The three stood in front of an elevator. "Are you sure you wanna do this, though? Your dad and sister are alive and well. You sure you want to risk it?"
Johnathan asked while they waited for the elevator to arrive. He was pretty surprised when Danny said he'd join the army. After all, his family was still alive.
Johnathan doubted he'd join if he had his family with him. But then again, he had powers and would be lying if he said he wouldn't be tempted to join just to use them.
"I'm sure. I'd like to spend every moment of my life with them, but I can't have my dad working hard labor jobs. He's getting old and I certainly don't want my sister to spend any less time with him."
Johnathan nodded. He understood what Danny meant. From what he could remember, Danny's father was already 45 years old. It's not old, but you need to keep in mind that he worked in a factory before the apocalypse started. Meaning any more hard labor jobs like that would hurt his back and other muscles, leading to him being unable to spend as much time with his daughter.
"You're right Danny. This is probably the best choice. But when we sign up, let's make sure to you know." Ivan said before gesturing for the two to go closer to him.
Once they were within distance, Ivan continued. "You know, downplay your abilities. It's only been a bit over 32+ hours. Who knows how many actual soldiers have eaten the crystals. We only got so many because we only had three people."
The two nodded and agreed to downplay their abilities.
Johnathan downplayed his time ability to small, ranged tp, Danny decided on only showing his right arm, and Ivan wanted to show them his weak powered lightning. Of course, they'd only show if they were asked. After all, if no one inquired about them, why would they tell?
A couple of seconds after deciding what to downplay them to, the elevator opened, making the three step inside and press the 1st-floor button.
The elevator ride stopped at the third and fourth floor, now holding men and women of different ages.
Once the elevator door opened, everyone stepped out. Johnathan and the other two looked around, trying to spot any recruiters.
What they thought would be a hard mission turned out to be incredibly easy. Multiple groups of recruiters were walking around the abnormally large lobby.
'A lot bigger now that I can inspect.' Johnathan noted while looking around.
The three then stepped forward, making their way to one group that was recruiting. It didn't take over two minutes to reach them.
"What can we do for you boys?" asked a man in a military uniform with two other men behind him.
The man who spoke had neatly combed hair and wore dark blue, rectangular glasses.
"We would like to sign up for the army," Ivan stated.
The man smiled widely and snapped his fingers. One man behind was carrying a clipboard. Once he heard the snap, he quickly handed the board to the man.
"I'm glad to hear that, young man. We can use all the help we can get to get rid of those damn monsters. May I ask for your names?"
"Johnathan."
"Ivan."
"Danny."
"Alright, boys. Meet me here at 5 am tomorrow. You don't need to worry about clothes since we'll be giving you a new set. However, be prepared to sweat a little."
"That's all? Aren't we supposed to do a test to get in?" Danny asked in confusion.
"Haha. We aren't picky right now. With how many zombies there are, the government and the army don't care about the quality. We need numbers."
With that said, the man turned around and walked away, with the two other soldiers following him.
The three were left standing there, confused about what to do.
"Imma go check out my room real quick. See you guys later." Johnathan said,
"I'll look around for a bit," Ivan said.
"Same. I wanna get familiar with this place." Danny voiced.
Johnathan, knowing that they were staying, turned towards the elevator and made his way to it.
Pressing the button, he waited for the elevator door to open. The door opened and Johnathan walked in.
Johnathan stared at the immense crowd of people in the lobby as the doors closed. He pressed the button with 10 on it and patiently waited for it to reach his floor. Since no one was inside the elevator with him, Johnathan laid back on the railing that was behind him. Putting both his hands over his face, he thought about his future. 'What'll happen to me? Please god, if you're listening to this, watch over me and give me the strength to stand.' He prayed.
With no family left, he had no one left to lean on. He couldn't have his friends to fall back on. After all, they weren't in a better position. The three had each lost someone important to them. Asking them to help him instead of themselves was selfish. So he called for God's help.
Reaching the floor his apartment was on, he stepped out of the elevator and made his way to his apartment. Luckily, it wasn't too far, and the walk lasted only a few short seconds.
'1002,1002. There it is!' He thought, walking to it and taking his bag off.
He had it on his back since they got out of the car. He placed it down for a couple of minutes at Danny's father's place, but he didn't let it go. After all, he had all his food supplies in there. He would need to split them between his friends later on, but for now, that had to wait.
'I can't wait to lie down.'
Inserting the key into the door, he turned it left, opening it.
Once he was inside, he let out a sigh. 'I guess this will my home for a while.' He then went to the middle of the room and placed his bag down. Lifting his shirt, Johnathan took out the gun he had held onto since he got it.
"So beautiful. I can't wait to use it." Johnathan said excitedly.
He sat down cross-legged and thought about what to do. 'Should I sleep right now? Nah, that can wait. I'll just meditate for a while.'
Johnathan decided on what to do and started meditating.
Taking in the mana from the air and rotating it, Johnathan purified the mana. He kept at this for what he felt was like a minute. Opening his eyes, Johnathan looked out of the window. When he arrived, it was as bright as the sun outside. However, now it was almost completely dark. It could've been due to how it was in the middle of the fall and where he lived, the sky would turn dark earlier. But that still should've been three to five hours away.
Since he had been sitting for so long, he stood up and stretched his body.
*Crack*
One of his bones suddenly cracked, making Johnathan laugh a bit. "I should keep meditating for this long, to a minimum. Don't want to wake up too stiff. At least my cores a little lighter."
His long meditation and stiff body paid off. His mana got purer and his core got lighter, strengthening him. Even if it's by an unnoticeable amount.