Chapter 513: Old Woman, Savior

Chapter 513: Chapter 513: Old Woman, Savior

Towering Walls, a dense array of watchtowers, and even mounted firearms were visible along the top.

In a world overrun by monsters, a place like this was an oasis in the desert.

He thought of the instance mission.

Save one hundred Native People.

Sean Chandler didn’t hesitate, striding in that direction.

He had only taken three steps.

When he stopped in his tracks.

He felt a gaze on him.

The feeling of being watched was like an invisible needle pressing into his back.

Sean Chandler’s muscles tensed instantly. His Beastification Ability surged within him, ready to erupt at a moment’s notice.

"Outsider, halt."

An aged female voice came from ahead. It wasn’t loud, yet it reached his ears with perfect clarity.

Sean Chandler stopped and looked up.

An old woman emerged slowly from the shadows of the Shelter’s entrance.

She appeared to be at least seventy, her hair a full silver mane and her face etched with the ravines of time. But her eyes were unnaturally bright, like two pieces of obsidian polished by the ages.

She wore a coarse, faded robe and held a wooden staff taller than she was in her right hand.

A fist-sized Blue Crystal Stone was embedded in the top of the staff, glowing faintly.

Behind her, a crowd of people suddenly poured out.

Men and women, old and young—a group of twenty or thirty in all.

At the forefront were a dozen or so armed individuals.

Some carried old but well-maintained rifles, others wielded machetes and spears, and one burly man had a homemade rocket launcher resting on his shoulder.

They stared at Sean Chandler, their eyes filled with suspicion and hostility.

The atmosphere instantly grew taut with tension.

Sean Chandler stood his ground, immobile.

He knew that any sudden movement could provoke a conflict.

A middle-aged man in a bandana stepped out from the crowd. He sized Sean Chandler up with a grim expression before leaning in to whisper to the old woman.

"Elder, this man came from the Demonic Zone. Look at the blood on him, and that Demonic Beast he killed. Anyone who can survive in the Demonic Zone is trouble. He might have undergone Demonization himself.

We can’t let him near our Shelter. The best thing to do... is to get rid of him right now."

Though he spoke in a low voice, everyone present could hear him.

As his words faded, the men with guns tightened their fingers on the triggers, and those with blades gripped their hilts.

They were just waiting for the old woman to give the word, and they would strike.

Sean Chandler remained motionless.

But his gaze was fixed on the old woman’s face.

The old woman said nothing.

She simply stared at Sean Chandler, her bright eyes seeming to hold something deep and unfathomable.

She stared at Sean Chandler for a very long time—so long that the man in the bandana behind her couldn’t stop himself from speaking again.

"Elder!"

The old woman suddenly raised a hand, silencing him.

Then, she spoke.

And her words shocked everyone present into silence.

"Our world..."

The old woman’s voice was ancient yet clear, each word seemingly forced from the depths of her chest.

"...can finally be saved."

’What?’

The man in the bandana stared, wide-eyed, thinking he must have misheard.

The armed men froze, their wary expressions replaced by disbelief.

One person even rubbed their ears, wondering if they were hallucinating.

"Elder, you... what did you say?" the man in the bandana stammered.

The old woman ignored him, her gaze still fixed on Sean Chandler.

A faint shimmer of tears welled up in her ancient eyes.

"Young man," she began, her voice trembling slightly. "You... you’re a Player, aren’t you?"

Sean Chandler’s pupils constricted slightly.

He didn’t answer, but his silence was an answer in itself.

The old woman smiled.

It was a smile of profound relief, the kind one makes after carrying a heavy burden for far too long and finally seeing someone who can take up the mantle.

Leaning on her staff, she took two shaky steps toward Sean Chandler.

"Elder!" The man in the bandana instinctively moved to stop her.

"Stand down." The old woman’s voice was quiet, yet it carried an authority that could not be questioned.

The man in the bandana gritted his teeth but retreated nonetheless.

The old woman stopped three steps from Sean Chandler and looked up at the young man who towered over her.

"I know who you people are," she said. "And I know why you’ve come."

Sean Chandler finally spoke, his voice deep. "How do you know?"

Instead of answering directly, the old woman raised a hand and pointed to the Blue Crystal Stone atop her staff.

"Because it is glowing."

She paused before continuing, "This stone was left behind by the Divine who protected our world, before They fell."

"It only glows under one condition—"

Her gaze locked with Sean Chandler’s.

"When a Player capable of ending this disaster appears nearby."

A commotion erupted from the crowd behind her.

The man in the bandana stared at Sean Chandler in disbelief. The gunmen exchanged uncertain glances, and someone even let out a stifled gasp.

Sean Chandler was silent for a few seconds before asking, "You’ve been waiting for us?"

The old woman nodded slowly.

"For a very, very long time."

"So long that we thought... you would never come."

Sean Chandler followed the old woman into the Shelter, which was constructed from logs and steel plates.

Beyond the heavy iron gate lay a sizable settlement.

Sean Chandler hadn’t expected to find such a secure place in this dangerous world.

’But why is it so safe?’

’Is it being protected by something the Divine left behind?’

Crude houses were built along the inner side of the Wall. In the central clearing, people were airing out laundry, children were chasing each other playfully, and a few elders sat in a corner, basking in the sun.

As Sean Chandler, a stranger, walked in, everyone turned to look at him with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

The old woman led him to the largest wooden house in the center of the settlement, pushed the door open, and gestured for him to go inside.

The furnishings inside were simple: a few wooden stools, a rough wooden table, and several yellowed maps hanging on the walls.

The old woman sat at the table and gestured for Sean Chandler to do the same.

"Young man, would you be willing to listen to a very long story?" the old woman asked.

Sean Chandler nodded and sat down across from her.

For his part, Sean Chandler wanted to know what exactly had happened to this world.

The old woman took a deep breath, her gaze growing distant, as if she were peering through time itself at scenes from a long-forgotten past.

"It all... started when the Disaster System descended upon our world."

—

At first, this world was just like Azure Star.

One day, the System appeared out of thin air and began randomly selecting Players to enter instances for survival trials.

Some of those chosen were excited, others terrified, but no one could refuse.

Soon after, all manner of disasters began to plague the world.

Floods submerged cities, droughts cracked the farmland, earthquakes destroyed homes, and plagues claimed the lives of loved ones.

Those not chosen as Players could only cower in the ruins, praying to see another dawn.

To survive, people had no choice but to rely on the Players.

But the survival rate for Players inside the instances was pitifully low.

Fewer than ten out of every hundred who went in came out alive.

"Back then, we thought our world was finished."

The old woman’s voice was hoarse and low. "There were screams everywhere, corpses everywhere. For the living, life was more painful than death."