Chapter 36 - Leo's request

Ellen, Noelle, and I kept on taking down monsters as we ran to catch up with the others. Honestly, for many, this sight would be scary, but for us, it just felt like another ordinary day. We were so used to this kind of thing that at some point, it became routine for us. In the forest, we hunted monsters, and now, here, it wasn't much different.

I glanced quickly at Leo, who was just a few steps ahead of me. As he slashed a monster with his sword, a dark energy emanated from the slain creature and flowed towards Leo. In the blink of an eye, Leo's blade was engulfed in a pulsating dark aura, similar to the energy he absorbed from the monsters. Each swing of his sword was followed by the emergence of flames on the struck monsters.

This was the first time I witnessed Leo's ability. Probably, the main power of his rune was to absorb that dark energy, while this infusion form was a manifestation of his ability. However, that was the extent of my understanding; his ability was still a complete mystery to me.

Moreover, the level of skill he demonstrated with the sword was quite impressive even for a newbie like me. It seemed like he had some previous experience with this type of weapon, maybe before coming to this place. In my case, my strategy boiled down to swinging my scythe, but the results were good due to the high level of my stats and the strength of the weapon itself.

"Where exactly did these monsters come from? Moreover, it's still daytime. I thought they only attacked at night" commented Ellen beside me, after shooting an arrow into the forehead of a Wolf.

"I have no idea. If I had to speculate, maybe whoever brought us here doesn't want all of us to make it back home alive" I replied as I grabbed the neck of a Goblin, using [Kinetic Touch], and twisted it sideways.

You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 24] Experience was gained.

Hearing my words, Ellen turned her gaze to me with a clearly doubtful expression. Well, if someone told me something like that out of the blue, I'd be confused too. After all, what's the logic behind giving us power to defend ourselves if the ultimate goal is to eliminate as many of us before we return? That's probably what Ellen was thinking.

"I have a rough idea of what's puzzling you, but honestly, I don't know the definitive answer either. It's just a theory I've crafted after reflecting on all of this for a while. I don't know what the ultimate goal of whoever brought us here is, but it seems like, at least for now, they want as few of us as possible to survive to go back home" I replied, as a scowl naturally formed on my face.

I sincerely hated this feeling of being manipulated, like I was dancing in someone's palm. For me, who had always been independent as far as I can remember, this feeling was not pleasant at all.

After that, we continued to face the monsters. With Noelle providing us with support, it became quite easy to eliminate them. All we needed to do was focus our efforts on the monsters in front of us, confident that nothing could pass through Noelle, who was vigilant at our backs.

I honestly wasn't keeping count of how many monsters I had slain since we returned to camp, but I estimated it was in the tens. As the battle subsided, my attention turned to the two translucent screens before me as I tried to regulate my breath, exhausted from the effort.

You leveled up [28] -> [29] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.

You leveled up [29] -> [30] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.

Somehow, I leveled up twice. At first glance, it's a bit hard to believe that I managed to advance two levels so easily in just a few hours. However, looking around the field with the bodies of monsters scattered on the ground, it seems like something that could indeed happen.

There are literally dozens of bodies strewn around here. Currently, some people are taking them to the pit we dug to dispose of the monsters. We can't just leave all these bodies lying around. No one really feels like catching some unknown disease in our situation.

But, without a doubt, the worst was inside the bus. It was completely wrecked, beyond repair. Inside, it was thoroughly soaked in blood. Though it was something I had already expected, a wolf managed to get in while we were distracted fighting off the other monsters.

Well, the scene wasn't pretty. Everyone inside the bus was torn apart, most of their organs missing. In a way, the wolf had a full feast while it was in there. Though it's not exactly right, we were dumping the dead passengers into the pit along with the monsters.

We didn't have another place to toss them, and we were about to move deeper into the forest. We needed another place to stay. It was pretty clear we wouldn't last long if we stayed here. Whoever brought us here seemed to be getting impatient, as we haven't budged from this area since we arrived.

Anyway, I was feeling indifferent about it all. Call me heartless, but why should I blame myself for their deaths? Everyone's trying to survive here. Their choice to stay inside the bus while we fought outside led them to ruin. From the start, we didn't have the option to hide. If we don't get stronger, we'll die. Simple as that.

With that thought in mind, I opened my status window and quickly spent all my points. I needed to strengthen myself, not just for my own protection, but also to protect those who are precious to me. If I don't get stronger, I'll end up like the rest of those passengers.