CHAPTER 83: DEAD BODIES

The rich meat from the Behemoths finally pushed Wolfie to break through to level 7—and there was still some meat left.

Harry pondered his options. His soul cultivation was becoming increasingly difficult to improve. The only reason he succeeded in breaking through this time was because these Behemoths held an unusually rich amount of soul energy.

His Qi cultivation was slowly nearing the threshold. Killing another group would definitely push him through. As for his body cultivation, it was progressing steadily and posed no significant hurdle.

Then there was his battle art. The last two battles had given him glimpses—ideas and insights about it. He tried to push his skill to maximum proficiency, but such mastery couldn’t be achieved in just a couple of fights.

Harry sighed and brought the wolf out.

Wolfie was startled by the sudden shift in atmosphere. He had been enjoying a peaceful sleep in the woods, and now he was summoned abruptly again. His golden eyes locked onto Harry.

At least in the past, this human used to ask before calling him out. Nowadays, he always found himself dragged into a fight.

He shot Harry a death glare, as if saying, "Don’t test my patience."

"What? Wanna say something?" Harry chuckled and leapt onto his back. Only then did he notice—Wolfie’s back had grown broader and sturdier. He hadn’t realized it earlier, but the breakthrough had indeed changed the beast’s size.

Wolfie didn’t move. He didn’t have to. Since Harry hadn’t given him a command, he wasn’t obliged to do anything.

"It seems the binding isn’t as strong as I thought... I can still play around" the beast sneered inwardly. So far, he’d been earning the boy’s trust—just enough to sabotage him later.

And it was working. He changed his persona image in Harry’s mind.

When Harry looked at Wolfie now, he no longer saw the cannibalistic beast who had devoured its own family to grow powerful.

"What’re you waiting for?" Harry kicked his leg. His perception may have changed, but his treatment hadn’t. He never felt bad for mistreating Wolfie. He couldn’t remember why he’d done so in the first place—but he believed there was a reason. If his past self made that decision, it must’ve been for something valid.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t remember—it was that he didn’t want to.

They had barely walked a kilometre when they stumbled upon another group.

While Harry was busy farming experience in the mountains, far beyond the volcano, a human settlement was taking root.

Many students worked tirelessly to build a proper stronghold in the heart of a vast and desolate desert.

On every side—north, south, east, west—there was nothing but endless dunes. The hard part wasn’t just surviving, but remembering landmarks.

In the entire desert, sand dunes were the only distinguishable features—and trusting them was a fool’s game. These dunes shifted constantly with the heatwaves.

Sandstorms were common, sweeping through the area multiple times each week.

The scorching heat, coupled with amplified gravity, made survival an tough battle for even the most seasoned cultivators.

To make matters worse, desert beasts lurked like assassins—some hiding beneath the sands, others swooping in from the sky.

Gracie stood on the rooftop of a half-constructed house, massaging her temples as she looked down at a group of students pleading in front of her.

"When did it escalate to this point?" she muttered, clearly annoyed.

When she’d first arrived, she’d barely survived the initial days of high gravity and constant attacks from beasts. But she’d found other students—some with earth-based crafting abilities like mud and stone.

With no end to the desert in sight, they decided to build a small camp just to survive.

In the beginning, only one or two more students joined them. Then it became four. Then eight. Now, Gracie couldn’t even count how many had arrived, or how many were still pouring in.

Things progressed slowly at first, but everything went out of control after she went on a scouting trip to find an exit—exit to this desolate desert.

When she returned, the camp was a mess.

There was no order. Students did as they pleased. Power struggles began. The original members—the ones who had helped build the place—were now getting bullied.

Gracie didn’t bother trying to change it at first. She wasn’t a goddess. She’d suffered enough to understand how the world truly worked.

But everything changed when she saw Tyler getting bullied.

It wasn’t just bullying—it was brutal enough to cripple him permanently. And the worst part? His attackers were all over level 6, while Tyler was barely at level 3.

That was her bottom line.

She remembered the feel of her hands soaked in blood. Still, there was no regret.

After that, everything snowballed.

Gracie even got the chance to test her Soul Eater skills on a variety of desert beasts.

"Haha... it was painful but so satisfying," she thought, shaking her head at the memory.

Fear spread among the students. Some formed coalitions to draft stricter rules. And now here she was—leading them.

Gracie wanted to bash her head against a wall.

"What have I gotten myself into..."

"Listen," she said finally. "First, form a group to ensure the rules are followed. Gareth—you’ll lead them." She pointed toward a ridiculously tall man standing in the back.

"You three, come with me. We need to set up other basic systems as well," she said to the remaining students.

One was Tyler, who stared at her in shock.

Gracie met his gaze with a flat stare, giving no one the chance to argue.

Just as the group was about to leave to discuss further, a student came rushing over—almost levitating from panic.

"We... we found a dead student!" he panted, voice trembling.

"Bury him... and say a nice goodbye," said Sylas, the brute, waving a hand dismissively.

"Death is inevitable. He probably died fighting a beast," Theron, the short one, sighed.

But the panicked student shook his head vigorously.

"No... we found his body inside one of the rooms. And he’s not the only one. Four different corpses were reported—in different parts of the settlement."