Werewolf Leveling: Building the Strongest Pack in the Apocalypse-Chapter 291: Decision

In the past few months, the settlement of Ryomen had developed a lot. The streets were bustling with life, with all different groups of people living in cohesion. This was mostly the upper class of the city, the ones who had been turned by their alpha.

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The lower class was separated and was constantly looking for a way to impress their alpha so they too could be turned. An alpha who hadn’t come home in months. Nonetheless, they knew the alpha’s subordinates were watching closely, so they still did their best to appear useful.

Still, even in the slums of the city, the people were well taken care of compared to what was out there in the outside world. Many considered it a paradise. There wasn’t a single settlement that was as developed as Ryomen, and because of this, people began to take notice. Powerful people.

On a balcony of one of the tallest buildings in the city, Isabella overlooked the bustling settlement with a piece of paper in her hand. The clothes she was wearing had a slight protrusion in the stomach area, which caused her to sigh every time she walked past a mirror.

"What did you do to me, you idiot?" she mumbled and sighed once again, her hand cupping her slightly inflated belly.

She then redirected her gaze back to the letter in her hand and read the contents aloud for the umpteenth time.

"I’m alive, but I’m not coming back to the pack yet. I’m going to take some time to develop my strength. I’ll see you all in a few months. Take care."

Reading the letter in her hand caused her to sigh once again. She understood what he meant by developing his strength. Conquest was coming, and she more or less knew the danger it posed.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering sadness. This letter was one of the only things she received. Occasionally, the ravens would come and deliver bottles containing his blood. The raven even brought various letters with them, but they were for Sylvie.

She tried looking at the letters Sylvie got, but to her, it was all nonsense; silly jokes she couldn’t understand, but Sylvie seemed to love them. She always giggled loudly while reading them.

Isabella once picked up one of the letters which always put Sylvie in a good mood whenever she read it, and to her surprise, it was just ramblings about a group of dolphins. He seemed to be telling her about his journey so she could feel as if she was there with him.

"That’s nice." she smiled as the thought came to mind.

She then sighed to herself once again and looked up at the bustling settlement. With a place like this, it was hard to believe she was in the middle of an apocalypse. Between the giant walls and the barricade covering the settlement, it felt as if they were in a hidden sanctuary.

She looked far out, beyond the sea of heads walking down below, and towards the gate. There she saw two familiar figures.

"They are really going, huh? I guess I should go say goodbye."

With those thoughts in mind, Isabella turned around, only to see two individuals bowing behind her. Lea had sent two of her most trusted vampires to take care of her every need. Between them and her mother, she was almost at her limit for people treating her like a fragile princess; regulating what she ate, where she went, and what she did.

"I’m going out for a while," she said as she headed for the door.

She didn’t bother telling them not to follow her since she knew they only took orders from her mother.

With the two vampires following behind her like her shadow, she left her home and went towards the gate. As she walked, she was constantly being greeted by the people of the settlement. They all bowed their heads to her and praised. Some even offered gifts. She always felt like a celebrity walking through Ryomen.

They all knew that she carried their alpha’s child, and being devoted to their alpha, they all felt a strong love towards her and her unborn child. Just seeing her was enough to fill them with joy. It was unexplainable, but that was how they truly felt. If their alpha was their god, then she was their goddess. If it came down to it, they would even die for her without hesitation.

Isabella tried to be cordial with them but most time she refused their gifts. Unlike Sylvie who fully accepted their pampering.

Soon, Isabella arrived at the gate where three familiar faces were getting ready to leave. They were Khalissi, Kumo, and Selthia. Khalissi and Kumo had decided to venture out to go find their alpha, while Selthia had decided to go back home.

"So you guys are really leaving, huh?" Isabella commented as she approached the group.

Kumo and Selthia stepped forward to greet her, while Khalissi folded her arms and nodded.

"That is the right approach to make. If something happened and we could’ve been there to help, then we’ll regret it."

"She’s right," Kumo agreed.

"When Darling returns, I want him to see the progress I made and be proud," Selthia answered, but her gaze was a bit downcast. She had been stalling the process of leaving.

Isabella understood their meaning, and a part of her wanted to go with them, but she knew she couldn’t.

"Selth! Wait, Selth!"

Just then, they heard a loud voice calling out to them. All four of them quickly turned around to see Sylvie charging towards them, hopping from building to building. Her pregnant belly was growing rounder by the day and was even bigger than Isabella’s.

"That idiot! Doesn’t she realize she’s pregnant?" Selthia hissed as she stepped forward in panic.

Both Isabella and Kumo silently giggled at Selthia’s action. They knew the reason Selthia hadn’t left already was because she was worried about Sylvie.

Soon, Sylvie landed right in front of them with a wide grin on her face, but what greeted her was a loud bonk on the head from Selthia. Sylvie held the top of her head, tears accumulating in the corner of her eyes.

"W-What was that for?"

"You idiot, you should be more careful. What if you fell?"

"Sylvie was being careful!"

"Careful people don’t hop atop buildings!"

Sylvie was fuming. Not only was she hit in the head, but the person who came to say goodbye to her was scolding her. She was ready to retort with the meanest response she could come up with until suddenly, she felt warm, tender hands wrapped around her neck.

"Be careful, okay?" Selthia said as she hugged her tightly.

Sylvie never had siblings beforehand. Even though they argued a lot, no, because they argued a lot, and because they cared for each other at the same time, the two girls couldn’t help but think of each other as sisters.

Sylvie’s eyes were flooded with tears. She tried to stop it, but she couldn’t. Selthia was no better. The more tears she wiped from her eyes, the more came. The two embraced each other tightly since they knew this was the last time they’d see each other for a while.

...

"Let’s cut to the point. My granddaughter tells me you’re an awakener. I want you to join the military."

The captain’s words rang inside my mind. I couldn’t say it was unexpected. From the moment I heard I was summoned, I had a slight idea what this would be about.

"Upon joining, you will be placed on Lieutenant Ethan Stark’s platoon," he continued.

"Platoon?" I inquired.

"Yes. As you must have heard by now, we have started an effort in retaking our land from the demons. Most of these people being recruited are awakeners since they are the ones who are most fit to fight against the demons. But don’t worry; there are several benefits for being an awakened soldier. We have built several settlements in different cities, towns, and other areas of the world. Not only will you be allowed to live in these settlements, but you’ll be considered to be in the upper echelon of society."

I sensed that there was something off about the way he spoke about the special privileges the awakeners had. But besides that, I could see a lot of awakeners taking a deal like this. It offered a sense of security.

The ones that didn’t take the deals must’ve been the ones confident in their own strength and wanted to grow by themselves or with their friends.

I took a few seconds to ponder the captain’s offer. I didn’t want to rush this. First of all, I wanted to see if it aligned with my goals. My goal was to grow stronger. Since I would be fighting against demons, this offered me the opportunity to level up.

Another thing was that I wanted to learn more about how the world had changed. From what I heard, joining the military could help me with that too.

Of course, joining wouldn’t be permanent. I would leave whenever I was ready. I would only stay there for at most a month before going on my way.

"I should also inform you that once you join the military, you can’t leave. Desertion means death," the captain said, staring me directly in my eyes.

"I have made up my mind," I said, ignoring the captain’s previous statement. "I’ve decided I’ll join you."