System Awakening Era: I Have 10x Skill Effects-Chapter 28: Bandit in The Highway

The monsters had disappeared and died. There was no one in the area except the four of them.

Realizing that Aamon was stronger than them made them hesitant. Becoming enemies with Aamon would only end badly for both of them.

"Are you hungry? We haven’t prepared any food for you," the woman offered.

Aamon turned his head, then shook it. He explained that he still had canned food supplies in his inventory. Clearly, Aamon did not want to eat anything from their food reserves.

"No," Aamon replied. "I just want to rest."

The woman fell silent, then nodded slowly. Aamon stepped back into the motel room, resting after the exhausting fight against the pack of wolf monsters earlier.

They returned to their room and continued resting. Their attitude had changed, and they no longer planned to oppose Aamon.

With Aamon with them, at least they could feel safe for a while until the next morning.

***

The next day.

Aamon was the first to wake up. He opened the door and stepped outside the motel room, feeling the fresh, clean air free from pollution.

Since the Planetary Trial began, the air quality had improved. Pollution no longer existed because not many survivors used vehicles, and factories had stopped operating.

Even so, Aamon was thinking about something far more important. Food supplies.

Without farmers producing food, supplies would continue to shrink. The food industry was no longer running due to the lack of workers and raw materials.

At best, the world might survive on existing food supplies for two years. After that, they would need to find another solution.

Aamon was not too worried about it. In his past life, humanity survived because the system provided food that could be purchased with coins.

Food Merchants would appear, and survivors would buy food from them. But that would only happen in the years to come.

Aamon tried to recall exactly when those events would begin.

Someone approached from behind. The woman arrived and stood beside Aamon. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, enjoying the refreshing morning.

"Isn’t this nice? The Earth is healing and recovering," she said.

"Yeah. It is."

She turned and extended her hand. Aamon looked confused.

"I’m Larissa. You can call me Risa."

Without shaking her hand, the young man introduced himself. "I’m Aamon."

Risa looked a bit awkward, but she accepted it. She figured Aamon was not someone who easily got close to others.

"Today, my husband and I are going out to look for food and supplies. I hope no monsters attack us," Risa said.

"You’re going to leave your child alone?"

"We don’t have a choice," Risa replied. "Taking him with us would only put him in danger."

Aamon fell silent and did not argue. He had no right to interfere in their matters, but he still felt uneasy about Risa and her husband leaving Nicholas alone in the motel.

"You’ve thought this through. So I’m sure you understand the consequences."

"Yes."

"We’ve told Nicholas to stay in the room until we return. That’s the safest option for him," Risa explained.

Not long after, the man came out of the room and looked over. He was surprised to see Risa and Aamon outside so early in the morning.

Risa and Aamon turned at the same time, looking at Risa’s husband.

"What are you doing out here this early?"

"Nothing," Risa said. "Just enjoying the fresh air."

The man glanced at Aamon, staring straight at him. Aamon did not respond since Risa had already explained things. There was no need for him to say anything more.

"What about you?" the man asked.

"I’m leaving," Aamon replied. "I need to continue my journey to Springfield."

"Springfield? What are you going there for?"

"That’s none of your business," Aamon said firmly.

Risa looked at her husband. The man stepped closer to Aamon, staring sharply at him.

"You’re not from Springfield, are you?" the man asked. Aamon nodded.

Risa let out a quiet sigh. "No wonder you don’t know."

"Know what?"

Risa began explaining why they questioned his reason for going to Springfield. Aamon listened carefully.

There was a chance they were from Springfield, given how detailed their information was.

"That city has become a city of fog," Risa said.

"The sound of sirens echoes there constantly. Monsters roam everywhere. There are almost certainly no survivors left."

The man added, "If you go there, you’ll die."

Aamon fell silent for a moment. He did not know what Springfield was really like. Risa and her husband could be wrong, or they could be right.

The only way for Aamon to confirm their information was to go there himself. But if Risa was right, he could be in serious trouble.

"I’m looking for a map of this region," Aamon said. "My destination is Indianapolis. I planned to stop by Springfield to find a map."

"A map, huh?"

Risa discussed something with her husband about a souvenir shop nearby. The man nodded, then spoke to Aamon again.

"There’s a souvenir shop around here. Maybe I can help you find a map there," he said.

Aamon gave a faint smile, clearly not refusing the offer. Without much preparation, he and the man left the motel and headed toward the shop.

It wasn’t far, but it was just as destroyed as the motel. However, there was no foul smell coming from inside, a sign that there were no rotting bodies within.

They went in, stepping over the ruins until they were fully inside. There were many souvenirs displayed on the walls, while others were scattered across the floor due to broken shelves.

"This is a souvenir shop. I’m sure they kept maps as part of their merchandise," the man said.

Seeing the messy condition made things difficult for him, especially since he needed to prepare to leave with his wife soon to search for food.

"I’ve got something to take care of, so I can’t stay with you," the man said.

Aamon turned and nodded. He thanked the man for helping him. The man paused briefly.

"Sure."

He then left, leaving Aamon alone in the place. Aamon began searching through piles of souvenirs, opening drawers, and checking the storage room.

His attention was caught by a stiff roll buried under keychains in the storage room. Aamon picked it up and unrolled it.

It was a map. A regional map showing highways between cities. From it, Aamon could see an efficient route to Indianapolis.

With this map, I don’t need to go to Springfield anymore.

Aamon stepped outside and saw the morning light shining brightly. He glanced toward the motel room.

The door was closed. Risa and her husband had probably already left to search for food.

He walked to his motorcycle and spread out the map. He marked his current location based on the layout. It was still quite far from Indianapolis.

Still, Aamon was lucky. With the map, he could at least find several rest areas to stop at.

"Alright. Time to go."

He started his motorcycle and sped off, leaving the place without saying goodbye to Risa and her husband.

Aamon rode at a fairly high speed. The highway was empty and wide, making it easy for him to maneuver past abandoned cars blocking the road.

He drove for three hours, relying on the map in his memory. Several times, he spotted monsters in the fields on both sides of the highway, but they failed to keep up with his speed.

Someone appeared from behind a car, visible from a distance. Not just one, but five people stepped out, holding their weapons.

"Bandits!"

Aamon hit the brakes and stopped his motorcycle. The five of them, three men and two women, approached together with intimidating gazes. Half of their faces were covered with black cloth.

"You. If you want to pass through this area, you have to pay a fee."

"You control an empty area with no food or shelter? Do you live underground or something?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"There’s a rest area over there, controlled by our group, Shadow Arc. You’re nothing compared to us!" one of the men shouted.

I’m too lazy to fight them.

"How much do I have to pay?"

The man turned and discussed something with his group. They nodded in agreement.

"100 coins. And your weapon."

"That’s nonsense!" Aamon said firmly.

"If you don’t pay, we won’t let you pass."

Aamon let out a slow breath. "Then I guess I won’t be paying."

The man summoned his sword and pointed it at Aamon. "Then you’re not getting through."

The young man stepped off his motorcycle and summoned his own sword.

"I just need to kill all of you. Then I can pass freely."