Unlimited Power 03: The Sinful Ruler

"What?" Lana frowned.

"She is Russian," Jake said while recognizing the strong and yet sexy accent. "Do you know anything in Russian, Louise? France is pretty close to Russia, right?"

"Almost three thousand kilometers away from Paris… I am sorry, but I don't know anything in Russian."

"Thank you very much!" The redhead said and then smiled while she nodded.

"It was nothing," Lana said with a boastful smile on her face.

"You are a lost cause…" Jake said and then sighed. "Let's get going."

"What? You are going to abandon such a cute child here?" Lana asked. "She also has a pretty voice and she is so cute… how dare you?"

"What is with you all of a sudden?" Jake frowned. "Ah… you want to act like a reliable older sister to her. You really don't look older than me… not even your behavior."

"So, you are younger than me… you should learn how to treat better your veterans," Lana said.

"Forget about it, remember what I told you before,"

"Wait, Jake," Louise said.

"Et tu, brutus?" Jake frowned.

"She probably didn't come alone, and if something happened to her party, it probably happened close to the dungeon," Louise explained. "You came to clear the dungeon, right?"

"Yes," The redhead said.

"It will better for us if we work together," Louise said. "You will have an easier time fighting if another front line helps you, Jake. Our party is on the smaller side and since she looks strong enough to escape from several golems, we can't underestimate this mission any further."

Jake crossed his arms and then pondered about that. He certainly didn't want someone who didn't know of fighting alongside him, even more, when that someone had two green knives. However, while looking closely at those, Jake understood that they were enchanted with wind magic and not poison.

"I still don't like this idea," Jake said.

After hearing that, the girl looked really sad for a moment. Unfortunately for her, that kind of weapon was ineffective against Jake. Everything seemed too weird with that girl… Jake might be wrong, but he was pretty sure that Russians that could speak English were rare, just like Americans that could talk to Russian. While their nationality was the least of his worries, her timing to appear in front of them was just too weird.

"Hey, you," Jake said. "You are pretty young to be able to speak English so well."

"Here comes Jake's suspicions at full throttle again…" Lana said and then sighed.

"My mom is Russian and my dad is British…." The girl replied.

"Come to think of it, we didn't introduce ourselves," Louise said. "My name is Louise, she is Lana and his name is Jake. What is yours?"

Karina

Class: Thief Lv 12 / Swordsman Lv 08 / Novice Lv 07

Race: Dark Elf/--/--

Fame: 9560

Health: 55/177 (0,08)

Mana: 75/110 (0,08)

Stamina: 42/189 (0,08)

Strength: 111

Dexterity: 79

Speed: 155

Intelligence: 49

Endurance: 44

Control: 25

Mentality: 75

Luck: 45

Recovery: 50

Willpower: 75

Coins: 8563

Status: 00

Jake already knew her name from the very moment he looked at her daggers. In any case, her classes and status seemed a bit too weird, given her weapons. Regardless, Jake would be lying if he said that they don't need a guide in the middle of that crazy land, but it was because of that that he felt that he couldn't trust Karina.

"I am Karina…" The redhead said. "It is okay… you already helped and healed me, I can at least survive on my own for the next few days until you clear the dungeon."

Jake confirmed that Karina was too dangerous. After hearing such a sweet voice and seeing her dejected face after losing her friends, even his cold heart that lived in the absolute zero wavered a little. As for the girls…

"It is all right, it is all right!" Lana said and then hugged the girl and then patted her head. "You can come with us, it doesn't matter what Jake says, and we can endure his bitching all day."

"Jake… I feel troubled with the possibility in leaving someone alone here," Louise said. "Even more so someone so young…"

Lana was being a moron since she probably was an only daughter, and Louise wanted to look after the kids because that was what she had done for years. In any case, if Jake's instincts were right, that might work in favor of the party. If Karina was there to screw with them for items or coins, that would work to make Lana and Louise grow warier of strangers. As for Jake, he wasn't planning on lowering his guard even for a moment, no matter how cute the girl might be.

"All right… she can stay with us until the end of the mission," Jake said. "But I swear it… if you think of making her join this party afterward…"

"Eww… I am so scared," Lana said in a mocking tone. "By the way, this setup is really convenient for you, huh, Jake."

Jake knew what Lana meant by that. Three girls and one guy in a party, while that wasn't so bad, Jake wasn't naïve enough to have any ideas about either of them. It will be another matter if the girls are the ones who get the weird ideas…

"Are you really willing to keep fighting even though you supposedly lost your friends in this mission?" Jake asked. "We are going to clear the dungeon no matter what."

"What do you mean by supposedly?" Lana frowned.

"Yes… I want to avenge their deaths," Karina said.

"I am sure you will feel satisfied when they only were defeated by ordinary monsters…" Jake frowned.

"Jake, how cold hearted can you be to say something like this?" Lana asked.

"Jake… I think you are going too far," Louise said. "It is fine to be cautious, but everything in excess is detrimental."

"I will keep that in mind," Jake said and then shrugged.