Chương 16: Pathetic

They rested, finding a spot far enough away from Jake and Nate to talk privately. Nely turned to Dune, "so, what do you think?"

Dune didn't look at her, his gaze fixed somewhere distant.

"They're obviously lying. Everything about them is suspicious. Why would they want us to join them? They already said they have a team and even a leader. And I'm sure everyone heard what the god said, only ten of us can live.

Do you remember the destroyed trees we saw before? I think we weren't the first ones to come here. They already have ten in their group, so they killed anyone new who approached the island.

We were ready to fight, they also noticed your unique ability and that's why they didn't attack us instantly. Now, these two are probably planning how to kill us. Well, that's what I think. I might be wrong, though."

Nely was shocked. She hadn't even considered this possibility. Her naive trust almost led her to believe Jake and Nate.

For a second, she felt relieved to have Dune with her. Nely sighed. "Then what do we do? Should we try to kill them while they're asleep?"

Dune chuckled. "No, but that's what they're going to do. I don't think we can escape from them. We are hungry and tired, it will be really hard. I will probably die first. But don't worry, I have a plan. It might work."

Nely nodded, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination. "What's the plan?"

Dune leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "We'll wait until they make their move. When they do, we'll counterattack. I'll distract one of them. You're stronger, and your Zeten and Neba are more powerful. If we can take them by surprise, we might stand a chance."

Nely nodded, "Okay. I'm with you."

Dune added, "Also, don't eat or drink anything they give us. We can pretend to eat, but don't actually do it."

Hours passed, and everything seemed to be going well. Whenever Jake or Nate offered food or water, Nely discreetly used her ability to create a copy of the water bottle or the meat. She could make food and water with her Neba, but consuming it wouldn't actually nourish her or replenish her Neba, it was merely an illusion.

She destroyed the original food and water given by Jake and Nate, replacing them with her creations to maintain the facade that they were eating and drinking.

The hard part was enduring the hunger and thirst. Both Dune and Nely felt the gnawing pangs in their stomachs and the dryness in their throats, but they knew they had to hold out if they wanted to survive. Dune glanced at Nely, seeing the strain in her eyes. "How are you holding up?" he whispered.

Nely gave a weak smile. "I'm okay. I've been through worse."

As the hours dragged on, the tension grew palpable. Dune and Nely exchanged glances, silently communicating their determination. Finally, as the night deepened and the fire began to die down, when they tried to sleep, Jake and Nate finally decided to make a move. They moved closer to Dune and Nely, who were laying on the ground asleep.

Jake spoke, his voice smooth but carrying an underlying menace. "It's sad. You two seemed to be holding up well."

Nate smiled as he slowly approached Dune's sleeping body, orange axe forming in his hand, poised to strike Dune's head. Meanwhile, Jake mirrored his movements, a green sword ready to cut down Nely.

Just as their weapons descended, Nely's finger flicked. Instantly, a long katana appeared in Dune's hand, piercing through Nate's stomach. Caught off guard, Nate stumbled backward, collapsing to the ground.

At the same moment, orange sword materialized in Nely's hand, blocking Jake's attack. However, Jake's strength was overwhelming. He forced all his power into his strike, gradually overpowering Nely.

She was on the verge of being killed by her own sword when Dune charged, pushing Jake out of the cave and following him in a ten-meter fall. They both hit the ground hard. For Jake, it was a minor inconvenience, but Dune suffered a broken hand.

In the tunnel, Nate struggled to his feet, already attempting to heal his injury. Two orange axes formed in his hands, ready to attack Nely. She stood her ground, a giant orange zeten sword in her hands and around her danced fire-like green Neba. Her black eyes narrowed as she stared into Nate's eyes. One of them would die today.

Dune ran for his life, his heart pounding as Jake pursued him relentlessly.

"Damn it, why didn't the poison work?" Jake fumed, his anger pushing him to run faster. "We were so close!"

"Stop running, coward! Come here, and I'll make it quick for you!" Jake shouted,

Dune pushed himself harder, trying to outrun Jake, but it was useless. Jake was closing in, his footsteps growing louder and closer. Dune's mind raced, desperation clawing at him.

Suddenly, a creature leaped from the bushes. It was a wolf, but its fur was a deep, menacing red, and three glowing eyes stared at him with a predatory gaze.

Jake caught up, and they were about to clash when more wolves emerged from the underbrush. There were over twenty of them, their red eyes gleaming with hunger. Jake skidded to a halt, his eyes darting between Dune and the wolves.

"Looks like you've got friends," Jake sneered, drawing his sword.

The wolves lunged. Jake swung his sword with brutal efficiency, decapitating one wolf in a single stroke. Blood sprayed as he fought, his green Neba enhancing his strength and speed. But for every wolf he cut down, two more seemed to take its place.

Not a single wolf had attacked Dune. Even he was shocked by this turn of events. Nearby, Jake fought fiercely, his green Neba sword slicing through the air. One of the wolves lunged at him, its jaws closing around his arm.

Jake shouted, "Damn it!" and with a swift motion, he sliced the wolf in two.

Jake glanced at his arm, expecting to see blood or at least a scratch. But there was nothing. Instead, he felt a strange sensation, a loss. It dawned on him that the wolves weren't after flesh or blood; they were after Neba. He could feel a portion of his own Neba, his spiritual energy, being drained away.

Dune watched as realization hit Jake. These wolves fed on Neba, not on physical matter. Suddenly, everything made sense to Dune too. The reason the wolves hadn't attacked him was because he had very little Neba. His Neba was so weak, so inferior, that it wasn't even worth the wolves' attention. It wasn't just that he wasn't a threat, he wasn't even considered food.

A mix of emotions surged through Dune. Relief washed over him, knowing he was safe from the wolves, but a deep sadness also settled in his heart. He felt insignificant, almost invisible. His Neba was worse than useless, not even green, the lowest tier. It was pathetic.

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