Cooperation Is Essential

Rem and Kaito hid in the attic of an empty house. They were sitting in the corner of the attic and they even have empty boxes in front of them.

"Why are you here?" Rem questioned Kaito.

"That's what I want to ask you... Anyways, I'm here to get Arka City back!" Kaito said in a determined voice.

Rem inspected Kaito's stats.

[Name: Kaito]

[Race: Human/???]

[Job: Dual Flame Weilder]

[Level: 40>69]

[HP: 50,000/50,000>82,000]

[MP: 100,000>127,000]

[Element: Fire/???]

^A/N: I know, the stats are still messed up. Apologies, but this probably won't be fixed for the time being! Just think that Kaito grew a lot compared to the last time Rem saw him/inspected his stats.

'He has grown quite a lot since the last time I've seen him. However, he's not strong enough to take on all those demons by himself yet. He has a long way to go...!'

"How reckless of you." Rem mumbled.

"No matter what, I need to get Arka City back. I can't just let those demons take over my home!" Kaito's brows furrowed.

He clenched his fists in anger and frustration.

'For the system to take over my body and go here... There must be a reason.' Rem concluded.

Ever since Rem got her body back, she never heard from the system again. To make it worse, she can't use anything related to the system, excluding the leveling part. "Maybe it was for the better", was what Rem told herself repeatedly.

'Getting back to Arka City while hoping to get some answers won't hurt. It'll make things easier if there isn't danger lurking around everywhere.'

After giving it some thought, Rem made a decision.

"Do you need my help?" She finally asked.

"It would be great if you'll help me, but..." Kaito looked at Rem straight in her eyes.

Anxiousness could be seen within those eyes of his.

"Aren't you angry...?" He questioned, sounding desperate for an answer.

"Of course I am. Do you know how much trouble I had to go through to escape from the authorities? I even have a wanted poster of me everywhere in Orthio City." Rem claimed.

She was annoyed, yes. Though, it wasn't that big of a deal for Rem.

"I'm sorry...!" Kaito whimpered.

This was the first time Rem saw Kaito act like this. Was this the Kaito she knew?

"I won't accept your apology." Rem bluntly said.

"You betrayed me. I never forgive traitors." Rem added.

Kaito looked down to the ground. He truly looked like he regretted what he did.

"I did that so I could gain power. I needed people from Orthio City to help me get Arka City back." Kaito confessed.

'He must have done that because he thought I couldn't be of any help... Indeed, I can't take on those demons at that time yet. Asking him to confirm things won't hurt.'

"Why didn't you ask for my help?" Rem asked.

There was a slight pause of silence between the two.

"I didn't want any of you guys to get hurt. I didn't know they would try to hunt you down... I regret it! If I could go back in time, I would never make the same mistake again." Kaito answered.

'People sure are hard to trust these days... Should I forgive or not forgive...? Why am I thinking about this anyway? Maybe they're right. I might have changed...! If it was the old me, I wouldn't hesitate to not forgive anyone after they betrayed me.' Rem stared at Kaito.

"Prove to me that you're trustworthy. Try to regain my trust." Rem said in a serious tone.

"It's alright even if you don't forgive me. I don't think I deserve your help, Rem..." Kaito sighed.

"I'll help you just this once by taking back Arka City." Rem announced.

"Thanks." Kaito smiled.

'I can't always rely on the system. The system is probably gone for now. I never thought not having the system would make things harder for me. I must have taken things for granted, but it's better to not use the system. It's dangerous... Not knowing where you are can be troublesome.'

"Do you have a map of this city?" Rem asked.

"I do have one. It only shows the area near the castle though. It wasn't long since I arrived here." Kaito admitted.

He handed Rem the map that he had in his small pouch. The pouch was hanging on the right side of his belt.

"Thanks..." Rem carefully looked at the map.

To her surprise, the map was an underground map. It was quite detailed and neat as well.

"Did you make this?" Rem blurted out.

She couldn't contain her curiosity.

"Yes, I did. Sorry about the messiness." Kaito apologized.

"No, it's great. You have talent in making maps. Based on the map, you guys must have hidden underground." Rem concluded.

"We did. We've been here for two weeks. This was everything we could gather in that amount of time. Thankfully, none of us were caught yet." Kaito claimed.

"Before we take action, let me recover my mana."

This was the moment when Rem realized that she can't use the system's shop anymore. That means that there's going to be a limited resource of mana potions.

'How many mana potions do I have?' Rem opened her inventory to check.

She only has six mana potions and drank all of them. All of those only recovered a fourth of her max mana.

'I need to use my mana wisely...!' Rem cautiously thought.

"Let's wait till it's darker." Rem suggested.

She said that so she could have more time to recover her mana. Plus, taking action in the dark is easier for them to not get caught.