After witnessing that situation, I have to be honest: I was completely surprised. After all, I would never have imagined that they would act like that, especially Ronnie Anne. She's always been the most mature and cool-headed of the group, so to see her all excited like that, just like the others, really surprised me.

"I want to make one thing very clear to you: I'm not helping you to wake up so that you can think of yourselves, let alone oppress people. Do you understand?"

I asked with a neutral face, making it clear that I wasn't joking.

They no longer answered me; instead, they nodded, indicating that they had understood.

"I'm only helping you to wake up for two reasons: firstly, for my own benefit, because by helping you, you'll kind of owe me something and so you'll be helping me in the future; and secondly, and most importantly, you'll be responsible for the safety of your families."

As soon as I said those words, I couldn't notice any change in their expressions. They seemed to have expected it.

"Of course, I'm also going to help the others to awaken, but since you have a better affinity with the system than they do, it will be clear to you who will be the strongest in the future. So, I hope you keep that in mind."

After I said that, they nodded again.

"Come on, Ronnie Anne, you'll be the first."

I kept the same countenance as always as I stared at her with a serious look.

Ronnie Anne got up from the floor and walked towards where Lincoln was standing.

As soon as she approached Lincoln, Ronnie Anne stared at him, a little discreetly, but at all times thinking that he wasn't aware of these stares.

"You already know what you have to do, don't you?"

I asked, still with my usual neutral countenance, as I handed her the dagger I had taken from the goblin.

Ronnie Anne took the dagger from Lincoln's hand and, with a determined smile, answered him.

"Yes, I know what I have to do."

Ronnie Anne replied, slightly excited, as she walked towards where the goblins were. By the way, they were still struggling, as if they already knew what their fate would be from now on.

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As soon as Ronnie Anne approached the creature, all her excitement dissipated, giving way to an unknown fear. As he gripped the dagger tightly, Lincoln noticed that his hands were shaking.

After letting out a short sigh, Lincoln approached Ronnie Anne and warmly placed his hands on hers to calm her down.

"You don't have to try so hard. I know they can be scary when you first see them, but then you get used to them. And don't forget that I'm here for you."

I commented while trying to be as warm as possible, and it seemed to have worked. After all, not only had she calmed down a bit, but her cheeks were slightly rosy, indicating that she had appreciated my little support.

"Thanks for the encouragement."

Said Ronnie Anne as she turned her face slightly to the side, trying to hide some of her embarrassment. However, her mind was bombarded with other thoughts.

"My God in heaven, how did Lincoln get so handsome and stylish?"

Ronnie Anne asked herself, as she tried to dispel the libidinous thoughts in her head.

"o need to thank me. Actually, you don't have to."

I said those words, keeping my expression neutral, as I turned and faced the others who, in turn, looked at me with a serious face, indicating that they were listening very carefully.

"As I mentioned earlier, I need you to stay strong so that you can protect your own families in case they can't do it themselves."

After I said that, I noticed that both Liam and Rusty and Zach, who had been on the floor a few minutes ago, stood up with contagious excitement.

"After her, it's our turn."

The three of them proclaimed in unison, raising their hands in excitement.

As I was faced with this situation, a small, almost imperceptible smile appeared on my lips, and they almost didn't notice.

"This bit about who's going to be next. I'm not going to interfere, so decide for yourselves."

After saying that, I turned to Ronnie Anne again and, with a smile on my face, asked.

"Are you ready?"

As soon as Lincoln said those words, Ronnie Anne let out a short sigh, gathered her courage and, dagger in hand, began to approach the goblin, but before doing so she turned again and with a smile thanked Lincoln.

"Thank you."

After saying this, Ronnie Anne continued to advance towards the goblin. As she approached the creature, she gathered her courage and, with her eyes closed, launched her attack. However, unlike Clyde, who had failed to hit the goblin fatally with his first blow, Ronnie Anne was lucky enough to succeed.

As soon as I saw that, I approached her with my hands still in my pockets.

"Congratulations, Ronnie! You did much better than Clyde."

I said those words trying to congratulate her, but she ended up taking me by surprise when she suddenly gave me that hug. At the time, I thought it was a bit strange, but when I put my hand on her shoulder to push her away, I understood the meaning of it.

As soon as I lifted her face a little, I saw that she was crying a little and, on top of that, she was shaking a little. To me, this was normal, after all, she had just killed a monster who, like it or not, was still alive.

To try and calm her down, I put my hand in her hair and began to stroke it.

***

Ronnie Anne still had her head sunk into Lincoln's chest, even if she didn't want to admit it, it had scared her a little. After all, she had just killed a life form; even if it was a monster, as Lincoln had told her, it was still considered a life form.