Bruce didn't want to be the leader of any group, and he certainly didn't want to keep giving orders to others. So, the best he could do was to sigh and show an annoyed expression while Diane knocked on the door and tried to draw the attention of the other survivors. She didn't know the people who were hiding there, but she was one hundred percent sure that they weren't insane like Bruce. So, destroying one of their lines of defense would be a terrible first step to creating an amicable relationship with them.
"Hello?" Diane asked. "Is anyone there? We are survivors, and we are looking for a place to spend the night alongside other survivors."
"Why are you asking something like that?" Bruce sighed. "It is obvious that we aren't alone here."
"Just stay quiet…" Diane said.
While the two were arguing, Chris was showing a complicated expression. He agreed with his sister that they shouldn't destroy the door, but he was fully aware that they were wasting their time there, and while making noise, they could draw the attention of monsters. Fighting without an escape route behind them was dangerous, after all. The situation didn't change for several minutes, and Bruce's patience finally ran out.
"Move," Bruce said. "I will solve this problem right now."
"Wait, don't destroy the door!" Diane said.
"I won't… unless they open it," Bruce said. "I know that someone has been hearing us. If you don't want us here, then fine. Just say the word, and we will leave. However, if you don't give us a clear answer, I will destroy the door. You have five seconds."
The wise thing to do was to put someone guarding the door. Since everything was completely dark and the survivors didn't want to reveal their positions to the monsters, it was only obvious that someone should be guarding the door in case something happened. Be it the arrival of the army or the attack of a horde of monsters. Regardless, five seconds passed, and none of them heard anything.
"Well, warned you," Bruce said and then raised his sword.
At that point in time, Diane was wondering if they weren't wrong and the hotel was completely empty. After all, a monster suddenly appeared in their apartments. So, due to that, she didn't try to stop Bruce. However, she regretted that when Bruce cut the door in half and then saw several chairs blocking their path toward the stairs. Some survivors had put those there, and they wouldn't be able to leave the building without getting rid of those.
"Ah… now we did it," Diane said, and then she dropped her shoulders.
"Give me a break," Bruce said. "I did it on the first try… a couple of goblins would have destroyed this barricade in just a few seconds. There is no need to feel depressed. If you two stay here, you will be able to protect the survivors much more than any half-assed barricade could have."
Diane opened her eyes widely at that, the reason behind her behavior was obvious, but she didn't expect that Bruce would mention that without being troubled by it. Regardless, with their equipment, Diane and Chris would be able to face most small fries without problems, at least for the time being. However, they didn't come here to protected others. They came to look for allies.
While Bruce was moving the chairs from his path, Diane heard something from above them. Despite the noise that he was making, Diane recognized the sound of footsteps. Now she couldn't help but wonder if staying with them was a good idea. Despite having lost one of their defenses, the survivors didn't react in any way. If anything, they only tried to hide even more. After a while, Bruce and the others finally opened the path to the second floor, only to find most of the rooms completely locked from inside.
"Excuse me," Diane said. "Is there someone I can talk with? I swear, I mean no harm. We are looking for more allies."
Despite Diane's words, she didn't see a single one coming from those rooms. Here and there, she managed to hear some sobs and footsteps, but only that. Most of the hotel rooms were being used, and those which weren't had been destroyed by monsters and were now covered with blood.
"They don't want to talk with anyone," Chris said. "I think they are waiting for the army and police to rescue them, and until that happens, they don't want to risk talking with any stranger."
"I can't blame them…" Diane clenched her teeth. "This is… everything that happened is… hard to digest. They are probably in shock."
While the two siblings were talking without knowing what to do, Bruce searched for anything useful in all the rooms that were unlocked. The number of monsters didn't even reach the two digits, so Bruce didn't find any loot. He ended up finding some male clothes, but those were just too big or too small. The only thing that fit him were some jeans, a sweatshirt, and a pair of black sneakers.
"I look so weird while wearing this and several pieces of armor," Bruce said while checking his current attire. "I will really look even weirder when I obtain my chainmail… the question is: how do I make the survivors here join my group even for a single moment?"
When Bruce returned to where Diane and Chris were, he noticed that things didn't change. That was really troublesome, but Bruce decided to give them a little more time. Bruce returned to the first floor, and then he quickly found the hotel's kitchen and warehouse. Most of the food was cold, and without electricity, he wouldn't be able to use the microwave. Despite that, Bruce quickly grabbed and ate everything he could find inside the pans. While Bruce was in the middle of his meal, he received a notification.
You completed a quest!
You received a new quest!
Survive for twenty-four hours!
Reward: Ice Needle Skill Book.
Congratulations! You learned the skill: Bash!
Bash: Increases the attack of your next physical attack.
Damage: P. Attack x 2 – P. defense (Target)
Cost: 02 SP
Lv 01 0/100
Next Level: increased damage.
"Not bad," Bruce nodded to himself in satisfaction. "The cost in SP is lesser than Fireball, so I will be able to use both at the same time, but this one will level up faster. Speaking of which… I wonder if skills can level up if I use them outside battles. I shall test that."