There weren't too many people who were capable enough to fight efficiently. Each of the teams only had three members each and since Larcen was an extra, he let them bid for him.
"Bah! Just tell me what you want and I'll give it to you!", one of them said and Larcen smiled when he heard that.
"Well, I just want someone to teach me how to use guns."
The moment they heard him, they all went silent. It was a well known fact that people from sectors X and Z were not permitted to use firearms unless they were in the military. It was only the rich and important people in sector A who were allowed to use guns. They were all from Sector X, the sector which housed the middle class.
A few seconds of silence later, one of them turned to look at the middle-aged man who was wiping his rifle with a cloth. He hesitated for a moment but seemed to have made up his mind after a second.
"Sir Jack!", he shouted to catch his attention and once the man looked up, he patted Larcen on his leg and stood up.
"Come with me."
Larcen followed him, not too surprised when he heard the same name as many people shared common names. Curious, he checked the man's stats as he had forgotten to do so when he entered the mall.
The stats were above normal, at an average of 7 but he had an active skill that didn't use anything as fuel like his flow state that required stamina to function.
{
Name: Jack Johnson
Race: Human
System Points: 26
Stats:
Strength: 0.6
Stamina: 0.8
Agility: 0.6
Mana: 0
Talents:
None
Active skills:
Hunter's Shot: Increases firearm accuracy when stationary (No Cost)
Passive Skills:
None
}
"Um, Sir Jack. This guy is new here and would like to join a team and we are all full. Could you take him in, please? He says he's got good stats and is open to learning."
Jack looked at everyone for a few seconds before placing the rifle down. He looked at Larcen and asked, "What's your name?"
"Jack. Jack Turner.", Larcen responded while the other guy nodded.
"I see.", he said before turning to look at his daughter who was talking to a few other girls almost a hundred meters away from him. The mall looked empty but it was only because the people here had moved most of the things to other floors and rooms.
He turned back to face Larcen as he began to speak, "Well, you will have to learn close combat from my daughter before I decide to teach you myself. Also, don't you dare make moves on her. If you do, consider yourself dead."
Larcen nodded, "I only care about getting stronger at this moment. I might have decent stats but they'd be a waste if I do not have a proper technique to use it them efficiently."
"Hah, it's good that you know. Also, my daughter and I are forming an extra hunting team so we'll just add you. For now, go and take some rest. I'll wake you up after my shift so you can join my daughter and assist her while she hunts."
'You basically just wanted a bodyguard for your daughter...', he thought to himself but nodded on the outside before walking away with the rest of the guys.
"Damn kid, you're getting a hottie to teach you how to fight! Ah, I so wish I didn't know how to fight right now."
Larcen didn't say anything and simply turned to look at the girl. She indeed looked like she was fit but he had seen someone better, stronger, and more attractive at least to him.
'Ah, I shouldn't disrespect my future teacher. Also, no copulation or I might risk offending the old man.'
He talked with the guys until it was time for them to leave and looked for Anna who was already waiting for him at the other side of the mall. Larcen waved his hand to get her attention as he walked towards her.
"So, are you done with your discussions? Joining?", she asked as he got closer.
Larcen nodded, "I am indeed joining but I'll be joining the other Jake and his daughter. She will apparently be teaching me how to fight properly."
"Oh.... Betty huh? Got it.", she said and held his hand before leading him upstairs.
"Most of them sleep on the first floor and I have my own room since this mall is owned by my dad. Yes yes, I let everyone in here and well, if I didn't, they'd probably break in.", she added while walking up the nonfunctional escalators.
"That was a smart move on your part, I won't lie."
Anna nodded as she knew that it was the only viable option back then. She also did not want to see people die outside just because she did not let them in. She dragged him, passing through various stalls, some of which were still not emptied out.
"Just where are you taking me?", he asked, expecting to receive a room of his own or at least one he could share with just a few.
"My room, duh. You will be sharing the room with me.", she said, reaching the room at the far end and opened the door before walking in. It was a large room filled with mattresses and most of them were piled up on one end of the room. There were four large mattresses stacked on top of each other in the middle.
There were also a few large cardboard boxes a few meters away from the center.
"I'll go make my bed then...", he said as he walked towards the other end of the room to get some mattresses but Anna held his wrist, stopping him midway.
"Not so fast, Jake. Not so fast. We can share mine, you know? It is a bit too big for a single person after all.", she said as she unbuttoned the top button of her shirt.