Talon
The next morning, after washing his face, Lucius put on the clothes that were a bit ripped. He had cleaned and dried them on the chair, but they were still slightly damp.
Walking outside the building, he started stretching, observing the packed streets with people beginning to go about their day. He noticed some fruits being moved around, but the meat was scarce.
Lucius waited for Kevin and Lily, as they had arranged to meet at the massive clock in their sector.
As he watched the clock slowly ticking, he felt a sense of relaxation, realizing that despite this place not being his home, they might be here for a long time.
Spotting Kevin approaching, looking better than before with some of his wounds healed and leaving behind scars, Lucius greeted him with a nod.
The two of them stayed quiet, observing the people coming and going, some of whom were in dire situations, missing limbs and struggling.
Since there was some time before Lily's arrival, Lucius decided to examine the system and try to understand the meaning of the "Mana" and "Intelligence" stats.
He had previously messaged Reni to inquire about them, but even Reni wasn't aware of anyone in the group who had used these stats.
Based on his knowledge from games, mana should be like a battery that could be used for spells and skills.
However, nobody he knew seemed to have one, and even when he killed a strong wolf, the monster didn't drop anything related to mana.
Though he could sense the mana in his body, which was at 100, manipulating it proved challenging. Trying to make it into something solid seemed impossible, and using it to enhance his body also felt impossible.
Feeling clueless about how to use the mana stat, Lucius fell into silence, and soon Lily joined them. Welcoming her, they left for the northern gate, where it was packed with people.
Many of them were in groups of 3, 5, or even 10, standing together and speaking with hushed voices, as if trying not to leak any secrets. A few loners were asking others if they could join their group, while also explaining what skills they brought to the table.
Lucius looked around at the sea of people, but it was hard to keep count; there were way too many of them.
He estimated that about 20% to 30% of the initial population might have died to the goblin at the start, but there were still a vast number of survivors.
Standing at the corner of the massive roads of the gate, reminded him of crowded city intersections back in the real world, but here, there were even more people gathered.
A voice broke Lucius out of his thoughts, and he turned to see a young adult standing next to them, offering to be their ranged dealer.
''Can I join you? I can be your ranged damage dealer,'' the young man said. He had a bow on his back and looked quite agile.
The young man's boyish and innocent face radiated with a sense of youthful charm. His slender and agile build, combined with a height of 1.7 meters, gave him a nimble and quick appearance.
His jet-black hair was neatly styled and well-kept, adding to his overall composed look.
The vibrant green colour of his eyes captured an unmistakable sense of curiosity and enthusiasm, hinting at a spirit that yearned for adventure and discovery.
However, Lucius couldn't help but notice one distinguishing aspect about the young man: unlike everyone else in his group, who sported ripped and worn-out clothes from their previous battles, this newcomer's attire seemed untouched, without even a single scratch or tear.
This raised questions about the young man's experiences before meeting them.
Lucius debated for a moment, considering their upcoming journey to an unknown location. Having more help and a ranged damage dealer could be beneficial, but he also wanted to ensure they had someone with combat experience.
Looking at Lily and Kevin, he nonverbally asked for their opinions. They both studied the young man from top to bottom, trying to gauge his abilities.
"Have you been outside?" Lucius asked, wanting to know if he had experience with combat.
"Yes! I went into the forest to gather some fruits," the young man replied enthusiastically.
"No, not to gather stuff. I mean, have you killed anything yet?" Lucius clarified, wanting to know if he had combat experience.
The young man hesitated before responding, "This... I have not. But my aim is good, and I used the compound bow in the real world to join tournaments. I just have to get used to this older version."
Lucius carefully listened to the young man's explanation. While the fact that he had experience with a compound bow in the real world was promising, the lack of combat experience in this new world still concerned him.
Joining tournaments and hunting for fruits in the forest were vastly different from facing dangerous monsters.
Turning he looks at the other two who voiced no options,'' What are your stats?''
The young archer then spoke up, "My stats are 16 agility, 12 strength, and 12 mana, and the rest are at 10.''
Lucius thought that with his agility stat of 16, he was indeed faster than the others.
This presented an opportunity for him to serve as a scout, scouting ahead to assess potential threats and obstacles.
Sure Lily had 15 agility too, but he also recognized that Lily's impulsiveness might lead her to engage with monsters if she were to go ahead.
"One last question, why did you add 2 points in mana?" Lucius asked, genuinely confused about the allocation of points.
The young man looked embarrassed as he explained, "I realized later that I made a mistake. After killing the goblin, I saw the points and thought to put 2 in mana so I could use skills more often. Little did I know that I wouldn't find a skill to use."
Kevin, feeling sceptical, asked, "So you added points in something, in a place where life and death depend on your stats, without knowing?"
The young man nodded sheepishly, realizing his error and the potential consequences of his actions.
He regretted his impulsive decision and understood the importance of making informed choices with their limited resources in this dangerous world.
Lucius sighed, but he couldn't blame the young man entirely, knowing that the system was new to all of them, and mistakes were bound to happen.
Nevertheless, they needed to be more cautious moving forward, as the wrong allocation of points could prove fatal in the future.
''So can I join you guys?'' he asked, looking hopeful.
Lucius considered the young man carefully, sensing no shady vibes from him. After a moment, he replied, ''Okay, you can act as our scout and ranged dealer, but you have to follow orders without question. Deal?''
The young man nodded eagerly, relieved that they were giving him a chance to prove himself and introduced himself as Talon, the rest of them briefly told their first names.
''Okay, let's head out. We are losing sunlight.'' Passing through the sea of people, they eventually reached the gate, where a crowd had gathered, spectating a fight between two groups, it appeared to be an 8 versus 10 battle.
As they approached, the fight had already reached its climax. The group of 8 managed to out-tactic their enemies, and with the support of their ranged dealer, they brought down 2 of their opponents. The front lines were held by 2 shield users, bravely holding their ground.
Surprisingly, the group of 8 emerged as the winners, celebrating their hard-fought victory despite some of them sustaining heavy injuries.
On the other hand, the opposing group suffered 2 casualties and several injuries, causing them to retreat back into the safety of the city.
Curious about what had transpired, Lucius asked a random person standing nearby, ''What was that all about?''
Startled by his question, the girl jumped a little before realizing they were still in the safe zone. ''You scared me!'' she said, relieved.
''From what I know, these two groups met each other in the forest, and the fight started over a kill steal. Basically, someone stole the loot from the others.''
As she finished explaining, Lucius noticed the group that won the fight, now carrying two boars entered the city, which seemed to confirm her explanation.