CHAPTER 215: THE GUILTY SAVIOR

There were a few not-so-bright people actively participating in the discussions, so why should he hold his ideas back?

At the very least, he wouldn’t suggest painting themselves purple with natural dyes from berries, powders, and fungi, and pretend to be the fellkin.

"Hit them with their own tactics and slaughter them all!" the man said.

Hal couldn’t help but be amazed at the older guy for even having the guts to suggest his plan.

It was creative and fresh, for sure, but effective?

Eugh.

Hal’s mind was stirred by the discussions, and a few ideas were forming in his head.

The main problem was that they couldn’t head east, but they couldn’t stay inside the cave, either, as they didn’t have enough logistical supplies to do so.

They didn’t even have enough water to drink!

Rehydration was one of the bigger problems, as the older men believed they would have to engage the enemy one way or another and break through for there to be a chance to return to the empire, but how could they win when they’re hungry and thirsty?

The resources the Thirteenth Regiment had were about to run out, and they were banking on the Fourteenth’s resources to make it through and gather more, but as it turned out, Emmanuel and his men had nothing.

They managed to recover a great deal of energy after a decently lengthy sleep, but they would inevitably be weaker on parched throats and growling stomachs.

They had to recuperate first and that was exactly what Cedar and the others were stuck with.

Emmanuel firmly advised against heading back to the tunnel’s entrance to procure food and water, insisting it was ’too dangerous.’

However, Rowan stood his ground, arguing that the entrance had been sealed from the side they came from.

While it could be reopened, doing so might possibly force them to fight a waiting Fell horde while they were on empty tanks.

They only needed enough resources to rehydrate once more after the meager, rationed final meal and drink their current supplies could provide, in order to be ready for battle.

The Zephyr Battalion officers believed it was safer to gather those resources from the other side.

They were only three hours away from the other entrance, anyway, so it would be faster to gather food and water there than to go back to the entrance the Thirteenth Regiment entered from.

Fire was no issue, and Fell Beast meat was edible.

The only difficult find for them would be a water source.

Hal’s brows, meanwhile, were raised.

The problem was a one-time supply of food and water?

"I...have a suggestion," he suddenly chimed in.

This was the first time Hal dared to voice his ideas, so he was able to capture everyone’s attention.

"We’re all ears, Sir Hal," nodded Cedar, with the others following suit in audible agreement.

"If the problem is a one-time supply of food and water for everyone, then I believe I can provide it, but..."

Everyone’s brows raised at his words, slightly dumbfounded.

Their brains didn’t even register the "but" and the pause.

"Y-You can procure food for around a thousand-six hundred soldiers? H-How, Sir Hal? Please enlighten us!" the middle-aged man who suggested the crazy purple dye tactic asked, clearly confused but hopeful.

At the very least, he didn’t seem disbelieving or mocking of Hal’s seemingly impossible suggestion.

He was simply as straightforward as one could be.

"Well...everyone has secrets, and mine is unfortunately highly confidential and cannot be shared. Let’s just say I came prepared." Hal scratched his head awkwardly, turning around for a moment and purchasing something from the Chaos Shop for ten Chaos Points, before facing the older men again with a packed meal in his hands.

In his hands was a generous serving of steamed rice, roasted chicken, and vegetables, leaving even Cedar wide-eyed in utter shock and disbelief.

"W-W-Where did you get that, Sir Hal?!" asked Camille, another of Zephyron’s cohort members, unable to resist gulping at the sight of the hearty meal.

"Uhh...sorry, I can’t tell you, but what I can say is that the more cores, beast parts, or unused artifacts you guys can give me, the more meals and drinks I can procure for everyone.

Cedar and the others fell silent, their hearts racing.

This!!

This was exactly what they needed, a way to procure food and drinks without risking what remained of their forces!

Fell cores? Didn’t they have a lot of those?

"D-Does Fell Cores work, Sir Hal?!" enthusiastically asked Emmanuel, who pulled one out from his utility-type artifact, a spatial bag.

It was a Fell Core from a B-ranked Fell Beast they’d slain.

"Let me try."

Hal grabbed the core from the older man’s hands and turned around to hide what he was about to do, snapping his fingers to open the system.

He then navigated to the Chaos Converter and placed the Fell Core in the holographic interface slot.

[Would you like to convert [Fell Core (B)] to Chaos Points? Y/N]

[Y]

[[Fell Core (B)] has been converted! You’ve earned 300 Chaos Points!]

Hal trembled at the notification.

A single B-ranked Fell Core gave him 300 points?! That was enough for fifteen sets of meals and drinks!

’Phew... calm down, Hal...’ He took a deep breath, telling himself, ’You can choose to profit here, but let’s be a bit conscientious... the lives of the soldiers are the priority.’

But of course, this didn’t mean he wouldn’t choose to take advantage of the situation at all.

It was just that he would take advantage of it less.

He already had a lot of points—a little over 60,000—resting in the system, anyway.

He could choose to be more lenient, especially in this dire situation.

Why not help others out whenever he could?

Turning around, he smiled.

"It worked, Sir Emmanuel. A (B)-ranked Fell Core can be converted to twelve sets of meals and drinks. Lower-ranked cores would work as well, but the conversion rates would be lower."

Cedar and the others laughed and celebrated at his words, a few of them clenching their fists and raising them high in the air.

Hal already felt a bit guilty cheating them out of three sets, so he didn’t expect them to still be so delighted.

"Hahahaha! Sir Hal, if we manage to return alive, I’ll sing your highest praises to the leaders of the Imperial Wizard Army!"