"Nathan, Nathan Orion. Berserker." Nathan said.

Even as the words left his lips, Nathan knew that he was proud, first of all of how far he'd come, and secondly, because he'd chosen the Berserker Archetype. It'd make no sense to anyone else, but to him who'd come from spinning signs to swinging swords, it just made so much sense that he appreciated where he was, even if it was in the middle of a forest.

"Sweet, another Berserker," Ruben said triumphantly.

"Another?" Pirlo asked with a raised eyebrow.

He could hear a couple of snickers after the rogue's question, and for goodness' sake, he couldn't tell why they were picking on their only frontliner. The other Berserker seemingly deflating with the question, even Ciara let out a snort at the question, making it seem a little bit weird.

Well, I'll just chalk it up to it being an inside joke and I'm an outsider.

Out of curiosity, Nathan ran his eyes over the squad. There was something that he'd been forgetting to do and his mind kept itching. It took a while, but he finally figured out what it was—the squad still bickering about Pirlo's question.

I haven't analyzed them.

Nathan hadn't analyzed them since he'd come in contact with them, and in some way, it actually made a lot of sense, considering that he only used the skill to check out monsters and items. The humans in front of him fit into neither category, so he hadn't even bothered, but since he had the time now, he might as well.

He scanned the squad, trying to pick out who interested him the most. All of them were obviously weaker than him, and they'd already told him their names and Archetypes, but he really wanted to see what the interface would look like. Singling out his target, he analyzed her.

Name: Ciara Rone

Moniker: N/A

Archetype: Mage

Level: 7

Nathan tried his best not to show any emotion after seeing what level the de facto leader of the squad was. Hell, he couldn't even fathom how low-leveled the monsters in the tutorial were for the leader of a squad to have such poor stats. He took a quick breather, maybe he was wrong and Ciara had been chosen for her leadership skills rather than her actual stats.

He panned his gaze to the second in the squad, hoping that the frustrating rogue would give him something he could work with.

Name: Pirlo Vox

Moniker: N/A

Archetype: Rogue

Level: 9

The last stat caused him to raise an eyebrow. How exactly had the rogue managed to have two levels on Ciara? He almost couldn't believe it, almost until he remembered how the vulture had stolen his kill. The gremlin he'd basically incapacitated had been finished off by the rogue. He had no idea how the system decided who got the bonus for killing a monster, but he assumed that he'd either lost his XP to Pirlo or he'd been forced to share it with the vulture.

Probably shared it.

The system would probably chalk it off to it being group work, something that Pirlo would definitely be the beneficiary of. The wiry guy hadn't even done anything till Nathan had made the gremlin useless. Running a hand through his hair, he made off to the next, letting his rising anger simmer down.

With clarity restored, it was easy for him to come to the conclusion that Pirlo had probably mooched off Ciara the way he had him. The rogue was nothing more than a living embodiment of the nickname the system had given to the Archetype as a whole.

Vultures.

With a subtle inhale and exhale, Nathan let the matter go as he started analyzing the rest of the squad, trying to decide if they were doomed or if they had a wild card in their squad. They didn't.

Name: Tasha Silco

Moniker: N/A

Archetype: Ranger

Level: 6

Name: Diane Argent

Moniker: N/A

Archetype: Priestess

Level: 5

Name: Daniel Perez

Moniker: N/A

Archetype: Ranger

Level: 6

Name: Yola

Moniker: N/A

Archetype: Ranger

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Level: 5

From what he could tell so far, they were all disappointing. The only reason why he hadn't stopped analyzing them was the fact that he hoped that they had a wildcard on their hands. When he got to Ruben, who was the last of the bunch, he hoped for their sakes that he was their wildcard. Legs already crossed, fingers already crossed, Nathan had no choice but to whisper a quick prayer before analyzing the berserker.

Name: Ruben Reid

Moniker: N/A

Archetype: Berserker

Level: 5

Shit!

They were all below par, and the bunny that they were all being cuddly with could've probably killed them all without breaking a sweat—if bunnies even sweat. He watched them bicker, and it felt like a hand tightened on his heart. These guys weren't going to survive on their own.

As it was, they barely had a high enough level to take on a Master imp on their own. The bunny would have a field day with them, and the panther probably wouldn't even have visited them.

Probably.

He'd come to the conclusion that he had to rethink his earlier plan to send them on their way after exchanging information. They'd probably not last the day on their own. Nathan managed to hold back the sigh that threatened to leave him. He was at a moral crossroad.

Send them away or house them?

That was the question. This was the moment he'd have to decide what kind of place Blood Rock would be. Would it become a safe haven for those in need, a sanctuary of sorts, or would it be his hiding place where he barricaded himself away from the rest of the world?

First of all, he loved being on his own, away from people, but should he be taking that decision at the expense of the lives in front of him? He stared at the squad, the members making fun of Ruben, who was just spluttering as he petted the bunny. Heck, even Pirlo was laughing.

Darn it.

He couldn't make that decision. Blood Rock would be a place for the weak, a place where everyone would feel welcomed and protected. Free to come and go as they pleased, provided that they kept the peace.

He ran a hand through his blond hair. Morals weren't the only things he'd have to consider.

At the base level, there was also going to be logistics, food for one. Water they could get from their magic supply in the cabin. He mulled it over. The provisions for such a large group weren't present, but at least they had fruits that could probably last for two days, three if they ate sparingly, and they had a place to sleep, so anything else they'd have to source.

We'll have to hunt.

He couldn't go hunting with them as they were now. It was certainly going to end with someone getting maimed or mauled. No, he'd have to take them on a dungeon run. Thinking about their levels, he had to scratch that—he'd have to take them on a couple of runs.

Look at me, planning like I'm their father.

This time, Nathan couldn't hold back the chuckle, and it escaped his lips, earning him a couple of raised eyebrows. The conversation of the squad dying down as they looked at him in askance.

"So, what's your plan right about now?" Nathan asked.

He wasn't going to pressure them into joining him in Blood Rock or make it seem like he was desperate to have them stay back. If they decided that they'd be better off on their own, then he wouldn't force them to stay back.

Free to come, free to leave.

"We don't really have much of one right now," Ciara said sheepishly.

Nathan had to admit that it was the first time he'd seen the de facto leader seem so uncertain. She was usually so calm and confident, so it took him longer than it should have to process the answer.

"If you show us where you got these fruits, it'd be nice," Ruben said, eyes on the hopping bunny. "Oh, and a place to crash by for a while too."

It was very hard for Nathan to miss the grimace on Ciara and Pirlo's faces at the blunt request by their squad member. The Berserker earned a few glares for his request, but he seemed to be totally captivated by the bunny that had just started hopping and rolling around in their rough circle. The circus act elicited a few laughs from the other squad members.

Nathan, on the other hand, had to tamp down the smile that wanted to appear on his face. The Berserker had been out of line to ask like that, but it didn't bother him at all. In fact, he was a bit grateful to skip the back and forth that would've ensued if someone like Ruben hadn't been on hand to quicken up the process. He shifted his gaze to Ciara to see her showing him an apologetic look. He shrugged to show her that it was okay before organizing his thoughts and then speaking.

"Unfortunately, the fruits were a parting gift from the previous occupants of this land. I doubt that we'd see any more of it on the island," Nathan said. "As for a place to sleep, you guys can stay in Blood Rock for as long as you want."

He wasn't sure the reaction he'd been expecting when he'd told the squad that they could crash at his place, but it certainly wasn't the one they responded with. They burst out laughing. Well, most of them did. Ciara chuckled lightly, Pirlo rolled his eyes, Ruben grimaced, and the rest were clutching their sides while laughing.

For goodness' sake, Nathan couldn't understand why they would be laughing at his invitation for them to stay over in his stronghold. He had the unfortunate experience of having to sit and watch a couple of strangers laugh at him for a reason that he couldn't understand, but he let them enjoy the moment which ultimately still came with it. With the end of such a reaction came the answer to his silent question.

"You named your stronghold Blood Rock?" Daniel asked, wide-eyed in disbelief.

Nathan winced internally. At the time, Blood Rock had sounded like a pretty rad name. Plus, it pretty much gave a hint to his class, something they were oblivious to at this point. It probably hit him a lot harder since the group was pretty much around his own age. If they were older, he'd have chalked it off to them being... older.

"Yes, it's a cool name," Nathan replied defensively.

Ciara shook her head at the answer, and so did Ruben. He had to admit that without context, the name did sound a little bit cocky and silly, but he knew what it meant to him, and that would just have to be enough for the meantime. In the near future, he'd turn it into something worth the name—a place that was feared and respected at the same time.

Till then.

"Do you have a faction?" Ruben asked.

The change in topic relieved Nathan of the ongoing joke. He hadn't even understood the question immediately; he was just glad that the attention had been taken off how he'd named his stronghold.

"I don't. What are factions even?" Nathan asked.

Lots of groans echoed in the room at his question, but the groans weren't directed at him, but rather at Ruben. The other Berserker tried to crumple inwards at the attention.

He wondered why they were frustrated about a simple question.

"Those who build strongholds or claim them are eligible to create factions. Factions that lose their strongholds are immediately dissolved. Just like strongholds, factions are officially recognized groupings of people, hence there are benefits to forming a faction and being in one," Ciara reluctantly said.

Huh, that seemed like it'd be pretty neat. He wondered why they hadn't waited to give him that information before he'd asked but shrugged it off. The better question was how exactly was he supposed to make one.

"How do I create a faction?"