After making his declaration, Steve stood silent for a bit, collecting his thoughts. “Alright. For a while, it seemed like we would all survive and perhaps even find a way to go back. That honeymoon period is over. Now, we must face reality and make some tough choices. First, do we continue to stay here or should we leave in search of other people?”

A wave of whispers ran through the crowd, as they voiced their views. “We should stay.” “Leave the base and wander around without a destination?” “Leaving is too risky.” And other such shouts rose from all over.

“Staying it is,” Steve concluded. “The goblins are going to attack us, once their numbers are up. Which gives us… say, three to seven days before one or two hundred goblins show up.” However, his voice lacked certainty. “Y’all got any ideas on how we can deal with ‘em?”

“Um, bows seemed pretty effective. Not from a long distance, but under fifty yards, they worked well,” Amy offered, her expression turning gloomy as she recalled Helen and Demi using archery.

“Jose, can we add some slits to the fence, so we could use bows without having to expose ourselves?” Steve asked, turning to face the man.

“Would be tough without proper tools,” Jose shook his head. “Could you do it with Magical Crafting?”

“Worth a try. Anyways, if we all learn archery, we could shoot the bastards before they get us,” Steve said, getting some approving nods from the crowd.

“We should also have more people pick up healing magic. Several healers spamming Group Heal worked really well until they ran out of mana. If we can fight at choke points, where the healing will overlap, we’ll minimize our casualties,” Gabriel said.

“Alright, so archers and healers. Anyone else?”

“Can we make more potions?” Someone asked.

“Not really. We only have a few dozen vials. Getting Survivor I for 50 GP just to get five vials ain’t worth it,” Steve shook his head.

“We could try making glass out of sand, then using it to make vials,” Justin supplied.”

“Where would we get sand?” Steve asked as he turned to face the teen.

“Um, there is a small beach half a mile up the river from here,” Justin mumbled. The look he received from his parents made it obvious he was in trouble.

“Let’s give it a go. If it works, we gonna make us some potions,” Steve said, ignoring the issue of Justin apparently exploring the river without his parents’ consent. “Anyone else got ideas?”

“We should make more armors,” a man sitting next to Gabriel said. “Hell, I am only alive because I had one.”

“Also, goblin archers were a pain, we should make some large shields, use them to make a wall, like the Romans, or whoever,” Gabriel added.

“Anyone else?” He waited for a bit, but no suggestions came. “That’s it then. Y’all can pick whichever you want: archery or healing. We could also use help with crafting if you got a large mana pool,” he concluded the meeting, waving everyone off.

Frank got up and began to make his way out of the base when a hand clasped him on the shoulder. Turning his head, it was Steve.

“Hey, Frank, where ya going?” He asked, but continued to speak before Frank could reply. “Don’t tell me, you’re running away from responsibility?”

“What responsibility?” Frank asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Heh, you see, it’s fine to leave Carol in charge of the gardening, and Kareem as the skills guy, but what about war planning? The Marshall is out, and I am no good at that sort of thing.”

“You want me to be in charge of war planning?” Frank asked incredulously. “You do realize that we are in a constant state of war?”

“Which is why I need someone capable to fill such an important position. Like you told me, step up or watch everyone die,” Steve replied with a smile.

“What makes you think I’d be any good at it?”

“Aren’t old people supposed to be wise? Besides, Gabriel refused, and at least everyone knows who you are,” Steve said and shrugged.

“So, you want me to command from the backline during battles?”

“Maybe. The monsters’ attacks seem straightforward, and we aren’t organized enough to pull off strategic maneuvers. I just need you to set everyone’s positions and give out orders. Once we engage, you can join the battle too,” Steve explained.

“Hm, kind of risky. What if something changes and the previous orders are no longer good,” Frank mused.

“See, that’s why I asked you to be in charge of the military. You gonna do great,” Steve said, slapping Frank on the back. “Well, I am off, tell me if you think of something.”

Shaking his head in annoyance, Frank made to leave and was joined by Amy a moment later.

“He got you there, but you’ll make a good leader,” Amy said. “What will you pick, archery or healing?”

“Wasn’t going to get either, but if I am stuck in the backline, healing might be good. 25 GP to get Group Heal is pretty cheap too,” Frank replied, as he checked his Grids tab.

“I think I’ll pick up healing as well,” Amy said. “By the way, should we join another group?” She asked, her voice trembling slightly.

“I’m not sure. Maybe we can team up with Gabriel and the others. Make a group of the survivors,” Frank replied after taking some time to contemplate.

They left the base and walked over to their usual training spot. It was quiet now, with just the two of them. Especially since they trained in depressing silence. After some more contemplation, Frank decided to follow through on his earlier words and spent 25 GP to get the Group Heal spell. The remaining GP went into Die Hard II, bringing it to 50/100. What to do with the six attribute points he received was a tougher question. In the end, it came down to R magic for a bigger mana pool or Willpower for faster regen and training speed. He settled on the latter, reasoning that they’d have at least a few days of peace, making the increased regeneration speed more worthwhile.

Hmm, 272 mana per hour, about four and a half per minute, six if I can use meditation. That Driven ability is absurd, doubling all my regen, Frank thought, looking over his Profile. He had higher mana regeneration than the other casters, and he wasn’t even a pure mage. If only I could get a week to focus purely on training, a wistful thought crossed his mind.

You have learned a skill: Group Heal, level 1: Keeping everyone in a group at max HP can be tough. Now you can heal multiple targets at once. The cast time is long and the effect is low, people will still die, and you’ll feel responsible for their deaths. This skill allows you to heal up to three friendly targets within a thirty-yard radius. Always targets those with the lowest percentage HP remaining.

Hm, three-second cast time, the amount healed is indeed rather pathetic, at just 21 HP. But each level increases it by 1 HP. If I can get it to say level 30, it would restore 50 HP to three targets, that's not too bad. Frank mused as he looked at the skill’s information.

He alternated between Group Heal and Lesser Heal, trying to level up both spells. A sword was once again piercing his left arm while he trained, however, it seemed less effective. He spent three hours doing it earlier and didn’t get even a single level of Pain Tolerance. The pain from the sword was no longer enough. Frank had a few ideas regarding that, but he didn’t want to scare the children, not yet at least.

He sat down to meditate after another round of exhausting his resources when he noticed the battle Group Chat panel blinking. Curiously, he focused on it, the conversation between Steve and the other scouting team, that was sent on a reconnaissance mission to the second Monster Ground. They’d finally reached their destination – a series of cave-filled hills housed some four hundred wolves. Though the beasts were mostly level 20.

More importantly, while they were observing, they found several other people doing the same. After making contact, they learned that they belonged to a group of about seventy, and had a base nearby. Steve instructed the team to visit this base, ask about other survivors, and if there were no red flags, ask them to join their group. More people would be good, but we still wouldn’t have enough, Frank thought.

He took a short break for lunch, then continued to train. The biggest breakthrough came when he tried to cast a cleaning spell and it actually went off. A sphere of light expanded from him, covering a small area, however, he didn’t see much actual cleaning. He retrieved some dust from his ring, and rubbed it on his leg, then tried the spell again. I was hoping it’d be better, Frank thought and sighed, his leg was nearly as dirty as before. And it takes 50 D mana! Ah, that must be the reason I failed to cast it earlier, back then I didn’t have enough D mana for it.

You have learned a skill: Clean, level 1: Being able to clean oneself and their surroundings may not be glamorous but is very much appreciated by the others. Cleaning spell you might have, but Night Cleaner you are not. This skill will remove dirt in a two-yard radius around you. Cleaning strength and radius increase with level.

Maybe it gets better? Though the cost sure makes it hard to practice, Frank thought after reading the description. And what’s with the insult? Is Night Cleaner supposed to be a reference to something? He could only shrug his shoulders and put it out of his mind.

In the afternoon, he joined Steve and his crafters, the appeal of easy GP that Mana Channeling and Magical Crafting provided, too tempting to resist. He spent a few hours making arrows, before returning to his regular training.

In the evening, he approached Gabriel with the idea of forming a group. Gabriel agreed, the two of them then asked Kim, who also agreed, bringing their total to seven members. Tom was a survivor, but he was still the leader of his scouting team, so they didn’t bother asking him to join. Frank thought about asking the Marshall to join them but decided against it.

The whole team gathered together for supper, introducing themselves. Frank, Amy, and Gabriel introduced themselves first. Followed by the two survivors from Gabriel’s team, then Kim and her teammate.

“I am Stuart, I am a college student, or was. I’ve chosen to become a healer, because no one rolls healers.” Tall and skinny, he looked pretty nerdy. Frank recognized him as the one who mentioned making more armors during the morning meeting.

“Name’s Clayton, or Clay for short. I worked as a travel agent and love surfing,” he said, sounding melancholic. “Anyway, I went with a high-strength build and a two-handed club,” he added, showing them his weapon – a club that was used by the trolls, with some metal wrapped around its head for added weight and small spikes. Clay was well-built, with long, slightly curly black hair, there was something savage in his facial expression, which combined with the long hair and the club made him look like a caveman.

“I’m Kim, a fitness instructor. I use a sword and dagger, and I spent my points on Dexterity, Quickness, and Perception,” the woman introduced herself. In her late twenties, tall and slender, with shoulder-length brown hair, she was a beautiful woman that would turn heads.

“What does Perception do?” Frank asked curiously.

“Improves your dynamic vision, you can see their attacks coming,” Kim explained.

“Benton,” the last man introduced himself, giving the others a slight wave with his hand. “I am a pro cyclist. Um, I went with a two-handed axe, and split my points between Constitution, Endurance, and Strength.”

“Not a bad mix. Then should we decide on a leader?” Clayt asked.

“I nominate Frank,” Gabriel said immediately.

“What? Why?” Frank protested, even as Amy voiced her support of his candidature.

“Didn’t you say you fought in Vietnam?” Gabriel asked. Frank waved his hand in a “so what” gesture, causing Gabriel to continue speaking. “The way you spoke about it, it didn’t seem like you spent your time being safe in the rear of the forces. That means you have more combat-experience than the rest of us.”

“Give me a break, we’ve fought more since coming here than I ever did back then,” Frank retorted.

“I agree with Gabriel. Plus we’ve all seen how crazy you are,” Clayton said, chuckling at the last part.

“Isn’t that a bad thing? Me being crazy?” Frank asked, amused.

“I am fine with it, as long as you don’t force us to stab ourselves,” Stuart gave his consent.

“No one’s more hardcore than gramps, that’s for sure. Why, I saw him severing his fingers just a few hours earlier,” Benton chimed in and burst into laughter.

“Masochist grandpa for a leader,” Kim said with a smile. “But seriously, you’ve done a good job leading your group, from what I hear. I’m fine with it.” She added, the rest voicing their approval again.

“Gee, thanks. First, Steve made me in charge of the military and war planning, and now this. Hmm, right, I won’t be able to lead the team if I am commanding our forces,” Frank said.

“That’s fine, I can take over during such times,” Gabriel retorted. “You’ve got no choice Frank, the majority chose you.”

“Heh, feels more like you just don’t want the headache,” Frank said with a sigh. “Fine, if that’s what you all want, so be it.” After a brief pause, he continued. “Then, does anyone have any suggestions? Skills to learn, Grids to get, weapons, or tactics to use? I’ll go first, I think you should all learn Lightning Bolt.”

“Why?” Kim asked.

“It has no cast time,” Frank said, demonstrating the spell: electricity surged from his elbow toward his hand, forming into a ball as it flew into the sky. “The damage is crap, but it has a half a second stun. Use the stun to land a good hit with your weapon for an easy win,” he explained.

“Wouldn’t mana be an issue?” Kim inquired. While Clay shook his head dejectedly, “I can’t attack that fast.” Benton nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, it’s no good for the two of you. As for mana, you’ll only be able to use it once, if you add a point to D mana, but that’s still enough for emergencies or when you need to end a fight fast,” Frank said.

“My suggestion is to put points into Strength, at least get it to twenty,” Benton said. Clay pointed at the man, apparently agreeing with his words. “Not only does it let you wear the armor Steve made, but your attacks will do some sweet damage,” he continued.

“Um, not a suggestion, but aren’t we too melee heavy? It’s basically five melee fighters, a mage, and a healer,” Amy asked.

“Not only that. But we have no tank, limited ranged, and one healer isn’t enough,” Stuart joined in.

“I can pick up archery, my attributes lend to it quite well,” Kim offered.

“And I suppose I could switch between two-handed, and axe & shield,” Benton supplied. He chuckled when Kim gave him a surprised look. “I don’t have your attributes. Those goblin archers were a real pain in the ass.”

“That would work, but what about a healer? I’ve got some healing magic, but I don’t have the mana pool of a pure healer,” Frank said.

“Not much we can do about it, except add more people to our group,” Gabriel spoke.

“I guess. Well, let’s work hard, everyone, and survive in this cruel place,” Frank said, seeking to conclude their first meeting. “Oh, right, I saw you hand the ore we got from the goblins to Steve. Anything interesting?” He asked Amy, as he suddenly recalled it.

“He didn’t tell you? Most of it was iron ore, but there were a few handfuls of an ore called Tier 1 Magically Infused Metal,” Amy informed. “You’ll have to ask him if anything came of it,” she said, seeing him open his mouth to ask questions.

“OK. Everyone, we’ll train together tomorrow, so we can get used to each others’ fighting styles,” Frank told the rest.

He got up and left the base, moving toward the river to wash up. His cleaning spell still wasn’t effective, despite reaching level 4. Once in the river, he enjoyed the feeling of the cold water washing over him, taking away the sweat and grime from his body. He was enjoying himself and didn’t want to leave.

His attention was drawn to the Battle Group Chat panel, which had been blinking for a while. He focused on it, the conversation appearing in his mind. There were actually two groups of survivors near the wolves’ Monster Ground.

The group of roughly seventy came from a Seoul to Singapore flight and consisted of mostly Asian businessmen. They were joined by a helicopter news team consisting of three people. They had built a small base on the top of a hill and were confident in their ability to repel the wolves.

The other group consisted of two dozen tourists from Cyprus. They were out on a boat, having a good time, fishing, and drinking when the System came. Now, they were holed up in a cave, some ten miles away from the Monster Ground. They chose to stay in the cave, rather than join the other group, claiming that the narrow cave entrance was easier to defend.

Both groups declined their invitation to join, feeling that it was safer to face the wolves, rather than bow-using and spell-flinging goblins. Frank couldn’t blame them, in fact, he was wondering if they would be better off joining the larger group and facing the beasts together. However, their base on the hilltop wasn’t large enough to house all of them. Plus, the goblins would eventually hit them too, if there were no closer targets.

There were also some reports from the four scouts observing the goblins. The goblins still haven’t recovered their numbers, which was great news, as the spawn rate wasn’t as high as they feared. However, it also made him sad. If the respawn rate was slow, then what the hell did we lose fifty people for? Frank slammed his hand on the water angrily, the tranquility he was enjoying gone.

He left the river and returned to the base, taking his usual spot and retrieved a sleeping bag from his ring, preparing to go to bed. Laying on his back and staring into the night sky, he decided to check his Profile. Frank felt pleased with the results – after spending most of the day on intense training, he received a whopping 101 GP, bringing his total to 103. Enough to finish Die Hard II and then some. There is no point in delaying, Frank thought and added the necessary 50 GP to finish the grid. A panel appeared before his eyes.

Congratulations on completing the Die Hard II grid. You have been awarded the Pest ability.

Pest: Like a cockroach, you have become harder to kill. Now when your HP reaches zero, you will stay alive for five seconds, regardless of the damage you’ve sustained. This effect is triggered whenever your HP drops to zero. You’ve yet to fully grasp the full power of this ability, perhaps you should die some more?

Heh, no insults but a hint instead? Or is that meant to be an insult? Frank wondered as he reread the description. It was a great skill, as it made it impossible for him to die from a critical hit. However, that was all it did. Well, I guess I could be used to stall monsters, so long as I can get a heal every five seconds, I would stay alive, causing the monsters to keep attacking me, maybe, he thought and laughed. No, that can’t be it. If it really was the full power of this ability, then the description would definitely include an insult.

Frank shook his head, pushing the thoughts away. He decided to deal with how to spend the four attributes and the remaining 53 GP in the morning and went to sleep.