Unlimited Power 02 – The Ranger's Domain

"Why don't we talk a little while I finish things here?" Ryan asked. "How exactly someone like you managed to slay a dragon? You didn't get any classes yet, right?"

"Classes?" Katelyn frowned.

"Don't answer a question with another question…" Ryan sighed. "If you clear a dungeon, you can obtain a class and three skills. The more you fight, the more the classes level up and the stronger you get. Now, answer my question."

"I obtained a tome… and a certain spell," Katelyn hesitated while looking forward to a way out of that mess.

"Figures… some people are really lucky, but I guess I can't complain about that," Ryan said. "Anyway, what was that spell?"

"… Magic Upgrade," Katelyn said after a few moments of hesitation.

"How come you are a teacher with such poor conversation skills?" Ryan asked. "Explain what the damn skill can do."

"With that skill, I can upgrade magic weapons as long as I have the right components," Katelyn said.

"That seems useful, though I can't see you with any magic weapon," Ryan said. "Let me guess. You lost your weapon fighting against a dragon."

"… Yes," Katelyn replied.

Ryan shrugged. Regardless, that was some pretty useful information. If he could upgrade his magic weapons with that skill, Ryan would be able to increase his potential many more times. Although it was obvious that the skill might fail and the magic weapons might break, it was worth the risk of upgrading magic weapons.

"… What do you want?" Katelyn asked.

"Right now?" Ryan asked. "Clear the nearest dungeon and get my next class. After that? I want to take you guys to a place where you won't have a hard time looking after those kids. I can't complain given the situation, but you did a sloppy job keeping them safe."

Katelyn bit her lips in annoyance. Although she wanted to refute that, she couldn't since she accepted that fact many times. She wasn't strong enough to go south, to a warm and safe place. So, she forced the kids to endure that harsh environment. 

"What are you going to gain with that?" Katelyn asked. "Certainly, you are expecting to gain something by helping us."

"I can't imagine me gaining anything by doing this, only some peace of mind," Ryan said. "However, you killed a dragon, right? Then you can pay me with the coins you are received."

"Only that?" Katelyn asked in surprise.

"Do you have something more to offer?" Ryan asked. "While I admit that changing my plans was a hassle, just fifty thousand coins would suffice for the problem you caused."

"Aren't you aiming for my body?" Katelyn asked.

"Oh, boy… not only you are troublesome, but you even have that much self-esteem, huh?" Ryan asked after laughing a little. "Too bad, I want to stay away from those who are too self-conscious about their appearances. I have no interest in you."

Although Ryan had to admit that Katelyn was pretty and she had a pair of impressive bazongas, he didn't have the time or the interest to fool around with her. With the world in that state, he won't be able to do it with people related to him at some level. Only with prostitutes, but those are hard to find now that monsters were eating humans left and right…

Katelyn had a hard time believing in that. She also saw many men and women selling their bodies to strong survivors while she was scouting during the first days after the monsters' arrival. As far as she was concerned, she couldn't imagine any other reason a man would help someone like her and a group of children.

After a while, Ryan finally had some room to breathe because the earthworms stopped coming. While he was sure that he would face others, that will only happen the closer he gets to the dungeon.

"If you don't trust me, I don't really mind," Ryan said. "However, before you go with the kids, I want the coins. You are responsible for their lives, so if you think you can survive on your own while protecting all of them, I won't stop you from leaving."

Ryan explained after that. The survivors could give each other coins by shaking their hands. So, after giving fifty thousand coins to him, Katelyn began to ponder. Somehow, she recovered her legs, and she obtained some valuable pieces of information. If she could confirm them, then perhaps going with that base that the unknown man mentioned might be actually the best option.

"Can we go with you and check if those dungeons can really offer us, classes?" Katelyn asked.

"Sure, why not?" Ryan shrugged. "Just stay behind me and don't do anything stupid."

"Don't we have to help to obtain the class?" Katelyn asked. "How many people can obtain a class at once?"

"Twenty-four," Ryan replied. "As long as you stay close enough, anyone can obtain a class when the boss of a dungeon is defeated." 

That seemed too good to be true. Still, even though it was risky, Katelyn decided to check that with his own eyes. Ryan didn't show any sign that he was about to attack her, and considering that the kids didn't look that afraid of him, he didn't do anything bad while she was unconscious.

While Ryan and the dire wolf were eliminating the earthworms, Katelyn decided to ask the things that happened while she was out cold. However, to avoid problems, Katelyn only whispered to Elle and Gustav, who was the cheeky boy.

"Did something happen while I was sleeping?" Katelyn asked. "Did he do something?"

"He tried to undress you," Gustav said.

"So, he really is… after my body," Katelyn whispered.

"But I stopped him, and he asked if I could clean miss Katelyn," Elle said. "Before doing that, he made a sparkling light appear, and the light made your legs appear again."

That seemed like a pretty confusing explanation… However, everything that made Katelyn think that Ryan was the one who healed her body… how come humans could do that now?