(Warning: this is kind of an info dump chapter, so you can just skip this one if you like.)
All the people rescued and identified with a plate came to the cafeteria building. The building had enough capacity to accommodate thirty thousand people, so everybody had enough room to fit inside. After walking for a couple of hours and all the events that happened before that, the people still alive were desperate to have food and drinks, so when offered it, they greedily took it.
They wolfed the food down with the drinks, and when they were done, they finally began to talk to each other. Many were still scared, but that went away a bit when they got their food. It doesn't mean that it is completely gone, by the way. A good number of people are still scared for their lives and are just too timid to speak up after witnessing how the woman slaughtered those monsters.
When they were talking to each other, a group of women went up on the stage where people could see them. One of them stepped forward and cleared her throat as a sign that the people needed to be silent.
"Welcome. You may have many questions, but I am here to explain briefly what is happening in our world. First, I will start with some good news. Due to this catastrophic incident, this world has awakened mana, filled with the air we breathe. You guys are breathing it in at the moment."
Some people began to hold their breaths because they thought it might be poisonous.
Seeing the worried looks, the speaker quickly began to talk again.
"You guys don't have to be scared of it. This is good news because you have seen anime or manga. This mana can give people the same power as those guys in the shows you have seen or read.
My sisters and I were also able to kill those monsters with the help of mana. We know this because we are a private force of the princess, and she had access to that knowledge early on.
You may question why we didn't warn the public about today's events so that we could rescue them, but even the world government didn't know this was going to happen. They thought that a little asteroid with unique energy would hit the planet, but the only thing they were right about was that something hit the planet, only that it wasn't an asteroid.
We, as in my sisters, me, and the organisation behind us, are strong enough to fight against those monsters that will continue falling from the sky, but you average citizens are like lambs waiting on their turn in a slaughterhouse. The only way for you guys to survive is by getting to know mana and using it to strengthen yourself like my sisters, and I did.
We are sure that there will be a lot more attacks because of the round indicator above those cracks in the sky, and that is one of the reasons you have to get stronger quickly. We will protect you, but you will be thrown out if you are a deadweight to us and only waste supplies. And even when you don't have talent and progress is slow, you only get kicked out if you are a deadbeat.
We will support you, but you must earn the right to be here. Now, I will explain the function of the card you just got. It contains your personal information, but you probably know that because you guys can read it. This card will be used like the cards that are proof of identity and will function like an adventure card in those anime and manga.
If you guys complete tasks given by the base, you get points. With those points, you could buy resources, better housing, and anything you could think of, but you have to get enough of them. You could also always sell products yourself to earn points from other people. You acquire your points like merchants receive their money.
The only 'illegal' way of obtaining points is stealing them or blackmailing people with their points, so there is an equal exchange in your cards. When you try this method, your card will be turned red, and you will be hunted down by the woman standing beside you. Oww, how rude of me. I haven't even introduced myself and the rest yet."
There were a total of four women on the podium, including the speaker herself.
"Let me start with the girl on the right. Her name is Ruby, and she is the general manager of this place. She is the strongest here and is the boss, so respect her. The one in the middle is named Lumira. She is in charge of all the administration of this base, so if you ever need anything from that department, you could go to her building. The one on the left is named Elaris, and she is a doctor. Treat everyone with respect, but respect them more if you want to have an easy time here on our base.
Last but not least, I am Solara. I am the communication officer of this base, and you will see me a lot. I will make most of the announcements, but I am also in charge of communicating with other bases for reinforcements or just information about how it looks on their part.
The bad news I was going to say is that your old life is gone, and you have to restart again. It doesn't matter what you have done in your previous tile on this planet, but now you have to get stronger—strong enough to survive without our help."
With an elegant bow, Solara and the three women left the stage and let the people wander their thoughts. They were probably in a big shock, so giving them assignments at this moment was futile. 'We are going to let them be for today, but tomorrow is going to be the day that they begin to adapt to this new life.'