The silence that followed Rin’s question felt deafening. Waiting for the system to tell him the alternative weighed heavily on his mind, to the point where he felt as if he were waiting for an extremely important verdict.

Finally, the system gave him the answer he needed.

[An alternate route has been discovered. The reason a calamity occurs is because a human develops a core that mutates them. Removing the core before the corruption level reaches its maximum can save Serena.]

Rin recalled the incident with Alex and how he had gained a core after Alex died. So that core had been the reason Alex mutated in the first place.

But if that was the case, then...

"Wouldn’t it have been possible for me to save Alex as well by removing the core? Why didn’t you suggest this method before?"

Rin felt angry at the system’s two-faced nature.

[Unfortunately, circumstances were different at that time. Fate was still following its intended course. But due to recent developments, there has been a shift, and a new path has opened.]

[Don’t dwell on it too much, Rookie. It would be better for you to focus on the task in front of you.]

The system advised Rin, but it only made him feel worse. The more he tried to ignore Alex’s case, the more it came back to haunt him.

Alex noticed his discomfort and perched on his shoulder to cheer him up, but that only made the weight of guilt feel even more crushing.

’How weird. Have I ever felt like this before? I don’t think I’ve ever felt this many emotions for anyone who wasn’t Shelly.’

It felt like something strange was going on with Rin, but he could not tell what it was.

Hopefully, a good night’s sleep would help him.

...

[Task Eight will now begin.]

[Task details: Protect your throne.]

[Please select your king and do your best to protect him from outside forces. Time limit: 3 days.]

The task was fairly simple, and no one wasted any time selecting Rin as the king. The barrier around their settlement came down as soon as the task started, and the fighting began.

Due to earlier arrangements and careful planning, everyone knew what they needed to do. Rin watched from the sidelines as the first wave of fighters battled the monsters.

But halfway through, he noticed that the fighting had started to slow down. People were hesitating, which made it easier for them to get hit.

He could instinctively tell that something was wrong.

"Oh my! Our fighters are rather clumsy this time. It seems like I will have to whip them into shape once this is all over."

Collin commented with a smile on his face, but the agitation in his voice was clear.

Rin would usually have felt a shiver run down his spine and stepped away from his butler, but he was distracted this time.

He could feel that something was happening that he was not aware of.

"Collin, doesn’t it feel like something is wrong? I thought our people were trained better than to hesitate while fighting."

Rin commented, and Collin hummed in agreement.

"That’s right. Our people are better than that. Shall I go down and see what is happening?"

The butler asked, and Rin had a feeling he should not allow Collin to go down. But he quickly pushed that feeling aside and decided to send him anyway.

"Go and check this mess out. I want to know what is going on as well."

His head butler left quickly, and Rin watched as Collin made quick work of the monsters before pausing slightly as well.

That small delay caused him to get hurt, which surprised Rin.

Whatever was happening on the battlefield was affecting Collin as well.

’This is not good. There must be something happening down there that I’m unaware of.’

The first wave of fighters was already wavering. Would they even be able to hold out until it was time for the second wave to step in?

’Should I go down there myself to see what’s happening?’

Rin had strict instructions from his companions not to leave his room, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. He wanted to know what was happening on the battlefield.

[Are you curious about what is happening? Let this senior enlighten you. Currently, the fighters are dealing with hallucinations while battling the monsters. The longer they fight, the worse these hallucinations will become.]

[What? Did you think task Eight would be simple? The system needs to ramp up the difficulty every once in a while.]

The system informed Rin, and he bit his lip in agitation.

Now that he knew what was going on, the unease he had been feeling only worsened.

"So all of them are hallucinating?"

Rin asked, and the system answered without missing a beat.

[Not everyone experiences hallucinations at the same time. Those who are mentally strong can break free and continue fighting normally. Only those afflicted with the status ailment are affected by the hallucinations.]

At least there was some good news. But Rin was still certain that the longer this continued, the worse the situation would become for his people.

No accidents had happened yet, but it was only a matter of time before the hallucinations became too overwhelming.

"Right now, what I need is more information. If this is a status ailment, then Reina should be able to heal it."

This was the only silver lining in the entire situation. But this was a three-day task. Would Reina be able to last three whole days without collapsing?

Was it worth putting her life in danger?

[Rookie, the decision is yours to make. These tasks are a trial for the human race. Whether you pass or fail is up to humanity. The system is only here to help you evolve.]

Rin gritted his teeth before making a decision. He decided to go to Reina and speak with her.

He needed Reina’s powers, but it was her choice whether she wanted to help or not.

"Tsk, this would have been so much easier if the one I needed was Amelia. At least I knew she wouldn’t die because of this..."

But after what was happening to Serena, even that was no longer guaranteed.

Was anything guaranteed anymore? And what about Shelly? Rin had taken her safety for granted until now. But with these recent developments, wasn’t there a chance something could happen to Shelly as well?

’No! I won’t allow it. Nothing will happen to anyone. Everything will be fine.’