Unlimited Power 03: The Sinful Ruler

"Those are our options right now. What do you think?" Jake asked while he noticed that the sun was starting to set.

"I don't wanna hunt salamanders, it seems like their habitat would be some kind of dessert, and I am of those places," Lana replied.

Jake sighed. He was right in thinking about leaving the party… after all, one of the members wanted to decide on the next mission according to the weather conditions of the place. If that wasn't insanity, Jake didn't know what it was. In any case, Jake was surprised that the missions to join the war against or with the druids were still available. Was it that hard or the rewards weren't that appealing?

"From what I heard, the Salamanders' territory is in a forest," Karina explained. "While the place is always destroyed when someone fights them, it usually recovers within a week."

"I guess we can go and clear it then," Lana said.

"I am not against it, but I can imagine what kind of power the boss of the salamanders will have. Considering that, maybe we should focus on getting Jake a new shield," Louise said. "He will be the one who will receive most of the damage, after all."

"Nah, I am fine. That will take too much time," Jake said.

If anything, Jake just needs to level up his Fire Resistance against the salamanders or even against Louise herself. Considering that they had ten days to complete the mission, it was more than enough. Jake was also planning to abandon his sword and shield style, but in that mission, that might be a bit dangerous. Salamanders are supposed to be quick on their feet, so charging toward them before they can open their mouths won't work… a mage like Louise was probably the best option against them, but that wasn't the solution Jake wanted.

"It is settled, then… we will go clear the salamanders' dungeon tomorrow morning," Jake said and then headed toward the grove where his herbs could be found.

Everything was the same as he left there, so Jake began to meditate and train his Flames of Wrath as well since, in the darkness of the night and the grove, no one would be able to see him.

"It seems he wants to poop, so let's leave him alone for a while," Lana said while watching Jake disappear into the grove.

Meanwhile, Louise lightened their campfire with her magic, and then the girls began to cook their dinner. At first, they didn't know what to talk about, so they ate in silence for a while, but since Lana was a chatterbox, she eventually broke the silence.

"Where are you from, Karina?" Lana asked. "We three are from the US, Atlantic City."

"Moscow…" Karina replied while looking at the flames of the campfire and reminiscing her life one month ago.

"Were you in the last year of high school?" Lana asked. "I am a college student, and Louise is a middle-school teacher. As for Jake… what was he again? He said that he didn't go to high school, right?"

"Yes…" Louise said.

"I was in my second year… I thought it would be fun to pursue the mysteries of this game with my friends, and I ended up here," Karina replied.

"Everything is very different from what we imagined," Lana said and then looked toward the starry sky. "While things might not be so good right now, if we work hard, it will improve. We will soon find someone who can return to the tutorial, after all."

"If we find a way to return, will you come to this parts again?" Louise asked.

"I am not sure… honestly," Lana replied with a complicated expression on her face. "I feel like some part of me wants to stay here, but another part wants to stay away from all this danger… even though I never saw death from up-close until now."

"I also have mixed feelings like that," Louise said. "I feel like we will miss something important if we run away."

Karina also had the same feeling, even though she definitely was the one who wanted to return to Earth the most. Still, she didn't say anything. While Jake didn't participate in that conversation, he probably wouldn't answer if someone asked him. Still, he couldn't deny that despite all the excitement, deep down, he could feel something pulling him into the mysteries of the system. Almost something supernatural…

Although that didn't conversation didn't last long, it sure put them in a weird mood, so they decided to talk for something lighter afterward. That worked so well that when Jake returned to eat something, he saw them still talking, even though it was already midnight. As much as he wanted to complain, he couldn't since they always do their job well. The girls went to sleep pretty later, but Jake didn't sleep at all. He spent the night meditating and training Flames of Wrath. Thanks to that, both skills reached level thirteen.

"Only a bit more… I suppose I can do that while we are on the next mission," Jake nodded to himself. "With the right items, I would bet that half of us would be able to guard the entrance of the dungeon and exterminate the salamanders, and I will be able to use the free time to level up Meditation."

Now with that skill and with his current level of recovery, Jake will be able to use Mana Blade at least two times per minute. In fact, he was controlling his urge to increase only his recovery, but that would be madness. While madness also fitted his style, everything has a limit. Besides, Jake wouldn't have much fun if his attack didn't damage the enemies enough…

In any case, the group had their breakfast as soon as the sun began to rise in the sky. While Louise and Lana looked a bit sleepy, Karina looked as ready as she could be. So, Jake selected the mission, and then the whole group was teleported to their next destination.