Silence hung among the members of the team. Only Crowler, John, and Clark spoke quietly about the next course of action.
But everyone could hear them clearly.
"How many evil gods did you manage to see?" Crowler asked.
John, who had led the team that found the hostages, answered in a low voice:
"I'd say around a dozen. I didn't sense any at 7 stars, but there were at least two at 6 stars.
And they were probably evil gods already catalogued by the village. Clark and I checked, and they're known as the Twin Serpent Gods. They've been involved in several attacks on humans."
Evil gods were those with distinctive traits, capable of being catalogued by level or recognizable abilities.
However, the records claimed the two were at 7 stars, yet John had only sensed a 6-star aura.
"Are you sure it was really them?" Crowler asked.
"At least a 70% chance. While talking, Clark and I theorized they might have been injured by the village leader's attack, and that's why they captured the humans. Maybe they intend to devour them."
As soon as he said that, everyone couldn't help but sigh in anger. Evil gods were truly detestable—devouring humans to recover their strength.
While they sank into thoughts of vengeance and hatred, their leader Crowler seemed to reflect for a few seconds before responding:
"As your leader, I believe we should fight and kill the evil gods. What do you all think?"
Silence lingered for a few moments, heavy in the air, until a voice finally sounded.
It belonged to none other than Dante.
"What are the chances of success? And would we be entering a situation of extremely high risk?" he asked, surprising everyone, since he never seemed to care about his own safety.
But Dante had Viviane waiting for him at home. Even if he acted recklessly when it came to demonic beasts, evil gods were a different matter—and everyone quickly understood that.
Crowler, hearing Dante's question, looked at the brothers before answering truthfully:
"To be honest, the risk is high. We have the advantage in numbers and cultivation, but evil gods aren't like beasts. They think, they set traps, and there's definitely a chance we could lose.
However, if we free the hostages, we'll gain a clear advantage. I wouldn't say we're guaranteed to win, but it's easy to imagine that even in defeat, we wouldn't escape unscathed.
Still, once we act—if we succeed—we must return to the Base as fast as possible. We'll likely draw the attention of higher-level evil gods, and we'll need to hold out until reinforcements arrive."
Everyone fell into thought, torn between fear and courage.
If they were the ones taken hostage—nothing more than stored food for the enemy—they would want to be rescued. But fear still spoke loudly.
They could be next, and that terrified them.
Silence reigned. Only the faint sound of wind brushing the treetops could be heard—for in the quarry, only small gusts managed to reach.
The one who broke the silence was Arthur:
"Captain, if you go, I'll go."
He seemed inspired for some reason. His eyes shone with determination.
"Me too," Ivy said—which was expected. She and Arthur were dating, so it was unlikely she'd let him go alone.
The silence that once dominated the group seemed to shatter under this sudden spark of resolve. One by one, the others began to support the idea.
Perhaps fear wasn't enough to pull them away from the human ideal—where companionship, empathy, and solidarity formed the foundation.
Even before the enemy, humans persisted—not only because of the strength defending them, but because they refused to abandon what made them human.
And that ignited a flame in everyone's hearts.
"I'll go, Captain!"
"Count me in!"
"If everyone's going, how could I stay behind?!"
Their emotions were almost tangible. Saving the hostages had always been the right choice in their minds from the beginning.
They just needed someone to take the first step. In the end, being human wasn't about the past, but about the choices made from here on out.
"You make me proud. I'm honored to have been chosen as the leader of this team," Crowler said. "And mark my words—if it's up to me, we'll all return with honor.
For now, everyone rest. We'll plan how and when we'll rescue the hostages. Until then, prepare yourselves mentally and physically. Keep your talismans ready."
Crowler, John, and Clark walked away, still talking, while the rest of the team went to rest.
In their improvised resting spot, some lay down, others sat—but all had the same thought: the battle against the evil gods.
Dante and Cylan were talking about hunting. Cylan pointed out things he thought Dante still lacked, and Dante did the same.
They exchanged experiences, and since Cylan had far more, Dante listened with genuine interest—until Cylan suddenly changed the subject:
"Everyone seems tense, don't they?"
"Yes, but that was expected," Dante replied, as if it were something completely trivial.
"May the heavens be on our side," Cylan concluded