Ryan's mana finally reached a point where he could create eight iron bolts during a battle. It was a pain to sit down and use Meditation since his recovery wasn't at the same level, but at the very least, that gave him the chance to use the skill.

Class: Hunter Lv 06 / Elementalist Lv 03/--

Race: Night Demon /--/--

Rank: 1534th

Health: 29/29 (0, 0566)

Mana: 40/40 (0, 0566)

Stamina: 36/36 (0, 0566)

Strength: 10 (+3)

Dexterity: 47 (+19) (+12)

Speed: 27 (+6)

Intelligence: 06 (+6) (+3)

Endurance: 07 (+8)

Control: 06 (+3) (+6)

Mentality: 07

Luck: 13

Recovery: 30 (+1) (+3)

Willpower: 09

Coins: 168

Status: 00

Skill List

Offensive Physical Skills: Power Shot Lv 07, Throw Lv 02, Dash Lv 02, Rapid Shot Lv 02, Herculean Strength Lv 03,

Passive Physical Skills: Eagle Eyes Lv 07, Concentration Lv 07, Archery Lv 07, Accuracy Lv 06, Stealth Lv 03, Pain Resistance Lv 01, Perception Lv 02, Rage Lv 05, Precision Lv 03, Swordsmanship Lv 02, Alert Lv 02, Cook Lv 01, Stalk Lv 01, Art of Sniping Lv 02, Tracking Lv 01, Spearmanship Lv 02, Knife Mastery Lv 03, Martial Arts Lv 02, Craft Lv 02, Shield Mastery Lv 01,

Spells: Analysis Lv 01, Lurk Lv 01, Mana Transfusion Lv 03, Meditation Lv 05, Flame Arrow Lv 06, Appraisal Lv 01, Lesser Fire Enchantment Lv 02, Lesser Water Enchantment Lv 02, Lesser Wind Enchantment Lv 02,

Support Skills: Earth Resistance Lv 01, Fear Resistance Lv 02, Fire Resistance Lv 03, Heat Resistance Lv 04, Sleep Resistance Lv 02, Nocturnal Eyes Lv 01

"It looks like my rank improved before I could notice, but I didn't receive any notification…" Ryan rubbed his chin. "I guess it is only obvious that I won't be rewarded for every single change in the ranks… Still, besides rewarding those who constantly fight, what is the point of the rank?"

That was something Ryan couldn't understand, not even after thinking for quite a while, but he could feel that it was an important piece of information, so he couldn't just shake it off from his head either.

Regardless, soon after the third battle against the Sahuagins, Ryan could see in the distance a convenience store. Half of the store had fallen due to some monster's attack, but the other half was still standing, and Ryan found some drinks and food that hadn't been taken by the monsters.

"… The location is a bit bad," Ryan said while looking around. "But we can make a stop here to rest and eat, but don't lower your guards. We don't know when the monsters might appear. Be ready to fight at any moment."

"Are you sure?" Jacob asked. "Shouldn't we hurry and reach the other side of the city as soon as possible?"

"Yeah… I'm quite thirsty," Ryan replied. "Besides, I can tell that you guys are starving. The fights won't get any easier, so we have to refill our tanks whenever possible. I'm better suited for the guard duty, so you guys can fill your bellies. Just don't exaggerate, or you guys will get slower."

There were signs of monsters in that convenience store, and thanks to it, Ryan hesitated in even drinking the water bottles that didn't look damaged. Still, considering that he didn't feel weird until now despite getting hit, almost crushed, and now being covered in the monsters' blood, he probably wouldn't feel anything in eating the things that the monsters left behind. Still, despite being hungry, Ryan only drunk some water because he didn't want to relax. Unless he keeps some level of tension, he wouldn't hear the enemies' approach.

Much to Ryan's surprise, it didn't take long for Ryan to hear some footsteps. However, those footsteps didn't look like the ones from the Sahuagins. Those were much more irregular… a few seconds later, Ryan saw three men and two women coming from the direction he came from.

"Human beings sure are a pain in the ass…" Ryan sighed.

Jacob didn't hear Ryan's words, but he heard him sighing. He got up and gulped when he saw those people approaching. Ryan frowned upon seeing that, and he only understood why he did that when he saw the weapons on their backs.

"Maybe I'm worrying too much about monsters and not enough about humans…"

Although he found some groups until now, Ryan got lucky. Still, it looked like Jacob and his family already saw humans acting like animals in the previous days… Regardless, Ryan raised his right arm to stop those people, but that only made him feel frustrated. After sighing, Ryan raised his left arm, and they understood the meaning behind his actions.

A single woman stepped forward, she was incredibly beautiful, and despite the city's current situation, she was clean… even though she was unarmed. Her long straight blond hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her eyes were emerald green. She was also wearing a pair of somewhat thick glasses… it looked like her eyesight wasn't that good. So, Ryan couldn't help but frown while imagining how she fought without getting dirt, unarmed, and with bad eyesight.

"My name is Lilian," The blond woman said after she stepped forward. "I belong to the group of survivors who communicated with other survivors via radio."

Ryan looked at Jacob, and he approached and then nodded. Although he didn't mention it, it looked like he had given his position to others via radio. That was quite surprising given his previous reaction.

"Did you guys come to look for him and his family?" Ryan asked.

"Yes," Lilian replied.

"Why didn't you guys told him that you would come?" Ryan frowned.

"Something unexpected happened, and the equipment we used got destroyed," Lilian replied. "We also were forced to abandon our previous camp… it pains me to say this, but we came looking for survivors in order to get help from all the survivors of this city."

"… What happened?" Ryan hesitated.

"A forced dungeon break…" Lilian answered.