I Only Level Up When I Seal My Enemies

Riven felt silent. It seemed like the man didn’t want to talk about his past. That was okay because all he cared about was surviving.

What would he do knowing his past? All he wanted was just to survive and find a cure for his sister.

Riven glared at him and said.

"Fine, I won’t ask about your personal matters anymore. Just tell me, why did you save us?"

Krylian didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he started to ascend the stairs and while he did — he didn’t speak a single word.

Riven kept demanding answers from him but he didn’t say a single word. Frustrated, Riven and Ayala just followed him quietly to wherever he was taking them.

A few minutes later, they reached the end of the staircase. When they did, Riven’s eyes narrowed not in disbelief, not in shock but in surprise.

Line after line of dried-up meat was arranged neatly along the edges of the room. This meat was edible but was probably preserved by drying up the moisture inside.

The only way to get meat was fighting a powerful beast in this region... something that he couldn’t do. It further reinforced the notion that the man was unbeatable.

But this wasn’t what got his attention... There were dozens of barrels of water resting on the ground.

That could only mean one thing... Krylian knew how to get to the source of water inside this city. That was huge since having access to water in the desert was the key to survival...

Suddenly, Krylian turned towards them and said something that he never expected to hear from his mouth.

"I saved you because I want you two to help me find an escape from this city."

Riven frowned. What did he just say? Find an escape from this city... Why would he need their help?

Krylian was strong... so strong that he could make the entire horde of Level 40 undead stumble. While he struggled to fight a single one so it sounded absurd that he needed their help.

Besides, what’s so difficult about leaving this city? Finding a gate leading outside and then using it to leave should be very simple.

This could be a trap of Krylian...

Riven suddenly remembered the blue barrier that he saw covering the gate of the city after stepping inside the city. Then realization dawned upon him.

"Don’t tell me..."

Krylian continued speaking.

"I am sure that you have seen the barrier blocking the entrance that you used to enter?"

Riven nodded his head. Krylian continued speaking... he could guess what Krylian was going to say next.

"Every single path leading outside is blocked by this blue barrier."

"Fuck..."

He mentally cursed. He had entered this abandoned city to establish a safe shelter to stay until he found a way to a human settlement in Astrionis.

But who the hell knew that he was entering a prison... he had to find a way to leave very quickly. His sister’s survival was on the line!

Riven asked, his voice carrying a sense of urgency.

"So how did we leave this city?"

Krylian replied, his voice serious.

"The only way to escape lies inside the castle of this city but there is only one problem..."

Ayala who was silent up until now finally spoke and asked.

"And what’s that problem?"

Krylian continued.

"The closer you get to the castle, the horde of undead will not only increase in numbers but also in strength."

Everyone fell silent. No one spoke for a solid minute. Afterwards, Ayala looked Krylian directly in the eyes and said, breaking the silence.

"Why do you need us to help you? You are much stronger than us."

Krylian walked towards a barrel of water and opened the lid. Then he picked up the three cups lying on the ground. His eyes narrowed, those cups weren’t normal.

They were made of bones... it was probably the bones of a beast that Krylian had killed.

Krylian filled the cups with water and offered them each a single one. They took them.

Afterwards, Krylian drank the water and said.

"Teamwork is needed to survive in Astrionis because humans are such a weak race."

Riven gulped the water in one go as he listened to Krylian’s words. He didn’t believe the teamwork crap...

He was certain that they had something that Krylian didn’t have. But what was that?

As he got lost in his own thoughts, Ayala’s voice resounded through his ears.

"I will help you... No, we will help you."

Riven glared at her and only said a single sentence.

"You shouldn’t trust strangers and decisions should be taken after careful consideration."

Ayala pulled him to the side and whispered into his ear.

"Accept his offer, mister... this will boost our chances of survival!"

Riven didn’t say a word, instead, he walked away from her. He glared at Krylian and said.

"I have a demand... if you accept that then I will help you."

"Mister... we aren’t in a position to negotiate. He is much stronger than us so staying with him is safer!"

Riven glared at her and said furiously.

"You are naive Ayala! Since he wants to team up with us then that means he needs us. If you don’t want to maximize your gains so be it! But I want to maximize my gains!"

Krylian shook his head and replied coldly.

"I am not obliged to fulfill any of your demands. As the girl said, staying with me is beneficial for you and besides...’s

Krylian paused and added a heartbeat later.

"The only reason the undead are still alive is that they are..."

Before Krylian could finish, the floor beneath trembled slightly. The walls trembled slightly too.

This wasn’t all, the sound of something crashing into the walls of the building resounded through his ears. Krylian rushed towards the window and Riven followed him.

They looked outside the window and everyone’s expression changed.

Krylian mumbled, loud enough for him to hear.

"Tsk Tsk... there are so many variables."