"This does not feel fair. We both suffered equally, so why are you the only one with decent resources? Do you still call it fair?"
It was the butler's turn to answer before Rin could.
"Sir, perhaps you should spend less time complaining and more time gathering resources. Do you want me to point you to the nearest granary?"
Collin's words made the speaker turn red. They were starting to realize they wouldn't get sympathy from the rich
But even if they wanted to turn around, there was no place left for them to go. The government-funded charities had already turned them away due to a lack of manpower and resources. And they had already tried looting food, but had been unsuccessful.
Their only option was to try and rob the rich, but it was not safe either.
'What should I do now? I promised these people I would take care of them. Even if the adults did not get food, the children should not starve.'
The leader was not a bad person, but the circumstances were molding him into one. He had a gun in his bag and it was making him wonder how much panic he could cause.
Would he be able to distract these people to make them let their guard down long enough to grab some food? Before he could make a decision, a young woman stepped forward. She had a few-month-old baby in her arms and her eyes looked determined.
"Sir, I have awakened with medical skills. I am not very knowledgeable, but the system tells me that I have a nurturing nature. I am willing to dedicate my powers to you if you give me food and shelter."
Her brave nature caused others to step forward as well. Even those without useful abilities volunteered to work. No one was asking for free food anymore.
They all waited for the young master to make a decision. With the way everyone else was turning to look at him, there was no doubt in anyone's mind about who the leader was.
At first, they all thought he was a substitute leader. But it was looking less and less like that was the case.
Finally, Rin made up his mind and addressed them all.
"I am willing to accept you all and aid you as long as you pull your weight and help out. But the second you betray me, I will show no mercy. First, get your powers noted by the planning committee so they can be divided into teams. Collin, you take over from here."
Rin stood firm as he handed over the command of the situation to his butler. His work here was done; the issue had been resolved.
The refugees watched him head in with wonder-filled eyes. They had not expected anyone to actually help them during such hard times.
This nurtured a sense of loyalty in their hearts. They wanted to give back to the young master who was taking a risk by adding more mouths to feed.
Sympathy was hard to come by during such perilous times, and getting help on top of that was even more precious
Young master Rin had offered them a fair and honest deal and because of this, he gained 100 new followers..
__________
'Darn it. Do I have enough food for these new additions? What about living space? We'll need to renovate a few empty storage units and get them into livable condition. What else…? I also need to be prepared for Shelly and the MC's arrival after the third trial…'
Rin had known that the apocalypse would be an overwhelming time for him. The original novel did try to highlight the tough times. But in the end, it was a story of an overpowered MC who was saved by his overpowered system every time.
A normal extra like Rin could hardly follow the same path and expect to succeed. Thankfully, his progress was not stagnant.
[Requirements to open a new trait have been met. You have unlocked the 'Leader' trait.]
[User's currency profile:
Strength: 10
Stamina: 25
Intelligence: 45
MP: 15
HP: 150/150
Special Skills: Weapon Mastery - Beginners, Perfect Craftsman(lvl1)
Special Traits:
Gaslighting,
Leader (lvl1 - 300/250 followers). Next Milestone-750 followers]
[Leadership (lvl1)- When given a command by the user, the efficiency of the workers will double. Can be used on the caster as well. Time :1 hour. Cool down: 23 hours]
The leadership title looked useful. Rin wanted to test it out to see if it would work for anything or if this was limited to certain tasks.
It took Rin some time to figure out how to give himself a 'command'. Speaking out loud had not worked, nor did saying it out loud. In the end, Rin had to convince himself and repeat the words a few times before the trait activated.
But it was all worth it when the trait not only gave him physical strength, but also made him faster and made his movements smoother.
'Finally, the system decided to give me something useful.'
[User, your words make this system want to cry. The system is trying its best to give you a great experience. And yet the user still says things like that? It breaks this system's heart.]
[To redeem itself in the user's eyes, the system has prepared an additional task for the user before the next global task.]
[Task: Find 3 sacred artefacts and increase the area of the protective boundary. User can still participate in the second task and earn more sacred objects. A special reward will be given to the user if he completes this task before the second global task begins.]
The system was being too generous to Rin. In fact, it was making Rin question its generosity
The treatment he was getting from the system was even better than most privileged MCs got in the novels. There were too many advantages Rin would get if he got three more sacred objects. It was advantageous for him, but combined with the additional reward the system promised—it screamed trap.
Rin's suspicious face prompted the system to respond quickly.
[Please do not think of the system's generosity as a trap, user. There is an actual reason the higher-ups have agreed to give you this treatment. They are afraid the user is not progressing fast enough for their liking..]
[User, please do your best and prove the higher-ups wrong about choosing you.]