the edge of his [map].
It was understood that only the wolves under Aiden’s authority would leave the region to hunt or map out further regions. As for the enforcers and others, they were told not to venture outside, as unpredictable dangers could be hiding there.
"I guess it wasn’t our lucky day," Dexter shrugged. "We can only wait for the wolves to map the area ahead before searching for monsters."
"Oh, come on!" John scoffed. "How can it be unsafe just a few steps ahead from this point? Those wolves clearly want to monopolize resources, and that’s why they’re putting up these markers."
"John, mind your tongue. The wolves are our seniors—"
"Bah! You wait here. I’m going ahead, but don’t worry, I’ll bring back some souvenirs for you."
"Um... John, maybe we should listen to him—" Michelle, John’s wife, urged, but her words fell on deaf ears.
"Mimi, you want a class or not? Killing monsters is the easiest way to awaken. How long do you plan on cleaning floors for caps barely enough for three meals?"
For the people in the slums, getting one warm meal used to be a luxury. Now that they were getting three meals, suddenly it wasn’t enough.
Michelle still tried to convince her husband, but after saying his piece, John lifted his makeshift spear onto his shoulder and rushed out of the safe zone.
"John, get back here!" Dexter yelled, only for John to flip a bird at him. "Shit! Come on, we need to drag him back before it’s too late."