CHAPTER 197: CHAPTER 197: THE WOE OF FREEDOM

Chapter 197 – The Woe of Freedom

Rea looked attentively at the description of her evolution quest, her body subtly trembling as she realized the gravity of this quest.

In fact, she reread it again and again in order to see if there was something wrong or if she had missed something...because how was she supposed to bear all those fears, the insecurities, the sorrow and the sins of the prisoners who numbered in the hundreds, just for an evolution quest?

How was it even a Unique quest for an Awakened?

"H-How...how am I going to do it?" Her voice couldn’t help but shudder, showing just how deep the terror ran through her.

Because in this quest, The Will was forcing Rea to face the pain of others instead of shutting down her feelings and acting mechanically like she had started to do with her tasks inside the church.

No...The Will wanted her to feel the pain.

It wanted her to bear every sorrow, drown in every insecurity, collapse under every trauma and sin, and still climb back up stronger.

Maybe broken. Maybe with something inside her completely shattered. Maybe with her mind and even her emotions twisted into something frightening. Maybe she herself would become something entirely different.

Something...unrecognizable.

But still, the end of the evolution quest was always the same: to make the being stronger, to turn you into the one you were supposed to be.

No matter how hideous — internally, externally, or both — you might become after the trial.

So, at the end, Rea would be...woefully better.

Was it worth it?

Rea’s lips curled into a smile. The smile she had learned so well to perform after all those days inside the church.

It was the kind of smile that could make even the greatest king flinch at the sight of it.

After all, it was...

...a smile of sorrow.

"I will do it," she muttered, her eyes hardening even though she was still shaking like a leaf caught in a whirlwind of pain.

But she didn’t care about her fear.

After all, she had a goal to achieve.

And she was ready to gamble everything to achieve it.

Everything.

Even herself.

Yes...even...herself.

As her will strengthened, a small black tear trailed down on her right cheek which she mechanically wiped off, her mind strengthened and readied to face her quest.

...

Fokay — Underground Game of Freedom.

Time had passed since that day when Zaki showed everyone that he was the Sky. It was something that happened in the heat of action, something that was not premeditated.

But that event brought them closer to their goal of freedom — or so they thought.

Their goal was to get more prestige inside the Game, and by having that, their rank would evolve, and so they would be able to gain more information about this underground world that might someday help them escape it.

Because yes, not every player was of the same grade. After all, it would have been unfair to pit Awakened against Intermediates.

The Masters behind the Game wanted something bloody, but entertaining. Sure, it would be fun to throw Awakened against Intermediates and watch them get slaughtered like worthless pigs, but over time, that would grow dull.

So, they divided them.

The rank went from E to A.

Not out of goodwill...but to squeeze more entertainment.

But even rank didn’t fully determine the grade of a person. That would have been too dull.

There were exceptions. People of low rank but exceptional ability. These ones could be accepted to climb higher.

The types like Zaki Caelion and his group.

Blame Fate or whatever you want, but all of them were surprisingly good.

Zaki was already pretty well known. Many might see him as unworthy, but his talent was undeniable.

Tristan, the coward, was the one opponents dreaded most in a one-on-one. A coward through and through, he would always find a way to run, to dodge, to survive. His power was simple — fast reflexes.

Try to kill him, and you would end up cursing while chasing him, never able to land a proper hit.

Saul, the gloomy one, never bothered himself with anything. He only wanted to sleep, and when there was no Game, that was exactly what he did.

You honestly couldn’t convince him to do anything else. Even talking with him was a drag — the man spoke so slowly you could do other things and finish them before he finished a single sentence.

Yes...that slow.

But still, he was strong. His power, ironically, was related to his voice. He could make things slow down with it.

In short...a variation of time manipulation.

Then there was Azad, the bulky middle-aged man, the voice of reason of the group. He always talked about the mysteries of life to the four children.

It might have looked dull or bothersome, but Azad weirdly liked to talk about all of that even though they didn’t fully understand. He hoped they would someday, and that it could be useful to them.

He was just...an old unc trying to impart what little wisdom he had. But his power was the complete opposite of his gentle and caring nature.

Strength enhancement.

And on the battlefield, he was a monster — a man who could make the ground quake with a single step.

And then, Maryam...the only girl, the shy one.

Being the only girl made the other men surprisingly — or maybe not so surprisingly — protective of her. No other group dared to try something with her.

Some of them actually did dare — but with Zaki, always mumbling under his breath that he was strong eerily, Tristan always ready to sneak in and strike before running, Saul ready to make it feel like time itself had stopped with his voice, and the old unc with arms as big as anvils who could slice their heads apart with a single swing like his arms were cleavers...

...well yes, they learned their lesson quickly.

Maryam’s power was the reason they could keep standing, the reason they could keep being reckless.

She was a healer.

And in that hell, a healer was something everyone would kill for.

And now, Zaki and his group had been elevated to C-rank...

But trouble came knocking because of their beautiful and shy elf.

"I-I am sorry!!" Maryam said, her voice guilty, her head lowered, her fingers fidgeting in her lap.

"Hey, it’s not your fault, Maryam. It’s them who want to covet you. That’s something we cannot and will not accept," Zaki said, his voice strong, ready to do anything to protect her.

Maryam’s face flushed red at those words. She lowered her head even further, then raised her hands to cover her face, desperate to hide her embarrassment.

"It’s not the time—"

"Please, Saul, don’t speak. You’re slowing down the conversation. Just nod or write what you want to say, it might be faster." Tristan interrupted mercilessly, his tone mocking.

But that changed when Saul spared him a dark glance with his deep black eyes, causing Tristan to instantly bolt behind Azad, clearly using him as a shield which made the bulky man cackle.

"Hahaha! Let’s focus on the important thing right now, how to deal with Sharky’s group." Azad’s voice turned serious at the end.

"What else can we do?" Zaki shrugged.

"We can only fight at this point. He used his freedom points to force us to fight and bet..." Zaki didn’t finish, but they all understood.

Sharky had forced them into a wager. He had bet Maryam on this match. If they lost, she would be his, whether they liked it or not.

This was the cruelty of freedom points. They could be gained by clearing games or by attracting the attention of the Masters.

And in Sharky’s case, it looked like the second because the number of points he had spent just to take Maryam was staggering. He could not have earned them through victories alone.

And by fighting with Sharky’s group, no matter the results they would be in trouble.

If they win...they would earn the ire of the master behind Sharky, making their already difficult life even worse.

And if they lose...Maryam will be gone. It won’t be a healer, but a companion and a friend and also...their anchor.

As the realization set in, a tense and uncertain silence wrapped around the dark room.

Maryam was shivering, but her face held a faint smile as she looked like at them, as if telling them to not worry about her.

The boys just stayed silent, their shoulders heavy with a sudden pressure.

...they had no choice but to fight.

And by fighting, they would lose in some way or another.

How pitiful.

They had truly...

...no freedom to choose.

All because of some damn freedom points.

How ironic.

—End of Chapter 197—