Iza’s brow never fully unfurled.
Although he had never personally experienced the game world of *Epoch* and knew nothing of its monster compendium, his “experience” with other works allowed him to draw a conclusion based on the characteristics the little boy described.
Nocturnal activity, blood-sucking, and human conversion—the likelihood that the unknown monsters attacking the Lemon territory were “Vampires” was extremely high.
This judgment made his heart feel heavy.
No matter the story setting, “Vampires” were never easy opponents.
They often possessed strength and speed far beyond that of ordinary humans, eerie regenerative abilities, and the most troublesome trait of all—the ability to convert others through blood infection.
What made it even more difficult was that they usually possessed high intelligence rather than being mere beasts acting on instinct.
“Big sister… are you here to save us?” the little boy asked with a sob, interrupting Iza’s thoughts.
Sarah immediately masked the gravity of her expression, her face blooming once again with that infectious, warm smile. She knelt down and gently brushed the boy’s messy hair, her voice soft yet firm.
“Rest easy. We are from the Imperial Magic Academy, and we’ve come specifically to deal with those monsters. As long as we’re here, you won’t be hurt anymore.”
“Then… then big sister, can you save my mommy and daddy?”
A spark of hope ignited in the boy’s eyes, only to be instantly drowned by tears.
“I don’t want them to become monsters… waaaaah…” Sarah’s smile froze slightly.
She knew very little about the methods used to turn humans into monsters, and she was even less certain if healing magic would be effective on “humans” who had already turned.
She couldn’t bear to shatter the child’s hope, so she could only offer a cautious promise. “Regarding your mommy and daddy, I will do my best. We will definitely find a way.”
***
The boy acted as if he had caught a literal lifeline, thanking her repeatedly. “Thank you, big sister! Thank you!”
Their conversation seemed to act as a signal. Small, timid figures who had been hiding behind broken walls and ruins began to peek out cautiously.
The children stared with eyes that looked exceptionally large due to hunger, gazing longingly at Sarah and the group behind her.
“Big sister, we’re hungry too…”
“My daddy was taken by the monsters too…”
“I miss my mommy…”
The fledgling voices rose and fell, filled with sobs that tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.
Sarah hardly hesitated. She immediately gestured for her teammates to take out all the emergency rations and fresh water they were carrying in their bags, distributing them one by one to these skin-and-bone children.
“Don’t worry, everyone. Eat slowly, there’s enough for everyone.”
As Sarah distributed the food, she spoke loudly toward the adult paupers who were silently peeking from the shadows.
“Food is limited, so the children come first. I have already notified the nobles of the neighboring territories. By tomorrow at the latest, more food will arrive! Please, everyone, hang on a little longer!” However, the only response she received was a deathly silence.
Those gazes hidden in the darkness were numb and hollow, carrying a sense of hunger that pierced to the bone—like invisible needles pricking the skin.
They stared deathly at the tiny bits of life-saving food in the children’s hands. The complex emotions in their eyes were beyond words, but there wasn’t a shred of gratitude or understanding to be found.
Watching this scene, the unease in Iza’s heart surged like a tide. He eventually couldn’t hold back and whispered to Sarah.
“Senior Sarah, giving all the food to the children… those adults… I’m afraid…”
Sarah turned her head, her face still carrying lingering pity. She didn’t seem to understand Iza’s concern.
“Iza, don’t worry too much. In a predicament like this, everyone should be helping each other. The adults should understand that the children need this food more. I’ve promised that supplies will arrive tomorrow; they should be able to hold out.”
Iza opened his mouth, but seeing Sarah’s clear eyes—eyes that truly believed in the inherent goodness of humanity—he didn’t know how to explain.
What he knew was the cruel reality: hunger was enough to destroy all civilizations and moral shackles.
In the face of survival, so-called “mutual support” was often as fragile as glass.
The fact that these people hadn’t treated these children as food already meant they were maintaining the last remnants of their humanity.
He even thought darkly that the only reason these adults hadn’t lunged forward to snatch the food was perhaps because they still harbored a final fear of them, the “Lord Magicians.”
But he couldn’t say these things to Sarah.
In fact, he couldn’t say them to any of these noble-born students. In their upright and honorable worldview, the dark side of those struggling at the bottom was too heavy and “filthy.”
Furthermore, the food itself was limited. Saying these things would be meaningless, as it wouldn’t change the current reality of the shortage.
For those who had lived in privileged environments since childhood and were deeply influenced by the spirit of chivalry and nobility, it was difficult to understand the cruelty of surviving at the bottom.
It was even harder to explain the darkness that human nature could display under the drive of hunger and despair.
Sometimes, letting these noble children see the darkness of the lower depths with their own eyes was more impactful than any words.
“Iza, is there anything else you want to say?” Sarah noticed his hesitation.
“…It’s nothing.” Iza eventually just shook his head, suppressing a sigh in his heart. “Let’s go. We should investigate the surrounding area.”
Although Sarah felt Iza was being a bit overly worried, she didn’t think much of it. She turned to the group and gave out assignments.
“Since those monsters only appear at night, we should be relatively safe during the day. If the four academies split up, we can increase our search efficiency. Our Radiant Academy will be responsible for this eastern area. Before sunset, regardless of whether you find anything, you must return here to assemble! Understood?”
“Understood!” everyone responded.
The people from Moonlight Academy, Lemon Academy, and Stin Academy also scattered in different directions under their respective leaders.
Before leaving, Leon’s gaze inadvertently swept over Iza with a hint of subtle scrutiny, but he ultimately followed Rhea in silence.
Iza watched their retreating backs, that vague sense of unease surfacing once again.
Was dispersing their strength in unknown enemy territory really wise?
If the original plot developed this way, perhaps the main character’s party would emerge unscathed?
After all, Leon, the “Child of Destiny,” hadn’t raised any objections either.
As a mere background character who only wanted to “stay safe,” it was probably best for him not to rashly change the course of the plot.
He forcibly suppressed the doubts in his heart and followed Sarah, Luke, and Emma into the ruins of the eastern district of the Lemon territory.
For the next few hours, they traveled through a land of dead silence.
Collapsed houses, charred earth, scattered belongings, and bloodstains that had long since dried and turned black told the silent story of the tragedy that had occurred here.
They carefully checked potential hiding spots, basements, and even the interiors of some relatively well-preserved buildings. However, aside from occasionally startling one or two low-level scavengers, they found no trace of “Vampires.”
It was as if they had completely evaporated with the appearance of the sun, leaving behind only this abandoned city of death.
“Strange, how can there be no clues at all?” Luke scratched his head, looking a bit frustrated.
Emma focused more on the remaining traces. She pointed to deep claw marks on a wall and analyzed, “These marks… they don’t look like they were left by ordinary beasts or Goblins. The edges are very neat, and they carry a… chilling aura.”
Sarah nodded, her expression solemn. “The situation is indeed not simple. These monsters are better at hiding than we imagined. It’s getting late; let’s head back to the assembly point and wait for news from the other academies.”
The sun slowly sank in the west, dyeing the horizon a tragic blood-red and casting an increasingly ominous shadow over the ruins.
The four of them picked up their pace along the path they came, returning to the central square.
However, the closer they got to the assembly point, the stronger the ill omen in Iza’s heart became.
A faint, fishy-sweet scent—different from the dust of the ruins—seemed to permeate the air.
When they finally stepped into the relatively open square that served as their gathering point, the sight before them nearly caused everyone’s blood to freeze instantly!
Empty! Dead silence!
Aside from the four of them from Radiant Academy, the people from the other three academies—Moonlight, Lemon, and Stin—were nowhere to be seen! The appointed assembly time had arrived, yet not a single person had appeared!
But that wasn’t the most heartbreaking part.
The children who had received food from Sarah earlier in the day, their eyes once relit with the spark of life, were now mostly collapsed on the ground, moaning and crying in pain.
Their bodies were covered in shocking injuries—broken foreheads, blood mixed with mud smeared on their faces.
Arms or legs were bent at unnatural angles, clearly broken by brute force; their small bodies were covered in purple bruises and scratch marks.
And the food they had treated as precious treasures in their hands and bosoms had long since vanished.
The adult paupers who had been peeking from the shadows like ghosts were now completely gone as well.
The square was left with only this group of abandoned, harmed children, crying helplessly in the deepening twilight.
“Big sister… waaaaaah…”
“What… what happened?!”
Sarah’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. She lunged toward the boy with the most severe injuries, her voice trembling with shock and rage.
This boy was the very first child who had asked her for help that morning.
Seeing Sarah was like seeing his only hope. Tears gushed out as he used all his strength to cry out. “Those… those adults… they stole our food… they hit us… it hurts… Big sister, it hurts so much…”
Another little girl curled up on the ground, clutching a broken arm, sobbing as she added, “They were like mad dogs… they pounced… they grabbed anything edible… they even hit us… there was even a brother who helped me before… that brother was among them… why did he hit me too…”
The children’s cries, word by word, were like cold awls piercing Sarah’s heart.
Her body trembled violently. Her eyes were filled with unbelievable shock, a towering rage, and a self-blame and regret that nearly drowned her.
She remembered Iza’s hesitant warning; she remembered her “naive” trust. It was she who had personally put the food into the children’s hands, and indirectly, she was the one who had pushed them into this disaster!
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… it’s my fault… I was too foolish…”
Sarah’s voice was choked with sobs. She tightly held the boy’s cold little hand and, together with Emma, frantically channeled healing magic. A soft green light enveloped the injured children, attempting to soothe their pain.
Iza stood where he was, looking at this tragedy, his heart filled with complex emotions.
There was anger toward the perpetrators, sympathy for the children’s plight, and a heavy sense of powerlessness that whispered, “I knew it.”
The dark side of human nature had revealed itself in the most naked and cruel way on these abandoned ruins.
However, the cruelty of fate went far beyond this.
Just as Sarah and Emma were doing their best to treat the injured and Luke was vigilantly scanning the surroundings, a faint, dense sound of friction began to drift from the shadows surrounding the square.
*Rustle… rustle…*
The sound grew closer and clearer.
Luke suddenly raised his staff and barked, “What is that?! Come out!”
In the next moment, under the last light of the setting sun, a hair-raising scene appeared.
From all directions—from broken alleys, the windows of collapsed houses, and from behind mountains of rubble—countless swaying, stiff, and eerie figures emerged like walking corpses crawling out of their graves!
Their numbers were beyond imagination, dense and packed, surrounding the entire square in the blink of an eye!
These “people” wore tattered clothes, their skin presenting a deathly gray hue. Their eyes were hollow and soulless, save for two heart-stopping points of crimson light flickering deep within their pupils.
Their lips were pulled back limply, revealing sharp, ghastly, and filthy fangs. From their throats came meaningless, low growls of “he-he,” hungry for blood.
They didn’t move fast; their movements were stiff yet coordinated. But the collective aura—cold, dead, and full of malice—caused the surrounding temperature to plummet!
“Mon… Monsters! They’re back!” a child with lighter injuries screamed in terror. “Don’t… don’t come over here!”
And even more children, after seeing the faces of the approaching monsters clearly, let out heart-wrenching, desperate wails.
“Daddy! That’s Daddy! Why has he become like this?! Daddy! Look at me!”
“Grandpa! Grandpa! Wake up! It’s your little grandson!”
“Waaaaah…”
Among the monsters emerging from the twilight, having lost all reason and humanity, were many of the children’s closest relatives!
They had long since been drained of their blood and converted into the lowest class of vampires, knowing only slaughter and the thirst for blood!
The moment Sarah saw this crowd, her nerves tightened instantly.
She stood up abruptly, shielding the children behind her.
The guilt and sorrow on her face were instantly replaced by grit and resolve. Elemental power gathered in her hands, her voice becoming icy with extreme rage. “Prepare for battle! Hold the line! Do not let them harm a single child!”
Luke let out a roar as fire elements gathered frantically in his palm.
Emma quickly cast buffing magic on everyone, her face pale yet her gaze steady.
Iza took a deep breath of the cold air, looking at the desperate and cruel scene before him.
On one side were the terrified, helpless children who had lost their loved ones; on the other side were those who were once family, now reduced to monsters.
Indeed, it seemed this game world was much easier to enjoy from the other side of a screen.
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