Evan Kyle's father, Rock Kyle, is a homeguard of the settlement, while their enemies are the hunters and monsters that roam the darkness.

As mentioned before, all human settlements are built underground, and due to repeated migrations, the excavation of new settlements, and the development of mining areas, the current underground environment is no different from a maze.

The settlement has multiple exits, making it a complex network. This means that some branches of certain passages may lead to the surface or to the ruins of settlements that were wiped out.

These places are haunted by monsters corrupted and tainted by darkness, the Dark Devourer.

Peros's darkness not only robs humans of the light they need, but the dark environment also carries a kind of energy that is harmful to humans, corroding the corpses of beasts and humans, turning them into monsters that crave killing and blood.

For this reason, all the dead in the settlement are cremated, and must be buried within seven days of death.

These Dark Erosion Beasts are attracted by human presence and light; no one knows which exit a monster might suddenly invade.

In this situation, the existence of home guardians becomes very important. They can exercise their bodies, train their combat skills, and absorb the energy of the light illuminating the environment, thus achieving extraordinary abilities.

With this series of enhancements, warriors like Rock Kyle can easily kill some weaker Dark Eclipse Beasts one-on-one.

These people would not stay at the passage indefinitely, but would be divided into two or three groups to take turns on guard duty, with each shift lasting three to four days. If the enemy attack was intense, they would call on other groups of guards to fight together.

Every settlement will, when conditions permit, train as many home guards as possible.

Families with home guards receive a higher food ration.

After all, if a few Dark Erosion Beasts accidentally slip through and break into the settlement, untrained or weak civilians will become the monsters' prey.

Consuming a little more food is much more worthwhile than an accident taking away a large number of people.

At this point, some people might ask, if the passage is so dangerous, why not just close it off normally?

If the soil and rocks are too thin, they won't be able to block the Dark Erosion Beast's sense of smell and life force; if they are too thick, the passage will be no different from a dead end.

The exploration teams go out very frequently, and no one knows when they will return or whether they will be able to return at all. Blocking the cave entrance could cause the team to get lost.

Human settlements interacted relatively frequently. Some settlements lacked mineral resources and needed to trade with other settlements that were rich in minerals but had poor soil and insufficient food.

Closing off a passage is usually done when a settlement is almost at its end, the able-bodied population is in danger, and there is no way to protect the settlement.

Completely isolate themselves from the outside world, endure for a period of time, and wait until the young people become warriors.

If supplies become scarce during this process, one can only endure it and struggle to survive.

"But no matter what, Evan, we're all trying to live."

Survival is the most basic desire; as long as we have a breath left, we should not give up the struggle.

No one knows whether tomorrow or death will come first, but just as no one knows whether tomorrow or hope will come first.

In Perospero's world, humanity, completely enveloped in despair, can only find the courage and motivation to survive in this suffocating world by taking that uncertain hope as a beacon.

Light will descend upon this world, carrying with them illusory wishes, serving as a guide in the endless night.

"Hope?"