Faust asked with interest.
"Speaking of which, both of you heard the announcement before entering the monolith, right?"
Nex and Leslie exchanged glances.
"Of course," Nex replied. "Kind of hard to miss a voice suddenly speaking inside your head."
Leslie nodded.
"Everyone heard it."
"Then you should understand something."
Faust looked toward the forest.
"To those beings, we're nothing more than entertainment. Perhaps we're part of some experiment, or maybe they simply enjoy watching us struggle."
He glanced back at them.
"Either way, they didn't create this game for our benefit."
Nex frowned.
"Yeah, I figured that out when the little bastard started rewarding people for killing each other."
"Exactly."
Faust nodded.
"So we shouldn't blindly trust anything they give us, including the system."
Leslie looked thoughtful.
"I agree with that, but..."
She hesitated.
"It's not like we have much choice, is it?"
Faust turned toward her.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, look at what happened earlier."
Leslie gestured toward Nex.
"Some people have already developed abilities. And now this system is offering professions that might give people even more powers."
She lowered her gaze toward her hands.
"If we refuse to use it, won't we just fall further behind?"
Nex nodded.
"She's got a point."
He rested his spear against his shoulder.
"Even without the system, people like Asura are already acting like they own everything because they have powers."
He looked toward the direction of the village.
"Imagine what happens when those people start getting powerful professions too."
Faust considered their concerns.
They weren't wrong.
Power had already become an important factor in determining who could survive the apocalypse.
And judging from the behavior of the survivors in the village, some people were more than willing to use that power to control others.
However, Faust had a different view of the system.
"Believe me, even without those profession cards, it's only a matter of time before more survivors develop their own abilities."
Leslie raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Faust nodded.
"The mutations are still happening. Humans aren't exempt from them."
He looked toward Nex.
"Just look at him. He already developed two abilities without receiving a profession from the system."
Nex glanced at his hand.
"Well, that's true."
Faust continued.
"Animals and plants are changing too. Some have developed abilities that would have been impossible before the apocalypse."
He gestured toward Leslie's notebook.
"You've already recorded several examples yourself."
Leslie looked down at her book.
"That's true..."
"Of course, I can't tell you when or how your own mutation will occur."
Faust looked at her.
"And I can't guarantee everyone will develop the same kind of abilities. There are still too many things we don't understand."
He paused.
"But I believe these changes will eventually affect far more people."
Leslie considered his explanation.
"So you think I should wait until I undergo my own mutation?"
"For now, yes."
Faust nodded.
"At least until we understand what those profession cards actually do."
He glanced toward Nex.
"The system appears capable of altering the human body. If the profession cards operate through a similar mechanism, accepting one might introduce changes that are difficult to reverse."
Leslie frowned.
"Then the profession might interfere with our natural mutation?"
"That's one possibility."
Faust shrugged.
"Or it might improve it. We don't know yet."
He looked at her.
"That's why I want to examine the card before you use it."
Leslie slowly nodded.
"Alright. I'll let you look at mine first."
"Good."
Nex scratched his head.
"Well, I guess that makes sense."
He looked at his spear.
"Still, if the system offers me something that makes me stronger, I'm not sure I'd be willing to pass it up."
Faust chuckled.
"I never said you had to refuse it."
He glanced toward Nex.
"I'm simply saying that you should understand what you're putting into your body before doing it."
Nex grinned.
"Fair enough."
The three continued following the river, occasionally stopping to examine the surrounding vegetation.
Nex kept his spear ready while Leslie checked the bushes for edible plants.
Faust, meanwhile, was more interested in the differences between the plants growing here and those he remembered from Earth.
After walking for a while, he suddenly asked another question.
"By the way, how were things in your area after the catastrophe?"
Nex glanced back.
"Our area?"
"Yes. Where were you when everything started?"
Nex's expression changed slightly.
"We were in a big city."
He adjusted the spear on his shoulder.
"At first, things weren't too bad. Everyone was confused, but people were still trying to help each other."
Leslie nodded.
"Some survivors started forming groups. They shared food, looked for medicine, and tried to find somewhere safe."
"Sounds reasonable," Faust replied.
"Yeah. For a while."
Nex let out a bitter laugh.
"But that didn't last long."
He looked down at the path.
"Once more people started developing abilities, everything changed."
Faust raised an eyebrow.
"How so?"
"The mutants started taking control."
Nex tightened his grip on the spear.
"Some were strong enough to fight monsters by themselves. Others could create fire, control objects, or do things that normal people couldn't."
He shook his head.
"At first, everyone was grateful to have them around."
"But then?"
"Then they started demanding things."
Nex glanced toward Leslie.
"Food, supplies, weapons. Anything they wanted."
Leslie lowered her head.
"Some even forced people to work for them."
Nex nodded.
"And if you refused, you were on your own."
He looked toward Faust.
"Or worse."
Faust listened without interrupting.
"Eventually, the strongest mutants started fighting over territory," Nex continued.
"Every group wanted control of the safest buildings, the supplies, and the remaining survivors."
He scoffed.
"It became completely lawless."
Leslie hugged her notebook closer.
"That's why we left."
Faust looked at her.
"You decided to move away from the city?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
"We thought we'd have a better chance of surviving somewhere quieter."
Faust rubbed his chin.
"A quiet place?"
He glanced toward the surrounding forest.
"But wouldn't those areas have more mutated animals and monsters?"
Nex shrugged.
"Of course."
"Then wouldn't staying in the city be safer?"
Nex immediately shook his head.
"No."
He looked straight at Faust.
"I'd rather fight monsters than deal with those bastards again."
Faust raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Nex nodded firmly.
"At least with monsters, you know what to expect."
He pointed toward the forest.
"If some mutated beast sees you as food, it'll attack you. You fight it or run away."
He lowered his spear.
"But humans?"
Nex shook his head.
"They'll smile at you, promise to protect you, and then stab you in the back the moment they think they can get something out of it."
Faust considered his words.
'It seems they've experienced quite a lot.'
Nex continued.
"And even when someone genuinely wants to help, there's no guarantee their group won't turn against them later."
He sighed.
"I got tired of wondering whether the person standing beside me was planning to rob us."
Leslie nodded.
"Besides, it's not like the city was free of monsters."