For a moment, Michael hesitated. It was enough to make Allison furrow her brow.

"What do you mean?" James asked as he turned to look at Elizabeth. "We go inside a Safe Zone and chill out for a bit."

She looked back at him with calmness.

"And after that?" she asked.

James frowned, staying silent.

"You're saying we'll have to keep fighting," Anthony spoke up. "Like in the Tutorial."

Elizabeth nodded and scanned the group.

"Our Status Windows still exist. The Tutorial was just an introduction to this world. Levels, monsters, and Dungeons still exist. It also means that we'll still have enemies."

Naomi and Thomas flinched at the same time, while Dylan gritted his teeth. Michael looked at them with sympathy.

They already knew that, but who the hell wants to keep fighting for their life?

They had been simple students before all of this. Even after going through the Tutorial, it was only natural for the others to want to stay as far away from danger as possible. Now that the System had established Safe Zones, it was likely that all of them had thought about returning to being civilians.

But that's no longer possible.

"We only have ten years before some bullshit gets pulled on us again," Elizabeth continued as if she could read his mind. "And we don't know what it will be, but I don't think any aliens are going to be friendly. They will all probably have higher Levels than us, more Skills, and more experience. If we want to survive, we need to keep growing stronger. That's the truth about this new Earth."

The others frowned, including James. Naomi looked down at the ground, and Anthony maintained a neutral expression, though Michael could see the anxiety in his eyes. Thomas and Dylan looked at each other like the world was crumbling around them. James only stared at Elizabeth, who turned to look at Michael and gave him a very slight nod. He understood it immediately and smiled at her.

I guess this will make things easier.

She had set the ground for his explanation. Finally, Michael looked at Allison, who was still staring at him as if trying to see through him. He took a deep breath.

"I'll keep fighting," Michael said clearly and loudly, making everyone look at him. Allison immediately frowned. "I have to. There's no other alternative."

James stared at him, looking a bit appalled.

"You know, you've been going on about that for a while now," James replied. "Why do you even need to keep struggling so desperately?"

Michael shook his head.

"I can't tell you."

James furrowed his brow.

"Are you serious?"

"Very. I have to keep going."

The group went silent.

"Michael," Allison started slowly, making Michael flinch. "Can you truly not tell us? Tell me? Again?"

She sounded choked up, as if she were seconds away from crying. Michael smiled sadly at her.

"Yes. I can't. But just know that I'll never give up on you guys. That's why I fight."

Beyond restoring the Dragon Race, beyond breaking the chains that held down the Mythical Beasts, beyond his own survival against Erasil, the Transcendent. At the end of the day, he just wanted to make sure the people he cared about were safe. As his thoughts reached this point, a face appeared in Michael's mind.

I wonder how Rose is doing.

He shook his head to clear his mind. He needed to focus on what was going on here and now.

For what felt like a long while, the group remained silent. The only sounds that reached them were those of monsters and screams of other humans. Allison took a deep breath as a single tear streamed down her face.

"Fine," she said. "You'll tell me when you're ready. Until then, I just have to keep supporting you."

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James nodded, alongside the others. Elizabeth looked at Michael.

"I think we should return to the Safe Zone and plan our next move," she said firmly. "But there's something else I think we should do, too."

Michael tilted his head at her and gestured for her to go on. It was then that, for the first time in what felt like forever, her mask of composure and calmness cracked. Her eyebrows twitched, and her eyes revealed some of her pain. Her lower lip trembled.

"Our parents," Elizabeth said in a shaky tone. "Our families and loved ones. We couldn't find them in the Tutorial Zone, but we've got an entire city to search in now. I want to look for them. Please."

Michael blinked before he smiled at her and placed his hand on her head.

"We will," he replied firmly. "No matter what. I'm sure they're out there somewhere. We'll find them."

She slowly nodded and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Michael pulled his hand away.

"But it won't be easy," he continued. "Especially based on what I saw in the Safe Zone I was in. Groups are starting to form, just like in the Tutorial, except they're now getting much bigger. I have no idea what things will look like a few days from now, but I don't want another Lohann situation."

Elizabeth opened her eyes and nodded at him again.

"Since you'll be fighting outside the Safe Zones, you'll be the one who will be able to go to other Safe Zones more easily," she replied. "Can you look for our families and friends? I'll try to keep up with the changes in our Safe Zone as much as I can, then try and learn about other Safe Zones."

Michael smiled at her.

"Of course. That's settled, then. The range of my Whisper has gotten really big, so it won't be too hard to reach you guys."

James quickly looked at him as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh, right, what even is your Level, dude?" James asked with a grin.

Michael only smiled bitterly at him.

"Can't tell ya. Sorry, bro."

James frowned.

"Not even that?"

"Not even that."

James sighed deeply before shrugging.

"So be it, then. Come on, let's go to a Safe Zone."

Michael nodded and looked at the others, who looked like they had recomposed themselves. Together, under Michael's protection, they ran toward the Safe Zone Michael had come from. Allison said nothing else.

Any monsters they came across were easily dealt with by Michael, who needed to control his powers and not show his friends too much of it for the same reason why he couldn't tell them the truth. Still, the fraction of his power that he used was more than enough. It didn't matter if they were evolved rats, dogs, cats, birds, or any other kind of animal. All it took was a single Arcane Missile to kill them.

Michael heard his friends speak in low tones to each other as his Arcane Missile pierced through the heads of three giant rats in one go, killing them all.

"…Has he always been this strong?" Thomas asked in a whisper.

"I guess we never really saw him fight for real, but it's still wild to watch," Dylan replied, sounding shocked.

"Fuck yeah. There's nobody stronger than him," James said proudly, a bit louder than the others. It made Michael grin.

Elizabeth and Allison remained silent, but he could feel the young woman's stare burning into his back. She was likely doing everything she could to hold back from asking him to teach her. Michael shook his head slightly with a bitter smile.

As he continued to kill the monsters, Elizabeth argued that collecting meat from the corpses was pointless, since they likely had no other way to cook it other than fire magic, which would require very careful, constant control, and that the Safe Zones would likely already have a system in place for that. As such, they had left the carcasses alone.

A while later, they arrived at the edge of the Safe Zone M36. Michael stepped over the corpse of three evolved giant rats, throwing them a glance.

At least it helped me understand how powerful I am now.

None of the ordinary enemies they had come across in the streets would have been able to put even a scratch on him, even if he just stood there and let them attack him. Even if they came at him in groups, Michael was confident that he could easily defeat them all. As it stood, based on what he knew, there were only two areas worth pursuing for Levels.

The underground and Dungeons.

The average Level of someone who had just finished the Tutorial was much lower than his own. It stood to reason that even the Dungeons wouldn't be too challenging, and that even if the subway housed many more monsters, they still wouldn't be a threat. However, it was the best option his current self had.

I don't know if there's something like the Consumed Territory here.

He furrowed his brow as he stepped inside the Safe Zone's barrier. So far, he hadn't noticed anything, even when he had expanded his senses, but the possibility of things getting worse over time existed. No, it was almost certain.

If monsters can Level up and were born with unique traits that we don't have, stuff will only get more dangerous.

At least it meant that his growth would speed up again, even if it couldn't match the Consumed Territory's efficiency.

Michael looked around, followed closely by his group. As expected, things were still hectic in the streets. Hundreds upon hundreds of people clustered around a few, all of whom stood on higher ground, either on balconies, traffic lights, or even just on top of trucks and large cars. The shouting was almost deafening, while the smell of sweat mixed with the city's ordinary smells, which now felt out of place.

"This is, uh," James said from behind him. "More than I expected."

Michael looked over his shoulder.

"Personally, I'd tell you guys to just lay low for a while. Let everything calm down a bit, or at least get more organized. After that, you can decide what to do. Of course, I'll be looking for your loved ones in the meantime," he replied.

Elizabeth nodded seriously, as did the others, belatedly.

Trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, Michael led his group to a building, opened the bottom door to the fire escape stairways, and entered. A short while later, they found themselves in the middle of a small apartment on the third floor.

"I think they'll start organizing themselves into clearer groups pretty soon," Michael said as he turned around to face his friends and family. "It should also be enough for the food thing to be answered. Just stay here and you'll be safe."

The others nodded. Only Allison stared intently at him.

"So, you're leaving now," she said in a pained tone. "Again."

Michael smiled bitterly at her.

"…Yeah. I'll be back soon."

Her lower lip trembled, but in the end, she only nodded. After giving his friends one last look and giving them some immediate advice, Michael left the apartment.

It was time for him to start his hunt.

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