System's POV
chapter-86

"I'll be perfectly honest with all of you," Thirteen said after a few minutes of careful thinking. "It is impossible to escape this Stronghold with your current levels of strength.

"The Orcs here are all Rank 2 Monsters, and there are no less than twenty High-Orcs which are all Rank 3 Monsters. Lastly, a Stronghold like this will always have an Orc Chieftain, which is at least a Rank 4 Monster.

"Escaping this place is next to impossible at this moment in time because none of you are strong enough to do so. But, once you are outside of the Stronghold, anything is possible."

The teenagers who felt down after hearing that it was impossible to escape the Stronghold all perked up when Thirteen said that it was possible to escape when they had left it.

They had seen how well protected the entrances were, so they understood where the boy was coming from.

Actually, Thirteen could still help them escape by going through the Stronghold and climbing over the wall using his grappling hook.

However, he didn't do that.

A glance was enough to tell him that not all the captives were trained at a young age like Harry, which would lower their chances of escaping.

One mistake and all of them would suffer, so Thirteen rejected this idea.

Also, he was tempted to free the children who had received proper training from their families.

But, he didn't do that.

He didn't know if the Orcs had memorized the faces of the children, or remembered how many they were.

If one or two of them went missing, the others would be questioned, and he was certain that these children would start spilling their secrets once the Orcs started to torture them.

Pain was a very good way to make people talk, especially for very young teenagers who hadn't experienced torture in the past.

"I will pay close attention to the Stronghold, and wait for you guys to leave this place," Thirteen said. "According to Cristopher, he saw a Human earlier wearing bone necklaces. That person is definitely a Barbarian, and he seemed to have a trade relationship with the Orcs.

"I'm guessing that he will be taking all of you to the Barbarian Kingdom to be sold as slaves. I'll find a way to free all of you during the journey, so just follow the Orcs for now and don't resist."

Suddenly, one of the boys that was locked up in the cage snorted.

"What can a boy like you do?" the boy asked. "I doubt that you can really save us. I think it is much better if the Orcs catch you as well."

The boy was about to shout in the hope of getting an Orc's attention, but before he could do that, a girl, who was in the same cage as him, knocked him out with a quick jab to his jaw.

Thirteen was pleasantly surprised because he didn't expect the timid looking girl to actually be stronger and bolder than her looks.

"Go," the girl said. "I'll make sure that he doesn't say anything."

Thirteen nodded and thanked the girl properly before shifting his gaze to Cristopher.

"I will meet up with Bruno and think of a strategy to rescue you," Thirteen stated. "Until then, don't do anything reckless, okay?"

"Understood, Young Master." Cristopher nodded. "Be careful."

The seven-year-old gave the chubby boy a thumbs up before leaving the prison to leave the Stronghold, while he still could.

When Thirteen could no longer be seen, the girl, who had knocked out the boy who almost caused trouble, looked at Cristopher with great curiosity.

"You called him Young Master," the timid-looking girl asked. "Is he from an influential family?"

Cristopher pondered for a bit before nodding his head. As an ordinary person, he could understand what the other teenagers inside the room were thinking.

If he hadn't met Zion when he arrived in Solterra, he might have also been captured by the Orcs, or worse, became food for the Monsters that roamed the Houdini Desert.

He knew that what people needed during this time was hope, and if giving them hope would allow them to have the will to live another day, then he would be willing to give them this hope.

Because if not for his Young Master, he might have lost all hope by now.

"My Young Master's name is Zion," Cristopher replied. "Zion Leventis. Remember the name of the person that will save all of us from our current situation."

"Zion Leventis," the timid-looking-girl muttered before nodding her head. "I will remember it."

Harry, who was silently listening to the conversation, clenched his fists.

As someone who had been born in the Remington Clan, he refused to believe that he would die during his First Wandering.

If that really happened, not only would the Remington Clan be disappointed in him, but his family would also be sad.

He had promised his sister that he would return safely, and advised her to train while waiting for him.

Because of this, when he was captured, he felt as if the sky had fallen over his head.

But, after seeing the boy, whom he had seen in the party appear in front of him, he felt as if Fate was toying with him.

Zion was only seven-years-old this year, so he had no business appearing in Solterra.

When the boy told him that he accidentally entered a Dimensional Gate, he couldn't help but think that he was very unlucky to suffer such a fate.

As much as he wanted to deny it, the younger boy's misfortune made him feel that the heavens still hadn't abandoned him.

With hope rekindled in his heart, Harry vowed that he would survive his First Wandering, and return safely to Pangea where his family was waiting for him.

Thirteen didn't leave the Stronghold right away.

In order to raise his chances of being able to free the children, he would need to arm them properly.

Although his stone weapons and wooden spears could potentially injure and kill the Orcs, he still wanted to get proper weapons.

Since he was already inside the Orc Stronghold, he decided to look for a place where they made or kept their weapons.

He believed that as long as those who could fight could be properly armed, their chances of escaping together would become higher.