A few survivors raised their hands.
Others simply stared at him.
Nex sighed.
The bulky man clicked his tongue.
"Just answer the question, kid."
Nex glanced toward him.
"Fine."
He adjusted the spear on his shoulder.
"Basically, it's a game where you defend an area against waves of enemies."
He pointed toward the village.
"Pretty similar to what we're supposed to do here."
Aphelia nodded.
"And how many enemies are we talking about?"
"Well, that depends on how the waves are designed."
Nex looked toward the forest.
"But if this tutorial uses something like forty enemies per player for the first wave, then we're in trouble."
The bulky man frowned.
"Forty per person?"
"Yeah."
Nex nodded.
"Think about it. There are thirty of us."
He raised one hand.
"Forty times thirty."
He paused.
"That's twelve hundred goblins."
The crowd fell silent.
Then...
"What?!"
"Twelve hundred?!"
"Are you serious?!"
Several survivors immediately began talking over one another.
"How are thirty people supposed to fight that many?"
"That's forty goblins for each of us!"
"We don't even have proper weapons!"
One of the survivors looked toward Nex.
"Are you sure about that number?"
Nex shook his head.
"No. I'm guessing."
The man frowned.
"Guessing?"
"Of course."
Nex shrugged.
"That creature refused to tell us how many monsters are coming. I'm just giving you an example of what we might have to deal with."
He pointed toward the village.
"We could face fewer than that, or we could face even more."
The crowd became increasingly uneasy.
Some survivors looked toward the forest, apparently imagining hundreds of goblins rushing out from between the trees.
Others began checking their weapons again.
Aphelia frowned.
'Twelve hundred...'
Even with several mutants, defending an entire village against that many enemies would be difficult.
And if the invasion came in multiple waves throughout the night, the survivors might not have enough time to rest between attacks.
Nex noticed everyone's expressions.
"Look, my point is simple."
He gestured toward the timer.
"We should start preparing for the worst instead of standing around arguing."
He looked toward Aphelia.
"Whoever wants to lead can lead. I don't care."
Then he turned toward Leslie.
"Come on."
Leslie nodded.
"Okay."
The two began walking toward the forest.
Nex shook his head as he went.
"Better start doing something useful than waste the entire day on this stupid power play."
However, they hadn't gone far when Aphelia called out.
"Wait!"
Nex stopped.
He turned around with a slightly annoyed expression.
"What now?"
"We should organize everyone before splitting up."
Aphelia gestured toward the crowd.
"We need to divide tasks based on what each person can do."
Nex frowned.
"I already told you what I'm doing."
"I know."
Aphelia nodded.
"But sending people into the forest without any coordination isn't a good idea."
She looked toward the surrounding trees.
"We don't know what kind of monsters live there. At the very least, we should decide who gathers food, who collects building materials, and who stays behind to prepare defenses."
Nex considered her words.
Before he could respond, another voice interrupted.
"Hey, hold on."
It was the red-haired man.
He had been standing quietly beside his companions, but his attention had shifted toward Leslie.
A smile appeared on his face.
"You're going hunting, right?"
Nex looked toward him.
"Yeah. What about it?"
"Nothing."
The red-haired man shrugged.
"I think it's a good idea."
Then his gaze moved toward Leslie.
"But why are you bringing a frail lady like her into the forest?"
Leslie stiffened.
The man continued smiling.
"She doesn't look like someone who can handle herself against monsters."
He spread his hands.
"Wouldn't it be safer to leave her here?"
Nex's expression changed.
"What?"
The red-haired man took a step forward.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm only worried about her safety."
He glanced at Leslie again.
"If something attacks you in the forest, you'll have to protect both yourself and her."
He shook his head.
"That's rather troublesome, don't you think?"
Leslie lowered her head.
The man's smile widened.
"Why don't you leave her in my care?"
He looked toward Nex.
"I'll make sure she's well taken care of."
Nex stared at him.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he slowly raised his spear.
The sharpened tip pointed directly toward the red-haired man's chest.
Several survivors immediately backed away.
"Whoa!"
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
The red-haired man stopped smiling.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the spear.
"Are you threatening me?"
Nex tightened his grip.
"I don't care who you are."
His voice was cold.
"Try to do anything to her, and I'll fight you to the death."
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
The red-haired man's right hand twitched.
A small flame appeared between his fingers.
Nex noticed it, but he didn't lower his weapon.
Leslie stood behind him, gripping her book tightly.
Several survivors looked toward Aphelia, waiting to see whether she would intervene.
Faust watched the confrontation with mild interest.
'That didn't take long.'
They had barely finished hearing the rules, and the first serious conflict was already developing.
He looked toward the red-haired man.
'And this time, it doesn't even involve the rewards.'
The man stared at Nex for several seconds.
Then he suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha!"
He turned toward Aphelia, gesturing at the spear pointed toward his chest.
"See?"
Aphelia frowned.
"What?"
"This is exactly what I'm talking about."
The red-haired man spread his arms.
"We're all survivors here, not some ordinary civilians waiting for orders."
He glanced toward Nex.
"Everyone has weapons. Some of us even have special abilities."
He smiled.
"If you want to lead people like this, you can't expect them to obey just because you tell them to."
Aphelia narrowed her eyes.
The red-haired man continued.
"Sometimes, you'll have to beat them up before they'll listen."
A few survivors looked uncomfortable.
The bulky man crossed his arms, watching the exchange without interfering.
Nex kept his spear raised.
Aphelia, however, stared directly at the red-haired man.
"And what exactly does that have to do with you asking the woman to stay behind?"
The man paused.
"What?"
Aphelia stepped toward him.
"You heard me."
Her voice hardened.
"We're discussing how to keep thirty people alive, and the first thing you do is bother a woman who clearly doesn't want anything to do with you."
The red-haired man frowned.
"Hey, don't make it sound like that. I was just offering to protect her."
"Protect her?"
Aphelia glanced toward Leslie.
The young woman was standing behind Nex, obviously uncomfortable with the attention she was receiving.
Aphelia turned back toward the man.
"Did she ask for your protection?"
The red-haired man opened his mouth.
"Well..."
"Then stop bothering her."
His expression darkened.
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
Aphelia stared at him.
"Someone who seems more interested in lusting on women than surviving the night."
The man clenched his jaw.
"What did you say?"
Aphelia stepped closer.
"If you want to help, then help prepare the village. If you want to fight, save your strength for the goblins."
She glanced at the small flame dancing between his fingers.
"And stop using your ability to intimidate people."
The red-haired man's expression became increasingly ugly.
However, Aphelia didn't seem concerned.
She looked him straight in the eyes.
"Control your desires, or I'll cut your balls off myself."