Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne-Chapter 64: Second group II

"Haa... Haa."

The chest of an evolver heaved with exhaustion; his breath ragged as he stood over the lifeless body of the blue ape.

Glancing around, he saw that he was the last one to finish, but he didn’t mind. His gaze instead lifted toward the trio standing a few meters away, observing the scene with calm expressions.

Especially the man standing in the middle of the trio. Only one word slipped from his lips as he looked at the man: "Monster."

It had been hours since they left the camp, pushing the second group’s limits to elevate their power, and with no deaths. From the general looks of it, it had been another successful run.

A few hours earlier, after Jenny killed the giant octopus, she and the others demonstrated their battle techniques, showcasing their skills against the monsters. The volunteers had looked on, wide-eyed and captivated by the novel sight, right up until the creatures began flooding toward them.

No one could explain why, but the monsters, driven by some unknown force, suddenly combined their numbers and started rushing toward them.

The second group, who had only been watching, panicked, recoiling in terror but Jon and his team stood their ground. It was crazy; Jon even gripped his black rod, its surface thrumming with moon energy and aura as he murmured, "Let’s reduce the numbers a bit."

In one fluid motion, Jon swung his rod, cleaving through the front line of creatures. Cynthia joined in with a devastating dark tornado, while Jenny sent waves of fire roaring through the enemy ranks. They fought with effortless skill, obliterating monsters with every blow.

The second group gaped at the trio, unable to process the raw power before them. Little did they know, the trio was still holding back; they needed to leave at least enough monsters to aid in the evolvers’ training.

BOOM... BOOM.

After the explosions and once the area became clear again, Cynthia broke the silence, snapping the group out of their trance. She activated her hairpin, channeling fresh energy into the base she’d created.

The evolvers suddenly felt fueled with renewed strength and speed.

Jon also spread his bluish mist and halted the movements of the monsters. "Attack." With the final order, they launched themselves into the fight.

Though progress was slow and most of the remains predominantly went to Jon and Cynthia, the evolvers pushed on, beginning to find their footing.

Once each member had gained skill and they all reached an average of level eight, Jon eased his restrictions on the monsters’ movements, allowing them to fight with unrestrained monsters. It was another thing he had learned from his ’Mind World’—now monsters could run around without moving their hands or shutting their mouths as they advanced.

That freedom, though, didn’t eliminate all risk. To minimize the chance of casualties, Jon’s team stayed close, lending support when necessary. It was a careful, calculated strategy that was yielding results.

The progress didn’t last long, however. Just as they seemed to be making headway, two first-realm monsters barreled into view.

Jon’s brow furrowed as he cast a glance toward the trees. This should’ve been the octopus’s territory. He wasn’t frowning because of their strength, but because of the situation.

These were creatures beyond their typical range. But he decided not to dwell on it yet. Instead, Laura and Alexa stepped forward to face them.

The ensuing battle was brutal, pushing both women to the brink. When they finally defeated the monsters, both Laura and Alexa crossed into the first realm.

Jon didn’t have the convenience of congratulating them as he had to watch everywhere closely. Every nerve in his body was on edge whenever he saw Alexa’s blood spatter on the ground. Instinctively, he’d wanted to jump in, but he knew this was their fight. If he interfered, he’d only be robbing them of a hard-won victory. And now, with Laura and Alexa joining the ranks of the first realm, Jon’s group was bolstered with five powerful first-realm evolvers.

With the new first-realm monsters came another wave of enemies. Eager to finish quickly, the trio decided to launch into action.

Jon didn’t move at his top speed, as he wanted to leave some for the evolvers to level up with. He shifted seamlessly from spear to sword to hammer, wielding each weapon with unmatched finesse. His every strike was a testament to efficiency, wasting no energy. He fought like a character from a story—every move precise and devastating. Even Jenny, known for her dazzling skill with creation, couldn’t steal the spotlight from him.

At one point, the monsters even froze in their tracks, though subtly. By day’s end, the group’s average level stood at ten. Though this fell short of the previous group’s progress, it was still a solid accomplishment.

The reason the trio decided to end it faster than usual was due to the first-realm monsters that kept appearing occasionally. They thought it would be like the first part of the forest they passed, but it was turning out to be more dangerous.

Even now, reaching out with his senses, Jon detected faint tremors at the edge of his perception—evidence of powerful first-realm creatures locked in combat.

"Let’s check the monsters for cores before we leave," Jenny instructed.

Though they groaned, they got to work, plunging their hands into the monsters’ remains to retrieve the cores. By the time the boring session of bending and stabbing had finished, some even acquired the stabbing skill. Cynthia looked over their findings and frowned.

"There are fewer cores than yesterday," she noted.

Jon clicked his tongue. "The drop rate has always been low. Nothing we can do about it. Let’s head back."

With everything done except the carcasses, they returned.

...

The camp loomed into view as they approached, and the familiar Julius was at the forefront, beaming as he greeted them.

"Welcome back, Leader Jon!"

"Mhm, good job." He nodded as he passed by him.

When they reached the camp, they found a crowd cheering and shouting for them.

Jon blinked, taken aback by the crowd’s cheers and shouts. People were smiling, clapping him on the back, congratulating their successes, and shouting his name. Then there was Nancy, who stepped forward, bowing slightly.

"Welcome back," she said with her usual expression.

"You..." Cynthia narrowed her eyes as she saw Nancy. Nancy was going to wait for them to ask what was going on before she replied.

"What is happening?" Jon asked.

Nancy, unbothered by Cynthia, simply responded to Jon, "Given yesterday’s success, they came expecting good news."

Jon then exchanged a look with Jenny, who raised an eyebrow at the crowd’s enthusiasm.

"Alright, enough of this," Jon said, raising his voice to address the group. "We have things to do. Call everyone."

...

In the familiar broken conference room,

It was packed with more people present than ever before.

Jon had called everyone involved in their plans and sat before them, quiet tension filling the air. He then started,

"With the general level-up complete, it’s time to move on to the next phase." He looked at the evolvers from the university and the strong ones they’d met in the camp. "Now, as for those we took out twice, it was to get you acquainted with the terrain and the people you’ll be leading."

Then a flicker of surprise passed across the room as they processed the word "leading."

"Yes, those of you who’ve reached a certain level will be given command over smaller squads of evolvers. And these various squads will be given different tasks to undertake."

"These tasks will be based on the camp’s needs. Some of you will be on patrol, others will handle nearby threats, some will protect the scavenger teams, and some will find other survivors out there. Not every squad will be active all the time, so you’ll have moments to rest and personal time in case you want to level up on your own."

"Now, as for benefits," Jon lifted a small book, holding it up for the room to see. The title, ’Basic Application of Mana’, caused a ripple of curious looks to sweep over the gathered evolvers.

"Squad leaders will have access to copies of this. It’s a manual on using mana independently, not just through skills. If you didn’t want to lead before, I think you might change your mind now." He nodded, noting the eagerness on their faces.

"Now, contributing to the camp in any capacity will earn you rewards. Anything that helps—from combat skills to entertainment will be recognized. We are all going through difficult times, and anything that eases the tension will be welcomed."

Jon then turned to Jenny and Cynthia, who shook their heads, signaling they had nothing further to add. Then he dismissed the group, calling Nancy over as everyone filed out.

"Nancy, did you get everything down?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes."

"Okay. With your team, please handle the carcasses, the cores, the orbs, and the book distribution."

"Yes."

"Good. I’ll be gone for a while. Cynthia and Jenny are in charge while I’m away."

Her brow furrowed slightly as she raised her head. "How long will you be gone?"

"I’m not sure. If anything comes up that needs my attention, they will find me," he pointed behind him.

Nancy gave a brisk nod and left, leaving Jon alone with Cynthia and Jenny.

And even with Jenny and Cynthia there, he didn’t say anything to them, and they, too, didn’t speak—just watched him intently, unreadable looks in their eyes.

"What?" he turned back and asked when he sensed their eyes on him.

However, they remained silent, simply watching him.

After a moment, he sighed and looked away.

"I’m heading to the blacksmith’s place," he muttered, almost to himself. "I just wanted to give it a try. If it’s not for me, then I’ll let it go." His voice trailed off toward the end. It seemed he wasn’t talking about the blacksmith anymore.

Turning back to them, he straightened himself, his tone suddenly serious, "I want to build a place where we can live in peace, and unbothered. And... I trust you both."

The two women’s eyes widened at his words.

Without waiting for a response, Jon left the room, his steps echoing down the hallway.