"I'm not waiting any longer. I'm going to rip the heads off every single one of those bastards!"
Sally stood up furiously, but Omar pulled her back.
"Wait. You're too impulsive. Look more carefully."
Sally could barely bring herself to look at the scene, but Omar insisted. Still disgusted, she began to realize that the women were actually enjoying the "mistreatment." In fact, they were asking for more.
Two men were thrusting their members against one of the women's face, and she seemed aroused as she stuck out her tongue.
"These bitches, huh?"
Vick took a deep breath and lowered her weapon, though she still found the situation extremely strange.
"I kind of knew all sorts of things went on here among these assholes, but this is a bit much, fuck. They could at least find somewhere private."
Vicente spoke while seeming curious about what was happening below, despite what he had just said.
"And where are they supposed to find somewhere private on a floor filled with monsters and without even any cities?"
Vick gave him a sideways look while glancing back at what was happening.
"Scouts are basically mercenaries. They live however they want. They're people who travel through the floors and could die at any moment. There aren't many rules among them. Most of them are returners who never managed to become as strong as the others—the ones known as 'heroes.'"
Omar spoke as though he understood the situation, even while maintaining his cold expression.
"E-even so... doing something like that..."
Sally still could not accept such behavior, but she could not truly understand it either. After all, she had never been in the position of a scout.
"So Natasha lived in the same kind of environment as guys like these? What a warrior, haha."
Vick began eating a fig she had kept inside her small backpack when, suddenly, a cold blade pressed against her neck from behind.
"Don't move, or her head will roll."
Already understanding the situation, Omar took a deep breath and dropped his daggers. But in one swift motion, he spun around, grabbed the man by the neck, and threw himself backward, slamming him into the ground. With his other hand, he tossed the man's dagger aside.
It was one of the scouts.
"To sneak up behind us without us noticing... he's good, Omar. Don't kill him."
Vick stood up and approached the man.
"Y-you're... the Twelve?"
As he looked at Vick, the man recognized the group.
"So you're after whoever opened the portal? Well, I think you're a little late."
After explaining the situation, the scout led the heroes to the camp. Naturally, they had to interrupt what had been going on, leaving many of the men dissatisfied.
There were sixteen people in the camp: eleven men and five women. All of them had appearances reminiscent of Latin Americans. There was only one Asian man, though he had dark skin. Most of them appeared to be between twenty and forty years old.
They all wore similar clothing: thick brown leather garments, reinforced boots, and gloves embedded with magical circuits. They carried daggers or knives. Only one of them carried a large, thick sword, and he appeared to be the leader.
That same man, who had long purple hair, approached the heroes and offered them mead.
"We don't have much, but drink. You must have traveled a long way."
The only one who refused was Sally. Vicente immediately began drinking.
"And why exactly would we be late?"
Omar asked, looking at the man who had previously tried to attack them.
"Didn't you notice? Even before you arrived on this floor, someone had already passed through here and killed several monsters. We found a lot of bones and bodies scattered around."
Omar was surprised to hear that. After all, they had not sensed anyone's presence before. Not even Li-Xeng had said anything.
"It was strange that we didn't find as many monsters as we did on the previous floor. I just thought they weren't stupid enough to face us, but... someone killed them?"
Sally observed her surroundings as she analyzed the situation.
"And who could it have been? The crazy samurai?"
Vicente asked as he picked up the mead Sally had refused.
"No. We would know if it were them. Apparently, they're on the thirty-fourth floor. There wouldn't have been enough time for them to do this and then make it all the way there."
The leader replied while taking another drink.
In the distance, several coyotes howled, producing eerie sounds accompanied by the calls of owls.
"So there's another group of heroes? But both we and you would know about them."
Omar was becoming intrigued.
"Actually, they weren't heroes. But someone defeated the monsters."
"The demons?"
Vick clenched her fists when she noticed one of the men in the camp staring at her lustfully from afar.
"No. The only demons here were the ones on the other side, and I think you went after them."
"But how is that possible!? If it wasn't you, heroes, or demons..."
Sally began to realize something.
"The portals... they're connected."
Omar brought up the possibility Sally had been considering.
"We thought so too. We were investigating it, but we lost the trail. However, one of us—a sorceress—sensed traces of someone around level seventy here, even if only for a short time."
The leader called over a woman who appeared to be around twenty years old. She had short black hair and looked shy and frail, though she wore revealing, short clothing. She approached hesitantly, unsure whether she should say anything.
"You can speak, Karen. They're the group known as the Twelve."
The woman looked at everyone present before turning her gaze toward the group's leader.
"I really did sense... someone. No... there were two people."
"So two people came through a portal, defeated monsters, and then left? And the Central doesn't know about this?"
Vicente began staring at the woman's body as he spoke, making her uncomfortable, but Chamt smiled.
"If you want, you can have some fun with her later. You'll need to sleep here anyway. Let's get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll think about the portal."
"V-Vicente, you piece of shit!"
Sally elbowed Vicente, still shocked by the environment and by how the women could submit themselves to such treatment.
The four of them decided to spend the night at the camp, although they still felt somewhat suspicious of the group of scouts.
Vick and Sally stayed in a tent with the two women who had previously been involved in the "orgy" with the men.
Sally turned pale, unable to gather the courage to start a conversation with them, but Vick tried to break the ice.
"Have you been here for a long time? It must be difficult, being in an environment where most people are men, right?"
With her relaxed manner, Vick tried to connect with the women, who appeared to be between their twenties and thirties. However, they seemed cold and quiet, despite having previously appeared submissive toward the men.
"It doesn't make any difference. We would have had to become scouts anyway."
Sally noticed that the woman who answered—a woman with green hair styled into two braids—seemed uncomfortable.
"The look in her eyes tells me something is wrong. I know scouts can be somewhat rough and cold because of their work, but these women don't seem alive. The fact that they submit to those men like that only proves that they're nothing more than dolls. I bet they threaten them or even beat them, and out of fear of being abandoned or turned into slaves, they obey everything. I'm going to find out!"
Sally stood up and tried to communicate with the women.
"Are you... having any difficulties here?"
"No, none."
This time, it was the other woman who answered—a young redhead with freckles and voluminous hair. Her voice was cold, and her eyes were focused on nothing.
"Then why do you look lifeless, like robots?"
Vick stood up and looked at Sally, trying to make her stop.
"Sally..."
"No, Vick. I'm going to find out. These women are being abused here!"
"So what? Are you going to stay here and help us? Are you going to abandon your group of heroes and all its benefits, become a scout, join our group, and put an end to injustice and oppression? Even if we left this group, they would just send us to another one, and it would probably be worse. At least here, they respect us because they know they can get sex easily. We're treated well as long as we obey. It's no different from the real world. The fact that we act 'without emotion' isn't because of this environment, but have you even looked at the world around you? We're in hell. You people, who were blessed, still hold on to hope and live as if nothing had happened. Weak mortals like us have to accept the world for what it is. Being apathetic is the best way to deal with all of this. What would be the point of being sad and complaining? We do our jobs, we eat, we sleep with those assholes, we get our rewards, and we avoid fighting monsters. That was our choice. I could have tried something at the Central or with the crystals, but I didn't want to. This is better. So don't come at me with your good Samaritan speech."
The red-haired woman looked directly into Sally's eyes as she answered bluntly, without pausing.
Sally was left speechless and became even paler than before.
"Is this... really reality? Was I really only able to see the role of the heroes? There were many returners, but most became scouts or employees of the Central. Only a few continued climbing and fighting, and I thought that was something honorable. But it's the same as the world before the Purge. People have castes. They are discriminated against. Some earn more, others less, and all they have left is to accept reality. But was there really no other way?"
"If you're okay with it, then there's no reason to cause trouble, right?"
Vick smiled and gave Sally a somewhat forceful slap on the shoulder. Sally clenched her teeth but still had nothing to say.
"But tell me something. Do you really know nothing about the portal?"
Vick sat beside the red-haired girl with a smile on her face, though the woman could sense the seriousness in her aura.
"What do you mean?"
"Because I kind of know that everyone here is lying."
Vicente was behind a rock several meters away from the camp, together with the woman who had previously been involved in the scene.
They were having sex, hidden from the others.
After several minutes, they lay down on a small blanket that Vicente had spread out.
The sky was filled with stars, and a dull red moon occupied part of the heavens while a nebula moved behind it.
The weather was cold, but Vicente used one of his abilities to create a pressure field around them, preventing the cold air from entering.
"I think I know you a little better now, Karen."
The man played with the girl's hair as she lay on her back, still naked, staring at the sky.
"No. I don't think anyone will ever truly know me. But tell me what you want."
"Huh? And why do you think I wanted something besides sex?"
"Because you're not someone who only goes after sex."
"Hahaha. It seems like you do know me, after all. Maybe it's because we really are compatriots. I told you we would understand each other."
"If I wanted information, I could have just asked."
"But would you have given it to me?"
"Probably not."
"And now you will?"
"I think your performance was good. And just knowing I didn't have to sleep with those idiots over there already makes me feel better. So go ahead and ask."
"Haha, I like your honesty. But I don't trust you either."
"Then don't ask."
"No, I will anyway. Besides, I have an ability that lets me know when you're lying."
"I know you do."
"Yeah, you people really know everything about us, huh? Haha."
"Stop talking nonsense. What do you want?"
"Tell me what you know about the portal."
"Didn't my boss already tell you?"
"But obviously he didn't tell us everything."
"And why would I?"
"Because you hate those pieces of trash."
"But you're trash too."
"Trash you don't hate."
"Yet."
"But I guarantee I can make sure you don't."
"If it's because of your smooth talk, I've met other guys from Rio just like you."
"My dear, don't compare me to ordinary guys from Rio. I'm one of the Twelve strongest."
"Strength doesn't mean anything. But if you really want to know, I don't know anything about the portal. All I know is that Chamt is hiding something. Four of them went out yesterday, and one of them seemed disturbed by whatever he saw. They probably know where the portal appeared—and maybe even where it came from."
"Well, could you find that out?"
"And why would I?"
"I'll kill them for you. Isn't that a good deal?"
"And where would I go afterward?"
"I'll find a way to get you into the Central. Believe me, I have connections."
"I don't know if I should believe you."
"But you still want me to kill them, don't you?"
"That, I can't deny."
"Then just find out."
"Oh, and there's something else. It's been going around among the scouts. Apparently, there's a traitor—a deserter among the scouts. It seems that this person killed their own group, but the incident was made to look like the monsters were responsible. Apparently, though, their body was never found."
"And who is this person?"
"They still don't know. The information came in fragments, but I know they were on this floor before."
"Natasha? Could it be...?"
Vicente stood up, suddenly looking somewhat anxious.
"What is it? Changed your mind?"
"No. It's just that... I might know someone like that."
"Like what? A scout?"
"Do you know anything else about them? Him or her?"
"You think it's a woman? Maybe it could be. I heard that rumor too..."
"So there's a real chance it's Natasha? Shit, I need to warn the others."
Vicente returned toward the tent, leaving the woman behind. But before entering the tent where he was supposed to sleep, he came across three scouts who were still awake, talking behind another tent.
The young man activated his stealth mode and used an ability that allowed him to remain unnoticed for one minute as long as he did not move.
"We can make a good amount of money. Think about it."
"But if they find out... I heard that redhead is crazy. He could slit our throats..."
"So what the fuck? We'll just give them a few whores if they get offended."
"You think you can solve everything with women?"
"Isn't that how it works?"
"Listen, idiot. Those guys have connections with the Central."
"So what? We'll stay here, and they'll move on to the next floor. Do you think they'll come back just to punish us? And the Central doesn't give a shit about us! In fact, ever since we cut off contact with them, it feels like they've abandoned us."
Vicente watched the conversation between the three men with interest while thinking of a plan.
"Those sons of bitches. They were planning to lie to us and extort us? But why the hell would they think we'd give them money?"
Before Vicente could act, he suddenly felt something strange.
His body began to go numb, and he felt the urge to vomit.
"What the hell is this?"
Vicente's vision became blurred, and he vomited as he fell to his knees, causing his ability to deactivate.
"That bitch..."
When he looked ahead, he saw the three scouts smiling.
One of them picked up a reinforced black club and struck the man on the head, knocking him unconscious.