Upon Lunaria's orders, Kaelan was freed from his restraints. He was then given proper clothing. Kaelan chose to wear a white shirt and the same pants he originally had.
Together with Lunaria, he was now walking toward the barracks where his team was located. He still vividly remembered the moment Lunaria's body seemed to spill blood and flesh.
The last thing he recalled was being swallowed by the mass of flesh that emerged from her body.
Kaelan used the time to study the city of Aztec, where he currently resided.
The houses were built from stone and cement, with roofs made of darkened wooden planks. The settlement itself wasn't slum-like; in fact, it was clean from filth. Some houses even had stands selling charms, weapons, food, and even inns.
Kaelan looked at the city's residents and was shocked because some of them looked different.
He saw a child with bat-like ears and a single reddish eye. Another child whose left arm was as small as a spoon, a woman with acne on her face oozing pus.
A man whose half body had turned pitch black and emitted a foul stench, elderly people whose forms barely resembled humans anymore.
The horrifying sight left him stunned and saddened. His heart ached seeing the children still cheerful despite their grotesque conditions.
Lunaria, who walked slightly ahead, noticed Kaelan's astonishment.
"Due to the disappearance of the world's sun, curses shroud everything. As a result, animals, plants, and even monsters contain corruption."
Kaelan remained cautious while feeling sorrow for what he saw.
"What exactly is corruption and curses?"
Kaelan could more or less understand what curses were.
A curse was an energy similar to air—existing everywhere around them. This energy could be absorbed into anything, living or not. As a result, whatever they consumed would contain curses.
"In this world, everything contains curses. That includes humans like us," Lunaria explained.
"Is there really no way to remove it?" Kaelan asked, without much hope.
Lunaria gave a bitter smile. "If the sun were to shine, the curses would vanish."
In the end, curses would never disappear from this world as long as the sun did not reappear. Nadir Sovereign's actions had brought an apocalypse upon humanity.
"We do have methods to remove curses from food and water… but curses can never be fully purified. There will always be residual traces left behind. Those residues are what we call corruption."
Corruption was a lighter form of curses. If someone consumed curses directly, it would drive them insane and turn them into monsters.
However, corruption wouldn't change someone instantly. It would accumulate and gradually transform specific parts of the body into monstrous forms.
But eventually, corruption would turn a person into a full monster. It just spread much slower compared to direct curse exposure.
Kaelan was speechless. Once again, he felt that this world was extremely foreign to him. Almost as if he had never lived in it at all.
A heavy sadness washed over him. He didn't know why. Perhaps because he was the only one who didn't truly belong to this world—or maybe it was simply empathy.
"We've arrived."
Kaelan looked at the building before him. A large structure resembling a small castle. Inside was an open field serving as a training ground for swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and even archery.
Led by Lunaria, Kaelan walked through, ignoring the many gazes fixed upon him. Throughout the way, they cheerfully greeted Lunaria before glaring sharply at Kaelan.
They arrived in front of a cafeteria that also served as a bar. Lunaria spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, please listen," she said. "From now on, he will be our new family."
Everyone was shocked. They had already heard about the situation from Reynold.
It was natural for them to be surprised, considering Kaelan was a mysterious and suspicious figure.
"This is my decision as the leader. If any of you have something to say, say it to me. I don't want to hear about any form of exclusion."
Lunaria was firm in her message. Just because Kaelan was different didn't mean he deserved to be ostracized. And just because he seemed suspicious didn't mean he deserved worse treatment.
Everyone looked reluctant, but no one objected. Even Rebecca appeared angry and clearly disapproved of Lunaria's decision.
"Yo! Welcome to the exploration team, Kaelan!" Reynold stepped forward cheerfully and threw an arm around him.
With his massive build, Reynold's embrace felt heavy and slightly forceful. But Kaelan understood the man didn't mean to hurt him.
"You're unlucky to be stuck with the exploration team, ahaha!" Reynold laughed lightly.
"Why?" Kaelan asked.
Reynold leaned in closer, almost like someone telling a horror story to a child.
"Among all the teams and divisions in the Radiant Covenant, the exploration team is the worst. Wanna know why?" Reynold grinned. "Because our team is always the closest to curses. In other words, we roam at the edge of death!"
As the name implied, the exploration team specialized in exploring areas outside the city—places where curses were dense and monsters highly dangerous.
It seemed there were also other teams within the organization known as the Radiant Covenant. Clearly, they weren't a group to be underestimated.
"You're exaggerating," Lunaria lightly punched Reynold's back. "Kaelan, for now you can rest. I'll call you later. Enjoy your time."
Lunaria smiled gently, also looking apologetic. "And I'm sorry about how you were treated earlier."
Kaelan said nothing except a nod. Though he still held some anger, it wasn't enough to make him reckless.
He understood his situation. Without memories and proper knowledge, Kaelan would be killed if he made enemies.
Kaelan's decision was to use this time to learn as much as he could.
And the first thing that caught his interest the most was the Devour Art—
A technique that granted power to its user.