Chapter 39: Big but.
Since the System made Kobayashi's rescue a clear condition, Mark guessed that the illustrator was still alive. He didn't know how long that would still be the case, however, so he had to take action as soon as possible.
The first thing he did was retrieve his phone and contact him by text as usual. Fortunately, the illustrator was alive and well.
Apparently he has undergone the Awakening process as well and thanks to that he was able to make it to safety. He was currently residing in an underground bomb shelter somewhere in Hope's End.
Though its name sounded a bit ominous, Hope's End was one of the most thriving cities in NUSA. It just happened to be a couple hour's drive from Stonegate City, which wasn't too far from their current location.
There were two problems, however. The first was that they were currently in the middle of an apocalypse, and with his powerful Soul being the main reason he suffered during Malarak's invasion, it was doubtful that he could have the usual relatively safe journey where he wouldn't encounter anything too powerful.
The second problem was the Peace Keepers themselves. It was clear that, from the moment they caught him, they had no plans of letting him go.
The friendly treatment he received was intended to convince him to join their organization and Mark had no doubt that it would completely flip if he declined their invitation. If that were to happen, only death would await him.
Best case scenario, he would be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
The idea of escaping had been on his mind ever since Lara referred to the room he woke up in as a prison, but it was impossible for the same reasons.