[Reward: +150 C-Point // +150 XP]
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 4!]
[Stat Increase: +400 MP (Total: 5,900 Mana), Health: +100 (Total: 350 HP), Strength: +10 (Total: 90)]
[Reward Item: 3 Healing Potions (Grade—A) — Effect: restores 50% HP each]
Healing Potion? Medeia wanted to hit the system for giving her that thing after she almost died.
But her anger turned to happiness when the system gave another announcement.
[You unlocked Feature Bank Balance: Allows you to earn gold coins to purchase supplies, upgrade equipment, or use for future missions]
[Reward: 1,500 gold coins]
Medeia clicked her tongue because the system was too stingy with her. When she was queen, the amount of her gold and treasures could be piled up to a mountain, so the gold coins seemed too little in her eyes.
[Learn to be grateful. Not all people have the luxury of having gold]
Blah. Blah. Blah.
Medeia made fun of the system because she was sick of hearing its lecture. After she closed the panel, she saw others had packed the falcon's meat and fertility stones.
"Alright. We're ready to go," Harry said. "The sky will be dark soon. Monsters and the Losts can't find us in the dark, but we should be on guard for nocturnal mutants."
They couldn't spend the night in the forest because it was dangerous to sleep in the middle of the monsters' lair. Therefore, the hunter would return to the village as soon as possible.
"Let me help you." Lucian held Medeia's hands as she tried to stand. Bear bent down in front of her, but his height was still too great for Medeia.
Lucian lifted her up by holding her waist. Medeia's heart almost jumped out of her chest when his hands touched her.
It was just a mere touch, but her entire body had turned into a hot cauldron.
She tried to distract herself by stroking the wolf's fur and asked, "Where did you find this cutie?"
"My father and I rescued him when he was just a cub. His leg was trapped in a bear's trap, so we decided to keep him at home until he recovered." Lucian's smile gradually saddened as he said, "Unfortunately, the disaster happened before we could release him to the wild, so he has stuck with me since then."
Medeia, "So that's the reason you named him Bear?"
He chuckled. "My father gave him that name."
Lucian said Bear was the only one he had left, so Medeia assumed all of his family had died in the disaster. Those memories only brought suffering and pain to the beholder, so Medeia didn't mention his family anymore.
"Bear must love you so much that he can still recognize you after he became a mutant." Medeia scratched the wolf's chin. "What a good boy."
The wolf rubbed its head against Medeia's hand, looking excited after getting praise.
"Now he likes you too." Lucian patted its head. "You have to get ready because this boy can be as sticky as glue."
Medeia would be happy if the owner could be as sticky as glue to her.
"Lucian! Medeia! What are you doing there? Hurry up!" shouted Harry from afar.
Lucian grabbed his belongings and walked beside the wolf. "Let's get back."
○ ○
It was almost midnight when the group reached the village. The villagers who guarded the border looked at Lucian warily.
Since the apocalypse began, people couldn't trust a stranger easily so they didn't let Lucian enter the village just like that.
But Harry stepped up and told the guard, "It's okay. He has helped us in the forest, so I invite him to come over."
As the son of the village chief, Harry easily convinced the villagers to let Lucian in.
However, they immediately raised their weapons when they saw the wolf. "What is that?!"
Lucian stood between them and Bear. He tried to convince them, "Easy. Easy. He is harmless." He continued, "He even let Medeia sit on his back, so please put down your weapons."
The villagers exchanged glances before agreeing to put down their weapons.
"Still, we can't let this monster enter the village."
"Yes, the children are still traumatized from seeing the spider. This monster will make their trauma worse."
Lucian's face darkened because they called his wolf 'monster', but he didn't make a fuss about that. He simply said, "At least, let him stay near the village gate. I promise, he will not harm anyone."
Harry helped him. "Yes, I can also guarantee it won't attack anyone. So just let the wolf stay here."
The villager sighed. "But make sure the chief knows about this tomorrow."
"I'll tell him tonight," said Harry.
As they settled the problem, Lucian brought the wolf near the gate and helped Medeia get down by carrying her.
"I can walk from here," Medeia said, "And I'm sorry about Bear. People are too dumb to tell the difference between a monster and a cutie."
If they already considered the wolf to be a monster, their souls would immediately leave their bodies as soon as they saw Medeia's pets in hell.
"That's okay. I can understand their concern. Besides, I don't want the children to be scared when they wake up and see a big wolf in the village." Instead of putting her down, Lucian walked into the village while carrying her in his arms. "Where is your house?"
"Hey, I really can walk!"
Despite feeling happy for being able to touch his muscles for a long time, Medeia didn't want to embarrass herself in front of others.
"Your wound could open again, so I'm not advising you to walk."
Medeia had no other reason to refuse him, so she let Lucian carry her to the old factory. Eventually, there was no harm in letting a handsome man carry her.
When they arrived at the old bakery factory, Sister Jeanne was still awake because she waited for her to come home.
"Oh, dear, what happened to you?" Sister Jeanne quickly approached her. She glanced at Lucian once, but she didn't say anything because her focus was drawn into Medeia's wound.
"I got hurt," Medeia replied briefly.
Sister Jeanne asked the strange man to bring Medeia to one of the patient's beds. She cut her pants and put her hands above the wound.
Green light emanated from Sister Jeanne's hands, then flowed into the wound. Little by little, the open skin knitted by itself and the pain gradually went away.
Medeia rounded her eyes because she couldn't believe the wound that made her suffer for hours could be healed with just the touch of a nun.
What a joke.
Never crossed in her life before that a nun would heal her body.
"How is it? Do you have any other injuries?"
Medeia shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Then, I guess you just need to take a rest." Sister Jeanne finally spoke to Lucian, "How about you, young man? Are you hurt too?"
Lucian smiled. "I'm fine, but thank you for asking, Sister." He continued when he forgot something, "Oh, my name is Lucian."
Sister Jeanne smiled benignly and nodded. She offered Lucian to sleep on the patient's bed that night because she hadn't cleaned all of the factory's room yet.
"I'm sorry the beds look old and a little bit dirty. I haven't had time to clean them yet."
Lucian shook his head. "Having a bed to sleep in is fancy enough for me. Thank you again, Sister."
Medeia didn't know where Lucian used to sleep every night, but based on his belongings, Medeia guessed he slept in a tent.
"Sister, do you mind if I sleep here too? I'm too tired to go back to my room." Medeia pretended to be weak and fragile, so Sister Jeanne had no choice but to let her sleep in the hall.
Besides, there were many beds in the hall, so Medeia and Lucian didn't have to sleep in one bed.
Even though Medeia would prefer to sleep while hugging that big bulky body of his.
"I'll be in my room if you need anything," reminded Sister Jeanne before she returned to her bedroom.
Medeia pulled the blanket up to her chin and quietly observed Lucian taking off his boots and his jacket.
"What do you think about this village?" asked Medeia as Lucian climbed to his bed.
"It's a nice place. Actually, this is the first time I found a habitable place that didn't look like a military base."
Medeia frowned. "There are other places?"
"Yes. If you travel around for so long, you can find one of them. But, I'm not recommend those places to you."