Legendary Shelter Survival Guide

"What is it? Just tell me, Bill," Lucas said. He continued, "If you're worried about discretion, this is the right moment." He glanced around; no one was nearby other than the two of them.

"Sandra is up to something. I can't tell you what it is, but what she's doing could get dangerous," Bill said, his eyes on the ground. With that, he fell into his shadow, leaving Lucas alone as he walked toward the shelter.

'Sandra… her abilities are related to the dead. I might have to check on her soon,' Lucas thought. In all his time in the quest world, he had never encountered a skill like that. Playing with the dead was a taboo topic in that world, and nobody used it because there hadn't been much progress.

Lucas approached the shelter and saw people still gathered in groups, talking.

He looked around the shelter and realized there was little to call entertainment in their territory.

Lucas opened the map and saw that his territory was the same size as ever. The only change was the high density of monsters inside it.

There was one more territory on the map, which Lucas remembered represented the Kobolds.

A smile bloomed on Lucas's face as he looked at the other territory. He had no way of knowing how much it had developed.

"Uncle John," he called out from the corner, "Do you know anything about the Kobold territory?"

"No, we don't. The Kobold territory isn't close, and even after going to the edge of ours, there are still a few kilometers before we reach it."

"I see."

"Are you planning on waging a war?" John asked with a light frown, something expected from Lucas's decision-making.

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"Why would I do that?" Lucas asked, confused, which surprised John. Then he chuckled.

"We need to have them as allies. The Kobolds are a very introverted race. They don't let outsiders into their territories or hearts easily. But if we can get there, they'll be the best allies we can find."

"How do you know so much about them?" John asked, even more surprised. There was no way Lucas could have gained this kind of information normally, much to his astonishment.

"The town I lived in during the quest world had all the races living together. Unfortunately, Kobolds weren't one of them. But there were still a few individuals roaming around."

"Wait, wait… does that mean that the non-human races you met also came here?"

"Yes, they should all be here. But there could be more that I don't know about. Even in the quest world, some races had gone extinct a long time ago—well, their intelligent parts, at least."

John's mouth dropped open, and Lucas couldn't help but laugh.

"There were once Dragon tribes in the quest world, according to history. They were at the pinnacle, the rulers of that world. So, if they're here and they're our enemies, no matter how much we prepare, it's going to be tough."

"Wait, Lucas. I can make sense of a lot of what you're saying, but it feels incomplete. Can you tell me everything you know about these other species?" John asked seriously.

"You don't need to worry, Uncle John. I'm going to write down everything I know in books soon enough. There's so much information, knowledge, and insight I want to pass down to everyone. But it will take some time," Lucas said.

"In tomorrow morning's meeting, I'm going to discuss our goals and plans. I'd like to give you the gist of it now so we can organize everyone's thoughts effectively."

"Sure, when do you want to do that?"

"Right now," Lucas said instantly, making John nod.

"But have you talked with your parents yet?" John asked.

Lucas fell silent, trying to reply, when he suddenly felt a hand land on his shoulder.

"Lucas, I know you're a lot more mature now. But I still want to advise you—don't delay it any further. I know it feels weird, I get it. But the longer you wait, the worse it will get. Call them and talk, just like you did with us. Trust me," John said with a smile, "It works."

Lucas didn't say anything. It was as if John had read his heart. Even after gaining so much experience, Lucas still felt that John was the elder, and nothing could change that.

After thinking for a moment, Lucas bid farewell to John again and went to another free corner of the shelter.

He looked at the list of people he could talk to, and without thinking any further, Lucas clicked on his mother's name.

After a single second of the call ringing, his mother picked up.

-"…Lucas?"- a pale voice came from the other side.

"Hey, Mom. It's been a while," Lucas said with a laugh. Yet after listening to just a single word from his mother's mouth, Lucas felt satisfaction and relief. It was as if he had finally gotten what he had been fighting for all this time.

-"L-Lucas… My boy, what took you so long?!" she cried on the call, and Lucas could only listen.-

For the next minute, Lucas heard cuss words for the first time from his mother, and he couldn't help but laugh.

-"What are you laughing at?! Do you want me to smack you again?"-

"No, Mom. I don't. It's just great to hear your voice again. Tell me, how are things going?"

-"Oh, we're not done with you yet."-

"We?"

-"Your father's right here, screaming in my ear, asking if you're okay. You can't hear him, but he's very worried. Oh, and he keeps asking if you passed or not."-

"Passed, huh," Lucas said aloud. He smiled and continued, "I passed with flying colors, Mom."

-"He says he passed with flying colors, honey! I knew you could do it, my son! Wait, I won't hang up. Ugh, call him when I'm done!"- his mother said, screaming at his dad at the same time.

"Mom," Lucas said seriously, and the voice on the other side stopped.

"I have something to tell you…"