"Who wants to submit to Mrs. Ivy’s authority and enjoy a life free of constant worries and danger?" Darren asked, his gaze sweeping across the survivors with curiosity.
Just then, two ladies out of the twenty survivors stepped aside, leaving eighteen survivors standing together.
"We can’t join her base," one of the ladies said, her voice calm but firm. Seriousness was etched across her face as she stepped forward. "Her offer is tempting, and honestly, it’s probably one of the best opportunities we’ll ever get in this apocalypse. But there are still things we have to do before settling down."
"Exactly," the second lady added imdiately. "I still need to find my mother. We got separated at the very beginning of the apocalypse, and I made a promise to myself that I would look for her no matter what."
She clenched her fists tightly before continuing.
"I don’t mind dying while searching for her, but I’ll never forgive myself if I join a safe base and live peacefully while she’s still out there fighting monsters alone. Whether she’s alive or dead, I need to find out for myself."
"Yo...."
"It’s fine," Ivy interrupted gently, stopping Darren before he could attempt to persuade them otherwise.
A warm smile appeared on her face.
"I respect your choices. My base doesn’t force anyone to join. You can only beco a resident if you’re willing to do so. Everyone deserves the freedom to make their own decisions."
The two won exchanged glances before bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Warrior Ivy."
Without wasting another second, they adjusted the knives hanging from their waists and firmly gripped the sharpened wooden spears they had crafted earlier. Then, with determined expressions on their faces, they turned around and walked away.
Neither Ivy nor Darren stopped them.
Soon, the two won disappeared into the distance, leaving Ivy, Darren, and the remaining survivors behind.
"So tell ..." Ivy said as she raised an eyebrow. "Who else wants to leave? You’re all free to do so."
Silence.
Not a single survivor moved.
"She’s not forcing anyone to join her base," Darren added, placing both hands on his waist. "You all have the right to choose whatever path you believe is best for you."
A man stepped forward.
"I am staying, Mrs. Ivy," he declared seriously. "Instead of wandering around aimlessly and possibly dying while searching for loved ones, I think it’s better to join your base and beco stronger."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"And who knows? Maybe one day I’ll reunite with them. Or maybe I won’t. This is the apocalypse after all. Anything can happen. They might already be dead... but if I beco stronger, at least I’ll have a chance to survive."
"I am staying too, Mrs. Ivy," another survivor said.
The woman stepped forward confidently.
"I’m tired of running from place to place every single day. I’m tired of constantly fighting for my life and never knowing whether I’ll survive until tomorrow. Joining your base ans security. It ans hope. I accept your offer."
"We accept it too!"
The remaining survivors shouted in unison.
"We want to join your base!"
Determination burned brightly within their eyes.
"All eighteen of them?" Ivy thought as she swallowed hard.
This was far beyond what she had expected.
"How many of them possess abilities, System?" she asked inwardly.
Ding!
{Out of the eighteen survivors who have agreed to join your base, three possess special abilities.}
{Congratulations on gaining eighteen new residents.}
{Reward Granted: 1,600 Base Points.}
{You may also copy the abilities of the three gifted survivors through your Unique Power.}
"That’s amazing," Ivy thought, a bright smile appearing on her face.
Almost imdiately, transparent status readings appeared above the heads of three survivors.
Two n.
One woman.
The information displayed itself clearly before Ivy’s eyes.
The first man possessed a Wood Ability.
The second man also possessed a Wood Ability.
anwhile, the woman possessed a Water Ability.
Just then, Ivy suddenly felt a strange surge of energy flowing through her body.
A powerful sensation spread throughout her limbs.
Her muscles beca heavier yet stronger at the sa ti.
She could feel energy circulating through every part of her body, especially within her hands.
Ding!
{Congratulations, Host.}
{Your Wood Ability and Water Ability have both strengthened after copying the survivors’ powers.}
"Oh yeah..." Ivy thought with excitent.
"I can definitely feel the difference."
A satisfied smile spread across her face before she turned her attention back to the survivors.
"Congratulations on officially joining my base," Ivy announced.
The survivors imdiately straightened their backs.
"You’ve all made the right decision. Once we arrive at the base, you’ll be assigned living quarters. You’ll also receive instructions regarding our rules, responsibilities, and future plans."
The survivors stared at her for a mont.
Then suddenly....
"THANK YOU SO MUCH, SAVIOR!"
All eighteen survivors dropped to their knees simultaneously.
Their foreheads touched the ground.
The unexpected gesture sent waves of shock through both Ivy and Darren.
"W....What are you all doing?" Ivy exclaid.
Her face reddened slightly from embarrassnt.
"Please get up. There’s no need for this."
Only after hearing her words did the survivors slowly rise to their feet.
Even then, gratitude still filled their faces.
Many of them looked as though they had just been given a second chance at life.
Just then...
Grrrrrrr...
A low growl echoed through the distance.
Ivy’s expression instantly changed.
"Did you hear that, Darren?" she asked.
"Hear what?" Darren replied, confusion evident on his face.
Ding!
{There is no way he could hear what you heard.}
{The monster’s growls are coming from several kiloters away.}
{Your Psychic Ability is the only reason you are capable of detecting it.}
Ding!
{And be warned, Host...}
{This monster can fly.}
{Do not be surprised if it suddenly appears before you.}
{Just because it is far away now does not an it cannot cover the distance in a short amount of ti.}
"A flying monster?" Ivy thought.
She slowly closed her eyes.
The mont she focused her psychic senses, information began flowing into her mind.
Monts later, her eyes snapped open.
"It is Level Twenty-Five..."
A serious expression appeared on her face.
The monster’s attributes were terrifying.
Without a doubt, it was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"Alright everyone," Ivy suddenly announced.
The survivors imdiately beca alert.
"Go ahead and collect the monster cores from the dead monsters around us."
She pointed toward the battlefield.
"The more monster cores you gather, the more resources you’ll be able to exchange for later."
The survivors glanced at one another.
"Monster cores?" one of them asked.
"Those glowing stone-like objects inside their bodies," Ivy explained patiently.
Understanding dawned on their faces.
Without another word, the survivors imdiately moved toward the fallen monsters.
Despite the horrible sll coming from the corpses, they covered their noses and began extracting the glowing cores one after another.
anwhile, Ivy turned toward the distant horizon.
Her eyes narrowed.
"We have a monster to defeat," she said seriously.
The confidence in her voice instantly caught Darren’s attention.
"Just follow ."
Without explaining further, Ivy began walking forward.
Darren didn’t ask any questions.
The seriousness on her face was enough to tell him that whatever she had sensed was sothing far beyond ordinary.
And so, he quickly followed behind her as they headed toward the approaching danger.
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