Imagine taking in two homeless people, providing them with food and warm beds, and leaving your place in their care. When you return, you find they've taken your help for granted and made it their own home.
That was exactly how Connor felt right now as he was stopped by two men carrying spears.
"Halt right there," one of them commanded.
Connor was examined and interrogated as the guards approached him. They bombarded him with questions like, "Where do you come from?" and "Were you bitten?"
Seeing him not responding and just staring at them, the guards thought he wasn't in his right mind.
It wasn't the first time they had dealt with such cases, they had been only deployed here yesterday, but many survivors came seeking shelter.
"We need you to take off your clothes, young man," one of the guards said.
Connor obeyed, thinking it was not the time to make a scene yet.
He removed his half-ripped clothes. What the guards saw stunned them. Despite being male, they could not help but admire his well-built physique, which looked like a Greek god's body carved in stone and built with stones.
One of them touched his arm muscles and asked, "Are you superhuman like our leader?"
Connor smirked and said, "Take me to her."
"I'm sorry, we can't. You see, she is not in the—" The guard was stopped by the other.
"Please come with us. We will call her," the second guard said, then whispered to his companion, "What are you doing? If you tell a strong stranger like him that our leader is out, what will happen to our camp if he decides to go on a rampage?"
Connor could hear them clearly. With his high endurance and stamina, his senses were also enhanced.
He was impressed by the quick thinking of the second guard.
"Fine, I shall wait," he said and dashed off, not even waiting for the two to respond.
The two guards couldn't see his figure after three seconds as he moved faster than a Ferrari.
On his way, Connor saw a lot of tents filled with common people. They all glanced at him with various expressions, mostly filled with admiration and envy from the boys and blushes from the girls.
He shrugged and ignored them as he neared the cabin house at the center of the camp. "Wait, you can't go in," a voice called out, but Connor just ignored it and went inside.
Once inside, he found the large hall room had been renovated with curtains separating what looked like an office on one half and a bedroom on the other.
He remembered the cabin house having a bunch of bunk beds, but now he only saw two on the bedroom side.
This meant that, besides Elena and Alya, at least one or two other individuals slept here. While he was observing the renovated cabin, the door opened and a gorgeous blonde-haired girl walked in, carrying a sword.
"Who are you to enter the leader's office so rudely?" she asked with a strict tone. Before she could move, Connor threw his sword, which stopped just at her neck.
The girl dropped to her knees. Never had she felt so close to dying. In fact, she wondered how she was still alive. To her, the blade arrived too fast to evade, like a bullet.
But it had stopped just at her neck. She started breathing heavily, trying to calm her racing heartbeat as Connor turned to her.
If her heart had been beating fast because of the close encounter with death, now it felt like it stopped as she gazed at him.
He looked like a fictional hero with a perfectly toned and ripped body and a handsome face. She became speechless, her mouth agape as she stared at him.
She only snapped back to reality when Connor brought his sword back to his hand and tapped it on the ground.
"Do you know whose land you all are occupying right now?" he asked in a cold voice that sent chills down her spine.
After trying to process his words, she recalled what Elena had told her about a certain man who had helped them and brought them to this place.
"Are you Connor Lennox?" she asked him.
Connor was surprised, but only for a moment, as understanding dawned upon him.
"So that bitch told you about me, right?" Connor asked for confirmation.
"Yes," she replied immediately, her courage to defend Elena faltering.
"I see. Wait outside and tell everyone not to approach this cabin," he ordered. The girl began to leave as instructed, but Connor stopped her with a sudden thought.
"Wait," he called out.
The girl flinched and turned around.
"I forgot to ask your name," Connor said, showing her a kind smile that contrasted sharply with his earlier demeanor.
"My name is Silvia Rogers. I'm a final year student from Cambridge," she replied, eager to make a good impression, but Connor cut her off.
"Alright, Mrs. Silvia. Could I trouble you for a favor?" he asked politely.
Silvia wondered if this man had a split personality, but she nodded. "Of course, anything you ask, Sir Connor."
"Just call me Connor. I'm a year younger than you," he said, maintaining his smile. "You see, I need some clothes to wear as I can't walk around like this," he added, scratching his back with an embarrassed smile.
Silvia giggled at his awkwardness. "Worry not, I will get some nice and warm clothes for you."
Once she left, Connor decided to take a bath, but as he heard his stomach growl, he realized he had forgotten to ask Silvia about food. 'Well, I can just ask her when she comes back' he thought, entering the bathroom.
It was much cleaner than when they first arrived, thanks to the girls taking care of the cabin.
After a while, Silvia knocked on the door several times but received no response. Concerned, she entered the cabin and searched for Connor, only to hear the sound of running water.
Realizing he was showering, she quickly placed the clothes she had brought on the bed and was about to leave when the bathroom door opened.
Not knowing what to do at such a situation, she hurriedly ducked under the bed to hide.
Her action didn't go unnoticed by Connor, who decided to play a prank on her.
'I will make you come out of hiding on your own', he thought with a wicked grin as he walked to the bed.
He started changing clothes, muttering to himself.
"Thank god the girl is smart. If she had brought some cringy pajamas or night suits for me, I would have died of shame," he said aloud while putting on a formal denim shirt and jeans.
Silvia suppressed her giggle as she tried to imagine him in pajamas with his usual intense glare.
"Poor girl, I shouldn't have scared her like that," he continued.
When Silvia heard those words, she felt relieved. At least now he was reflecting on his actions.
"But then again, it's all her fault. How could she barge in like that when I'm half-naked? It could either be an accident that she didn't know or else she was a pervert. Judging by her stare, it seems like the latter," Connor sighed and continued after putting on his pants.
"Even after the world has changed so drastically, there's no cure for naughtiness and perverted people, huh?"
"I'm not a pervert!" Silvia screamed as she jumped out from under the bed with a tomato-red face. She continued, "I really didn't know you were shirtless. I was just going to confront..." Only now did she realize her mistake as she saw Connor's dead-serious gaze.
"This... I...," she stammered, unsure how to explain herself or what Connor's response would be. For a moment, she feared he might harm her, but then...
"Hahahaha!" Connor burst into laughter.
"What...?" Silvia was truly perplexed and embarrassed.
"It was a prank to get you to come out, Silvie. I already knew..." Connor struggled to contain his laughter.
She had been made a fool of.
"That was not funny, Connor! You scared me so much!" Silvia pouted and turned to leave the room, but Connor grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
She was cornered against a wall as Connor spoke to her, his wet hair and body odor making her blush.
"I'm very hungry right now Silvie", he said, causing her face to turn even redder.
"I... I... I'm ready for that..." Silvia was about to back out, but Connor interrupted her.
"Please, Silvie. If I don't eat now, I won't be able to face everyone," Connor pleaded.
Realizing she couldn't back out now, Silvie reluctantly said, "Please be gentle. This is my first time."
"It doesn't matter. You don't necessarily need to cook. Just bring something edible and tasty."
"Huh?" Silvie was surprised by the unexpected turn of the conversation.
"Ehh..." Connor was dumbfounded by her reaction.
"You meant the food?" she asked, seeking confirmation.
"What else do you...?" Realization finally dawned on him.
"You... You thought I..."
"It's all your fault. Why did you pull me just to say that?" Silvia ran out of the cabin with teary eyes.
She wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.
People around watched as Silvia emerged with a red face and tears, sparking another cycle of misunderstanding and rumors.
After initially feeling embarrassed, Connor burst into laughter again as he realized how cute Silvia's reactions were, finally understanding the full picture.
"Man, I'm so dumb," he said to himself.
**********************
Silvia did not come back again as the food was brought by another man. However, Connor wanted to see her again, so he instructed the man to call Silvia to the cabin. The man looked troubled but nodded silently before leaving.
Connor realized he enjoyed teasing Silvia, finding her reactions cute and amusing. Despite being younger than her, she was the one who constantly got embarrassed.
Silvia cautiously peeked out from behind the door like a scared cat and asked Connor, who was sitting at the table eating fruits, "Did you call me, Connor?"
"Silvie, I'm sorry. I admit the first time was my fault with the prank and all, but I really wasn't trying to tease you the second time," Connor explained.
She still gave him a suspicious look, not quite ready to believe him.
"You still don't believe me? Fine, I shall punish myself," he said dramatically, getting up and pretending to pull out his sword as if to perform seppuku.
"No, stop! Stop! I believe you!" Silvia shouted, rushing in to stop him from doing something foolish.
Connor smiled, pleased that she had easily relented. He honestly thought it would take more to convince her.
"You're really kind, Silvie," he said with a warm smile. "I'm sorry for scaring you when we first met. I had been in many fights outside, so I was on edge. I hope you can forgive me."
"No, I was also at fault for not recognizing who you were," she replied with a blush.
"Alright, why don't we chat a little? I want to know everything that's happened here in the last few days," Connor suggested, eager to gather information from this seemingly naive girl.
Silvia proceeded to share everything she knew — how she met Elena, their group's efforts in rescuing others, and her close relationship with Elena, as they were from the same department.
Connor engaged in a casual conversation with Silvia, occasionally attempting jokes to lighten the mood.
Her story concluded after she mentioned that Elena and a party of six, including Alya, had departed for a 2nd-order dungeon called "Midgard Dungeon version 823.171.620" that morning. The party planned to clear only the first floor and return safely with all the loot.
"Why did you not go with them? Is it because you think you're weak?" Connor teased, knowing it would provoke a reaction.
Silvia wanted to punch Connor for calling her weak but controlled herself, mindful of her boundaries and who she was speaking to. She knew Connor was more powerful than Elena and herself combined, he was so strong that even if they attacked him together, she doubted they could defeat him.
"I am the second strongest member in this camp and I have reached level 8," she replied with a hint of pride.
"Are you?" Connor asked skeptically, amused by her response but also recognizing her seriousness.
"What are you doubting about me?" Silvia challenged, standing up.
"I even have a skill I acquired from the same dungeon. I was with them the first time we raided it," she added, summoning an icicle bullet in front of her pointed finger.
"I only stayed behind this time to protect the camp. While I may not be as strong as you, I am also not weak," she asserted firmly, emphasizing her resolve.
Throughout her life, she had worked hard to maintain herself, whether in sport, education or elsewhere, a trait unchanged even after the apocalypse.
"But you're not the second strongest, at least not yet," Connor replied casually, smiling.
"Don't worry. Once I kick that 'bitch' out, you'll be the second strongest and my right hand," he added with a grin.
As Silvia processed his words, she realized two things:
Connor considered himself the strongest, with Elena as the second strongest in his eyes. "Kicking out the bitch" meant he intended to remove Elena from the camp.
She realized the trouble that awaited the camp when these two strong-willed and arrogant individuals clashed.