By the time they reached the dungeon, the sun had already settled down, and the moon slowly spread its austere light across the land. The faint silver glow covered the rugged terrain and gave everything a cold and quiet look.

This prompted the squad to camp for the night, but they were not the only ones. Several bonfires were already lit around the area whose flames were flickering in the darkness. Groups of awakened people sat around them, resting or talking in low voices.

Thankfully, there was no brain-dead person who would take the risk of entering the dungeon this late.

For a moment, Reigns wondered if lighting a fire in the middle of such terrain might pose some danger. But as he looked down at the woman nestling comfortably in his arms, his thoughts became carefree.

Shouldn’t it be the monsters who should be afraid of his wife... he meant this lady.

******

Next day.

As the sunlight slowly stirred the world awake, Reigns began to wake up as well. He raised his hand to rub his eyes, but suddenly frowned when he felt something holding him tightly.

"Huh!"

His grogginess disappeared at once. As he opened his eyes, he was taken aback.

Two arms were wrapped around him tightly, clinging to him like an octopus, and a head was resting over his shoulder.

"I remember sleeping quite away from her so how did this happen!"

He slowly turned his head and saw strands of purple hair cascading down, slightly messy, and through that disarray, a beautiful face came into view.

Her body was pressed against him, and a soft, pleasant fragrance filled his senses, making him restless.

Why do the girls smell so good? Is it gender specific?

As far as he knew, all he ever smelled like was sweat and worn-out clothes. But beyond that, being this close to a girl for the first time made him increasingly uncomfortable.

Little did Reigns know that if any single dog heard this, they might have ganged up on him and beaten him to death.

Just then, Nyxara’s eyes suddenly opened wide, and the sudden movement made Reigns flinch.

"I didn’t do anything improper!"

Hearing this, she looked at him and slowly broke into a grin.

"That’s that problem , Darling."

"In fact, I want you to do something improper but alas you are a gentleman... I want to talk more but it seems we have a problem."

With that, she quickly sprang up. In one swift motion, she pulled out her armor and wore it efficiently, fastening each part with ease before stepping out of the tent.

Reigns also got up, still a bit dazed. He wore his hard leather inner armor and followed her out of the tent.

As soon as he stepped outside, his eyes caught sight of blazing dots and letters hovering in the air above people’s heads. The morning light revealed the scene clearly.

At the base of the mountain structure, numerous people had gathered. Many of them were raising their voices, shouting in anger and frustration.

Reigns and Nyxara exchanged a confused glance.

At the same time, a few other awakened individuals also stepped out of their tents, drawn by the noise.

"Good morning Reigns!"

Reigns turned around and saw Arvin and Kellar walking toward him.

"Good morning!"

The two of them glanced at Nyxara.

"Good morning Lady Nyxara!" Kellar spoke with a warm smile.

Nyxara only gave a soft nod in response. Aside from Reigns, she seemed quite cold toward others.

"Reigns! What’s going on?" Arvin asked, his brows furrowed.

"I don’t know... Let’s see."

The squad moved closer toward the commotion. As they approached, they were stunned for a moment.

There were fences and barricades set up in front of the dungeon entrance. Heavy wooden structures blocked the path, and more importantly, there were armed guards standing in formation.

They wore proper armor and carried weapons, maintaining a strict line.

"When did they construct all this?"

"I don’t remember seeing those fences when we arrived at night?"Kellar spoke with a confused expression.

In front of the fences, a large group of people were shouting angrily.

"Bastards!"

"Do you think you own this place?"

"You can’t do as you please."

"This is bullshit! Move aside!"

"Who the hell gave you the right to block the dungeon?"

"We risked our lives to come here and now you want to benefit from this situation?"

"You think we will just accept this quietly?"

"Open the way or we will break it ourselves!"

"Sorry, we are just following the order. You need to pay to go in," one of the guards spoke with a stern face, not reacting to the insults.

"The Hell?"

"This is blatant injustice."

It seems these people are stopping the awakened from entering?" Arvin assessed, narrowing his eyes.

"Then why don’t these people just force their way by beating them?" Kellar spoke while looking around. "Their numbers shouldn’t be enough to deal with everyone."

"They can’t!"

"Huh!"

Arvin and Kellar both looked at Reigns, who was staring ahead cautiously.

"What do you mean?"

Reigns did not answer immediately. His gaze stayed fixed on the guards, and his expression slowly turned serious, even a bit crooked as he observed them carefully.

Apparently, most of their levels were close to 10, and some had even surpassed it. After taking a closer look, he realized something important.

"They... These are the people of City Lord and their level isn’t anything to scoff at."

"Whaaat!"

Nyxara looked at Reigns and asked softly, her eyes slightly narrowed in curiosity, "Darling, how did you know?"

"I have seen people wearing similar attire. Also I had some deal with the City Lord!" Reigns replied, keeping his gaze fixed ahead.

Just then, a loud voice cut through the noise.

"ENOOUGHHHH!"

A thunderous roar shook the entire place, and everyone instinctively turned toward the source. A huge bulky man stepped forward, although he looked like someone around their age. It was just that his body was unusually large and well-built.

"Let me in.. I don’t give a shit who are you!" he shouted as he slammed his foot onto the ground, creating a small ripple that spread outward.