Entering Apocalypse in Easy-Mode

Clyde continued carrying out the tasks Maethion had assigned to him for several more days. He worked alone every time, entering Ruins and returning to the Fortress without a team.

With each completed mission, more people began to notice him. The news had spread throughout Sivagadh Fortress.

People talked about the strange young survivor who repeatedly entered dangerous Ruins alone and returned alive. Some of them believed the reports had been exaggerated. Others simply could not understand how someone so young could accomplish what he had done.

There were also those who looked at him with envy, skepticism, or silent hostility.

Whenever Clyde walked through the streets, he could feel their eyes following him.

Some of them stared openly. Others just whispered behind his back. A few quickly looked away whenever Clyde’s gaze happened to pass over them.

Clyde paid none of it any special attention. He had expected this. Strength attracted attention, accomplishments attracted suspicion, and after they had survived the Selection Stage, people in this place had learned not to trust anything they could not understand.

As long as nobody bothered him, Clyde had no reason to care.

—

Inside a large circular chamber, ten members of the new Council sat around a massive stone table.

The chamber had once been filled with far more familiar faces.

Several members of the previous Council had died during the battle months ago. That battle had been the same catastrophe in which Clyde had fought against the army of the Higher Beings.

Some Council members had secretly served as spies within the forces of the Higher Beings. When the corruption began spreading and the battle erupted, many of those spies had been exposed and killed.

Only a handful of the old Council had survived.

Eorgen, the elven leader, Maethion, Vernik, and Galmur.

Eorgen had survived largely because he rarely left the Fortress. Maethion had also remained mostly within its walls. Vernik and Galmur had simply been fortunate enough to survive the chaos.

Now they sat among the newer members of the Council.

Eorgen rested both hands on the table and looked around the chamber.

"This boy, Jack, has proven his worth," he said. "As you have all seen. Does anyone have an objection to make him a fighter?"

The Council members exchanged glances. For several seconds, nobody answered.

Then Galmur raised one large hand. The human was enormous compared to most of the people in the room. A heavy fur mantle covered his shoulders, and his expression remained stern.

"Does nobody find anything strange about this boy?" Galmur asked.

Eorgen looked toward him. "What do you mean?"

Galmur leaned forward slightly.

"This boy survived the Selection Stage in his world and supposedly defeated the Boss there. That was what the people who arrived with him told me."

"You are questioning those new survivors?" Maethion asked.

Galmur’s eyes shifted toward him. "Of course. Shouldn’t we always be careful?"

Maethion’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Galmur was not asking these questions without reason. He had already begun suspecting Jack. Maethion needed to warn him. But none of that appeared on his face. His expression remained calm and neutral.

"That is true," Maethion said quietly. "I suppose we should be careful."

Galmur continued. His gaze moved across the Council. "Then perhaps you also know that he recovered much faster than the other three survivors. This boy isn’t normal."

One of the newer Council members frowned and asked, "Perhaps he’s simply strong. And we need strong people. What’s wrong with that?"

Galmur looked toward him.

"You may be new to this Council. But you should already know about Clyde."

The name alone changed the atmosphere.

Several members stiffened. Even those who had never met Clyde personally knew the name.

Clyde. Once, he had been nothing more than an ordinary survivor.

Then everything had changed.

He had grown so powerful that he became something the Fortress could neither control nor fully understand. He had interfered with the affairs of the Higher Realm and had killed several gods by himself.

To some people, Clyde was a hero. To others, he was a monster. To most of Sivagadh Fortress, he was both respected and feared.

Maethion kept his expression completely still. He could not allow even the slightest reaction to appear.

Galmur continued. "If someone like him has entered our Fortress again, we cannot simply hope that we get lucky a second time."

Eorgen’s expression became serious. "What are you suggesting?"

Galmur leaned back and said, "We control him before he becomes a problem. Assign someone to watch him. Someone who can monitor his movements and report anything suspicious. We cannot allow him to act however he wants.

And if he becomes too difficult to control..." Galmur paused. His eyes hardened. "Then we put him down before he becomes a threat to this Fortress."

Maethion swallowed quietly. Galmur really was a brute. The man had never hesitated to kill anyone who failed to fit his standards. To Galmur, suspicion was enough reason to eliminate someone before that person became a threat.

"I agree," Eorgen said. The elf looked around the circular chamber. "What do the rest of you think?"

The other Council members exchanged glances before gradually voicing their agreement. One after another, they supported Galmur’s proposal.

Maethion remained silent. There was little he could do now. Opposing the decision would only make Galmur more suspicious of him. For the moment, Maethion could only accept the Council’s decision and wait for the right opportunity.

"Good." Eorgen nodded. "Then we will assign a team to him. We accept him as a fighter, place him with a team, and send them on missions together."

Maethion finally spoke with a neutral tone, "I suggest putting him on Samuel’s team."

Several Council members exchanged glances while considering the suggestion.

Eorgen leaned back slightly, thinking about it. After a few moments, he nodded.

"I agree. Samuel’s team should be suitable."

No one objected. The decision was made.

Soon afterward, Eorgen declared the meeting over, and the Council members began leaving the chamber one by one.

Maethion remained behind for a moment. He watched Galmur leave.

The large human immediately walked briskly, no doubt headed somewhere without speaking to anyone.

Maethion narrowed his eyes. There was little doubt about what Galmur intended to do. He would probably seek out someone willing to cooperate with him. Perhaps one of the members of Samuel’s team. Or perhaps Samuel himself.

But Maethion’s worry eased slightly at that thought.

Samuel had been part of the same team as Clyde before Clyde’s death and subsequent rebirth.

Maethion quietly exhaled. He turned and left the chamber as well.

—

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