Thomas was suddenly stunned. "Someone will definitely come to rescue us? Why?"

He couldn't understand why Ed was so confident, but Ed didn't answer. Instead, he murmured to himself, "They will… soon…"

His tone was broken and weak, yet it carried an undeniable firmness as he repeated the words.

Thomas stared at him and then noticed that Ed's eyes had already glazed over. It suddenly clicked.

"Has he lost consciousness from blood loss and exhaustion?"

Before he could finish his thought, Ed's body suddenly trembled, and his upper body started to fall. Thomas quickly rushed to support him.

"He's unconscious... This is bad. Lord Ed, stay with me! You can't sleep!"

He desperately tried to keep Ed's upper body propped up, fearing that lying down might worsen the wounds.

"Even the strongest people have their limits, huh? Does this mean it's up to me now?"

He, a mere Apprentice-level Hunter, was in the heart of the Nightmare Wasteland.

It was still dark, no sign of dawn yet.

And the barrier had vanished, meaning that if any monster showed up now, Thomas would be done for!

But the next moment, what shocked Thomas was that Ed's previous trembling wasn't him passing out.

Instead, he was trying to stand up!

Ed stretched out his hand, using all his strength to push himself off the ground. "Thomas, let go of me."

As Thomas watched in utter disbelief, Ed's severely wounded body somehow stood upright!

"What? What? Did I just see that right?"

Once Ed was on his feet, he immediately turned toward the direction of the one-eyed monster's corpse. His gaze landed on the communication stone that had glowed earlier.

"I was right... That thing… it should send out a signal once its owner dies, right? That means… the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association already knows."

"They must be on their way..."

Ed was now at his absolute limit. The thin thread of consciousness in his brain was about to snap, and soon he would lose all awareness.

Before the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association's people arrived, there were a few things he needed to do. First, he pulled out the black bell from his belongings.

"This battle took a huge toll. I need to replenish."

He gently shook the bell toward the one-eyed monster's body. In the next moment, a black soul was drawn from it and absorbed into the bell.

Afterward, he quickly stored the bell away, not stopping for a moment, and then turned to look at Thomas.

"Lord Ed! You… you…"

Looking at Ed, Thomas's voice trembled, unsure whether to ask what he was doing or urge him to lie down immediately.

Even as a Hunter, he had sustained such severe injuries.

Was this still a human?

"Thomas, those things, you still have them, right?" Ed asked quickly, without wasting time on unnecessary words. His eyes were sharp.

"You mean the spoils from the monsters? Of course, I have them! I'll get them to you right away!" Thomas immediately reached for them. It was time to return them to Ed.

"No." But Ed stopped him. "You don't need to give them back to me. Keep them."

"After we get out, you go to the organizers to settle the scores, and keep one-tenth of the reward for yourself. The rest, send to me. My address is…"

Ed then gave the address of the inn where he was staying, and Thomas quickly nodded and wrote it down.

"Alright, Lord Ed, I'll do as you say!" Thomas nodded.

It was well known that the monsters Ed had killed since the beginning of the competition were not only numerous but also highly valuable. Even one-tenth would be a great reward!

Originally, he had planned to split this one-tenth with Alex and Lucas.

"Now that those two have run off..."

Thomas sneered inwardly. The one-tenth would naturally be all his now!

And even if he didn't consider the financial gain, as Ed was his savior, out of respect, Thomas would follow his instructions without question.

Then, Ed looked coldly at the one-eyed monster's body.

Next to the corpse, besides his "belongings," was a storage pouch.

This was a Silver-tier Hunter's storage pouch!

And considering the team the one-eyed monster led, it was likely filled with the spoils from all the monsters they had killed during the competition.

It was easy to imagine that this storage pouch would be worth a great deal!

Seeing it, Thomas immediately asked, "Lord Ed, would you like to keep the things he dropped?"

This was, indeed, an extremely tempting offer!

But Ed shook his head firmly. "No. None of these things can be touched!"

No matter what treasures the one-eyed monster had, they were for thinking about at most, not for taking.

After warning Thomas, Ed finally turned back to look at him, his gaze intense.

One look from him instantly made Thomas feel a chill run down his spine. He involuntarily took a few steps back.

"Lord Ed, what's wrong…?"

"You should know what can and cannot be said about this situation, right?" Ed spoke in a low, gravelly voice.

Despite being in such a poor condition, with his voice sounding as if he might collapse at any moment, to Thomas, when he said that sentence, Ed's presence still radiated such an overwhelming aura, as if he were a god of war.

Thomas nodded quickly. "I understand! Don't worry! I'll never tell anyone how the one-eyed monster died!"

"Not even to my closest family!"

After hearing this, Ed gave a slight nod. Then, his vision blurred, and he suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious!

"Lord Ed!!"

Thomas's urgent call reached Ed's ears, but it was extremely faint, and soon, it became completely inaudible.

"So tired..."

Ed had no strength left. In this moment, all he wanted was to close his eyes and get some rest.

As for whether the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association would come or not, if they could save him, or what would happen next, Ed had no idea. But he no longer cared. After all, ever since he crossed into this world, wasn't everything just walking on a tightrope?

He had no idea how much time had passed.

Ed felt his body moving, and then a hand grabbed him. A voice shouted in his ear:

"Ed, how did the one-eyed monster and the others die?"

Ed's consciousness was still hazy, but he responded in a broken voice, "Ghost spirit... killed them..."

"And the ghost spirit?" The voice immediately pressed.

"Ran... ran away..."

Then, Ed's body was suddenly dropped, and he had no idea whether the person had accepted his explanation.

...

The next time Ed opened his eyes, he was shocked to find himself in a room.

He was lying on a bed, a very soft, comfortable bed.

As Ed wondered where he was, he lifted his head and found a woman standing in front of him.

"Well, you're awake, little guy," the woman said in a voice full of charm.

She was an incredibly seductive woman, exuding an air of maturity and allure.

Her narrow, beautiful eyes seemed to have been made for tempting men.

Even though the woman wasn't intentionally trying to do this, or perhaps it was simply her natural demeanor, she surpassed countless other women who had spent years perfecting their charms.

Ed felt that this woman's allure was just as powerful as the fox woman sorcerer's.

Any man would likely feel incredibly lucky to be near such a woman, but Ed did not share that sentiment.

Because of the fox woman sorcerer, Ed instinctively felt a sense of disgust and wariness toward women like her.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Ed's gaze was full of suspicion.

Had he been sold again?

Hearing this, the woman laughed and covered her mouth:

"Heh, are all men this heartless? I just saved you, and you're already being so cold?"

"However, considering your body is so remarkable, I can forgive your previous rudeness."

"You're in the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association now. From now on, you should get used to life here."

After hearing this, Ed furrowed his brows even deeper, sensing that this woman was rather strange. However, he still understood what she had said.

So, this place was the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association!

He had indeed been brought out of the Nightmare Wasteland by the Moon Eclipse Demon Hunter Association.

Knock knock knock!

At that moment, a knock on the door sounded, and a tall man walked in from outside.

"Melissa, how is the kid you saved?" the man asked as he entered.

"Reve, you just barged in? Didn't you know I was alone with this outstanding young man?" Melissa said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

However, Reve looked up, his face dark and cold. Noticing his expression, Melissa immediately closed her mouth.

Instead, she asked, "Reve, how did the one-eyed monster die? Have you investigated?"

Reve snorted, his face showing visible anger.

"The kid on the bed said that the one-eyed monster was killed by a ghost spirit, and then the ghost spirit ran away. Before that, the ghost spirit also killed those two kids."

"This lines up with what the one-eyed monster reported before, though."

Previously, the one-eyed monster had reported that the ghost spirit had killed Brown and Brian, then disappeared.

But, later, the one-eyed monster himself was killed. No matter how calmly Reve analyzed it, he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.

Could it really be that the ghost spirit came back and killed the one-eyed monster too?

At the moment, it seemed like Reve had no choice but to believe this.

When he arrived at the scene, the one-eyed monster's body was so destroyed it was unrecognizable, and Ed appeared to have gone through a fierce battle, collapsing on the ground in a severe state of injury and unconsciousness.

The one-eyed monster's belongings weren't missing, and it really did seem like the ghost spirit was behind it.

"Anyway, if you're done with your treatment, move aside. I need to have another private conversation with this kid," Reve said to Melissa in a low voice.

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