Joining the Group (1).

Thoughts ran through his mind at super speeds, as he weighed all his options...

Should he continue with his lone wolf adventure, or join the group before him?

The pros of going Solo were that he didn't always have to constantly be watchful of his back, and he had more freedom, as he wouldn't be bound by any shackles of duty that came with being in a group. He could act out his most selfish desires as well, without being looked at funny by someone else. The cons, on the other hand, were the increased danger, and potential lack of protection in case of the unexpected.

Take what had just happened as an example...

He had fought against the {Miasma Devil}, but although he had won, he was pretty wounded and exhausted at the end of the fight.

He ended up unconscious afterward. At that moment, he didn't have someone who would have been able to protect him from danger at that moment. If he hadn't been lucky, and someone hadn't rescued him, then the outcome would not be a good one, considering how dangerous the school had become...

As for joining the group, while there would be more limits on him, and he wouldn't have to constantly guard his back if they earned his trust, which was a very hard thing to do, then that problem would be ruled off. The main benefit of joining the group was the added security, as well as their growth potential...

Two heads were always better than one, except those heads were not attached to bodies.

With extra numbers, the overall effect would increase as well. Cain realized that being alone, while it had its good sides, was severely limiting his potential in this world.

Although Cain didn't like to think of it that way, he was certain that these apocalyptic events were a worldwide phenomenon. In other words, the entire world was now scrambling to survive. To survive under these terrible conditions, where everything, including your own kind, was most likely going to attack you to kill, strength in numbers was essential.

Cain was beginning to build up the framework of a master plan in his mind. He needed to gather teammates, strong ones.

He needed their strength if he wanted to boost the probability of his survival. Things like the gathering of essential resources, such as food and others needed a lot of hands onboard. He also had to consider whether or not he was going to go about saving a bunch of people. There were so many factors involved here, and he had to think them all through when he had time. But first, he had to settle the matter at hand.

"Alright... I'm in!"

"Eh?! Just like that?!" Vincent said, sounding a little surprised.

"But first, I'd like to ask a few questions."

The others in the room all looked at him.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"Roughly about five hours."

"Who found and saved me?"

This question had been gnawing at the back of his mind for some time now. Whoever it was, he owed that person his life. If not for that person, he possibly would be dead by now.

There was an awkward silence before everyone in the room looked at a certain someone.

"I did."

Cain certainly wasn't expecting it. The weird girl, Evangeline was the one that had potentially saved his life when he was unconscious.

"Thank you very much. I will repay the favor." Cain promised.

"Whatever."

She had removed her gaze from him long ago, but Cain still felt like he was being watched by her. He was still grateful to her, even though he thought she was weird. He was a man of his word and was going to keep his promise.

"Then onto the next question, who helped me change my clothes?"

Again, there was another awkward silence, followed by an even more awkward cough, before everyone turned to look at another person.

"T-that, would b-be me!" Susan mumbled with blushing cheeks.

"B-but don't take this the wrong way! I just helped you change because I figured you would want someone you were familiar with to help you. I also made sure to keep your underwear on, so I didn't see anything inappropriate. I swear!"

By the end of her speech, her face had turned bright red like a tomato.

"Thank you, Susan. I appreciate the help. I swear to return the favor." Cain looked Susan in the eye, saying this with a smile on his face. He had to look sincere at least...

"D-don't sweat it..." Susan said with her face covered. She was embarrassed because of it. That wasn't something someone who isn't close to you should do. However, although Cain thought it was a bit inappropriate, he still appreciated the thought behind it. Besides, he had nothing to hide. If she did happen to see anything, he was very confident in the size of his goods...

"Now, unto my final and most important question, what happened to my weapon?"

The {Bloody Katana} held a special place in his heart. It was the first weapon he had, and it had accompanied him since the start of the apocalypse. It was also a good weapon. Although the extra stats it granted him were somewhat insignificant to the current him, it was still a good blade.

"Weapon... you mean this?"

With a confused look on his face, David brought out a piece of scrap metal.

"Evangeline said she found it beside you, amongst other things."

Cain looked on in disbelief as David presented what used to be his beloved weapon before him.

'Turns out {Golden Severance} is more powerful than I expected.' To think the skills' power had caused his blade to completely melt, turning it into scrap. It was all twisted and fucked up, rendering it useless.

'I can try to fix it...'

Cain decided to keep it in his inventory for the time being. He couldn't find it in his heart to discard it.

"What do you mean by other things..."

"It's best if we show you. Evangeline?"

This former teacher of theirs had decided to rise to the occasion to lead their group.

Cain had known the man before the apocalypse fell as well. He had been one of the lecturers of Advanced Calculus. He had a wide build that must have been from years of working out, and he was also very intelligent. Cain had known him a bit better than most people because he had always been at the top of the man's class. Because David had an easygoing personality, it was easy for Cain to converse with him.

It was through their numerous conversations that Cain had gotten a good grasp of David's character. He was just an awfully good guy...

He liked to help those he felt needed his help and would beat himself up when he couldn't give them his help. Cain had thought he was just a hypocrite at first but had soon come to realize that it was just his nature. This made Cain have a lot of respect for him. Cain was someone who respected the strong, and it took a great deal of strength to do true good...

***

Cain started at the multitude of objects before him, using the system to analyze their characteristics and properties.

{Poison elemental mana shard}: Can grant a 5% increase in poison resistance. If added to a weapon, will cause 10% extra damage as D.O.T.

{Devil Orb}: Can only be possessed by special rank and above devils. Contains the concentrated power of a slain devil. The purpose varies due to a multitude of factors.

{Mark of Hermes}: +10 to agility stat.

{Mark of Bestial Strength}: +10 to agility stat.

The gift that keeps on giving...

'Even in death, you do me so much good...'

Cain couldn't help but think he had killed his angel of fortune. The {Miasma Devil} had just been providing him with benefit after benefit.

He already knew of runes although these were more powerful than the ones he had used previously. If he used these, then he just needed 7 more runes for each type before he would be able to form an array.

As for the rest, this was the first time he had seen them. The {Mana Shard} and the {Devil Orb} most likely had hidden benefits for him as well. He couldn't wait to be alone so that he could properly consume his benefits and finish structuring his plan based on all the resources he had available.

"Thank you for keeping these safe for me. I guess I owe you again, David." Cain said sincerely.

"Don't sweat it. I would never let what is yours be taken unjustly. Now that we have you on the team, it still counts as a win for us. Hahaha!"

Cain gathered his property and placed them in his inventory.

"Ehem... Now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's time to discuss something serious."

Clearing his throat, David spoke to the rest of them in a serious voice.

"We need to leave this place as soon as possible..."