Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Mana Transfusion.

Effect: Transfer one point of mana per second to objects.

Cost: 01 mana

You obtained 01 status point.

Ryan didn’t know why he didn’t learn that spell earlier, but he learned when he created his second arrow. He also didn’t know how could transfer his mana to objects would be useful, but he was thankful for the status point.

“Let’s see… what else can I do to learn a skill that can’t be used during combat?” Ryan muttered while he was rubbing his chin.

Considering that he learned three different skills just by focusing on his target, the number of things that could be turned into skills was surprisingly broad. The limit was probably Ryan’s imagination. That would be convenient for humans, but Ryan didn’t know if most of them would be able to use that part of the system.

“Mmm… maybe I can learn something like Telekinesis if I transfer my mana to an object,” Ryan smirked. “Still, I don’t have enough mana to try that. I can’t risk facing the slimes without mana and stamina, after all. So, for the time being, passive skills will be more convenient for me to learn.”

While Ryan was pondering what he should do, Cole, Anna, and Carter observed him mumbling to himself. Although he was someone suspicious, they couldn’t imagine someone who acted like him being a bad person. The fact that he sometimes smirked in that kind of situation was even more suspicious, but those three would be lying if the opportunity to grow stronger by fighting against monsters didn’t tempt them even a little.

“How long do you intend to stay here?” Anna asked. “I bet you can help a lot of people with your skill. Even though you are just a civilian, you have the duty to fight for your country in times like these.”

“But I’m fighting for my country here,” Ryan replied. “If you didn’t notice, those slimes can easily destroy people’s heads. One of them destroyed my car, after all. I won’t lie and say that I’m here only to prevent the slimes from spreading around the country, but I won’t leave this place until I get something.”

“Did you lose something inside this dungeon?” Cole asked. “Come to think of it… why did you return? Did you already find the end of the dungeon?”

“Yes, I found it,” Ryan replied. “I also found the thing that is making the slimes appear, there is one big slime protecting the purple crystal, and then there is the thing I want… a treasure chest. To get that, I have to kill the big slime.”

“Treasure?” Anna frowned. “People are dying out there, and you are looking for treasure?”

“Yes, I am,” Ryan replied. “As you can see, I almost die twice in less than half an hour. So, who helped me when I almost died? No one. That only means that I can’t wait to be saved if, at some point, my life is put in danger again. So, it is only obvious that I want to do whatever I can to increase my survivability. If I can, I will help as many people as possible to survive this chaos, but I won’t help anyone by dying. Rather, I won’t die to save someone else. If the chances of my dying trying to help someone are high, I won’t try to help. I’m not a hero, I’m not a soldier.”

“You!” Anna shouted.

“Please excuse me. There is another slime coming,” Ryan said and then turned around.

“He is right, Anna,” Cole said. “Although he seems cold-hearted, his actions are logical. I don’t know why, but if he can stay this calm in this situation, it is because he doesn’t feel like he has to take any risks… he feels like he doesn’t have anyone to risk his life for.”

“What do you think of this place, Cole?” Carter asked. “Shall we use it like him?”

“As long as we can kill the slimes, this place is safe,” Cole replied. “It doesn’t look like the boss of this dungeon will leave its current position, so I bet we can keep some people alive here. That is… if we manage to find anyone alive in this area.”

“What about if we give a hand to Ryan in killing the boss?” Carter asked. “Don’t you think we might receive or become powerful enough to make a real difference out there?”

“We don’t have enough ammo,” Cole shook his head. “Besides, if we get hit by a single projectile, we will die. Unless we get more ammo, we won’t be able to kill a monster that big.”

“Without ammo, we won’t be able to help civilians either,” Carter said. “I’m sorry to say this so bluntly, but I can’t imagine ourselves reaching the police station with our current power.”

Ryan heard all that conversation and, in the end, saw the depressed expressions of those three. They probably had lost their vehicle, so their only option was to find another one or run. In any case, Ryan didn’t intend to refuse their help. However, he would want the treasure for himself unless he finds something that wouldn’t help a hunter like him in any way. Finders Keepers… it was only logical in that kind of situation.

“Ah… I had an idea,” Ryan smirked.

After sitting on the ground, Ryan crossed his legs and then closed his eyes. It was indeed a weird thing to do in a dungeon, but if that kind of action could turn into a skill, it would be very valuable.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Meditation.

Effect: Restores one point of mana per minute.

You obtained 01 status point.

“Oh, boy… it is even better than I imagined!” Ryan smirked again.

Not only would Ryan be able to train that skill without doing anything, but he also would be able to rest and recover his mana while he was at it. That being said, the slimes wouldn’t give him much peace for him to do that frequently.