The last tutorial was a bit too taxing on humans' minds.
That was not just for the ones around Alex; the humans all over the world felt the same.
Not everyone could adapt to any situation like Alex. Many humans died under pressure.
So, forgetting a thing such as a reward was not something very unusual in this situation.
Especially when they weren't even notified about that particular reward being granted.
[- 3 minutes headstart before the third tutorial.]
This was the said reward, and this was the reason why Alex didn't seem worried even for a bit.
For others, the last tutorial was a life-and-death scenario; they weren't even sure that they were going to survive.
If not for Alex, some of them might have died already.
They were alive, sure.
However, the pressure during the tutorial was too much for them, so checking the rewards slipped their minds.
The tutorial didn't even feel clear to them; after all, they just stood in their spots, and all the killing was done by Alex.
But that changed when they heard the system's words.
They froze in stupefaction for a while, the system's words still echoing in their minds, but not long after that, a guy hurriedly scanned the surroundings before he ran.
That guy ran as fast as he could.
He did turn to look toward the orcs, making sure if he was noticed or not, and much to his relief, they were still busy fighting over whatever was left of the dead guy.
'Thank you, friend. Your sacrifice would be remembered.'
Offering a silent thanks to the dead guy, the man dashed to the trees with all his might—he ran without even looking back—until he disappeared into the dense forest.
'He's still alive…?'
'How is that possible?'
'So, moving is allowed.'
'Should I run as well…?'
The remaining people shared a hesitant glance, unsure of what to do.
Yes, they saw the man scurrying away with their own eyes, but...
'What if he was just lucky?'
This thought somehow made its way into the minds of each and every human in the vicinity.
Even Garvit and Shera seemed a bit hesitant.
'We shouldn't have stopped...'
Garvit sighed inwardly, regretting his previous actions.
He regretted stopping when he saw the barrier break and the weird reactions from the orcs.
Now those orcs were very close—just 20 meters away from them.
They could still run away, but just like others, they were also uncertain if they could.
'That mf jumped almost 3 meters as if it were nothing.'
Garvit grumbled inwardly as he recalled the jump that one of the orcs made earlier.
'What are we even supposed to do?!'
But just as everyone was still uncertain about their next move, the orcs started to get up.
The body of a single man was not even a starter for the orcs.
"Sniff, sniff…"
They started to sniff the air, searching for the remaining humans.
They were sure that they had seen more of them, yet they couldn't find a trace of them right now.
It was as if they had vanished.
'What should I do!!!'
A woman, the one who had tried to stop Ridha when she marched toward the goblins, was in a state of panic right now.
'He's right in front of me!!'
As the orcs scattered around, trying to sniff out the humans, one of them happened to be walking toward her, causing her to shriek inwardly.
'Save me, please!'
Her body was stiff; even turning her head was hard, but she still looked at everyone as she pleaded inwardly.
'Please!'
She yelled inwardly as she found some people looking toward her, but they averted her eyes as soon as they met her eyes.
'HELP ME!'
But just then, a familiar scene played in her mind—the scene of Ridha lying on the ground, desperately calling out for help—and her eyes started watering.
'Is this what karma is…?'
She did try to stop Ridha, but when her plam was slapped away by Ridha, she stopped trying.
Even when Ridha screamed in despair, she stood still; she even said that it was better to stay away from her when Rohit asked for her opinion, just because she didn't want to risk her life.
'Why would anyone risk their life for me?'
Her eyes closed, and her expression was that of resignation.
She knew that no one was going to save her; it was clear from the way the people looked at her.
All she found in their eyes was pity—something that was not even worth shit in the apocalypse.
"Sniff!"
The orc, who was now standing right in front of her, sniffed the air and frowned a bit. He could smell a human, but he wasn't sure at the same time.
*Grip*
He clenched his club and raised it up in the air, ready to wave it.
But just as the orc was about to flail his club, intending to check if there was something invisible or something like that….
*Tack*
A sharp sound of a piece of rock hitting the ground was heard, causing his head to snap toward a corner where there was a lot of debris.
"Growl!"
The orc growled as he looked at another orc who happened to be looking at him.
*Bam**Bam**Bam*....
The next instant, both of the orcs rushed toward the place where they heard the sound; their heavy steps caused a booming sound to resound throughout the hushed surroundings.
Every single eye turned toward a red-haired and golden-eyed boy, who stared at the trembling woman for a second before he started walking toward the forest.
The woman, who was saved by Alex, stood stunned on her spot.
But not long after, her tears poured out of her eyes like water flowing out of a broken dam.
*Thud*
With a low thud, she fell on her knees, and her palms moved toward her mouth, covering them as tight as they could.
*Sob**Sob*
Her sobs weren't even audible, but people could tell from the way tears flowed from her eyes that she was crying like a baby.
If not for her palms suppressing her voice, Alex's efforts would've gone to waste.
As for the man in question?
Well, his back was now slowly disappearing in the forest as he walked away without looking back; his lonely silhouette was all that they could see until that vanished as well.
But as if something clicked in their minds, their eyes widened.
'We can move!'
'Moving is not restricted!'
'Run!'
The remaining humans—as if pumped up with new vigor—dashed away.
They bolted in different directions, some in groups and others alone.
No one was sure if they were going to meet again or not, but for now, they just ran.
Garvit's eyes kept staring at the spot where Alex disappeared before a sigh escaped his lips.
'If we are fated to meet, we will surely meet...'
His hand softly patted Shera's back, who, just like him, was staring at that exact spot.
"Uuuuu…."
A low groan escaped Shera's throat before, and just like others, he started rushing toward the forest.
But before they could move, they noticed something surprising.
They kept staring at the person in front of them for a while before they shared a glance.
Garvit pondered for a while before he nodded his head.
What happened? Who was the person, and what were they going to do?
Only time will tell.