The rift scene was bustling. Clicks echoed as cameras spouted white light. Even as police and military personnel stood guard on each side, dozens of reporters swarmed like flies, trying to capture images of the rift in the sky. Several news station helicopters flew around it to cover the condition of the city after the dungeon break.
Bad news was good news. They were waiting for more information to choose the right headlines though there might be many dead awakeners.
While the reporters were busy covering, a group of awakeners in red armor came, and the spotlight was on them instantly.
"Look at that! Look! Morning Star!"
They quickly flocked around Vincent and his guild members, and they pointed dozens of microphones or voice recorders at him.
"Mr. Vincent! What do you think of this dungeon!"
"There are hundreds of awakeners trapped! Do you think they'll survive!"
"You came after hearing this news! What do you think!"
The journalists couldn't stop asking dozens of questions. Vincent made a gesture to one of his men, and a male caster in a red robe clasped and emitted a blue light in his hand, and then a strange wave buzzed in the ears of the reporters. They were silent instantly.
Vincent cleared his throat. "I know there are a lot of questions in your heads, but we need to quickly enter the dungeon to seal it and rescue the awakeners before there are many casualties."
Click! Click! Click!
The reporters immediately spouted Vincent with white flashes as they got his statement.
In the middle of the interview, a journalist shouted while pointing to the sky. Naturally, the reporters looked up, and they gasped as they saw a man had just come out of the dungeon.
Vincent also saw him with his eyes wide open.
Some of the reporters quickly ran and huddled at the police line, trying to cover the man. When the casters successfully landed him, a group of police officers quickly escorted him out of the rift scene.
Dozens of questions were spouted at the man as the police broke through the horde of reporters.
"Mr. Noah! Where are your men?"
"Why are you the only one coming out!"
"What about the others? Hello Mr. Noah, please answer our questions!"
They continued to urge him on despite the police pushing and forcing them to move out of the way. Meanwhile, Noah just walked on, with his body trembling and eyes blank.
As Noah crossed paths with Vincent, they both remained silent as if they didn't know each other.
"What an idiot," Vincent muttered.
He was really upset. Indeed, his purpose in coming here was to save Noah. But Vincent hoped that man would still be in the dungeon when he found him alive. Noah going out alone would be tarnishing his reputation. The reporters would conclude that Noah abandoned his men to save himself.
"If he had stayed there, the headlines would have been better at least." A sigh of disappointment escaped his mouth.
Vincent and his men entered the rift scene, but suddenly a group of people came out of the rift. Seeing their appearance, Vincent frowned, curious about the party that had survived the yellow dungeon.
"Look at that! There's another survivor!"
Floating down in the air, they landed on the ground smoothly. They looked battered and one of them was holding a monster head. When a group of military personnel were about to escort them out of the rift scene, a black coat man made a hand signal, telling the personnel to give them time.
What followed next was journalists swarming around them. Clicks echoed along with the flashes of white that shot out from the cameras. The person they targeted was a man with black hair and emerald green eyes.
"Sir! What about the others."
"Can you please tell us what happened in the dungeon?!"
"What monster head are you holding!"
Receiving dozens of questions, Klaus wore a pained expression, and a flash of white struck him.
"My name is Klaus Lee. I'm the manager of the Rays of Hope guild. We just went through a terrible nightmare."
The reporters stopped asking questions, focusing on covering Klaus. They took a picture of and filmed him. The atmosphere became quiet at that moment.
"It's like hell in there," Klaus continued. He had a sad look on his face. "We faced thousands of horrible ghouls. They were ferocious creatures, but they were no big deal for us. Everything went fine, but..."
When Klaus paused his words for a second, the clicking became more intense. His face became somber and his eyes began to tear up, the reporters seemed even more curious to hear the rest of the story. The atmosphere suddenly became serious.
"Those monsters, wendigos, they came for us, kill, and... and..." Klaus lowered his head. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you about it, it was really a nightmare."
Whispering voices echoed. The reporters sympathized with his traumas. Some journalists seemed to gulp. Some were pursed their lips. They were swept away by the atmosphere.
"The situation got worse, and the raid leaders fled from the battle. We lost our way and didn't know how to deal with them."
Instantly, the reporters became mourned.
Wiping away tears, Klaus said, "Luckily, we had a strong guild master. He stood at the forefront and led us against the alpha. Thanks to him, the sacrifices of our comrades were not in vain. We managed to decapitate the alpha... though he and Michael had to pay for our victory."
Klaus showed the wendigo head to the reporters, and camera flashes caught it. Afterward, several party members showed two severely wounded men, Michael and Justin. They were both carried on stretchers in an unconscious state. The journalists held their breath. Nevertheless, they continued to take pictures of them. Especially Justin.
"Oh my God, it's really Justin."
"Is he still alive?"
"He's gone this far? It's really hard to believe."
Whispers of grief and admiration echoed through the air. Reporters sympathized with their battered condition.
And Klaus smirked.
"There's a lot I want to tell you, but that's all I can say for now. Please give us the way we need to treat our wounded comrades. Excuse me."
The horde of reporters made way for them to pass like a hero. People were moved and saddened after hearing his story.
However, not everyone thought so.
As Klaus and his party members were about to pass, a group of men in red armor blocked their way.
"Excuse us, we'd like to get through," Klaus said.
Standing in front of him was Vincent Thomsen. There was no answer or friendliness on his face though Klaus asked him in a polite tone. But the man gave Klaus an intimidating look.
And of course, Klaus stared back at him.