CHAPTER 86: NO MORE NEGOTIATION

{Ding}

{Scenario complete}

{+10,000 MUT coins}

{Your people have showed great devotion to you!}

Even with the notification from the system, Akhil remained where he lay, deeply unsettled by the voice he had heard. The strange presence. His mind was swirling with questions.

’Who was that? No— what was that?’ Akhil wondered, looking at his hands as though searching for the origin of the terrifying voice.

Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward the crowd. Everyone stared at him with wide, relieved eyes. He then looked at Seth, whose sliced hand was pale white, his breath shallow, leaning heavily on Aria, whose gaze was still locked on Akhil.

His eyes met hers, and for a moment, they simply looked at each other. A small smile finally formed across his face.

"Took you guys a long time," Akhil said with a touch of amusement.

"Idiot," Aria muttered, immediately averting her gaze, but a single drop of tear leaked from her eye. "Why did you have to go fight alone?"

Akhil chuckled at her feigned annoyance. "I’m sorry, I was pissed."

Akhil looked back at Seth, seeing his blood-covered hand. "What happened to him?"

"We should be the one asking you that," Langdon’s voice cut in from the side as he walked into view.

Akhil’s brows knitted slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Langdon let out a heavy sigh, then went on to explain everything that had transpired while Akhil was unconscious: the scenario, the failure of the loyalty test, and the near-fatal blood drain on Seth.

Hearing the entire explanation, Akhil quickly pieced together a better understanding of the mechanics.

’So that was why it took so much time? For a moment, I honestly thought they wanted me dead,’ Akhil’s mind drifted back to the Waiting Lobby, recalling how anxious he had been watching the time dwindle. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, his heart kept leaping with every second that passed.

’Thankfully, I didn’t die in there.’ Akhil sighed internally as he glanced back at Seth with a wave of gratitude. ’The blood... It must have been his.’ Akhil felt a sharp tinge of guilt seeing Seth’s blood-painted palm.

"I’m sorry for what happened," he apologized, offering a wry smile.

Seth let out a weak chuckle. "It’s nothing, boss!" He feebly raised a thumbs-up gesture toward Akhil.

{Player Noir_X has Obtained the title: King’s Dearest}

{The dying king has been saved, his followers have proved their loyalty and admiration. The king is pleased.}

{Title Effect: This title allows the user to make one request of the king.}

{+10,000 MUT Coins}

Seth smiled, still weak but thoroughly pleased, as he looked at the rewards.

"Now that we’ve dealt with that problem... Where do we stay for the night? The entire settlement has been destroyed," Ryan chipped in, dragging their attention back to the desolate camp.

All the makeshift tents had been ruined. Nothing habitable was left in the entire settlement.

"That’s right, we have to do something about that," Akhil looked around thoughtfully.

"Oh, that’s why I brought these along," Langdon’s voice caught their attention.

They all looked at the multitude of bots that had remained perfectly immobile since they arrived.

With Langdon’s command, all the bots instantly sprang into action.

They moved uniformly, separating themselves into groups. Some headed straight into the nearby forest to chop down trees, their mechanical blade hands moving with electronic proficiency.

While some of the bots quickly harvested the wood, others dug through the earth with awe-inspiring speed. The drones flew high above the camp, surveying the land and marking precise layouts across the ground, ensuring adequate spacing between each future building. Seeing this coordinated scene, everyone was once again left in awe by Langdon’s powerful ability.

The chopped wood was instantly carried to the Hammer and Nailing bots, which then began assembling the house frames one by one.

Watching the bots in action was like observing a reality TV show featuring professional wildlife builders; everyone watched the scene with deep interest.

Soon enough, some of the orcs went in to help the bots with the task, as the sheer scale of the destruction required more speed than the bots’ limited numbers could provide.

’I still have no idea just how strong he is... He has never fought anyone,’ Akhil thought, staring at the two specialized bots that always stood by Langdon’s side.

"You said you can only control a few at a time?" Akhil asked, looking at Langdon. "How many?"

Akhil’s direct question quickly jolted Langdon out of his contemplation. He winced slightly. "Oh, I can control at least five at a time. These ones were programmed for this specific task before I even brought them here."

"Five at a time, huh? That’s impressive. I’m really grateful for the help." Akhil threw his gaze back at the tireless bots.

This time, Langdon was the one who called his attention back. "I came here to discuss the human-orc association going forward... We have to arrange everything so we don’t have any events like this happening again."

Akhil kept his gaze on the settlement for a while longer, appearing deep in thought before he spoke.

"We’ve been lenient with the humans for quite some time. And because of that, we orcs have been treated unfairly. I am not saying that I no longer desire peace with the humans, but I want to issue a warning...."

Akhil paused, his eyes narrowing toward Langdon.

"We won’t hold back anymore. Any aggression toward us, or any unfair treatment, will be returned tenfold."

Ryan, Aria, and Nibo, who stood silently by his side, all nodded in immediate acknowledgement of his authority.

Langdon could only offer a wry smile at his words. "You do know that it’s the Titan of Discord pioneering all these events. A full-blown fight between humans and orcs would be just enough to give him the strength he needs to fully manifest."

"In that case," Akhil countered, his voice steady, "I don’t think avoiding the conflict is the best strategy. Besides, the earlier the Titan appears, the easier it will be to end this once and for all. And if I’m not wrong, there is only one Titan of Discord. And for him to attain full power, he’ll need to...."