51 Friends?

In the end, the sound of the wheelchair attracted many monsters, even pterodactyls. As expected, Zoe trembled more and more when a new monster appeared, but at the very least, she obtained enough coins to buy her own crossbow. Not only that, she learned Eagle Eyes, Concentration, and Archery. So, with a few days of training and experience, she would be able to protect herself from the monsters of that area… as long as she has mana.

Regardless, Ryan returned to the dungeon at noon. He was exhausted because teaching was much more tiresome than fighting. Not only that, he pulled an all-nighter. So, he couldn't wait to find a good tree and sleep with his back against it.

"Mmm?" John frowned when he saw Ryan pushing a girl in a wheelchair amidst the tall grass. "It looks like you went for the residential area nearby. By the way, who is this little girl?"

"Her name is Zoe…" Ryan replied. "The new member of your team, for the time being, she will need to train alone for a few days. After that, she will be skilled enough not to hit your back with bolts."

"Are you serious, Ryan?" Daniel asked and then suddenly left one of the sleeping tents. "Do you want to make a kid fight?"

"I don't want to," Ryan replied. "But I can't look after her either. Can you swear to protect her from all monsters?"

"How can I swear something like that?" Daniel showed a pained expression.

"You can't, and you shouldn't," Ryan said, a bit annoyed. "Her parents were working at Shreveport when the dragons appeared. Since then, they didn't return. We can't rely on the government either. In this kind of situation, she has only two options, put her life on the hand of strangers for an undetermined amount of time, or do that just while she obtains the power to protect herself."

Mia also suddenly left one of the sleeping tents, and as usual, she avoided Ryan's gaze, but she approached Zoe and patted her head.

"It is okay," Mia said and then smiled. "We can help each other, don't be afraid."

Zoe also avoided her gaze, but at the very least, she nodded. Since Zoe didn't interact much with other people in the last three years, she was a bit afraid of strangers, but not as much as she was afraid of monsters. That being said… killing a few of those monsters boosted her confidence slightly, so Ryan was certain that soon she would open up to that group. Besides, Mia was a kindergarten teacher. If anything, she knew how to look after kids.

"She already has enough coins to buy a crossbow," Ryan said and then turned around. "Time is of the essence, so the more she practices, the sooner she will help you with the goblins. You guys look like shit, so I bet you need all the help you can get."

John sighed, and Daniel just shrugged. They really seemed exhausted, but hearing that didn't help them. Fortunately, Adrian wasn't nearby, or that comment could have started a fight.

Regardless, Ryan sat on a nearby tree and then began to relax. Since he was well-hidden thanks to the branches and leaves, he was confident that he wouldn't draw the attention of any flying monsters. Zoe would since she would have to practice in an open space, but John, Daniel, and Mia were there to give her support if necessary.

"Ex-excuse me…" Zoe said, having difficulties looking at so many unknown adults in the eye. "All of you know Ryan? Are you, his friends?"

"I guess… in a sense…" Daniel forced a smile.

"Why would he say so many mean things to his friends?" Zoe asked.

"Well… it is complicated," Daniel scratched the back of his head.

Zoe looked at Mia, hoping to hear a proper answer, but that only made her look extremely sad. In the end, Zoe decided not to ask about that again. She was smart enough to understand that things were complicated in that group. In the end, she spent the afternoon learning more things from Mia since she was also an archer. Even though she learned everything from Ryan…

Regardless, since Ryan didn't obtain many status points or learned a single skill that day, he decided to wake up a bit earlier instead of sleeping until sunset. He probably wouldn't use those, but he crafted a few arrows in order to learn and level up a new skill.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Craft.

Effect: Increased production speed and the quality of things made by you by one percent per level.

You obtained 01 status point.

Congratulations! The skill Craft has leveled up.

Craft Lv 1 ➞ Lv 2

Effect: Increased production speed and the quality of things made by you by one percent per level.

You obtained 01 status point.

"I don't have anything that can help me learn Blacksmith, so I guess I will do that later," Ryan said. "In any case, I thought Blacksmith would be a class instead of a skill… well, maybe there is a skill and a class with both names."

Ryan didn't rest all that much, but at least that extra time gave him the chance to analyze that his plan had a few problems. First of all, maybe he could kill the hobgoblin by using gasoline. However, that would, without a doubt, damage the monsters' equipment. He probably didn't have enough strength to use the sword, but he still could use the shield and the chainmail. Maybe the shield would escape unscathed, but the chainmail, the equipment he would need most, would definitely get destroyed.

"What a waste… well, it is like I have any other option," Ryan sighed.

Ryan didn't have enough power to make Flame Arrows rain over the hobgoblin, and that was why he had to rely on tools like gasoline. Maybe he could solve things with more ease next time, but only if he had other spells like Frozen Arrow or Electric Arrow.