The morning came in a flash, and Akhil was left dazed as the sun bathed his skin in warmth.
He woke up slightly disoriented; he had spent the night pondering.
He had completely no idea when he had slept off.
The group was already prepared to continue the journey.
"Thought you planned to sleep all day? You know, it would've been nice if we left you to sleep a bit more," Aria teased with a chuckle as she caught his gaze.
'Does it look like you even had any plans of waking me up?' Akhil asked inwardly.
They literally had everything with them already!
And they didn't wake him up while doing that.
He had a feeling that Aria would've actually done as she said.
But then again, it was obvious that they wouldn't.
"We only have to walk a few more kilometres; we've already reached the closest human settlement. Be careful, they aren't very welcoming," Aria warned as the group gathered round.
She threw a sharp, almost threatening gaze at the hostage they brought along.
The plump man flinched, shifting slightly to stand behind Akhil.
"Understood," Akhil replied calmly.
With that, the group continued their journey.
In just a few hours, the large forest trees became more sparse.
Up ahead, they began to see a clearing.
Just as the group was about to step out of the thick forest, an angelic trumpet sounded in their ears, making them all stop in their tracks.
"What's that?" Akhil asked.
The sound felt familiar to Akhil, like he had heard it somewhere.
But to the rest of the group, they stood petrified in horror.
Familiar? No, this wasn't just familiar.
They knew exactly what it meant.
"The second main scenario is about to be announced," Aria replied with a grim voice.
They could all remember when the first scenario was announced a few months back.
It was etched into their minds, an unforgettable memory.
And now, it was time for the second.
{The Second Main Scenario Is About to Begin!}
{Players, are you ready?!!}
{Second Scenario: Beast Horde!}
{Scenario: The beasts grow hungry; their king has awakened. Protect your fences and defeat the beast titan that threatens your existence!}
{Time left until scenario begins: 72:00:00}
{Rewards: ???}
A tense air filled the atmosphere, worry and fear written on people's faces.
And for the few who knew what this meant, their faces were even darker.
Akhil looked at the notification with a dark expression on his face.
'It's been a month already, so I guess it was meant to come sooner or later. The first titan of the game has been revealed!'
This was obviously bad news for Akhil, but it also cleared his mind of all his previous thoughts, dragging him back to the present.
He had neglected a lot of things.
But now he was too short on time to bother himself with anything else.
The most crucial thing now was to survive the incoming onslaught from the beast titan!
While they were still lost in their thoughts, Aria quickly dragged them back to reality with her voice.
"Guys, it seems they've already seen us."
Akhil's gaze snapped back to the forest entrance, and he could see a group of men walking up to them calmly.
Without a word, the group came out from the forest shadows, meeting the people heading straight for them.
As they stepped out, Akhil got a better view of the human settlement—or at least he could see the people currently working, building a massive wall around the city.
As if preparing for something...
Akhil's brows furrowed, but he shifted his gaze back to the group heading for them.
In front of the group was a middle-aged man with scruffy beards, blonde hair, and a sharply chiseled chin, wearing a furry coat over his body.
By his side was a man Akhil recognized instantly!
It was the leader of the group that attacked them a few days back.
The group walked to the front of the forest, keeping a quiet distance between them.
"This is great! So you decided to pay us a visit? I was eagerly waiting to have a chat with you," the man said with his gaze fixed on Akhil.
Akhil was just about to reply, but right before he did, Gon immediately chipped in.
"We brought one of your members back. It wasn't intended; the two were found after the others left. We want to strike a deal with you," Gon said, a genuine smile on his face as he spoke.
The man shot a glance at Gon, making the old man shiver.
As though he didn't hear him, he turned his head back to the group.
"We can't discuss here. Why don't we enter the settlement to discuss?" the man offered.
"Awesome, that's great! We should—"
Gon eagerly walked forward.
The man shot a displeased glare at Gon, but it was quietly masked behind his smile.
'He's such an idiot.'
"Elder Gon, sorry, we can't enter the settlement. That's not what we came for," Akhil's calm voice cut through the air, making the old man stop in his tracks.
"Huh? We came here to negotiate, that's the reason why we're here, isn't it? Why shouldn't we accept their courtesy?!" Elder Gon retorted, his face scrunched up angrily as he glared at Akhil.
Akhil didn't react to the old man's behaviour.
"You can go ahead and talk with them. We'll wait here."
Gon stood with a stunned look on his face.
'It's not working?' he bit his lower lip.
His stunned look shifted to one of disgust. "You're truly stubborn. You should listen to your elders. Tsk, either way, Aria, Nibo—you two should follow me."
Nibo and Aria exchanged confused glares.
"We should listen to him. If we came to negotiate, we can't stay out here," Aria said.
"I think we should as well," Nibo added, scratching his head.
Akhil frowned at their reply.
"Elder Gon, we're not making any decisions here, and need I remind you... I'm the leader, and you should listen to your leader," Akhil said with a stern voice.
{Title: 'Saviour Of Orcs' in effect.}
Gon felt a subtle ache in his head as he gritted his teeth.
Gon's eyes were filled with rage as he glared at Akhil, but he held his tongue.
"...." He was about to speak, but before he could say anything, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Alright then, we can discuss out here. So, Elder Gon, what deal did you bring for us?" the middle-aged man asked, his sharp gaze locked with Akhil's.
Akhil didn't flinch either.
Something was wrong, and Elder Gon was making it painfully obvious.