The Place Where Everything Begins

"What are you saying? They are elderlies and children!!"

Before Mitchell could even finish his speech, someone's sharp and loud voice interrupted him.

That certain someone was actually the one and only nurse within this chamber, Karina.

Again, before Mitchell could reply and pacify Karina's outburst, someone snatched the chance of speaking from him,

"Miss nurse, you are the one who talks? Hng! You also haven't fought so far; do you even realize that? Or am I wrong here? Why don't you take a look at everyone's face and see which side they will choose?"

Claire, the woman in her late 40s, said sarcastically towards Karina as she felt Karina also had it relatively easy, like the elderlies and children.

Of course, as one of the people who had been ostracized before, Claire didn't appreciate the notion that Karina did nothing but only staying near the ward for even one bit.

Thus, this was another chance for her to take some more 'revenge' from those people whom had done nothing.

Upon hearing such words, Karina promptly turned her head to look at other people... only to see that it was indeed as Claire had said.

The majority of them had already taken sides by now as their faces were clearly written with the word 'guilt', whereas some of them even intuitively avoided eye contact with Karina as though it would amplify their guilt if they looked at her in the eye...

As a result, Karina could only open and close her mouth a few times before choosing not to speak any further, as she really didn't have anything to argue the woman's reasoning.

"Hmph!!"

At last, Karina could only harrumph strongly at Claire and everyone else's attitude.

When other people had heard Claire's words, the thoughts about pressuring Karina to fight also crossed their minds, but they soon dismissed those thoughts.

Well, if Karina somehow fought and died, who would tend their wounds then?

"Alright, alright. That's enough. Please let me finish first before expressing your opinions."

After seeing the two bickering and everyone's guilty expressions, Mitchell decided to intervene as he also hadn't finished his piece yet.

"Earlier, I had suggested that they also fight alongside us, but I didn't mean to let them fight in the frontline."

When Mitchell spoke to this part, he paused a bit for the people to digest the information before continuing,

"Think carefully... Even though we somehow let them fight at the 'frontline', what could they even do except become a nuisance for everyone else? Look at their frail bodies... Due to their physical disadvantages, they could only become prey to those monsters... Am I right?"

Upon seeing many people reluctantly nodding their heads in approval, Mitchell proceeded on,

"That's why I would like to suggest that we let them fight from the second line, which is to hold crossbows and fire arrows at the goblins, imps, and wolves. Or they can also use long poles and spears to attack from behind the frontline."

"What do you guys think?"

When Mitchell finished his speech, everyone's eyes lit up with the sudden realization, causing the area to be filled with murmuring sounds from the crowd of people again. It looked like they were discussing about Mitchell's proposal seriously, as it didn't sound that bad at all.

According to Mitchell's words, everyone would win...

They, the combatant people, would receive more fighting force to battle with the monsters...

The elderlies and kids would also get to do something that really increased everyone's survival chances...

Wasn't that a win-win then?

In the end, elderlies and children were not suitable to fight in close combat; they could only fight from some distance away at most.

Meanwhile, those people in question could only stand with their heads down pitifully, for they had never fought before in the past seven waves. How could they suddenly hold weapons to fight against monsters?

Even though it was a win-win... How could those people who had always stayed in the recuperating area suddenly had the courage to hold weapons out to fight?

But they didn't have any choice, did they?

They were chained and caged in this tutorial chamber with everyone else...

If they didn't do it, other people might use even more harsh measures against them...

Thus, they could only endure and harden themselves...

Unbeknownst to the combatant people right now, their mindsets started being molded and changed bit by bit by the environment they were staying in, which was obviously the tutorial.

If they were still on Earth, the thought about having older people of more than 60 years old and kids of a bit more than 12 years old holding weapons to fight in the frontline would rarely cross through their minds.

However, their thoughts started changing with each passing second of staying inside this cursed chamber, with each passing death of their comrades, and with each passing wave of monsters coming to take their lives...

For that was one of the purposes of the tutorials in the first place...

That purpose was simply 'Adaptation'.

The System wanted Earthlings and every other race that would be living on Ortus adapted to the current concept of 'weakness is a sin'.

Just like this situation, where the weak didn't even dare to voice out their opinions. Only those in power who held weapons in their hands, only those that were murmuring to one another without caring about those weak people's feelings that had the real power in their hands.

Shortly after, 'everyone' agreed to Mitchell's proposal of letting the elderlies and kids use crossbows and long poles to fight from the backline.

Everyone that meant 'everyone else' except for the elderlies and kids themselves, as they didn't even have the courage to refuse and fight back the pressure from the crowd.

Just like that, the elderlies and kids, a total of six people, would be fighting together with every other combatant starting with the next horde.

Well, before that could happen, they should be trained first, right?

And the lucky trainers who got the short-end of the stick were none other than Eddie and Lucas.

As Eddie knew how to handle a bow and crossbow very well, and Lucas always used a spear as his weapon since the second wave of monsters, so it had been decided that the two would have to teach the soon-to-be six combatants.

That meant the only people who didn't have to fight were those five badly injured people and one nurse...

That also made the number of combatants shot up from 20 people to 26 people in a blink of an eye, albeit the addition of six people were only elderlies and kids.

Still, the more, the better...

Unsurprisingly...

All these dramas happening till now were double-handedly caused by Mitchell and Eddie for the sole reason of increasing everyone's and their own survival chances.

The hypocrite and the bigot could only utilize such a lowly method if they wanted to survive this hellish ordeal...

They had long abandoned their old lifestyles and mindsets from Earth ever since they decided to deal with the troublemaker and murderer, Benjamin...

Putting all those things aside, it looked like everyone forgot about a certain someone's existence entirely...