‘So tired…’

The tension and fatigue of fighting against three mutant polar bears at the same time it couldn’t be compared to what I was feeling. To avoid any major incidents, I used my senses as much as I could for the entire day. It wasn’t enough just give the monsters’ position to the survivors; I had to keep an eye on all of them to be able to offer the necessary support as soon as possible. I failed many times, but Claire and the kids did the job when I failed.

My mind and body were exhausted; for a second, I even considered just sleeping instead of meditating. But I got rid of that laziness, my lack of MP already caused enough problems when I fought against Ken. And I decided to make sure not to repeat the same mistakes. Although it was hard to believe that one day I would be smart enough to defeat an enemy with just my brain, but I could at least make sure that I would have enough MP when the time comes.

“You look tired,” Claire said, showing her usual mischievous smile. “Do you want a massage? I think you deserve a reward since you have been an obedient kid as of late.”

“Ha-ha, very funny Claire.”

I was wrong when I thought that I would have time to think about what would be my next steps while helping the survivors in the hotel. I still didn’t have any idea about what my next skill would be, and since it had already become a habit, I broke the sensorial limit without even thinking. I was beginning to think that I should break my physical and mental strength too, but my reflexes got the better of me. It couldn’t be helped; I was too focused on keeping an eye on the survivors. But at least every single survivor in the hotel finally obtained their news skill, and that would make my life easier.

“Harry and the others won’t arrive today,” Claire said that while looking at the starry sky through the room’s window. “I hope that crazy woman doesn’t do anything if she sees their movement on the map.”

There was a chance of the woman in the west would see our new allies as a threat. Or as an obvious act of rebellion against her. Although I didn’t saw any suspicious movement on her camp, it was better not to drop our guards.

The last time I looked at the map on the ceiling, I saw a massive amount of red dots coming from the north toward us. But they were slow; it seemed Harry and the others decided to walk slowly while keeping their focus on the monsters which may attack. The numbers and the caution were their best weapons against the monsters.

I decided to forget about the others and focus on my problems, I already spent the day helping others, so it was time to think seriously about my new skill. My MP was increasing every day, so I could learn a skill which would use vast amounts of MP. As long as the skill could be useful in every situation, I wouldn’t be stingy.

However, as always, creativity wasn’t my strong point. So, not a single good idea came to mind. I needed something easy to control, powerful and fast enough to surprise any enemies.

“You are frowning a lot,” Claire said. “What are you thinking about?”

“I’m trying to imagine my next skill. Because, unfortunately, sensorial skills doesn’t cause much damage.”

“I think you are worrying too much about small things,” Claire said while showing a bored expression. “You can detect all monsters nearby, collect information about them instantly, and find useful plants. You are already invaluable with your current skills, why do you want offensive skills?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Claire said, looking even more bored. “You want to feel independent, and you think doing everything by yourself will make you feel that.”

I guess she was more or less right; I just wanted to be able to move without the help of the others. I did everything by myself for the past two years, so, that habit won’t just disappear overnight. Not until I find a good motive to make this habit disappear.

“Is there a problem with that?”

“No,” Claire answered.” There’s nothing wrong with that if you want to become an island. In human society, all humans have their jobs, a person can be a cook and an architect, but it’s almost impossible for a person to become outstanding in those two areas. If you want to reach your true potential, you have to focus on the most important thing you want to do. And about everything else, you have to rely on the others.”

“I don’t really care about that crap about potential.”

“Mind your language in front of the kids…” Claire warned, showing an annoyed face.

“But if I have to choose one thing to do, then I would like to collect information around the city. Being stuck in a place like this doesn’t suit my style.”

“What style?” Claire asked while frowning. “If you really want to do that, then go ahead. But are you sure that isn’t just an excuse for you to avoid us? Let’s say that you didn’t separate from your family, if they were still here and they would every day help the survivors, would you still go explore the city and search for more information?”

I would, but for another reason. Claire was right, and because of it, was beginning to feel uncomfortable, it was a pain when the others could read you so well. But it couldn’t be helped; I was a simple guy. I only cared about my family and only wanted to survive, aside from that, I was willing to do even the most annoying jobs to avoid any feeling of guilt. That was why I was helping the survivors because I didn’t want to feel guilty if they die.

The more I talked with others about my motives, the more I understood that I was a selfish, coward, and dumb brat. I could deny those facts with all the fibers in my body, but my daily actions proved that. Did I want to change? Not really, at least not until I hear from my parents why they left me in that area. Maybe their words will change my perspective, perhaps not.

“Well, I think the answer is pretty obvious,” Claire said. “It’s up to you to decide what you will do, run away from your fears, or will you face them?”

Honestly, I didn’t want to choose; I was too coward for that. So, I decided to create a new option, ignore my fears. My fears will always be there to remind me of what kind of person I was.

At least, Claire’s words gave me a hint of what I should do. I should focus only on the thing that I wanted; I just wanted to kill the monsters as fast as possible without suffering much damage. So, I just had to increase the amount of damage that I could cause. The obvious choice would be using two rapid-fire crossbows, but in a close fight, I wouldn’t be able to use them.

‘I have to create powerful arrows which can be used without a bow or a crossbow.’

But only that wasn’t enough; those arrows had to be like my metal crossbow bolts and possess many properties and to make them even more useful, I had to freely control the amount of MP used to create every single arrow.

‘That will be very, very expensive, but will, without a doubt, become my most powerful and efficient skill.’

It would be great if I could be able to create those arrows using the excess of MP that I obtain while meditating. Everything was possible using the statue, but where would I store those arrows created by magic? I couldn’t walk around with those arrows flying around me; I had to keep them hidden to surprise the enemies… maybe I can create a backpack which can distort space and make its interior much larger. That was a great idea.

“Thanks, Claire, you gave me a lot of ideas. Now I know what my next skill and item will be.”

“… So you are just going to ignore the problem, huh.” Claire said after sighing. “I guess I will have to wait, too; maybe one day will be able to believe in us.”

I could respect Claire and the others for waiting for the day I would be able to trust them, but I wouldn’t recommend that to anyone. After all, we could die at any moment.

Claire didn’t have anything more to say, so, the night slowly passed while I was meditating. Fortunately, I was also slowly getting used to that position. I managed to even sleep for two hours, it wasn’t enough, but I could endure that situation for a few more days.

After meditating for more than twelve hours straight, I headed toward the lobby while the kids and the others were still sleeping and touched the statue.

Elemental Magic Arrow: The user can create an arrow made of magic possessing one or more of the existing properties in the universe. The arrows won’t move or disappear until the user selects a target. One arrow can be created every ten seconds.

Cost: 20 MP

Price: 50000 Evolution Coins.

Dimensional Storage Backpack Lv 01: The user can safely store all kinds of things in this backpack. Time doesn’t pass inside this backpack.

Capacity: 100Kg

Price: 10000 Evolution Coins

‘The skill is even more expensive than I thought it would be, on the other hand, the backpack is very cheap, considering the effects. Since it is a magic item, I won’t feel the weight of anything that I may put inside of it. But what was the weight of one of those arrows?’

I had no idea, but in any case, I could always create a better version of that backpack. Since I already had the evolution coins to create the backpack, I created it and put my personal belongings inside. I felt much lighter thanks to it. But I decided to still carry around the metal crossbow to raise my HP and STA.

‘I guess I should use this to store the bolts of the improved version of the vampire hunter’s crossbow.’

Faster than I thought, new objectives appeared. I had to learn the elemental magic arrow, think and eventually create a monster to help me, and improve my main weapon, maybe create a garden of useful plants. I really wanted to reach all these objectives before the woman in the west could try anything, but that was too unrealistic.

‘I guess I should leave the monster for later and focus on the skill and in improving my main weapon.’

I already had enough MP to create metal bolts easily while meditating; I could recover MP really fast. So, it was time to change the vampire hunter’s crossbow. I will make it fire two times more quickly, and I also will make it possible for me to take and put the cartridge of bolts at any moment. At night I will create those cartridges of bolts and the eventual elemental magic arrows, and during the day, I would use my MP only to find new plants and to reload the mental crossbow.

‘Now that I already know what I will do, I just have to obtain the necessary amount of evolution coins.’

Just like when I thought that I wouldn’t need to hunt monsters like a maniac anymore, new objectives and necessities appeared. I always tried to improve and get rid of my naïve way of thinking, but that wouldn’t just happen overnight, it was a gradual process. I had a feeling that I wouldn’t need other skills about learning and evolving the elemental magic arrow, but I couldn’t be so sure of that. More than forty days had passed since the monsters appeared, and every single of those days reminded me that I needed to keep improving. Those days told me that I couldn’t feel satisfied with my strength.

‘The monsters are getting stronger, so it’s only obvious that I won’t have a single day off from now on.’

While that was a bit scary and tiring, I felt a wave of excitement crossing my body. I would fight for my life every day, but I would also keeping evolving, receiving more rewards and unbelievable skills. Unfortunately, that sense of progress was the only thing which could make me forget about my doubts and fears.