Night slowly revealed its firm grip on us. We couldn't stick around for much longer, that much was obvious. Everyone knew that monsters held the advantage in the dark, most being nocturnal creatures. There were some exceptions to that apparent rule, but I'd prefer not to dwell too much on irrelevant details.

Our splintered group reassembled, albeit in a much coarser atmosphere than before. Lucas and Edward didn't seem to have gotten into any trouble from a glimpse, which should be a positive indication. Not crossing paths with any monsters was something to be proud of. At the same time, I could tell they weren't too joyous about the fact that they haven't found anything worth enough selling. On our end, things weren't too bright, either. It had been a while since either Mara or Logan had spoken anything.

Frustrated, I stomped my foot on the grass below. No matter how far civilization has progressed, nature would follow its innate course of action, going through recycles of life and death. Strange in its own way, but also admirable.

"Excuse me," murmured Lucas, cutting through the strained air that has unfortunately descended over our party. "I'm sorry to disturb this gruesome atmosphere, but why didn't we take the van with us?"

Although he was rather smart, it was clear that he was also clueless. You could tell he hasn't visited this ruined part of our city before.

"Far too loud. Might attract monsters," Edward responded out of the goodness of his heart. It was odd to hear him offer the beast tamer an explanation, but perhaps the time they spent together had some influence on their relationship. Logan and Mara seemed to have shared my opinion, judging by the slight bewilderment flushing on their faces. "That's why there aren't many that use guns around here either. They're just too noisy. It would be the same as committing suicide."

"And we might not be able to pass by through the vehicles and barricades ahead on the street. It's an easy target for scavengers, too," continued Mara, as exhausted as the rest of us. Not having any results whatsoever must've taken quite a toll on her.

She then covered her mouth as she yawned, stretching her arms after like some sort of wild cat. The image of a brave scout faded with that motion. And, come to think of it... there aren't any animals left. They probably ran away when they had the chance before the walls were created or were simply devoured. I doubted there could be something in between.

"...I don't know about you guys, but I'm kinda tired," she muttered. "Maybe we should call it a day for now. Unless you're prepared for a gory night."

"Of course, an insane wench like you would love to spill blood," growled Logan, his eyes slowly drawing close to one another. It seems that even when he's tired, he could still tease others with ease.

"There's nothing wrong with that!" hissed Mara. "There are many huntresses that prefer close-quarter combat."

Under normal circumstances, the difference in strength between a man and a woman is obvious, but not when mana's factored in. A lady could pummel even a barbarian like Logan with relative ease if the quantity of her raw mana exceeded his.

"Ava's much more charming than you," hummed Logan, thinking about the pleasant moments at home. Yeah. He was completely out of it. "She opted for a spear. An elegant weapon in my opinion. Helped keep most of the blood from her body. Just like you, Lucas. Let's spar later, shall we?"

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"S-sure..." he answered, a drop of sweat streaming down his forehead. Although Logan looked intimidating, I was relatively sure no harm would fall onto our beast tamer. Hopefully...

"I don't care whether you find me charming or not, muscle-head," yelped Mara, tapping her scabbard with her finger. "And I prefer my saber. Easy to use and brutally efficient."

But he didn't react and walked ahead with a silly grin on his face. I've heard that love makes people blind—and I'm inclined to believe that might actually be the case—as I watched Logan, who was currently lost in his own world. Communicating with him wasn't really an option now. Everyone had different ways of coping with their pain, I guess.

"What about you, Gray?" questioned Lucas. "What weapon do you prefer?"

I had a genuine artifact in my backpack, but—

"He's using a knife," muttered Edward in my stead, stopping in his tracks as he scrutinized the structure beside us with a judgmental expression beneath his glasses. "Kind of reckless in my opinion."

Of course, someone that fights from a distance would loathe my way daring combat style. Given the state of the last knife I used when I first visited this district, there was nothing I could say to deny that. By the way, it is currently resting uncomfortably in the dustbin.

"Enough about that," I told him, analyzing the building he stopped in front of. It appeared to be adequate. Not as damaged as the others. There was even a window opened above. "Should we rest here?"

"Do you think you can get in there?" Logan asked, arms crossed as he looked in the same direction as the rest of us.

"I could try," Mara answered, rolling her shoulder, only to stop as she heard a thud against the ground. The reason behind that was the backpack I discarded without a damn. There were plenty of clothes inside, so I wasn't too worried about any damage that my actions might cause to the goods inside.

"I'll do it," I declared, pushing and pulling the rusted pipe with my hands to check whether it'd support my weight. If I didn't think it was safe, I'd have Mara, who was lighter than me, climb.

"Are you sure, Gray?" Lucas asked, somewhat worried. You're worried about me of all people? I wanted to scoff.

"I can do it," came out as I kept my thoughts to myself. There was no need to make this sour atmosphere even worse. "Make sure the entrance isn't locked first, then I'll actually try to climb through the window."

It would be pointless to try climbing when we could simply stroll into the building.

"Yeah," said Edward as grasped the handle and tried to move it, but to no avail. It was firmly locked.

Others may have found it depressing, but considering our current situation, there couldn't have been a safer location.

Then Mara's warning resounded from behind: "Make sure not to fall."

"Yeah" I answered, convinced of my chances of succeeding as I began climbing, resting my foot on the first window's ledge just to be on the safe side. Despite not intervening, Logan stood just below me, probably ready to catch me in case I slipped.

I doubted that'd happen, though.

"Is he going to be okay?" Lucas wondered. He saw me fight before, but nothing more than that. There were still many tricks I hid up my sleeve.

"Yup," Mara responded casually, arms crossed as her gaze followed my figure. "I doubted his capabilities before, but now I know he'll pull off whatever he's up to achieve. See? He's already inside."

"I'm ashamed to admit that he'd make a better mercenary than me," whimpered Logan in a sour tone. "Aside from combat, I'm not particularly talented in anything else. Gray, on the other hand, I doubt there's anything he can't accomplish if he puts his mind to it."

What made the difference was the ability to adapt to each and every situation. Something Logan was fully aware he lacked. Because of his large frame, he couldn't even squeeze through the window. Jokes aside, he felt pretty rigid when it came to performing mundane tasks.

"It's good to know that you're smart enough to admit that," Edward spat out, who was patiently waiting in front of the door.

The sound of the lock being opened from the inside resounded before they even realized it.

"What are you staring at?" I asked, holding the handle and inviting them inside, which made everyone laugh. "Get in already."

It was a good thing to see everyone's mood improved so drastically as I made my way through the building. There was only one vexing issue.

I had no idea why they were acting so strangely.