Arknightcraft Modpack

Steven shrugged.

Whatever Talulah was talking about had little to do with him.

He was only here to call her home for dinner on Alina’s behalf—nothing more, nothing less.

The rest? Not his problem.

However, given the situation, it was clear that these people weren’t going to let him leave so easily.

They were probably worried he’d expose their hideout if he left.

But Steven wasn’t in a hurry to go anyway.

It wasn’t worth picking a fight over something so minor.

Talulah nudged him with her elbow.

“So why are you even here? What about Alina? Are you just leaving her behind?”

“I went through all this trouble to get medicine for her Oripathy treatment, and you couldn’t even wait for me back at the village?”

She was this close to leaving with the medicine in hand.

But then Steven showed up out of nowhere and messed everything up.

Now, these Infected were unlikely to just let them go.

They’d probably interrogate them first, which meant wasting precious time—and Alina needed the medicine urgently.

Steven glanced at the Infected huddled in the corners, coughing violently.

They looked on the verge of death.

He sighed and shook his head.

“Heh. She’s doing a hell of a lot better than you are.”

“At least she’s not stuck in a place full of walking time bombs.”

He had heard from Kal’tsit that when an Infected dies, their body essentially detonates like an Originium bomb, spreading contamination everywhere.

He hadn’t seen it happen personally.

But he still remembered that near-death moment with the Operator Frostleaf, when her Oripathy nearly killed her.

With this many Infected packed in one underground space, if even one of them died and detonated, the entire city could be doomed.

Noticing his gaze, some of the Infected glared back at him with hostility.

It was obvious that as a non-Infected outsider, Steven was not welcome here.

Talulah’s voice remained firm.

“The Infected are innocent—you know that as well as I do.”

“They’re just victims of oppression, nothing more.”

She paused, narrowing her eyes.

“But from what you just said… have you already suppressed Alina’s Oripathy?”

Steven smirked.

“Come on, I told you before—I’m a doctor.”

“And not just any doctor. I came from Rhodes Island.”

“You know, the leading experts in Oripathy research?”

With that, he casually shifted the blame to Rhodes Island.

Since he was already using their identity, he might as well let them take the credit.

Before Talulah could respond, a voice cut into their conversation.

“Ahem.”

“Sorry to interrupt your little chat, but before we continue—”

“Miss Talulah, shouldn’t you introduce your… ‘friend’ to us?”

The voice belonged to a man in a mask, clearly the leader of these Infected.

He had led them into a dimly lit room before finally speaking up.

Talulah’s identity was trustworthy—her constant efforts to help the Infected had earned her respect and admiration here.

But Steven?

A normal, uninfected outsider?

Not so much.

Steven blinked, pretending to only just now notice the man’s presence.

Then, he scratched his head.

“Why bother introducing me?”

“It’s not like I want to get to know you people.”

“No need for self-introductions.”

His outfit gave Steven the impression of being poor yet pretentious.

These people could barely afford food, yet they all wore matching white masks?

Was this some sort of religion?

As for getting to know these people?

Steven had zero interest.

This wasn’t like Rhodes Island, where the Infected at least had the means to support themselves.

These people?

They were the real deal—Infected who had been hardened by oppression and discrimination.

In other words, they’d do anything to survive.

Steven didn’t blame them for that.

But he also knew exactly what that meant—if you crossed them, you were inviting trouble.

The masked man narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Your attitude isn’t exactly friendly, sir.”

He hadn’t expected such a response from Steven.

Did this guy not understand his situation?

This was their territory.

His gaze flicked to the strange-looking katana on Steven’s waist.

He silently calculated how many men he’d need to take him down if he refused to cooperate.

Steven didn’t seem to have any Originium Arts—at least, he couldn’t sense any.

Physically?

He looked weak—not too difficult to handle.

After all, not everyone was like Talulah, a walking, talking monster in human form.

This guy?

Just some Lungmen Liberi—nothing special.

If it weren’t for Talulah’s presence, the man would’ve already ordered his people to take Steven away.

Steven snorted.

“Yeah? And why should I be friendly?”

“We don’t know each other. Did you treat me nicely? No, you had people pull weapons on me first.”

“If anything, I should be the one asking you to make up for it.”

He sized up the masked man.

Judging by his voice, he was probably in his late 30s or early 40s.

His muscular build suggested he was physically strong.

The black Originium crystals embedded in his arms confirmed he was a veteran Infected.

But after hearing his dumb remark, Steven wondered—

Had the Originium infected his brain too?

Steven had no issue playing nice—but only if the other person is nice too.

And from the very beginning, this guy hadn’t planned on being nice at all.

Steven grinned lazily.

“Tell you what—why don’t you apologize first?”

He spoke as if he was completely unbothered by the fact that he was deep in enemy territory.

Even when he noticed the man’s clenched fists, he just smirked, curious to see how he’d react.

Because if this guy couldn’t even tell whether someone was dangerous, then this Infected group was better off disbanding immediately.

The masked man stared at him in disbelief.

Then, he laughed angrily.

“You want me to apologize?”

He almost thought he had misheard.

A random outsider had barged into their territory, refused to explain himself, and now wanted an apology?

Who the hell did he think he was?

Before things could escalate, Talulah finally spoke up.

“Enough, Brull.”

The masked man—Brull—expected her to defend him.

Instead, she said something that made his blood run cold.

“You should apologize.”

“That is—if you want to keep this Infected sanctuary intact.”

Brull’s eyes widened.

“Are you insane?”

Talulah frowned.

“He’s more dangerous than the city’s guards.”

“And let me make this clear—neither you nor your men stand a chance against him.”

Brull froze.

Talulah wasn’t the type to exaggerate.

Which meant—

This random outsider was actually…

That dangerous?

Talulah sighed.

Brull might be a great leader for the Infected, but his blind hostility toward outsiders could be a problem.

It was understandable, but it didn’t mean he had the right to pick fights he couldn’t win.

Talulah had no control over this guy’s temperament.

Who knew if he’d snap and tear this whole place apart just for fun?

Steven casually added:

“Just to clarify—it’s not just you. All of you together still wouldn’t be enough.”

Forget these Infected.

Even if Talulah and the entire Ursus garrison joined forces, he wouldn’t break a sweat dealing with them.

Steven crossed his arms, exuding the exact aura of a tyrant—

Which, to be fair, wasn’t far from the truth.

He simply stared at the masked man, waiting.

Would he ignore Talulah’s warning?

If so, Steven wouldn’t mind teaching him a lesson in basic manners.

But if he swallowed his pride and backed down, then maybe—just maybe—Steven might think slightly better of him.

Because as a leader, the bare minimum was knowing when to advance and when to retreat.

Steven knew full well he was being difficult.

But this was a test.

How far was this so-called leader willing to go for his people?

Would he risk everything for his ego?

Or was he truly dedicated to the Infected under his care?

Because Talulah was involved.

Steven didn’t care much for the Infected.

But Talulah?

She was at least a little bit important to him.

Maybe even a friend, if you stretched the definition.

The masked man hesitated.

Talulah’s strength was undeniable—he knew that firsthand.

And if even she was warning him…

Then this situation was far more dangerous than he’d assumed.

He couldn’t afford to gamble.

Not with his own life.

And definitely not with the lives of everyone in this sanctuary.

After a long pause, he finally relented.

“I apologize. My attitude earlier was too reckless.”

He bowed deeply toward Steven, his movements shockingly swift and decisive.

Steven blinked.

For a second, he almost didn’t react in time.

Damn, that was fast.

Terra was really something else.

Why was everyone so good at swallowing their pride?

Did no one have any backbone these days?

Steven sighed dramatically.

“Couldn’t you at least have a little more dignity?”

Brull, still bowing, responded calmly:

“Dignity won’t save my fellow Infected. But accepting reality might.”

Steven nodded slightly.

Alright, maybe this Brull guy wasn’t a complete fool.

His judgment sucked, but at least he knew how to adapt.

That meant he probably did genuinely care about his people.

But what did that have to do with him?

All he knew was that he won’t be fighting these guys.

What a shame.