Chapter 20: Hunt (4)

When Luke got up, he realized that he didn’t receive a quest to kill the monster… why? Wasn’t it a boss? The beast didn’t even drop a weapon or a skill book… while that was disappointing, Luke realized that maybe he was being too greedy after gaining fifteen status points.

“Yet another victory,” Shalia said.

“Well, you shouldn’t expect anything less, I am the batman of the magical apocalypse,” Luke shrugged.

“I am amazed you can say that with a straight face,” Amanda said. “In any case, it seems that stronger monsters give us more experience.”

“You really are clueless about RPG systems…” Luke frowned. “Well, whatever.”

Luke returned to his home, grabbed a water bottle, and then sat on the couch to rest. He also felt like he needed a long shower to relax, but Luke didn’t want to relax all that much. He needed to keep his guard up in case some bizarre creatures appeared.

“Rina, explain to me why this partner of yours is…” Luthi said, but he was interrupted.

“Hey… I know that you don’t have many options, but you at least should ask for permission before entering someone else’s home,” Luke said to the dark-haired girl. “What was your name again?”

“Celia… is this your home?” The girl asked. “I thought it was Amanda’s.”

“Well, it is complicated…” Amanda looked away. “Anyway, we should stick around since we worked pretty well together back there.”

It was hard to deny that… Celia actually didn’t miss a single shot, which was weird considering that Luke had to help her before. In any case, while Luke sympathized with their goal of protecting their elderly parents, he didn’t have the time nor the will to help them.

“Sorry, but that is not going to happen,” Luke said.

“At least you said sorry this time…” Rina said and then sighed.

“Don’t let them slow you down, Luke,” Shalia said. “I don’t think you need it, but if there is a time you will force to work with others, you should do with people that have the will to dirty their hands.”

“Easy for you to say that… you belong to a race of chaotic beings,” Rina said.

“They… are monsters, right?” Amanda asked.

“It depends on what your description of a monster is,” Luke said. “For me, anyone who wants my neck is a monster.”

“Putting that aside… as much as it hurts me, I am willing to accept that I need your help,” Amanda said. “We need your help… I don’t want to put my parents at risk fighting those grotesque creatures.”

“I sympathize with that… I really do, but I can’t afford to work with people that will slow me down,” Luke said. “That sounds some like cold words, but I need to cross an entire ocean to find my parents. Unless I show that level of determination, I will never find them. I am sorry, but I can’t help you.”

“There is no need for apologies, Luke,” Amanda’s father said. “I understand that… while it seems unreasonable, in situations like this, one needs to have their priorities straight.”

“Dad…” Amanda said while showing a complicated expression.

“It is okay, Amanda,” Amanda’s father said. “We can’t keep running like this forever… we will have to fight as well. We can’t afford to let our generation become a burden to you.”

“Right… we might be old, but we aren’t weak,” Amanda’s mother said.

Celia’s grandparents also looked that determined, but Luke couldn’t change his mind now. After thinking for a while, he realized that at some point, he would have to rely on others, like when he is going to sleep or on other situations, but he couldn’t rely on people that couldn’t even fight. Luke couldn’t carry the world’s weight on his back… these people needed to obtain a certain level of strength for them to become reliable now. They probably had some skills that could help, but he could tell that Amanda and Celia would only make things worse with their naivety. Again, Luke wasn’t the best person to say that since he was enjoying the situation to some extent, but there was no time for heroics.

“Where are your parents?” Celia asked.

“Why do you ask?” Luke frowned.

“Well, I am just a bit interested in hearing about your plan to find them,” Celia said. “I am sure that you can open your path toward them without help and brute strength alone.”

“Wow, sarcasm,” Luke said. “I used it a lot when I had your age.”

“You are not even two years older than me…” Celia frowned. “Well, care to explain to us about your plan?”

“If you ask nicely, perhaps I will,” Luke said.

“No plan, huh,” Celia shrugged. “I knew it.”

“A boat will take too long, so you will need an airplane,” Amanda said. “Dad was a pilot back in the day, right?”

“Yes… but it has been twenty years since I worked in that area… I don’t have the knowledge and experience to pilot the newest planes,” Amanda’s father said.

That seemed too good to be true… but Luke couldn’t deny that he was planning to find an airplane and use it to find his parents. He will leave Miami and see if Billy was willing to help him in one way or another. If that weren’t possible, Luke would find someone else. Still, he had to be fast before all airplanes were taken or destroyed.

“Just don’t listen to them, Luke,” Shalia said. “You will ended up regretting later when they make you waste your time.”

“Why not give them at least a chance?” Rina asked. “You got some skills, but you relied on luck as well. See by yourself if they are willing to risk their necks not to slow you down.”

Luke crossed his arms and began to think… even if he focused on obtaining power, strength alone wouldn’t help him cross the ocean. Considering the drop rate of monsters, the chances of him finding a convenient skill that will help him in that regard are extremely low.