Venix quickly shut his eyes, as though trying to escape a cold, piercing gaze directed at him. It felt as if an immense weight had brushed against his very soul.

  He wasn’t aware that his gaze alone could startle a Seedbound and trigger a fleeting but profound sense of danger.

  “Apologies, I was slightly distracted,” Venix said, his voice lowered, his gaze shifting slightly as if something troubling weighed on his mind.

  The Seedbound scrutinized Venix with hesitation. The sense of danger he had felt earlier disappeared as quickly as it came, as though it had been nothing but an illusion.

  However, the man understood that a Seedbound’s instincts were rarely wrong, making it hard to dismiss the notion that what he had felt was no mere figment of his imagination.

  “Follow me,” the Seedbound said in a calmer tone, treating Venix with a hint more respect.

  Every Seedbound who joined Sundance City harbored the same feeling: they didn’t truly belong there. To them, the city felt more like a transient base than a home.

  If not for the benefits of joining, most wouldn’t have considered aligning themselves with this place.

  The blood contract tied their fates, but it only bound them to a particular Master and came with relatively few restrictions.

  For this reason, even though the Seedbound harbored suspicions about Venix, he chose to let it slide—especially since the brief sense of danger he felt earlier seemed genuine.

  He wasn’t interested in knowing whether Venix was an enemy or how Venix had managed to mask himself as an ordinary human so effectively.

  The Seedbound carried a strong disdain for Sundance City’s leadership, a sentiment shared by most of the Seedbound who had joined.

  The blood contract only forced obedience when a ‘Master’ issued an unrefusable command. It did nothing to prevent hidden agendas or subversive schemes.

  Venix couldn’t quite gauge the Seedbound’s thoughts as the man guided him. One thing was certain, though: he was fortunate not to have become a target for now.

  Soon, Venix was assigned to cook Monster meat, a task requiring significant time to complete.

  To his surprise, however, the Seedbound gave him a day off, saying he could start work the next day.

  The man even showed Venix an abandoned mall, now repurposed as a shelter for ordinary humans to rest and sleep.

  Leaving Venix alone inside, the Seedbound disappeared.

  Watching him leave, Venix furrowed his brow. “Strange…”

  Regardless of the circumstances, he felt a wave of relief at having safely entered Sundance City and securing a chance to inspect it further.

  Inside the mall, rows of ordinary humans lay on the floor, wrapped in simple blankets, fast asleep.

  Some were eating from medium-sized bowls, their movements slow and deliberate.

  Venix’s eyes landed on a small girl clutching a half-burnt doll. She walked toward the food distribution area, indifferent to the world around her.

  After receiving her portion, the girl retreated to a corner of the mall and ate her food slowly. Her expression was flat, devoid of the innocence one might expect of someone her age.

  Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Venix hesitantly approached the food distribution counter.

  “I haven’t seen you before. Are you new?” a middle-aged woman asked as she handed out food, her gaze fixed on Venix.

  He nodded softly. “I just arrived today.”

  The woman nodded back. “What’s your name?”

  Venix paused briefly before responding, “Venix.”

  She wrote his name down. “Each person gets two meals a day. Would you like to claim yours now?”

  “Yes.” He nodded again.

  The woman instructed someone to fetch a bowl of food for Venix, which was handed to him shortly after.

  Holding the bowl, Venix glanced at the corner where the small girl sat before deciding to approach her.

  The girl noticed him coming and instinctively tightened her grip on her food, her body tense, as if preparing to defend what was hers.

  Her cold gaze met Venix’s, filled with suspicion. She clutched her food even tighter, fearing he might take it from her.

  Ignoring her wary stare, Venix sat about a meter away and opened his own bowl.

  The food inside appeared to be porridge mixed with unidentifiable ingredients.

  Using the plastic spoon provided, Venix scooped a small amount and tasted it.

  “It’s bland… and unpleasant,” he thought.

  After a moment of consideration, he retrieved an Awaken Elixir from his inventory. Pretending to rummage through his pocket, he pulled out the small bottle.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Opening it, Venix poured a small amount of the blue liquid into his porridge and stirred it in evenly.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the girl watching him closely.

  Caught in the act, she quickly turned away, pretending not to have seen anything.

  “Do you want this?” Venix asked, holding up the Awaken Elixir.

  The girl glanced at him briefly before looking away again, her expression icy.

  “It’s not poison,” he assured her. “A friend gave it to me. It’s meant to be mixed with food to meet the body’s needs.”

  He took another bite of his porridge, now mixed with the elixir, and swallowed. The taste was slightly better than before.

  “See? I’ve eaten it—it’s safe,” Venix said with a small smile.

  The girl cast him a sidelong glance but remained silent.

  “It makes the food taste a little better,” he added.

  Her expression shifted slightly at his words, doubt flickering in her eyes.

  “I mean no harm,” Venix said as he stood and moved closer to her. “You can try a little, okay? If you don’t like it, that’s fine.”

  The girl stayed silent, offering no response.

  With a gentle smile, Venix poured a small amount of the Awaken Elixir into her bowl. She didn’t resist.

  While the elixir was primarily for Awakened individuals, Venix had learned in the Numan World that it could also supplement a regular human’s diet in small quantities.

  Awakened individuals and Seedbound required far more sustenance than ordinary people to meet their bodies’ heightened needs.

  This explained why humans were employed to cook Monster meat—it was one of the few foods capable of sustaining Seedbound physiology.

  Monster meat was notoriously tough and chewy. In the Numan World, specialized techniques existed to make it tender and digestible.

  However, in the real world, where the Origin Era had only begun a month ago, such developments had yet to emerge.

  Perhaps the leader of Sundance City possessed such cooking methods but kept them secret.

  The girl stirred the porridge in her bowl and took a small bite.

  Her eyes lit up instantly. The food tasted far better than before!

  She looked up at Venix, silently asking for more of the elixir.

  Venix shook his head slowly, concern evident in his eyes. “You can’t have any more. Your body might not be able to handle it.”

  Ordinary humans could consume the Awaken Elixir, but only in limited amounts.

  Disappointment dimmed her gaze as she returned to her food.

  Each bite seemed to rejuvenate her, and soon, she was devouring her meal with newfound enthusiasm.

  Venix found the sight odd. Though the elixir improved the taste slightly, it was still a bland meal.

  What he didn’t realize was how precious food had become. For ordinary humans and even some Seedbound, it was a blessing.

  Regardless of the taste, they had learned to adapt for the sake of survival.

  Having never experienced the struggles of someone like the girl, Venix couldn’t comprehend how a slight improvement in flavor could transform a meal.

  When the girl finished the last bite of her porridge, she clutched her stomach, a deep sense of fulfillment washing over her.

  Smiling faintly, Venix offered the bottle of Awaken Elixir. “You can keep this, but don’t overuse it.”

  The girl looked at the bottle in his hand before gently shaking her head in refusal.

  “Why not?” Venix asked, confused by her rejection.

  Her voice was soft, barely audible. “Others will take it from me.”

  Hearing this, Venix froze.

  Without turning, he already knew there were people watching them, their curiosity piqued by the Awaken Elixir in his possession.

  In a lawless world like this, possessing anything valuable only made you a target.

  Venix tucked the bottle back into his pocket and smiled reassuringly.

  “What’s your name?” he asked gently.

  “Alice,” the girl replied softly.

  “A beautiful name,” Venix said sincerely.

  After that, Venix had a brief conversation with Alice while slowly finishing his meal.

  Ten minutes later, Alice fell asleep on the floor, clutching her half-burnt doll.

  Seeing Alice, Venix sighed inwardly. A child like this, living alone in this chaotic world.

  Half an hour passed, and many people came in and out of the mall building.

  At that moment, among the crowd entering the mall and queuing to receive their food rations, Venix squinted his eyes and spotted a figure in the crowd.

  The figure was a man, thin and bruised across his face. In addition, the man seemed to struggle to stand upright, his legs trembling as if they could give out at any moment.

  The man Venix saw was Rael, the friend he had been searching for!

  Earlier, when a Seedbound was scolding someone for their poor cooking, Venix, who was initially just curious, noticed that the person being scolded by the Seedbound had a resemblance to Rael.

  However, Rael's appearance was vastly different. The glasses that usually rested on his nose were gone, and he looked far more pitiful than most people.

  Other ordinary humans, like Alice, did not have injuries or emaciated bodies like the sick. Their tired appearance was merely a result of the lack of food their bodies needed.

  Rael's appearance was strikingly different and stood out among the other ordinary humans.

  Venix did not approach Rael immediately; he chose to wait patiently.

  Three minutes later, Rael received his food ration and went to a quieter corner of the room.

  Taking a deep breath, Venix stood and walked toward Rael.

  Venix's heart felt like it was being pierced by a dagger. His gaze locked onto Rael, but his mind was in turmoil, spiraling in an indescribable pain.

  On the other hand, Venix did not expect Rael to still not be an Awaken and to remain an ordinary person.

  With trembling hands and his head bowed, Rael took a bite of his food.

  Venix desperately wanted to take Rael away from here using the Crystal Teleportation. However, at the same time, Venix had another plan to confront the Seed of Chaos by gathering assistance in the real world.

  Taking Rael out of Sundance City would only put him in greater danger.

  Venix reached Rael, but Rael lowered his head even further, as though he had experienced similar situations before.

  Taking another deep breath, Venix shattered the Mortal Cloak Technique and released an invisible energy around him, enclosing himself and Rael within it.

  While using the Mortal Cloak Technique, Venix couldn’t use his powers or spread his energy to enhance his perception of his surroundings.

  The concept of the Mortal Cloak Technique was to trap all energy and Seed Origin within his body, ensuring not a trace of it leaked into the outside world.

  The room was filled with the sound of footsteps and clattering plates, but in the silent corner where Rael sat, there was only a heavy stillness. His shoulders drooped, his breaths were short as if he carried the weight of the world.

  Venix crouched and looked at Rael, who still had his head bowed. "Rael..."

  Hearing his name, Rael’s body flinched slightly, as if it had been a long time since someone called him by his name.

  With difficulty, Rael raised his head to see the face of the person before him.

  Even though Venix had smeared charcoal and sand on his face, his features were still easily recognizable.

  "Ve—Venix!?" Rael said in a hoarse, astonished voice. He looked at Venix as though seeing a ghost.

  "Rael... what happened to you? Why do you look like this?" Venix asked softly, his eyes burning slightly at the sight of his friend’s condition.

  A suppressed rage bubbled within Venix, forcing himself to stay calm and avoid any reckless actions that might create unnecessary chaos.

  "Y—You... H—How are you still alive!?" Rael said, his face filled with shock, remembering that Ronan had confirmed Venix’s death after finding pieces of his body in the school ruins.

  "I’ll explain later," Venix replied in a hoarse voice. "Where is Ronan? Is he okay?"

  Ronan had already become a Seedbound, so his condition should have been much better given his status.

  "R—Ronan..." Rael swallowed hard. "H—He... He’s been killed..."

  Plop.

  Venix’s body weakened instantly, and he fell to the floor. Tears welled up in his eyes, a mixture of anger and grief burning inside him.

  He knew this was something difficult to avoid in this era.

  For a moment, Venix’s gaze turned blank. In the end, he could do nothing to save his own friend!