Return Of The Strongest Player

After chatting for a few minutes, Randy and Arthur stood up with pained expressions.

They had recovered quite a bit due to the density of mana in the atmosphere and the healing factor–which definitely assisted in Randy's recovery. Although the muscular man's body ached, he still continued.

If one stagnated, that was entirely their problem.

Others would not halt their advance simply to await one who stagnated. Life in the tower was a race, and a competitor from the opposing faction would obviously overtake his opponent if given the chance.

Returning to the topic, Arthur and the others were a little more than acquaintances, now. One could label them as friends, or pseudo-comrades. Thus, the crimson-eyed man had become more wary.

A single slip-up, similarly to his former life, would guarantee an untimely death.

One could be incredibly dangerous even without raw power. There were cunning people roaming the tower, and Arthur suspected a few people in the group were not… regular people. Especially Jenny.

Her behavior-change was too rapid; from a justice-enforcer to someone who couldn't care less if an old woman was being brutally murdered before her.

Arthur hadn't suspected anything back then, but as his wariness rose, he began paying attention to each detail. Details revealed more than the naked eye could view, and leads assisted those speculations and suspicions one received from details.

Arthur and Randy sped through the desolate world, gathering gemstones and sabotaging other groups of newbies during the process. Once a few hours had passed, the crimson-eyed man possessed 4 gemstones, while Randy had amassed 5.

After a while, the two came across a ravine.

"What do you think is down there?" Randy inquired, squatting as he gazed at the abyss beneath. He couldn't determine the depth of the ravine, and neither could he spot any movement.

Arthur shook his head, unable to answer.

The ravine was quite narrow, and a few drops of blood stained the soil near it. Arthur and Randy speculated that a battle had occurred, and the only reasonable explanation was the fact that someone fell.

Perhaps their corpse had already been desecrated.

'There's a way out…' Arthur noticed a narrow, somewhat steep path to the side. It was difficult, but a newbie after a month of training could definitely scale such a steep path. There was also a trail of blood exiting or entering the path.

Arthur approached the trail of blood. 'It's fresh.'

"The blood is fresh… and a person could definitely scale that path…" Randy muttered, observing the area. Arthur praised the muscular man internally. "But it seems like someone has exited it, judging by the footprints."

The person had left behind a lot of evidence.

"Let's follow," said Arthur, to which Randy nodded. The two followed the trail of blood, and although they strayed away from its original path a few times due to inability to distinguish the blood within the crimson soil, they managed to near the end of the trail.

The trail was lined with footsteps… It seemed like the person was staggering while desperately trying to reach…

"A cave…" Arthur muttered, looking at the narrow aperture beneath two boulders, which seemed to house the epitome of darkness. Light did not knock on the aperture's door, straying away from it.

Even the initial few steps were encompassed in darkness without a shred of light.

Arthur and Randy glanced at each other before slowly approaching the aperture. They raised their guards, unsheathing their sword while keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of potential danger.

Prevention was always superior to cure.

The ability to prevent a difficult situation always surpassed the ability to cure it. Wariness was the basis of caution, and precautions were necessary when venturing into such disadvantageous situations.

Light was the basis of vision.

Without vision, a human's perception ability was restricted, unless one had perfected other senses, and didn't solely rely on vision.

Tap! Tap! 

Their footsteps echoed within the cave, yet there was not a single approaching sound. Finally, Arthur and Randy approached a certain crevice within the aperture. Their eyes had somewhat adjusted, but they were still mostly blind.

Slipping through the crevice with much difficulty, they finally heard sounds.

'Deep breaths… the movement of a foot scratching across the ground… pained groans…' Arthur muttered internally. As he and Randy walked forward, they finally discovered the origin of such sounds.

"Dino…" Randy muttered, squatting as he leaned in. The lanky man's chest heaved rapidly, and his eyes were shut. His bloodied hand was placed on his sternum, which seemed to be bleeding out.

His shoe moved awkwardly, scraping across the ground as it produced an unpleasant sound. Dino's head faced the side, and with clenched teeth, he seemed to be on the verge of tears. At that point, he was simply enduring.

It wasn't certain whether he retained his consciousness. But, by the look of it, it seemed he did, and was simply troubled by the intense pain.

"Let me inspect him," said Arthur, approaching the lanky man. Arthur placed his hand on Dino's chest, prying the man's hand away. A sharp breath of air escaped Dino's lips, but the crimson-eyed man didn't pay mind.

Arthur couldn't care less about how much pain Dino felt.

His goal was to prevent the lanky man from dying. Pain was temporary, yet life decided one's fate. 

Arthur caressed his body, determining the locations of shattered bones, muscle tears, and torn ligaments. The most significant injury was a spike that impaled his lower torso, avoiding his organs by an inch. 

The crimson-eyed man, after performing a detailed analysis, let out a deep sigh. Dino would survive, but he would not be able to engage in battle until the end of the tutorial, when he would be fully healed.

"We'll have to make sure he becomes a player," said Arthur, looking at Randy. The former didn't consider the latter an enforcer of justice, a kind soul. That was why he stared at the muscular man with a deadpan gaze. "Do you wish to save him?"

Randy's expression underwent several changes. Saving Dino's life was akin to carrying dead weight for the entirety of the remaining tutorial. Dino could walk, but he wouldn't be able to battle or avoid attacks.

"Will there be any backlash?"

"Around 20% of my total mana reserve… around 50% of my current mana reserve," Arthur explained.

"Would you still be able to fight?"

"For a limited time."

"Then, let's save him."