Akhil's sharp gaze fixed on Langdon.

Langdon's brows furrowed, as if in genuine confusion, as he asked out loud, "That's strange..." He looked toward Akhil with an apologetic expression, maintaining a calm smile.

"I'm truly sorry about this. I initially came here to advocate for peace and to start an official trade with the Orcs. I've already discussed this with all the other leaders, and we explicitly agreed we won't harm any of the Orcs. We genuinely wish to have peace."

"So what do you have to say about this, then?" Akhil's gaze remained sternly fixed on Langdon.

Akhil still harbored deep suspicions that the young man was the orchestrator behind everything. For an attack to happen the moment he arrived—was it a coincidence, or was Langdon toying with him?

"I honestly have no idea what this is, I promise." Langdon quickly raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

He could see the doubt in the eyes of all the gathered Orcs, and he clearly disliked the unfavorable odds. He had only two of his strongest bots with him, facing an entire settlement of enraged Orcs; a fight here would be a certain disadvantage.

"Do you think that if I had anything to do with this, I would offer myself up like this?" Langdon asked Akhil, smiling wryly. The air was already tense, and knowing he was at the mercy of the Orcs, he knew he had to act convincingly.

Akhil let out a sigh. 'If he really orchestrated this, then he wouldn't have risked coming here... That would've been a death wish.' With that reasoning, Akhil conceded that Langdon genuinely seemed unaware of the attack.

But that couldn't let him off the hook entirely. As the leader of a human settlement, he had to have some knowledge.

"So who did this? If you want peace, I don't think a fight is the best way to achieve it," Akhil stated.

"We are quite capable if it's a fight you're looking for, I can assure you that." Ryan's deep, resonant voice cut in, his tall, imposing figure appearing beside Akhil, adding palpable tension to the atmosphere.

Langdon sighed and turned his gaze back to J, who was barely clinging to consciousness from blood loss.

"The people that attacked you... Did their clothes have any badges on them?" Langdon asked calmly.

J shot him a furious glare before replying, "Yes, they had a distinctive badge."

Langdon turned back to Akhil. "They were attacked by Adventurers, unfortunately. The Guild Master didn't attend our meeting yesterday; he's a rather stubborn person," Langdon explained, running his hand through his hair with an awkward smile.

Akhil calmly addressed Aria. "Please take him inside. Get his injuries treated."

Without a word, Aria rushed to J's side, supporting him to his feet with her shoulder, and slowly walked toward the settlement.

"Did anyone die?" Akhil stopped them right before they entered.

"No, they didn't kill anyone. They only injured us heavily and were planning to capture us and return us to their base. I managed to escape before they could bind me," J said, gnashing his teeth, remembering his captured comrades. He didn't know what the humans planned to do with them.

"Alright." Akhil didn't say more. He simply shifted his gaze back to Langdon. "We're going to meet this Guild Master. We can continue our discussion right after that."

Langdon gave a calm, professional smile.

"Very well then. I'll escort you to him. My apologies for this unexpected scenario, though."

"Nibo, Ryan... you'll both be joining me," Akhil said sternly, glancing at the two Orcs. If they were entering the human settlement, he wasn't naive enough to go alone. He needed strong figures to accompany him to ensure the humans wouldn't try anything reckless.

"I didn't expect I'd be traveling with this many followers," Langdon mused calmly, "But thankfully, I happen to have booster attachments. I've only got two..." Langdon pulled out a round, circular device.

They all recognized the device instantly: Booster Attachments.

These were circular metallic propellers invented before the Cataclysm, designed to be attached to shoes, allowing the user to levitate. Seeing them was a stark reminder that humans still retained powerful pieces of old technology.

"I guess these will hasten our travel, rather than walking on foot," Langdon suggested.

Akhil nodded calmly. Despite his suspicions, it was difficult to truly judge Langdon's intentions due to his calm, unperturbed aura.

Akhil walked forward and accepted the booster attachments from him, but immediately turned back to Ryan and Nibo. "You two should take them. I won't need these." Since he had his Air Walk ability, he had no need for the propellers.

Nibo and Ryan glanced at each other for a moment before taking the boosters. They attached the metallic devices securely under the soles of their worn boots.

Akhil glanced back toward the settlement, his gaze fixed on Aria, who had just returned.

"If we spend any longer than eight hours in that settlement, I'll be needing your presence."

She nodded quietly, turning a final, threatening gaze toward Langdon.

Without another word, Langdon led the group.

With the propellers attached, Nibo and Ryan's legs were slowly lifted off the ground, leaving them hovering in the air.

Akhil utilized Air Walk and was slightly faster than the others, but he slowed his pace to match their propulsion. The others were all surprised he could fly without the aid of the propellers.

"Is that a one-time use ability?" Langdon asked calmly from beside him. He could sense the residual tension but knew Akhil didn't intend to fight him yet, so he felt comfortable asking questions.

"No, it's not a one-time ability," Akhil replied calmly, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

"Nice. You have quite a lot of handy skills," Langdon complimented.

The journey continued—a quiet flight between the group of four—as no one seemed interested in conversation. Nibo, Ryan, and the two bots flew silently behind them, leaving Akhil and Langdon to lead the way, resembling two leaders followed by their bodyguards.

Soon, after flying for what seemed like hours, the large walls of Coast City came into sight.

As they reached the city gate, two guards immediately moved to stop them, but upon seeing Langdon, they instantly froze.

"Sir Langdon, welcome back," the two greeted respectfully, though their brows furrowed when they saw the Orcs accompanying him.

"Sir—"

"They're with me. We're only using the portal, so they won't be staying here for long."

The two guards exchanged nervous glances before nodding and letting them pass through the gate.

As they entered the city, Akhil, Ryan, and Nibo got their first internal look at the human settlement since the Transmission.

The city had not undergone as many devastating changes as they expected. It still brimmed with urban life; a few miraculously survived skyscrapers were visible around the area, and they saw remnants of coffee shops and malls. Reconstruction had happened faster than they anticipated.

But the changes were noticeable. Some people wore clothes that looked ripped straight out of a fantasy book. They passed by blacksmith stores and could hear the clanking of hammers from within.

Langdon noticed their confusion and quickly explained the social structure.

"With the new System, those who have the game chip are referred to as 'Gamers,' whereas those who don't are referred to as 'Non-players.' Non-players were given the opportunity to continue with their daily lives, which is why the urban life here still sparks. They're similar to NPCs in a traditional game."

He added, "To make things even stranger, the System also acknowledges them—not all, but a significant number—and they can even give certain Quests to Gamers. Since we are coexisting, Gamers have to protect the Non-players but must also accept them. Thanks to the different work classes in the game, several new houses and structures were quickly built within the city to help implement those with Merchant, Blacksmith, and other trade classes."

Seeing the bustling human settlement gave the three Orcs a feeling of strange nostalgia, but it didn't last long as they soon reached the transport zone.

Teleporters had become standard even before the Transmission, so the sight wasn't new. The teleporter shone brightly, a swirling blue vortex charged with energy.

The two transport guards noticed Langdon and, without question, allowed them to pass.

They stepped inside the portal. The transition was immediately followed by the strong feeling of nausea—the common side effect of using the teleporters. But the dizzying sensation quickly stopped as they stepped out from the other side.

The air around them returned to normal, and the clear blue sky reappeared.

Nibo almost stumbled and fell to the ground from the dizzying effect, but he quickly steadied himself.

"It's been a long time since I used one of those... Damn, I've really lost my touch," Nibo muttered with a weak laugh as he joined the others.

He wondered why Akhil and Ryan hadn't said a thing since they emerged. However, he didn't have to wonder for long, as he was immediately caught in the same trance, his mouth wide open at the unbelievable sight that stood before them.

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