"I have one condition."
If it were someone else who said those words instead of Alex, then Garvit would've scowled and left the guy behind, but since it was Alex, he was surprised and elated.
For the first time, he got a positive response from Alex.
That was all he saw in this situation.
Alex, whom he saw as a big shot in an apocalyptic world, finally showed a positive response.
A flattering smile formed on his lips, his palms rubbing against each other like sly merchants.
"Whatever you want."
Garvit voiced out with a smile; his body was completely relaxed and slumped, showing submission.
"Growl…?"
Even Shera, who was standing far away from them, killing the goblin, rushed toward them and looked at Alex with the same puppy eyes he had tried earlier.
And again, like before, it just made it look scarier.
Some of the goblins that saw the face it was making even stepped back in fear.
Shera, on the other hand, just ignored the goblins and stared at Alex while wagging its tail like a puppy, eagerly waiting for its master to notice it.
"I will be the one killing the goblins."
Alex, however, didn't even look at Shera; he just looked at Garvit with a pensive look and uttered those words without any emotion.
But Garvit and Shera, who heard his words, had their expression freeze.
"I'm sorry?"
Garvit wasn't sure if he heard it right.
Would someone be able to kill all the goblins??
Even if Alex was strong enough to do it, what about him and Shera??
Garvit needed coins to get stronger as well.
He didn't know how Shera would get stronger yet, but he felt like that would require coins as well, so how could he let go of so many free coins he could get from the goblins?
Shera understood that as well.
His tail wasn't wagging anymore, and neither was he making the cute puppy expression anymore.
Right now, both Garvit and Shera stared at Alex dumbfoundedly.
"I will be the one killing goblins."
But Alex repeated the same thing, ignoring the expression or feelings of the duo.
It didn't matter to him what they thought.
It never did for him.
Yes, they were strong, and they would be a good choice if one is looking for teammates, but Alex didn't want anything like that.
'Companions would only hold me back.'
That's what he thought.
He would have to share his kills with his companions, he would have to look after them, he couldn't run away from a fight if they were injured, and many other things.
So, Alex wanted to be alone; he wanted to survive, but not help others survive.
"B-but what about us….?"
Garvit, on the other hand, uttered in a distraught voice when he heard Alex repeat the same line again.
He was now sure that he didn't hear it wrong. Alex did say that he wanted to kill all the goblins.
But then what about them?
'I don't want to fight him.'
Garvit, who, just like Shera, felt like the strong should take all, didn't want to test if they were stronger than Alex.
He was worried that the outcome would not be something he would like.
But looking at Alex's expression, that hadn't changed since the start, wearing the same apathetic look, he knew that Alex was as serious as one could get.
That fact frustrated him.
'Is there no other way?!'
He yelled inwardly as he clenched his fists.
Shera, who was just beside Garvit, was now standing on his fours, not sure what to do.
The tiger's instinct told him to stay down, but the emotions it felt from Garvit and looking at the situation made it want to get ready for an attack.
Garvit was frowning. His teeth were grinding, and his nails pierced his palm.
He was worried and distressed.
He didn't want to lose the coins he could gain from a tutorial just because he thought that he might get a chance to get closer to Alex.
'He isn't even showing any reaction, dammit!'
Garvit wanted to scream and pull out his hair; he wanted to scratch Alex's face just so that he could get a reaction out of Alex, but he remained calm on the outside.
Garvit was frustrated about how Alex always had that poker look on his face, never showing any emotion no matter what happened.
If Alex showed even a bit of reaction, then maybe Garvit would be able to get into his head and try to make a better deal.
'Gahhhhhhh!'
Gravit screamed inwardly before his eyes moved toward Shera, who happened to be looking at him.
They stared into each other's eyes with a troubled look.
Both of them knew what was happening and what they could do in this situation; they knew about the consequences as well.
Yes, they wanted to get on Alex's good side; they wanted to rely on Alex to help them fend off problems they couldn't. But they couldn't just give away the free coins they could gather in the tutorial.
They wanted to grow strong as well.
That loud roar from before—a roar that scared the shit out of them—they could still recall the sense of helplessness they felt vividly.
They didn't want to feel that ever again.
And for that, they needed to grow stronger.
The system had told everyone before, 'This is where they could build up their base', and they knew that if they missed this chance of gathering coins and powering up, then they might miss a very big opportunity.
Just as Garvit and Shera were stuck in their thoughts, agitated about the situation, they heard Alex's voice again.
"I won't be able to kill all of them, at least not without casualties."
Alex, who could feel their emotional turmoil just from the looks they were sharing, voiced out while pointing at the group of people, who were trembling in fright as they watched the goblins inching closer to them.
The goblins were taking it easy on them as well, since all they did was laugh at the humans.
"Kekekekeke….."
"Jejejejejeje..."
"Hehehehehehe….."
They let out some creepy giggles while licking their knives or weapons as if trying to intimidate the humans, and it worked perfectly.
The humans were terrified as they looked at the number of goblins walking toward them in slow and deliberate motion.
Goblins were the weakest beasts, so looking at some being covered in fear in front of them was rather satisfying for them.
So much so that the fact that there were some beings who could kill them with a single strike was not even their worry anymore.
Garvit and Shera, who had their bodies tensed when they heard Alex's voice, relaxed when they realized the meaning behind those words, and slowly, a smile started to form on their lips.