I sighed, and subconsciously took out a fragment of magic stone, tossed it into my mouth, and chewed it slowly.
Although the total amount of magic consumed in the experiment just now was not much, it was still a way to relax.
"Let's continue to accumulate experience."
Assistance systems are indeed things that make people subconsciously want to rely on.
Reconnecting to the [Simulated Law Ring], the familiar darkness unfolded before my eyes once more.
Having already experienced it once, I was no longer surprised. Instead, I slowly opened my eyes as if nothing was different from usual and carefully looked around with my peripheral vision.
Before me was a hall with a cold color scheme, where a few scattered people were gathered.
Under the bright lights, at least a dozen middle-aged men gathered in the center of the hall, doing something that occasionally broke into noisy laughter. Only a few slightly frail-looking young men stood aside with wary eyes, while the majority of the women were scattered in the slightly darker corners around the hall, either glancing warily at the group from time to time, sobbing softly, or casting pitying glances in their direction.
I scanned the ground nearby and was able to spot traces of blood that had been wiped away in several inconspicuous corners. The entrance and exit, which were obscured by pillars at the far end, were sealed off by the fallen iron-gray gate.
It's like a vast, empty, and enclosed room.
Having memorized the layout of the lobby that I could confirm, I turned my attention back to myself. I could feel that I was sitting on a hard, cold chair, with a slightly heavy, soft object pressing against my left shoulder.
"...Brother Uriel, you're awake?"
The weight pressing down on his shoulders disappeared. Turning his head, he saw Sheng, who had deliberately lowered the brim of his hat, quietly getting up and asking in a low voice.
I nodded calmly, observing his reaction.
The memory of the previous disconnection was that before entering the opened gate, the figure of the shifty-eyed man who was only glimpsed was also confirmed to be on the outer edge of the gathered crowd.
As for how I entered the safe zone, who I talked to, whether anything noteworthy happened, and why I was resting so close to Sheng, it's like a film reel with the middle parts cut out and the two ends glued back together—I have absolutely no recollection of it.
But Sheng's next words gave me a vague idea of what was going on: "Thank goodness, I'm glad you're alright. I was worried that you would clash with the local bullies who had taken over the station, but thankfully you immediately said you needed to rest, which prevented a fight from breaking out."
"However, their leader said he wants to see you later, Brother Uriel, you mustn't be too impulsive!"
"Do you know who their leader is?" I asked, lowering my voice as well.
Sheng nodded: "Although I don't know why he's here... he's a big guy with a scar on his face, wearing a floral shirt. He's also the first elite character to appear in the game, someone you can choose to ally with or kill. I don't know his exact name, but most people here call him [Tiger Brother]."
As he finished speaking, similar to what had happened before, a bright blue interface appeared before my eyes once again:
[Information on known characters who have appeared in the story is displayed.]
Codename: Tiger
Age: 27
[Personal Trait: Brutal Dictator]
[Ability Attributes: Stamina lv8, Strength lv9, Agility lv6, Magic lv1]
[Equipment: Bloodstained baseball bat (damaged)]
High endurance and high attack... No matter how you look at it, this is a troublesome opponent. Although there's a huge difference in magic power, their agility is almost the same. As for the words displayed on their personal attributes, it further indicates that they are capricious and prone to violence.
If you choose to be hostile, you must be prepared for the possibility of being injured or even killed.
“We’d better keep quiet for now.” Sheng’s words confirmed what I had seen. “Although he’s annoying, that guy’s abilities are very troublesome, and he’s always surrounded by a bunch of annoying henchmen. In the early stages, almost no one can defeat him and his gang of henchmen without taking any damage… unless the protagonist appears.”
“But the protagonist you mentioned seems to have gone in a different direction,” I reminded him.
Sheng nodded dejectedly: "Yes... so we might be suppressed by these nasty guys for a while, at least until the second scene begins."
"What did those guys do? What was the scene like? And you haven't even told me the protagonist's codename yet."
He first glanced up to make sure the boisterous group wasn't paying attention to him before casually approaching and whispering in an even softer voice: "In the setting, those guys are typical toxic scum in society, the rat droppings in a garbage dump. And Tiger has always been their leader."
"They were people who did all sorts of evil except murder, and now that the world has become like this, it's like a paradise for them where even the taboo of murder has been lifted."
"In the early stages, most people had low attribute values, but they suddenly transformed into a powerful team. At this point, we had no choice but to cooperate with them. They were too powerful, and everyone was afraid of being thrown out as bait to lure away the giant rats. Although some people took the initiative to fawn over them, most of them had no choice but to swallow their anger and agree to their repeated excessive requests."
I nodded to show that I understood.
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