Chapter 56: Reality of the Sectors
Terrence was finally ’saved’ from the slum. When he returned to the main sector, the very first thing he asked his family was...
"I finally know how to lift them out of the barren slum. When should we start?"
However, the head of the outskirt department—who was also his own uncle—simply raised an eyebrow in complete amusement.
"What do you mean by that, kid? We didn’t send you there to help those people."
Terrence froze, feeling a bit confused.
If he wasn’t sent there to help them, what was the actual purpose of being left in that place?
"Wasn’t I left there to live among them? To understand them and befriend them? To guide their lives for the better?"
His uncle stared at him coldly, then shifted his gaze to the butler standing silently behind him. A short yet agonizingly long minute passed before his uncle let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.
This reaction thoroughly confused Terrence, who observed his uncle as if he had somehow done a completely wrong job.
"That wasn’t your assignment at all. You were only sent near the border to observe, but a major mishap happened and you were accidentally left there alone. We have spent an entire month frantically trying to locate you in that dirty slum. It was extremely fortunate that we finally found you."
Terrence completely froze in place. The gears in his mind clanked violently, as if they were suddenly moving in a completely different direction than what they were supposed to.
And as confused as he was, he desperately replayed the whole scenario in his head prior to the day he was left there.
Indeed, his uncle was right. He wasn’t left inside that barren slum on purpose.
"Then..." with a shaky, trembling voice, Terrence asked, "What was I actually supposed to do there?"
"You just have to see them," his uncle stated plainly. "You have to understand how you will keep them contained in that place so they do not pollute the main sector."
Terrence swallowed heavily as a crushing realization hit him. He desperately wanted to reject the idea, but his uncle’s eyes were so firm and sure of what he just said.
Shaking his head, an awkward, forced smile appeared on Terrence’s face. "You are joking, right?"
"Why would I ever joke about something like that, kid?"
Yes, his uncle was completely serious about it.
Terrence’s whole world felt like it was crumbling into pieces right then and there. He had lived with those people, understood their pain, learned their daily ways of life, and for a brief moment, he genuinely felt like he was a part of them.
However, his real family’s mission for him was just to observe and learn how to keep those innocent people locked away in that hellish place forever?
He forced himself to swallow that bitter reality. He couldn’t vomit it out no matter how sick it made him feel.
"Why... why would we do something so cruel to them? Aren’t we supposed to be compassionate people?"
"Compassionate my ass. Just leave this office immediately and return to your manor."
Terrence followed the direct order with a completely dazed expression on his face. He still couldn’t bring himself to accept that horrific reality.
As they walked down the pristine hallways, Terrence turned to his side. "Say, Butler Liam... Was what my uncle said really the truth?"
The butler looked down at Terrence with deeply pitiful eyes, letting out a quiet sigh before answering.
"Yes, Young Master. It was the absolute truth. So please, just forget about those dirty people and let’s get back safely to the manor."
Terrence didn’t reply. His mind continuously replayed every single second he had spent inside that barren slum of the outskirt.
He had felt the genuine, raw happiness those people felt despite their miserable living situation. He desperately wanted to help them build a better future.
As immature as he knew he was at fifteen, he still wanted to do something to fix this unfair system.
So, the very first thing he did upon returning to the estate was to dig through hidden records about what really happened to the slum. And right there, he discovered an even harsher reality.
Originally, Suran City was made up of three major sectors. The previous sector—the one where he had lived as a young child—was completely destroyed years ago by an A-Rank Rift that overflowed with monsters.
The second sector... was the exact area that had been intentionally turned into the current barren slum.
’I thought the oppression I experienced when I was just a young kid was something my Family actively fought against... that they fought for equality for all people,’ Terrence thought, his breathing growing rapid. ’But... to turn those horrific experiences against the people... my own family was the reason all along... They are the exact reason why all those innocent people had to die!’
Terrence clenched his fist until his knuckles turned pale as he returned to his personal chambers. But before he could even begin to process a plan to correct these massive wrongs, he received sudden news that would completely destroy his world—wiping away all the precious memories he had created in the barren slum.
"Young Master..." Butler Liam reported softly, his head bowed. "The barren slum was completely destroyed. The Lovely Potion company’s outer testing facility located around the area suffered a massive explosion..."
Terrence’s vision instantly blurred as tears welled in his eyes. He rushed inside his private room, slamming the door shut. He desperately wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but he couldn’t even create a single sound.
"Fuck! Fuck!" he cursed inwardly, his body trembling with immense rage. "The Lovely Potion company is an associate of the Lee Family..."
Through his research, Terrence had also learned one of the core reasons why the barren slum continued to be kept as a lifeless, barren settlement in Suran City: Lovely Potion frequently abducted and picked their human experiment subjects directly from the slum, treating those helpless people as nothing more than disposable test rats.
"Fuck! Fuck!"
Suddenly, Terrence snapped back to reality as his focused gaze fixed onto what seemed to be another incoming punch flying directly toward his face.
Moving on pure instinct, he stepped back just enough to easily dodge the physical attack. Then, without missing a beat, he extended his leg in a swift front kick, connecting solidly with Milan’s exposed stomach.
The force of the blow sent Milan flying backward through the air before he slammed hard onto the ground.
This time, the conflict escalated entirely because of his direct counterattack.