"What?" Elgin decided to ask first since the other guy immediately went silent.
"Can we talk privately? Somewhere without people. I'm afraid that our words will be overheard."
"Oh? It's that secretive, to the point where you don't want it to be heard by your 'comrades'?" Elgin sneered.
After all, his first impression of this guy was that he immediately assumed the position of a leader and that the entire group should get along with each other to proceed. That obviously didn't happen, but Elgin didn't expect that this guy would voluntarily try to hide things from the others on his own.
The matter depended on his words' contexts, naturally.
"Listen here.. I just want to make this quick. Can you cooperate with me? Please?"
"Sure. I'm free anyways. You won't get to see me around much, the only reason I'm lagging behind and staying here is because I ordered some service here." Elgin raised a brow, but still agreed.
'I want to see what kind of person he is.'
Adel heaved a sigh of relief. He was also quite shocked, as Elgin addressed his current progress as 'lagging behind' when he was obviously miles ahead of his group who were still having fun and enjoying their time without a shred of worry.
This solidified his resolve.
He was someone who had a pretty strong character. Compared to the likes of Ivan and his antics, he would rather be like Elgin and move fast, to be honest.
He only tried to group up because of the uncertainty that they were wrapped in. Being thrown into somewhere foreign, it was natural that he felt threatened and sought for safety in the form of forming a large group to survive in.
The words that entered his ears regarding moving alone and not letting the others drag him down had been weighing him on his mind. Making him reconsider his choice.
He just wanted to further confirm that resolve by asking the prime motivator for his thoughts, Elgin himself.
Adel invited Elgin for a little walk. As they toured the small town under the night sky, Adel began to tell his story and what his thoughts were.
After Adel thought that he had exhausted every single word he had to say, the man stopped in his tracks and looked at Elgin.
'So it was this kind of matter.' Elgin summarized the problem in his mind within seconds and thought that the man's dilemma was a bit strange.
First, Adel recognized that he was quite 'special' compared to the rest.
Second, he did have thoughts about leaving. Just like what he told Elgin right here and now.
Third, he believed that going alone would be beneficial for himself.
However, one thing that he indirectly implied through his words was that he liked being in the center of power. Although he wasn't entirely on board with how his group was behaving, he did enjoy being the 'captain' of the group. He enjoyed them relying on him, and how they praised him for the things he did. He felt safer being with them because of the sense of security being in a large group granted him.
Adel was perplexed because of this.
He wanted to let go, and yet couldn't fully do it.
If he went alone, he would lose the respect and security he had clutched on to so far.
'It's funny.' Elgin commented.
To Elgin, power didn't only exist when you control a large group and so on. Power that came out of one's solitary journey was also formidable.
Weren't the benefits much more desirable than the small price?
"..What do you think I should do? Is it too late to ditch them? Am I a bastard for thinking this way, after all?" Adel bashed himself a lot for beginning to harbor these thoughts. For being conflicted when he was the one who started the group, technically.
He came from a world where peace was a constant thing. Their safety and comfort were guaranteed under a stable system that was unlike anything in this world. Where they had to complete a mission that involved constant fighting and risking one's lives.
Stepping out of his comfort zone was bound to be hard, but that didn't mean he didn't want to do it.
In fact, he wished to entertain that idea. But then again, he was torn in between having to lose his backup.
A small push from Elgin would help tremendously in making his decision since he was experienced.
"If I was you, I would immediately break it off early before I got even more comfortable." Elgin bluntly said. "You are dragging the situation even further by not making a solid decision right away, and the more you wait- the more you will grow accustomed to being in a group and the more it'll get harder to separate. The farther you will be in your comfort zone."
"Why don't you just breeze through the earlier stages by yourself, and form your group later? That'll be so much easier." Elgin added.
"Isn't that selfish? Leaving them right now, but then trying to get with them later. That's.."
"So what if it's selfish? If that's what will get you the best results for yourself, won't you rather be selfish than be trampled by the growth currents later on? We probably aren't the only people that are getting this mission. More will come in the future if my prediction is correct. Form your team then, not now. You need to learn to fend for yourself on your own too." Elgin advised. "In this scenario, you have to learn how to effectively climb the ranks and get on par or ahead with others."
'We must be the first batch since the denizens treated us like so. The next batches could drop anytime now.' Elgin internally thought.
Jinx.
He jinxed it.
Because as he talked, a bright light suddenly shone from behind his back. From the direction of Ulya's gates.
Where them, the first batch spawned.