System's POV
chapter-527

"Ugh… I hate spiders," Erica said with a complicated look on her face as she summoned her new Avatar, which was the Rank 6 Camouflage Spider.

Although she said she hated spiders, Thirteen knew that the Sorceress was actually happy. Regardless of what form it was, the important part was that she now had a Rank 6 Sovereign as an Avatar.

It was a very powerful monster, and unless Erica were to fight Rank 7 Alpha Monsters and above, she would be just fine.

Sherry also didn't like spiders, so she couldn't help but stick close to Zion. She felt anxious just at the sight of the Giant Spider.

Although she knew that it was Erica's Avatar, and on their side, she just couldn't find the courage to go anywhere near it.

While Erica was communicating with her newest Avatar, T1 approached Thirteen and handed him the Rank 6 Beast Core, which belonged to the monster they had just defeated.

The blood-red core, which was the size of a basketball, glowed ominously in the Troll's hands.

Thirteen didn't bat an eye and held it in his hands before glancing at Sherry.

He planned to give the Rank 6 Core to his right-hand girl, but he understood that Sherry wasn't strong enough to absorb such a Beast Core.

With this in mind, he planned to ask Metatron for help in order to downgrade the Crystal to that of a Rank 5 Sovereign before letting Sherry absorb it.

If she absorbed a Beast Core that came from the powerful monster, she would inherit the Camouflage Spider's speed and agility.

Not only that, but she would also gain one of its abilities, any of which was a very useful skill to possess.

So for the time being, he stored the Beast Core inside his Dimensional Storage.

"Thank you, everyone, for your help," Thirteen said to his monster friends and gave them a thumbs up. "Please return to the Mobile Fortress. The other Wanderers will be here soon."

Rocky then appeared and swallowed Giga and the rest before burrowing deep underground.

Since Drazzat, Erica, and Sherry already knew about his Monster Army, he no longer had to worry about them spreading this information to others.

Tiona, on the other hand, moved toward the dead spider and began to eat some of its flesh.

Tiona had the Predation Ability, which allowed her to learn an ability from eating monster parts like their flesh and Beast Cores.

He had tried to use this ability on the rest of the monsters in his Parade of Hundred Demons, but they were unable to learn any skills aside from the skills that they originally possessed, as well as the 99 other skills that were recorded in the Divine Artifact.

Although he was disappointed that he couldn't further maximize the Predation Skill, he was still happy that Tiona and her clone would still be able to grow stronger together.

A while later, the Black Snake returned looking very happy.

Thirteen opened Tiona's page and saw that she learned the skill, Sticky Web, which was one of the skills that the Camouflage Spider possessed.

Several minutes later, they heard the rumbling sounds of several monsters running in their direction.

"It seems that they're already here," Thirteen said.

"They probably thought that it's already safe since the First Mission is already completed," Sherry commented.

"That's indeed the case." Erica nodded in agreement.

Drazzat, who was standing beside Thirteen, hesitated for a bit before lightly tapping the teenage boy's shoulder.

"Can we talk?" Drazzat asked.

"Sure," Thirteen replied. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'm very curious about what lay on the other side of this portal," Drazzat answered. "Can I come with you guys?"

Thirteen didn't reply right away and instead stared intently at the Lizardman's eyes, which had a determined glint in them.

"You might not be able to return back to your tribe if you do," Thirteen said. "Are you sure about this?"

Drazzat nodded "Yes. I've thought long and hard about it, and this is my decision."

Thirteen pondered a bit before nodding in understanding. "Very well. But you will have to take care of your own safety, okay? I will not babysit you."

The Lizardman Commander laughed after hearing the human boy's words.

As a very powerful warrior, he wanted to say that he didn't need Zion to worry about him because he could take care of himself.

However, since he didn't know whether he would need the teenage boy's help or not, he just laughed and didn't say anything else.

Several minutes later, Thirteen and the Apostles did one final sweep of the Stronghold and managed to kill seven more spiders, who were doing their best to hide.

They were Rank 2 and Rank 3 Monsters, so killing them wasn't difficult.

When he deemed that the stronghold was safe to occupy, Thirteen told everyone that they would rest for a day before entering the one-way portal.

Since no one knew what was waiting for them on the other side, he decided to let everyone take a full night's rest, so they would have the energy to face whatever challenges they might find after entering the portal.

Drazzat also told his men about his decision, which made some of his subordinates wish to accompany him.

However, Drazzat politely but firmly declined their proposal and said that the Varesti Tribe would need capable warriors like them to keep them safe.

Sharroc was also saddened by this news, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Thirteen had already asked Gwenn to remove its control over the Lizardmen because it was no longer needed.

Sharroc had already recognized Zion as their Tribe's benefactor, so he was no longer hostile to the humans under his command.

While everyone was setting up camp before their eventual departure the next day, Thirteen left after telling Erica and Sherry that he would be taking a "stroll."

The two girls exchanged a knowing glance with each other before nodding their heads at the same time.

"Be careful," Erica said.

"I'll leave some dinner for you," Sherry stated."

"Thanks," Thirteen replied before sneaking somewhere inside the stronghold.

As soon as he was certain that no one was tailing him, he asked Rocky to take him inside the Mobile Fortress.

After entering the Mobile Fortress, he activated his Ring of the Apocalypse, planning to talk to Metatron.

He wanted to deal with the issue of the Beast Core as early as possible and allow Sherry to absorb it.

While everyone was doing whatever they wanted, Leon looked at the one-way portal with a solemn expression on his face.

For a brief moment, the thought of entering it first crossed his mind.

But as someone with great ambitions, he knew that doing something so reckless might endanger his life.

So for the time being, he decided to imitate Sean and Heidi, who seemed to have gained a little bit of Zion's trust.

His two "friends" had accompanied Thirteen in his special raids, which allowed the two of them to not only gain experience but also receive some items as rewards.

Since he was stuck with the Cygni Faction for the time being, he thought that it would be best if he could gain some benefits for himself.

'Maybe I should try to poach that girl, Sherry, to my side,' Leon thought. 'Since I'm a member of a Prestigious Family, I should be able to give her an offer that she can't refuse.'

Leon pondered for a bit as a smile appeared on his face.

But whether he would be able to poach the young lady's loyalty or not would depend on whether Sherry found him more dependable than her Boss, who was now currently negotiating with the God of the Apocalypse for her sake.