Chapter 8: Festering Wounds

It is understandable that some, in an effort to secure their own survival, would soon resort to such means, considering how low the chances of getting these famed origin crystals are—

So low, in fact, that Harvey and Mildred did not even gain a single one after putting an end to several of the transformed humans that had once been young college students with a life, hopes, and dreams ahead of them.

Damon empathizes with these individuals in his own way, even though it would be hard to express these feelings when he does go out to see the state of things—

However, those creatures were no longer humans. Ignoring their jarring transformations, the fact that other humans became a delicacy for them to feast upon made it even more certain that they had become something else.

And for the meantime, there was no viable solution to this, other than equal violence.

Harvey had hesitated in the moment, and for that, he had paid the price with his right arm, as well as the loss of lives that could have been prevented if he had acted sooner. Though calm on the surface, Damon could observe subtle fluctuations in his countenance which seem to shoulder some responsibility.

Luckily, judging from the bustle of conversations and raised voices coming from his living room at the moment, it appears several of them had survived the ordeal.

Damon understood just how fortunate he was for having attendants so capable in the face of such adversity. If Harvey had acted a second slower, he would have had his guts eaten out earlier.

Now that he had time to think about it, Damon began to wonder why these two were still acting like they usually do, treating Damon like they were still under his employ. The world was in chaos, rules of conduct abandoned; everyone was striving to get in contact with their loved ones, or find a way to survive themselves.

But these two?.

They had nothing to gain from Damon anymore. The reality was that Damon’s status as a rich heir and the wealthiest individual in the world had become meaningless. So why were they still here?

Of course Damon did not voice these thoughts. That would be equal to looking a gift horse in the mouth.

At this moment, it was quite obvious that if these two abandoned him, he probably wouldn’t survive past the coming hours.

The world had changed, and he had better condition himself accordingly. Recognizing his weak constitution, having such competent individuals around him was for the best. He needed them for his survival, he couldn’t afford to lose these two.

The second step to securing his survival was pushing aside the increasing need to take a quick nap amidst the pain and discomfort around his torso. He could feel the injury he had sustaned festering through the soaking bandages around him.

Damon had thought he was imagining things, but he confirmed he wasn’t. Harvey was also suffering a similar fate.

Mildred’s wounds was milder, but she too was growing paler in complexion, with her bruises taking on a darker tint.

There was clearly something more to the injuries they had sustained, which was further cemented by similar commentary on the chat channels.

Though, in hindsight, it was exactly the intensifying pain from his wounds that was keeping Damon awake, so he was at least grateful for that.

Now that the imminent threat in the penthouse had been taken care of by Harvey, Mildred, as well as Brad and his cohorts, Harvey explained to Damon their most logical track to survival until help came, if any was coming at all.

Being so rich has some perks, and Damon’s parents had some connections with the government and even the military.

So Harvey had placed a call through to these people, awaiting a response, and he had also tried to contact his security detail that were on the ground floor, but he heard nothing back from them. That didn’t bode well at all concerning their condition, It was most likely that none of them had even survived.

The issue now became being prepared to survive, as well as finding a way to properly treat themselves of their injuries as they awaited whatever help might come their way.

It was slowly becoming common knowledge that food and water were going bad, as more and more individuals were currently panicking on the chat channels, with the government avoiding direct address of matter for fear of raising even more panic.

It was true that most sustenance was going bad, and the only solution was horrifying for most to think about.

After all, how many of the population are confident enough to battle those transformed creatures just to earn one or two Origin crystals?. Of course, there are those uniquely geared to face such a threat.

Regular firearms and weaponry works fine now that most survivors know that the brain was their weak point. Now it becomes a matter of skill—Or in the case of the case of those quickly making their mark as superhuman wonders in this world—

Class Holders.

The slowly worsening condition of supplies was the second reason Harvey and Mildred were currently making preparations to go hunt some transformed humans in the building.

Apparently, food as well as emergency medical supplies that might be effective for their worsening wounds can be purchased with Origin crystals in the Origin Store. Leaving the building for a hospital was out of the question. The world was teetering on the edge, there was no longer a thing like hospitals to go to. Everyone was currently fighting to stay alive or looking for somewhere to hide.

Having analysed the current crisis, the most efficient action to take would be to heal Damon of his festering wounds, as well as grant them a means to afford sustenance from the system when they do run out—

Both his attendants appear ready to risk their lives and take action for his sake. A sentiment which Damon didn’t really understand. Why would they go to such lengths to help him?.

The good thing was, the rate of degradation of the available supplies was slow, with others still in decent condition. With a rough estimate, Mildred hinted it would take around twenty four hours for all food and water to become unfit for consumption.

Damon observed some grains of rice that were taking on a black-purplish hue in real time, as well as another that had completely gone bad, just like how most of the water was progressively turning murky.

It was chaotic outside. Going out there with meager skills was inviting one’s doom. However, Harvey and Mildred had proven themselves more than capable of handling a few of these mutated humans. They would also only be making their rounds through the first two lower floors of the building.

The theme of the first trial, ’Feast For The Ages’, sprang to Damon’s mind—

This trial appears to be multifaceted, with mutated humans feasting on those who survived mutations, while those who survived are forced to fight and risk their lives.

It was a sadistic game of do or die. Hunt or be hunted. There was no room for passivity.

This realization was extremely grim for someone like Damon.

It’s been several minutes since Damon woke up, and after sharing some words with Harvey and Mildred, the duo began to arm themselves with some kitchen ware they had set on the bed earlier as well as a sidearm which still had some ammo, in preparation to go explore the lower floors of the building, when someone suddenly made their entrance through Damon’s damaged door.

This young man had on a green shirt and brown pants stained with streaks of blood and a few cuts to his outfit but no visible open wounds—

He had on earrings on one ear as well as a nose ring; his hair was short and blonde, fashioned into a clean, youthful cut; his physique toned, denoting someone who frequents the gym.

His shoes were green to match his shirt, with jewelry around his neck and two rings on either of his arms. He smiled seeing Damon on the bed as he waltzed confidently into Damon’s room.

"Lookie here, if it isn’t the white prince—"

"Oh cousin— you aren’t looking too good, hehe."