Chapter 32

Ryu and Kaida moved quickly through the alley, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. As they reached the end of the passage, Kaida pushed against a heavy door hidden behind a pile of rubble. The door swung open, revealing a dimly lit stairway that led downwards.

Ryu and Kaida descended the stairs, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. As they reached the bottom, a faint light flickered in the distance, illuminating the hidden depths of a cave-like chamber.

"We made it," Ryu whispered, his voice barely audible in the silence.

In the darkness, Kaida reached for Ryu's hand and nodded. Sensations heightened by the danger all around them, they ventured deeper into the cave.

As they approached the center of the room, the dim light became more visible, revealing a cluster of persons gathered around a tiny fire. The people stood, their features lit by the flickering lights as Ryu and Kaida got closer.

"Ryu, Kaida," a relieved-sounding woman uttered. "You're back."

With a nod, Ryu looked around at the people he recognized.

"You're both safe," another voice said, a tall, broad-shouldered man stepping forward. "We were getting worried."

Ryu grinned, his exhaustion fading as he exchanged greetings with his friends. "We had a close call, but we managed to handle it," he said, his voice full of bravado.

Kaida rolled her eyes. "You mean we were almost devoured by the yomigaeri," she corrected, her tone teasing.

The group around the fire laughed, the tension in the room dissipating as the familiar faces of their friends came into view.

"Good thing we have Kaida to keep you in check," the woman from before said, her eyes twinkling with humor. She moved towards the fire and added another log, the flames roaring to life as they consumed the new fuel.

"I'm glad to see you two are still one of the best hunting teams in our group," another man chimed in, his face creased with a smile. "It would be lonely without you."

Ryu and Kaida exchanged a look, their shared history evident in the small gesture.

"Lonely and short-lived," Ryu joked, a wry smile spreading across his face. "Without us, who would keep you all on your toes?"

Kaida smirked. "They'd be lost without our expertise, Ryu," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You know they can't navigate the city like we can."

Their friends laughed, the atmosphere in the cave growing lighter as the group began to settle down around the fire.

"So, what news do you bring from the surface?" one of the men asked, his eyes fixed on Ryu.

Ryu's expression sobered, his face becoming more serious as he recounted their mission. "We found the building," he said, his voice low and steady. "But it was crawling with the Yomigaeri. We barely made it out in one piece."

A heavy silence fell over the group, each of them aware of the implications of Ryu's words.

"The building was as bad as the reports said, wasn't it?" the woman asked, her voice soft with understanding.

Ryu nodded, his gaze falling to the floor as he recalled the horrors they had witnessed.

Kaida stepped forward, her eyes locked on the group around the fire. "There's more," she said, her voice firm and commanding. "The yomigaeri in that building were... different. They were more of the level 1 type yomigaeri, the number of grunt level yomigaeri which is strange."

The group exchanged glances, their expressions growing more grave.

"Do you think there's more of them out there?" the woman asked, a note of fear creeping into her voice.

"I don't know," Kaida replied, her face grim. "But we can't risk it. We need more hunters.

"More hunters?" another man interjected, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you suggesting we go out into the city, looking for survivors? It's suicide."

Kaida shook her head, her resolve unwavering. "It's a risk, I know," she said. "But we can't stay down here forever. The yomigaeri are evolving faster than we anticipated, and we need to adapt if we're going to survive."

Ryu stepped forward, his hand on Kaida's shoulder. "She's right," he said, his voice firm.

Ryu's words hung in the air, the implications of their situation weighing heavily on the group.

"Even if we find more survivors," the tall man said, his voice filled with doubt, "how can we trust them? They could be working for the yomigaeri, or they could be spies for the enemy."

"We can't trust anyone," Ryu replied, his face set with determination. "But we can't keep hiding either. We have to start fighting back, or we're as good as dead."

"So what are you suggesting?" the woman asked, her eyes narrowed with thought.

Ryu's gaze hardened, his jaw clenched with conviction. "We need to investigate more. "We need to find out more about the yomigaeri as our knowledge of them is far outdated, and we need to find out who's controlling them."

The group exchanged glances, the weight of Ryu's words sinking in.

"That's a dangerous mission," the tall man said, his voice grave. "If we're spotted, we'll be killed or worse."

"We know the risks," Kaida replied, her voice unwavering. "But we can't keep running forever.

Ryu stepped forward, his voice low and determined. "We need to become stronger, and we need to do it fast," he said. "I don't know how, but we need to find a way to level up, to learn new skills, to get stronger weapons. We need to prepare for what's coming."

Kaida nodded, her eyes burning with a fierce resolve. "We need to train," she said, her voice as hard as steel. "And we need to start now."

The group exchanged glances, their faces marked with fear and determination in equal measure.

"Then we have our orders," Ryu said, his voice a mixture of steel and smoke. "Tomorrow, we train. We train until our muscles ache, until our hands know the weight of our weapons as well as we know the back of our own hands. We train until we can take on a hundred yomigaeri and come out unscathed."

Kaida nodded, her face as fierce as a tiger's. "And then," she added, her voice like a knife's edge, "we go out and we make the yomigaeri regret the day they ever crossed our path."