Chapter 268: The Highly Desired Figure

Returning to Area C, the rare lull in fighting allowed the area to regain its usual hustle and bustle. Although the battles had dealt a heavy blow to Area C, reducing its combat capacity by nearly one-third, who were these people anyway? Such scenes were nothing new to them; their hearts had grown accustomed to such sorrow, leaving them largely unshaken. At least, this kind of grief wouldn’t haunt them for long.

Upon arriving at Camp 13, Rod was immediately stunned by what he saw. The camp was packed with people front and back, filled with a loud clamor. Seeing this, Rod’s first reaction was that something had gone wrong. His heart skipped a beat as he rushed through the crowd to get inside.

“Brado! Brado’s back!” He faintly heard shouts around him. Soon, as if lightning splitting the sky, the crowd erupted into chaos. The people surrounding the camp actually stepped aside to clear a path for him to enter.

Slowing down and observing the people around him, Rod frowned slightly. It didn’t seem to be as he had imagined—nothing seemed to have happened! The expressions on these people’s faces were strange, and their words were incomprehensible to him.

His name was now on everyone’s lips; it seemed everyone was talking about him, rushing toward him eagerly. Their eager gazes seemed fixed on him, and in an instant, Rod realized he had become the center of attention.

Uncomfortable under such stares, Rod quickly headed toward his tent with a suspicious expression. When he finally reached it, the scene there was even more exaggerated—there was hardly any space to stand. Nearly a hundred people were packed into a small area, shouting and arguing as if over something.

“Boss, you’re finally back! Damn it, thank heaven! Praise the great Light God for bringing you back! Please resolve this situation quickly! We can’t hold on any longer!” As soon as Rod arrived, he caught everyone’s attention. The sharp-eyed curly-haired man was the first to spot him. He pushed through the crowd, rushed to Rod’s side, grabbed his hand, and spoke breathlessly, his face a mix of excitement and frustration.

“What’s going on!” As he appeared, the surroundings immediately fell silent, making Rod realize something was unusual. Even a fool could see that these people were coming for his camp, and he was likely their main target.
“Boss, you’re finally back. Damn it, look! They’re all here for you!” Skora, Keroth, and the other members also came to Rod’s side. Looking at him, Skora said with a bitter smile, “What happened?”
Frowning, Rod asked the group in confusion. He really couldn’t figure out why they were here—had something serious happened? But it didn’t seem that way.
“Brado, we’re reinforcements from Zone C. We know about what’s going on with you. Today, we finally got a chance to catch our breath, and we decided to come here to join you in the Reaper Scythe Squad. We’ve all seen your abilities; we’re convinced following you is the right choice. Everyone knows how strong the Reaper Scythe Squad is, so after discussing it, we hope to join you and fight alongside you!”
A burly man stepped forward from the crowd and spoke loudly in front of Rod.
“Fight alongside me?” Rod was at a loss—wanting to cry or laugh, but ultimately not doing either. So that’s why? He hadn’t expected these people to make such a fuss over this!
To be honest, if this had happened yesterday or even earlier this morning, Rod wouldn’t have known how to handle it. But now it was different! At the Black Tooth Legion’s headquarters, just moments ago, after discussing it with Emio and Nagran, Rod knew exactly what to do.
It was as if he’d searched endlessly only to find it effortlessly. He had been thinking about how to proceed and how to gain everyone’s approval, but now these people had come to him on their own.
Wasn’t this a perfect opportunity? It saved him and Emio a lot of trouble—everything was falling into place. A great chance lay right before him.
“Boss, say something! What do you think?” Seeing Rod standing there in a daze, Skora and the others grew anxious. The rest also stared intently at Rod, waiting for his reply.

“What do you all think?” Rod smiled slightly at the few people standing beside him. Instead of giving an immediate answer, he looked at them to gauge their opinions.
Although Rod’s words left them somewhat puzzled, after a brief hesitation, they quickly shared their thoughts: “We’ve discussed it. In these past few days of fighting, our brothers have suffered heavy losses. We’ve fought the hardest, killing many monsters and achieving remarkable results. But now… as you can see, the number of brothers who can still fight is less than half of what it was before. With just these people, we simply can’t maintain our previous strength and capabilities! Continuing like this will only lead to greater losses. Our brother Kerod believes we must replenish our ranks. Also, no matter how strong we are, on our own we’re not enough to handle major challenges. To achieve better results, I think we need to expand our team and get everyone involved in coordinated training and battles! That’s the best way!” Under Rod’s inquiry, Skora spoke on behalf of everyone.
“Yes, Brado, that’s exactly what we think too. Please let us join. We’re at your disposal; you command us, and we’ll obey! If we can unite and fight well, those monsters won’t be a threat at all. Even if vampires, werewolves, or even demons appear, we’ll still have the strength to fight—at least not as weak as we are now! as weak as we are now!” Seeing that Rod still seemed lost in thought, the anxious warriors began to press him for an answer.
Looking at these people—warriors and mages alike, all with considerable strength—if they could be united, they would become a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps they might even bring unexpected surprises.
Given the urgent situation, their arrival was like a lifeline. How could Rod refuse? As he looked at them, he began to consider what the best course of action was. While integration was necessary, he still had concerns and hesitations. He wasn’t sure how to organize their training effectively once they joined. On top of that, time was running out, and battle could start at any moment, leaving little time to achieve significant results.
“Boss, give us an answer!” Curly couldn’t bear to wait any longer and urged Rod, who was frowning and deep in thought.

“Boss, you’re not… Damn it, you’re not refusing, right? This is a great opportunity. You…” Worried that Rod didn’t want to accept them, Curly Hair grew anxious. They indeed needed reinforcements in their current situation.
“At the very least, we need to strengthen our forces, boss…” Seeing Rod still hesitating, Curly Hair stepped back and started to shout.
“I’m glad you’re willing to help. It’s best to unite and fight together. On behalf of our Death Scythe Squad, I welcome you all to join us. Those who volunteer can go to Brothers Skora and Kroyd to sign up, on the condition that they voluntarily obey our commands and assignments! Once the list is finalized, I’ll make specific arrangements.
Of course, let me make it clear upfront—Brado has no intention of forcing anyone. You have complete freedom to choose. But once you join, you must obey unconditionally. Otherwise… I don’t want to see troublemakers among us!” As everyone waited anxiously, Rod finally raised his head, gave a mysterious smile, and spoke calmly.
His words hit home. As soon as he finished speaking, chaos ensued, followed by cheers. The crowd became restless, and everyone started shouting and cheering. Soon, people crowded over in large numbers!
“Brothers Skora and Kroyd, please take care of this. Help compile a list, separating warriors from magicians for easier organization later. Curly Hair, you and the others help maintain order and get this done as quickly as possible. I still have some things to attend to! Hand me the list as soon as the counting is done. We don’t have much time—the sooner we start, the better!” Rod then turned to the people around him and said firmly.
“Okay, boss, don’t worry. Leave this to us! Go ahead and take care of your matters. We’ll give you the results soon!” Seeing Rod agree, the others were naturally very pleased and had no objections to his instructions.

After arranging everything, with a satisfied smile and amid the cheers and noise behind him, Rod headed toward the tent, leaving the bustling scene outside to Skora and the others to handle. He wasn’t taking time off; there were more important matters to attend to. Since he had decided to recruit new members, this step was essential—otherwise, it would do more harm than good! Additionally, there were still tasks to complete as assigned by Emio and Nagran. Time was extremely tight, with no room for waste. Once combat resumed, there would be no such opportunity to deal with these issues.