The stall owner looked at Lovell with a sharp gaze.

He wasn't much older than Lovell but looked far more intimidating with him being blind in one eye and already having a full beard.

Lovell shivered when he met the piercing gaze and took a step back.

"No need to be so serious, boss. I was just asking. As you can see, I have no money. I'm looking for a friend of mine who said he was looking for a coat to beat this cold. He's about my height and has snow-white hair and bloodshot eyes. Have you seen him around?"

Lovell was always good at talking his way out of a situation and hoped he could slither out of any cause the stall owner might pursue.

"...I haven't seen anyone like that around here. Get lost if you aren't a customer."

"Sorry to bother you."

Lovell left the stall and continued to parade the streets of the cave.

He saw all kinds of things he hadn't expected to see in an 'academy'—the corpses of low-level Horrors, enslaved women from the Gusto Empire, and different kinds of clothes and food.

This is truly exotic.

He was beaming at the new things he saw.

He proceeded toward the back wall to rest after walking around for almost an hour without success.

Did he even pass through here?

Lovell's spirit of adventure was slowly shot down by his hunger and the cold.

At least it's warmer than outside. Let me rest for 30 minutes, and then I'll go find Derek. This place is at least as good as outside.

He sat down, hoping to relax a little as he leaned against the wall for support.

After about 10 seconds of rest, something was kicking at his feet.

He looked up and saw a slender girl with tantalizing curves standing over him.

Although her clothes looked like they had been smeared with oil, she was relatively clean, and her dreadlocks were bound nicely.

Lovell was momentarily taken aback by her allure but felt annoyed that his rest had been cut so short.

"What do you want?" he spoke in a displeased tone.

The girl wasn't bothered by the remark and responded normally.

"If you don't have a place to sleep, go to Rose's shed at the eastern wall. I assume you're new, right? Most newbies don't have any money with them and end up there. After you start to earn something, you can find a better place for yourself. I should warn you, though, even the cheapest inn will be about 20 bars."

Lovell listened without making any expressions.

"Thanks... I guess?"

"No problem. We were all new here once."

After she finished, he got to his feet and proceeded to the entrance he used.

On his way to the entrance, Lovell spotted a white-haired Mathius wearing a warm-looking coat.

Lovell's mouth twitched a little, and he followed after the bastard who had deserted them.

He came right beside him and wrapped his hand around Mathius.

"Mathius! How come I didn't see you back with the others? When did you get here?"

Mathius jumped a little in surprise when he saw Lovell there.

"Wow! You are a lot better than I thought. Did you follow me? That's not nice, you know."

Lovell noticed how he had tried to change the narrative and continued questioning him.

"What a nice coat you have there. You must have money on you, right? How else could you afford it?"

Mathius tilted his head in confusion and answered, "How?... The easiest and most direct way, of course. I fought for it and won. That's how this place mainly works. The mightiest fist is always right."

Lovell's expression soured.

He may have been 'convincing,' but he doubted he could perform well in a fight.

Although he wanted to grow stronger, he knew it wasn't something that was going to happen overnight.

And he needed to start earning that very night.

"...How did you even know of this place?"

This was the question he wanted most answered.

Mathius's highly provocative smirk spoke without words and said, "Guess."

Lovell had noticed that Mathius was surprisingly annoying.

From his good looks to his arrogant demeanor, Lovell suddenly had the urge to dig his fist into Mathius's face.

"Fine... I won't ask. I'll go outside to call the others. What will you do?"

Mathius looked at Lovell with a perplexed face and asked, "Why go to all the trouble? Do you realize what kind of place you are in?

Probably not, otherwise you would see just how pointless such things are."

Lovell offered no response and looked at Mathius warily.

"Still, I want to try."

He was not a righteous person.

He always rebuked Derek for getting over-involved in the affairs of others and would be a hypocrite if he tried to save those who were freezing outside.

Two things were motivating him:

1. The safety of Derek, the only friend he had ever had.

2. The loyalty of the prisoners.

If he saved them, he could use them to act as the foundation of the force he would create to give himself standing in the cave.

He already had a rough idea of how things worked in the cave and knew he needed people to act as his hands and feet.

He proceeded out of the entrance and barely managed to navigate his way back to the prisoners.

They had huddled together to keep themselves warm.

Lovell noticed three individuals who were on the steps of the building individually.

Before he could reach out to them, he heard Derek's voice come from the center of the circle:

"Don't bother. They are gone."

Lovell stopped and didn't waste any more time.

He stood before the huddled bodies and spoke in a low but clear voice.

"Follow me. I found a place with people, and it's a lot warmer than here."

The group's eyes widened, and they exclaimed in disbelief, "Really?"

Lovell turned around with a slightly annoyed expression.

Do you think I'm enjoying this weather?

That I came all the way here just to fool you?

Stupid questions.

He marched back to the mountain wall and proceeded to apply pressure on the wall.

When they saw the light and felt the humid air force the cold back, their expressions brightened.

"I was told that there is a place here that lets newbies stay for free. It's in the eastern part of the cave. Also, if you want to buy things, you need money. You may be thinking that it would be simpler to just steal what you want, but don't forget how you ended up here. If we are to survive, we need to start earning money."

They looked to Lovell for instruction.

Good... Some of them are already looking to me for direction. Whether they know it or not, they already view me as the leader. This will make controlling them easier.

They began to move to the eastern cave as a group, which attracted the attention of a few onlookers.

They walked around until they found Rose's shed.

Lovell's and Derek's eyes twitched simultaneously.

"This is..."