Chapter 79: Operation (2)

Congratulations! You have leveled up.

You obtained 05 status points.

Congratulations! Your first follower has leveled up.

They obtained 05 status points.

Congratulations! You have leveled up.

You obtained 05 status points.

Congratulations! You have leveled up.

You obtained 05 status points.

...

Luke frowned when he realized that he was the one who could allocate the status points of Arcanine. Still, it was a bit annoying that the system didn't recognize his great naming sense… even though it would make more sense if he had named him Houndour. He shrugged at the thought.

A few hours had passed since they began to hunt the Red Fangs, but while Chloe and her parents had leveled up three times already, Luke could tell that at such a rate, they would never destroy the crystal. They couldn't approach with their current level of strength, after all.

"It seems this current tribe of monsters had many paws to spare, huh…" Luke said. "Did you get it? Paws for pawns because they are dogs… I am so funny."

"... Occasionally, owners like this appear…" Rina said while ignoring Luke's lame joke. "They have a high reproduction capacity, and usually when they obtain the power to connect theirs to other worlds, they already have an army ready."

"Is that something rare?" Luke asked.

"Yes, usually, monsters become able to reproduce faster after they get stronger," Rina replied.

"Why?" Luke asked.

"Don't make me explain that kind of thing…" Rina said and looked away.

"What a pathetic excuse for a woman…" Shalia said while frowning. "When one gets stronger, their bodies begin to change. You should notice it by now. You feel like you don't need to sleep all that much or eat, for that matter. At the same time, you also feel like having fun on the bed can last for quite a while. It is hard to find someone that can withstand the stamina of the leader of a tribe, so they ended up with harems."

"Interesting… but let's change the topic since I can feel some weird stares on my back," Luke said.

Luke and those two seemed pretty close, and that was weird from Chloe, Royce, and Abby's perspective since they still couldn't see them as allies of the humans. Luke seemed too comfortable around them, even more so considering the things they were talking about. Talking about romance and harem… that was too much considering that the whole city had been devastated. They also couldn't imagine things being better in other places.

"All right, how many points of Focus do you guys have now?" Luke asked, even though he could have checked with Appraisal.

"Thirty," Chloe said.

"Thirty-five," Royce said.

"I have thirty-five as well," Abby said.

Luke nodded. In just a few hours, they gained the power to use their skills two times more often than before. It was a bit risky, but maybe they could destroy the crystal now…

"if you are planning to attack the crystal, we can ask some people to come with us," Chloe said. "At least the ones who have to guard the southern side of our base. We are basically due to their job for them, after all."

"How many?" Luke asked.

"Around ten people can come to help," Chloe helped. "Most of them are melee fighters, though."

Luke nodded… if they were all around level twenty, a group of three probably could kill a RED Fang pretty fast if Luke paralyzes the beasts with Spark Ball. Still, assuming the support role from the very beginning wasn't a good idea… he had to destroy the crystal first and then do that. However, things might end up getting messy depending on the number of beasts ahead.

"Let's go and call them," Luke said.

Chloe and the others nodded and then began to walk back toward the base. However, like she was the physical manifestation of his conscience, Rina expressed her concerns.

"Luke, I don't think this is a good idea," Rina said. "You can survive the enraged attacks of those creatures after destroying the crystal, but the others can't, and you won't be able to protect them."

"I considered that, but in the end, I am not a hero. I am just a guy with my goals," Luke said. "If they want to fight to free their city from monsters, then I won't stop them. If they accept the risk, then they must be aware that they need to fight and get stronger to keep surviving. I understand where you are coming from, Rina, but again, I can't make helping others in this chaotic situation my life goal."

"You are completely right," Shalia said. "I mean, how naive can you be to consider that? That is outright stupidity."

"I wouldn't go that far with my way of thinking… Still, it would help if you realized that I am already doing more than enough to the people of his city by destroying the crystal and opening an exit later," Luke said.

"I suppose so…" Rina said while looking away.

Luke started to wonder which environment Rina had to experience since she began to fight to keep thinking of helping others no matter the situation. Acting heroically was fine and all, but it wasn't realistic to choose strangers over family. In fact, it would be close to madness… Luke couldn't be that selfless. Still, he felt like he shouldn't ask Rina about her past right now.

Upon returning to the base, Luke waited on the barricade while Chloe went to explain things to others. It was almost noon, so Billy probably was trying to contact Luke right now and hear about the mission. Considering that Luke already knew the path back, it shouldn't be that difficult to reach his next destination on the next day before sunrise. However, to do so, he had to destroy the crystal, the Red Fangs, and the horde on the southern side of the city before nightfall. That was going to be one hell of a task.