"From one creepy territory straight into another, huh?" James commented as they all watched the distant lands of the Faded Plains.

Elaine snorted. "Better this than an army of ghosts."

"Fair enough," the man muttered.

Isaac, meanwhile, barely paid any attention to their conversation. His gaze stayed fixed on the horizon. While creepy could be used to describe this place to some degree, in his honest opinion, bleak and quiet described it much better. After all, what else could you call a place where every inch of land existed in shades of gray?

The grass? Gray.

The trees in the distance? Gray.

Flowers scattered among the grass? Also gray.

It was like someone had slapped a black-and-white filter over the entire territory. Really, if it weren't for the fact that he and his team still retained the color of their skin and gear after sleeping here for a few hours, Isaac might have worried that this place would drain them, too. Thankfully, nothing like that happened.

At least to the colors they brought here. The same couldn't be said about their voices or really any sound here.

Back when they had first stumbled into this place, exhausted and barely conscious, none of them noticed. But now, after each of them got a few hours of sleep, it was hard to ignore how different everything sounded here. Every little noise traveled with an echo as if closed inside a large, empty room.

Strange. And more than a little unsettling. Which was why they all decided to keep their voices low. No need to alert every possible monster in the area because their voices could now travel for miles.

Other than that, the Faded Plains weren't all that different from Peaceful Plains. Simply a territory dotted with vast meadows and small hills that had nothing on the valleys in the last territory. There were forests here, rare rocky cliffs, and probably much more that Isaac hadn't seen during the short scouting he performed after he woke up.

Of course, he saw monsters, too, which, in a way, was a relief considering what had happened last night. For now, he only spotted some overgrown gray moths and wolves prowling the territory. Again, this made the Faded Plains seem a little empty, but he and his team had learned their lesson in the Valleys of Whispers.

For all they knew, with the endless shades of gray ruling here, more monsters could be hiding in plain sight.

I wonder what's next? Isaac mused. Floating islands? Toxic mushroom biome?

He shook his head, clearing his mind of these thoughts, and looked back at his team. They were still whispering amongst themselves. He cleared his throat, earning their attention.

"Okay, guys, time to move, but first, rewards. Keep the gems and potions, though."

At that, the others glanced down at their left wrists, where brand-new Storage Brands were waiting. Isaac didn't get one, but that was because the Interface decided to use the Brand he got from his Patron mission to deliver his rewards.

Honestly, he preferred this to the usual chests. At least this way, most of the loot was distributed equally from the get-go. And, best of all, even if they couldn't put things back into those Storage Brands, now he didn't have to carry all the stuff for them. A straight win for him.

In less than a minute, all four of them had their rewards in hand, aside from the usual gems and a set of Normal-grade potions they each received. For the most part, the loot wasn't anything special. A couple of Superior-grade Blueprint shards. Another whole Blueprint that taught Stealth and fruits that provided some Ascension Power for a single attribute.

Since Isaac already possessed Stealth, the skill naturally went to one of his teammates. As for the fruits, there was no point in overthinking it; everyone simply ate what they got. To his disappointment, his Regeneration didn't go up. Not really a surprise, considering its current grade. Hell, it was on the verge of advancing to the next one.

Maybe next level, Isaac mused as he gazed at the five Blueprint shards in his palm. Two from before and three that they had received now. He stored one of them and watched as the remaining four combined into a familiar tablet.

Analyze.

[Virus Blueprint | Grade: Superior] A special blueprint that assists a Host's Virus with the learning of a certain ability. This blueprint will advance the Basic Filtration skill by three tiers. Cannot be used without first having learned this ability.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Isaac blinked. That was new. He had assumed blueprints could only teach an ability, not advance it. He wasn't complaining, even if he wouldn't say no to another Burst blueprint or something entirely new. Elaine's teachings weren't going too well—which fair, she warned them.

He looked up. "You guys mind if I use it?" he asked, just to be polite.

"Nah." James waved him off. "You get the best value out of it anyway. My filtering is only tier two."

"Same," Elaine said, with Marie nodding afterward.

Nice. Isaac smiled, his gaze returning to the tablet in his hand. With a bit of Viron directed into the object, it shattered into countless particles of blue light that soon sank into his skin. For a moment, he felt a weak tingle somewhere inside his body, but it soon vanished.

Thanks to consuming a Virus Blueprint, the following skill has advanced:

Basic Filtering (IV->VII)

Went beyond the fifth tier. No surprise there, he thought, dismissing the notification. He then cast one more look at his teammates. "Use your gems if you haven't already, and let's move."

James mock-saluted, earning a slap on the shoulder from Marie. Instantly, they began bickering with each other. Isaac didn't bother reminding them to stay quiet. He had better things to focus on.

All right, come out.

With another tug on his Storage Brand, a large cloth bag landed in his hands. Its contents were the only reason why the other rewards they had received for surviving the swarm seemed so underwhelming.

He unlatched it, smiling as the deep violet glow of over twenty Virality Gems illuminated his face. Now, twenty might not seem like much, considering just how many shades they had killed. However, none of them were Inferior-grade. Even better, a quarter of them were Superior-grade.

Isaac reached out and began consuming them one by one. After the last of the Normal-grades and two Superior ones vanished, the notification he had been waiting for finally appeared.

Congratulations! Your Virus has entered the second Phase of development (Assembly Stage).

Aside from a tiny shift in his Viron's flow, Isaac felt nothing. Not that he expected anything else. Major changes were reserved for stage advancements.

Now for the rest.

Without hesitation, he reached for the remaining three Superior Virality Gems and consumed them. To no surprise, the Interface didn't grace him with another notification. Still, progress was progress. Now, it was time to start running… or well, flying in his case.

First though, he had to check in with Elaine and her compass. They still had to reach the destination of her Patron mission after all.

Isaac took a deep breath and strode over to her.

Just keep it short.

For about four hours, Isaac and his team traversed the endless Faded Plains. For the most part, they were left alone. Though, now and then, a group of monsters would drift into their path. If it wasn't a swarm of Bleachwings—those oversized moths that made everyone drowsy—it was a pack of Howlers, gray wolves that attacked with bursts of soundwaves.

Of course, none of them proved a real challenge. At this point, all the beasts on the surface were below Moderate threat. Hell, for Isaac, some even showed up as a Low threat. Then again, with the number of cave entrances and tunnels they had passed, he was under no illusion that stronger monsters weren't lurking somewhere underground.

Thankfully, they had yet to meet one. The same went for nests. If there were any in the Faded Plains, they had to be buried underneath the surface.

Monster villages, however? Until ten minutes ago, Isaac would have thrown them into the same basket as nests. Now? Not so much.

At least it looks like a proper village, he noted, his eyes glued to the settlement in the distance. His teammates below still couldn't see it, but if they kept the current pace, it was only a matter of passing the next small hill before they did.

Gotta take a closer look first.

Nodding to himself, Isaac dived toward his team, and after giving them three quick caws, he shot past them. Another signal of theirs that pretty much told them that he spotted something, and they should be careful going forward.

Okay, let's see.

It took him about two minutes of full-speed flight to reach the airspace high above the village. What he saw almost made him dive down and slaughter all the monsters inside.

First of all, the entire village strangely resembled a medieval settlement. Buildings of cut stone and timber, surrounded by a tall defensive wall made from roughly cut trees. With a forest and what looked like a quarry nearby, it wasn't hard to guess where the resources came from.

Not that the monsters were the ones doing the building.

No, that grim task fell to the humans. Dressed in torn, filthy rags and looking like they hadn't eaten in a week. Isaac's blood boiled just from watching them trudge across the village while dragging stones or hauling branches.

How? How did you get here?

It could be that those people came from another Safe Zone, but for some reason, he doubted that. With what he had witnessed in the village in the Peaceful Plains, a much darker picture was already forming in his mind. A picture he didn't like one bit.

These weren't humans from a Safe Zone. Those were people who had somehow managed to survive outside the Contamination Zones. How? That was another question entirely. One he had no way of answering without freeing them first.

Hold on a bit longer. Help is coming.

Even if Isaac was no savior, leaving these people under the care of monsters wasn't a choice. Some lines weren't meant to be crossed, and slavery was one of them. If not for that, he and his team might have skipped this village to save time.

But now?

Now, they had no choice.

The monsters below would burn. One way or another.

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