Slash!
Leo swung his sword and sliced a snake monster in half.
"Hehehe! My tenth kill. Not bad... not bad."
He flicked his sword to the side, sending the blood clinging to the blade flying off.
Reina walked over to the monster's corpse and began extracting the experience stones from it.
"How many experience stones have we collected so far?" Leo asked.
"Fifty in total."
"Fifty?" Leo's eyes widened before he burst into laughter. "That's great! With that many experience stones, reaching level 7 is definitely possible."
He held out his hand.
"Hand them over."
Reina gritted her teeth in frustration. However, there was nothing she could do but hand the stones over to him.
Leo saw the change in Reina's face but he did not care.
In his eyes, Reina was just a weak woman who had no choice but to rely on him.
He even believed he was being generous by helping her kill monsters so she could earn experience through their party bond.
If it weren't for him, Reina might already be dead.
Leo then sat down and began converting the experience stones into experience points.
Reina stepped away from him and glared at him.
"All of that belongs to me," she growled through clenched teeth.
Because of Leo, she was still level 4. She hadn't gained a single level since the second mission ended yesterday.
She was sure the other players had already reached level 6—maybe even level 8.
Reina realized that if things continued like this, she'd become useless. It wasn't impossible that Leo would abandon her as well.
"No, I can't keep going like this!" she gritted out. "I have to find a way to level up as soon as possible!"
However, reality hit her in the very next moment. She and Leo were still bound together in a party, and even though the second mission had ended yesterday, they still couldn't separate.
"What should I do? Am I really going to keep living like this?"
Reina felt all the strength leave her body, and her face turned pale. She deeply regretted joining Leo and risking her safety—even her life—for that damn man.
Thinking about Raven, she couldn't help but envy the woman who stood beside him.
Judging by how close they were, the woman seemed to be having a wonderful time with Raven. Otherwise, there was no way she would cling to him so affectionately.
"Psst!"
Suddenly, a faint sound came from her right. At first, Reina thought it was just the wind.
Then she heard it again.
"Psst!"
She turned toward the voice and saw a tall, handsome man step out from behind a large rock.
The man gave her a small wave.
Reina's eyes widened.
It was Raven, the man she had met three days ago.
She quickly glanced at Leo. Seeing that he was still busy converting the experience stones into experience points, she quietly let out a sigh of relief before making her way over to Raven.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in confusion.
She had thought she'd never see Raven again, but it seemed fate had other plans.
Raven leaned against the large rock and grinned.
"I was out hunting when I sensed someone nearby, so I came to take a look. Didn't think it'd be you and your friend."
Reina couldn't help but feel both embarrassed and relieved.
"I see..." Reina lowered her head shyly.
"[Ding! Obtained 10 love points!]"
The love gauge above her head rose from 40 to 50.
Raven was a little surprised. The last time they met, Reina's love gauge had only been at 30. Now, it had already reached 50.
"Could this have something to do with Leo?" he wondered, glancing meaningfully at Leo in the distance.
Logically, a man and a woman who spent time together should gradually develop feelings for each other.
So it made no sense for Reina's affection toward him to reach 50 when they hadn't seen each other for more than three days.
"Pfft! Leo... Leo, you're such an idiot," he sneered. "If you don't want this treasure, then I'll gladly take it for myself."
His plan had to change. At first, he'd intended to win her over as quickly as possible.
But not anymore. A slow and steady approach was far more interesting. Besides, rushing to catch his prey had never been his style.
With a curious expression, Raven asked, "Is your hunt over? How did it go? You must have leveled up quite a bit, right?"
The second-level mission had ended yesterday. Around seventy players had died, leaving roughly seven hundred survivors.
Compared to the first-level mission, the second had been much easier. That wasn't surprising, considering every player had been required to form a group.
As soon as she heard the question, Reina's expression darkened.
"That..."
A sharp pain gripped Reina's heart as she began to speak. She didn't want to keep Leo's despicable actions a secret, so she told Raven everything.
By the time she finished, Raven's expression had turned cold.
"What a scumbag," he said through gritted teeth. "He's clearly using you as nothing more than a tool to make himself stronger."
The anger in his voice, the look in his eyes, and the concern on his face all felt so genuine that Reina couldn't help but be drawn to him.
"But what am I supposed to do?" Reina asked with a helpless sigh. "I'm already in the same party as him. There's no way I can get away."
Raven didn't answer right away. He lowered his head, deep in thought.
A moment later, his eyes lit up.
He leaned closer and whispered something into Reina's ear.
"I have an idea. But I don't know if you'll trust me."
"An idea?" Reina asked curiously. "What kind of idea?"
"I have a communication device."
Raven pulled out a walkie-talkie-like device and handed it to her.
"I got this after killing one of the monsters. It works just like the communication devices back on Earth. Tomorrow night, after Leo falls asleep, contact me, and I'll come find you. We'll hunt together and help you level up. What do you think?" he offered.
Reina was surprised. She hadn't expected Raven to come up with a plan like that.
No matter how she looked at it, Raven had absolutely nothing to gain from helping her.
"Could it be... that he likes me?"
The moment that thought crossed her mind, her heart began to race.
Before being transported to this strange place, she had worked as a government special agent.
Although it sounded like an impressive job, she had spent almost all of her time working. Because of that, she'd never had the chance to be in a relationship.
Reina quickly composed herself. She didn't know if she was just overthinking things, so she decided to ask.
"Why are you helping me? We barely know each other."
Raven scratched the back of his head and gave a small smile.
"Isn't helping people just the right thing to do? Besides, I can tell you're a good person. You've got a lot of potential. It'd be a waste to let a guy like Leo hold you back. If we'd met sooner, I would've invited you to join my party."
There was a hint of regret in his voice.
A warm feeling spread through Reina's chest.
She had never imagined there would be a man who cared about her this much. It was the first time she'd ever felt this way.
"All right, I should get going. Contact me tomorrow night, okay?"
"Mhm!" Reina nodded eagerly. "I will."
Raven smiled in satisfaction before turning around and walking away.