His gaze moved across the group until it settled on Ophelia. She was holding her daughter much tighter than before, and her face had gone pale after witnessing the blue Fire Bullet’s power.
The little girl seemed confused more than frightened, but her mother clearly wasn’t taking any chances.
Before Alex could say anything, Robert spoke first. "That was quite strong. I guess with you around, we don’t have to worry about monsters anymore."
Alex looked at him in surprise before noticing the easy smile on his friend’s face. It only took him a second to understand what Robert was doing.
He was trying to ease everyone’s nerves, just as he always had whenever a room became too tense. Robert had always been good at reading people and steering conversations in a better direction.
Alex should have simply nodded and changed the topic. Instead, he spoke, "I’m confident that there are many monsters above Level 10. We’ve only been getting stronger for a few hours, while those monsters have probably had years to grow. So all of you need to keep leveling up too. I’ll help whenever I can, but you shouldn’t rely on me to solve every problem because, in the end, you have to be strong yourselves."
His words came out colder than he normally would have liked. Battle Instinct Spell was still running at full power, leaving little room for hesitation or concern over how his words sounded. Even so, he believed every word he had said.
It would be far worse if everyone assumed he could protect them forever. That kind of thinking would only make them careless, and carelessness in this changed world would eventually get someone killed.
If sounding like an asshole kept his friends alive, Alex could live with that.
"You’re right. We need to become stronger ourselves too," Kevin murmured after a long silence. His eyes were still fixed on the patch of sky where the blue Fire Bullet had exploded.
Robert let out a helpless smile as he looked at Alex. His expression seemed to complain that Alex could have been gentler, but at the same time, he understood why those words needed to be said.
A second later, the look disappeared as he focused on something else.
"We got another Tutorial Quest. Looks like the Doom Bull you had us stone counted toward the last one," Robert said.
"What’s the new Tutorial Quest?" Alex asked as everyone slowly walked back into the corridor.
"It says we have to join a faction," Robert replied.
Alex immediately caught the wording. The quest told them to join a faction, not create one. It seemed normal ascendants could only become members, while only pioneers (ascendants who were summoned) were allowed to establish factions.
He explained the Tutorial Quest he received earlier and told everyone that he could create a faction himself.
They listened quietly, and before anyone else spoke, Tina answered without hesitation. "We’ll join your faction."
"Are you sure? I was planning to invite all of you anyway, but I’d rather know now than have someone regret it later," Alex replied.
"I don’t really see a reason not to. We have no idea what kind of pioneer we’ll meet next, and they could be a terrible person. I don’t want to join a stranger’s faction, especially now that people with powers can pretty much do whatever they want. At least we already know you," Tina said.
Alex nodded in understanding. The moment he accepted her decision, a strange sensation entered his mind. He now knew how to create a faction.
It wasn’t as though someone explained the process to him. Instead, it felt like he had suddenly remembered knowledge that had always been there.
Judging by the puzzled look on Tina’s face, she had experienced the same thing.
"That felt weird," she said, scrunching up her nose.
Alex shrugged before raising his hand. Tina shook his hand.
A blue screen immediately appeared before Alex.
[Alex Mercer has created a faction.]
[Tina Brown has joined Alex Mercer’s faction.]
[Faction (Unnamed)]
[Level 1]
[Members (1/10): Tina Brown]
[Faction Perk: An extra 10% EXP gain when fighting with faction members.]
Alex carefully read through the interface. He instinctively knew he could choose a name for the faction whenever he wanted, but for now, he ignored that option. His attention stayed on the final line instead.
’EXP.’
That had to be what the System called the "progress" they earned by killing monsters. Was it short for Experience Points? Games had used that exact term for decades, which made the choice feel strangely deliberate.
Once again, the System used terminology that everyone could understand.
Alex couldn’t help wondering whether it was simply adapting to human culture or whether it had influenced that culture long before today, quietly preparing humanity for the day the apocalypse arrived.
"Ten percent extra EXP? I definitely won’t complain about leveling up faster," Tina whistled. Her mental state seemed to have recovered enough that she could joke.
"EXP?" Robert asked.
"It’s the ’progress’ we gain from killing monsters. I’m pretty sure it means Experience Points. The System just shortened the name," Alex explained.
Robert nodded while Kevin fell into thoughts. The extra experience bonus alone made joining worthwhile, and neither of them hesitated for long.
Alex looked at the two of them before saying, "If you’ve already decided, then let’s get this over with."
Robert stepped forward first and shook Alex’s hand. Kevin followed right after him, and two notifications appeared one after another before Alex.
[Robert Smith has joined Alex Mercer’s faction.]
[Kevin Moore has joined Alex Mercer’s faction.]
Alex dismissed the notifications before turning toward Sophia. She was still standing slightly apart from the group, holding the elderly woman’s wheelchair. She had a thoughtful expression.
"You haven’t still chosen a Class yet?" Alex asked.
"Give me some time. I think I’ll check Dwitter and check what people are saying about Classes first," Sophia replied.
Alex nodded, giving her space before looking toward Ophelia and Charlotta instead. The little girl stayed close to her mother, occasionally glancing at Alex with obvious curiosity after seeing his magic.
"Do you want to join our faction?" Alex asked.
..
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