Chapter 84: 84:Chaos Outside
Reigns was too tired to even take a proper glance at the rewards appearing before his eyes.
The intense battle had drained him completely, and the moment the fight ended, his body slumped onto the ground like a heap of boneless meat. Every muscle in his body screamed painfully from overuse.
His chest rose up and down heavily while sweat and blood mixed together across his exhausted face.
The Undead Warrior’s massive body slowly started disappearing into faint particles of light before completely vanishing from the battlefield, leaving behind only the heavy armor, the damaged mask, and the massive greatsword lying silently on the broken ground.
Reigns slowly turned his tired gaze toward Number One.
The Dryad looked completely battered.
Large cracks spread across its entire body. Pieces of bark continuously fell from its damaged frame, while one of its wooden arms barely remained attached to it.
It looked as though it had already reached its limit.
Yet, miraculously...
It was still standing.
The battlefield around them also began to change as the influence of the Zone of Guilt gradually weakened and disappeared.
The people who had been mentally broken by the zone and crying at the back slowly crawled to their feet while gasping heavily and tried to come to their senses.
Some of them looked confused.
Some cried loudly while embracing their loved ones.
Others simply stared blankly at the surroundings as if they still couldn’t understand whether everything that had happened was real or not.
Seeing them recover, Number One slowly extended its remaining vines across the battlefield. It carefully gathered the fallen mask, armor, and greatsword before pulling them toward Reigns, as if understanding their value.
Reigns stared at the heavily damaged Dryad for a moment before a faint, tired smile appeared on his face.
"Number One... you’re really the best... I wish I had other thoughtful subordinates like you."
The moment Reigns said that, the Healing Sprout suddenly jumped into the air with a pout-like motion and aggressively waved its tiny branches around as if complaining about being ignored.
Tiny waves of crystal-colored energy spread from its small body and slowly entered Reigns’ exhausted form, allowing him to recover a bit of strength.
The heaviness in his muscles eased slightly.
Reigns extended his hand and gently caressed the small sprout, letting out a tired breath.
"You are useful too."
The Healing Sprout immediately shook its tiny branches happily upon hearing the praise.
As Reigns looked at it, a sudden thought appeared in his mind.
’Healing Sprout is a support-type being, so how will it level up?’
Before Reigns could continue thinking about it, loud cries and voices suddenly erupted nearby.
The group of survivors immediately started rushing toward him.
Duster, who was also moving forward, was shoved aside like a rag doll.
"The hell?! Stoop!"
He screamed, but his voice was drowned out by the sea of screams.
Many of the survivors still looked pale and terrified, with tears continuously streaming down their faces.
Some could barely walk properly because their legs were still trembling from fear.
A middle-aged woman tightly hugged her child while crying uncontrollably before looking toward Reigns with gratitude and relief.
"Thank you for saving us."
An injured young man whose clothes were stained with blood also stepped forward while breathing heavily.
"Without you, we might have died."
An old man repeatedly bowed his head toward Reigns while tears filled his eyes.
"You saved all of us... We really thought we were going to die in that hell."
Some people looked at the destroyed battlefield with lingering fear, their bodies still trembling as they remembered the horrifying Undead Warrior.
Others stared at Reigns with shock and admiration after witnessing him fighting that terrifying monster alone despite being heavily injured himself.
"God knows what would have happened to us."
One of the parents suddenly grabbed his own awakened son by the collar and angrily shouted at him while he himself still trembled from fear.
"You are also an awakener, but all you did was show a pathetic display of your foolishness."
The young awakener lowered his head shamefully without saying a word.
At that moment, the uncle who had managed to remain relatively calm throughout everything slowly stepped forward while carrying his daughter’s coffin in silence.
His face looked exhausted and grief-stricken, but he still gave Reigns a brief respectful nod.
"We will always remember your help. For people like us, who awakened useless low-tier potentials, someone like you is a blessing to come across."
After saying that, his voice faltered slightly as his hand tightened around the coffin.
Those who remembered his vague words from earlier could understand his pain. His daughter seemed to have been someone with strong morals and kindness.
Reigns weakly waved his hand, trying to dismiss their praise.
"I just did my job. We awakeners are responsible for protecting the civilians."
But deep inside, Reigns knew the truth.
If not for the Iron Sanctuary, his situation might have been no different from theirs.
He wouldn’t have been lying here after killing the boss monster.
He would have been among the crying survivors, rolling on the ground in despair.
Amidst all this, the dungeon world slowly began receding and merging back with reality as the distorted surroundings gradually returned to normal.
The auspicious colors covering the sky slowly retreated while the twisted atmosphere faded away completely.
Tiny snowflakes slowly began drifting from the sky once again.
"Huh!"
"Snow!"
What followed after the snowfall was the sudden sound of loud blasts and explosions erupting all around them.
BOOOOM!
BANG! BANG!
The ground trembled faintly while the distant explosions echoed continuously through the region, instantly frightening the already exhausted survivors who had only just begun calming down after escaping the nightmare inside the gate.
Many people flinched in fear.
Some instinctively grabbed their children tightly, while others hurriedly looked around in panic, thinking another monster attack had begun.
"What the hell is going on now?!"
One of the survivors shouted nervously as his face turned pale once again.
Reigns immediately turned toward the source of the explosions.
The moment he focused his senses, his expression changed slightly.
A massive whirlpool of power was erupting in the distance while an overwhelming amount of icy mana exploded outward, spreading through the surroundings like a freezing storm.
Even the falling snow around them was starting to become heavier.
The temperature dropped rapidly.
A premonition instantly rose within Reigns’ chest.
His tired face twitched slightly.
’Shit! Don’t tell me it’s her...’
The more he sensed that familiar icy mana, the uglier his expression became.
Cold sweat slowly rolled down the side of his face.
’I am damned.’
