William swept his gaze over them. Most of the hunters preparing to explore inside and outside the tents were Openers, with plague values mainly around 1–2. There were even Sick Ones who had yet to reach the Opener stage mixed among them.
Just as Thirteen had said, this group wanted to take a gamble. If things went well, they might leap straight from riding a bicycle to piloting a yacht.
In William's eyes, taking such a gamble was inferior to seeking out the Duke. Even if they lost the bet, they could still repay their debts by selling their backs. If they lost here, however, they would lose everything—and might even fall into a state more painful than death.
Moreover, after sweeping his gaze left and right, William could not find a single Pathway Achiever among the hundreds of people.
Judging from their eyes, most of them were desperate men. Their goal was merely the Extreme Dark Zone; they had never even considered the abyss.
When William's group appeared, the nearest hunters were startled by the sudden powerful aura. When they saw Price's silver-armored body, they were even more frightened and retreated with their tents.
One of them noticed Jin's attire and could not help shouting, "The... the Tumor Knight!"
The cry drew the attention of many people nearby, and the path in front of the team automatically opened up.
However, William, whose vision was extraordinary, Jin, with her Physical Psyche, and Price, with his keen sense of smell, detected traces of Abyssal Aura on these people.
They had already been affected without realizing it, yet they themselves seemed completely unaware.
It was certain that once this group entered the "Extreme Dark Zone," the influence would inevitably intensify. They might even directly degenerate into abyssal servants and attack any outsiders.