At this point, I got used to the Sphere appearing in my dream-like state.
It pulsed 16 times
[1 600]
I was so sick and tired of my sore body, that I immediately went to fix my exhaustion. It cost me 1 200 points.
[400]
I was tempted to straight up go and upgrade my stats, but I knew that I needed food more than anything. I had real cravings to put something in my mouth that is sweet, oily, and filling.
[Essential Nutrients]
Now I was left with only 200 points. I still had my injured foot, and I needed 600 to heal it. No doubt it cost more now after all the walking.
I realised something when I reflected on my condition and the fights. I was clearly very dexterous and had great stamina, considering the constant travel and fighting from dawn to dusk. All while being injured.
It clicked in my mind. My constitution was way too low compared to my dexterity and stamina. It simply meant that my body could't keep up with my stamina. Dexterity seems to be fine though, but I got an image that my hip dislocates when I dodge - all because of my weaker constitution.
This made me decide to dump all 200 points into constitution. Now, you could argue that I should spare points, but I was thinking of survival. I was simply desperate.
I upgraded my constitution 6 times for 180 points. That left me with only 20.
[Improve Strength - 10]
[Improve Dexterity - 21]
[Improve Constitution -12]
[Improve Stamina - 26]
[Improve Mind - 0]
Satisfied, I removed my focus to wake up.
_______________________________________
The moment I woke up, I felt completely different. I felt on top of the moon! I haven't felt this rested and energetic since the moment I got here.
My pleasure was quickly interrupted, since my foot was being poked. In front of me, stood a few guys, all with clubs. Marcus was up and stood on my other side.
"You shouldn't sleep so deep out here in the forest, lad."
The guy in front was older, with a long grey beard. He looked fit though, and seemed like the leader of this small pack.
"Where are the rest of the group? We saw you guys depart to find the weapons almost a week ago."
I just stared at him, and all the trauma resurfaced. He must have noticed my face.
"Don't worry about that now lad. Let's go to the clearing. I'm Bruce"
He held out his hand, and helped me to stand up. I grabbed Marcus as we started walking. His elbow was healed, so I guess he had enough points from all of yesterday.
"Did no one else return yet?"
Everyone looked at me, curiously. Old Man Ben answered before anyone could ask a question back.
"Not since we left there. We went out a day ago to hunt more goblins."
I looked at Marcus. I felt guilty. The man hasn't spoken for days now, and his face looked completely blank. Expressionless.
Dan. I still couldn't fathom what happened. Should I have told them to run when the larger group of goblins appear? Why did so many goblins show up that close to each other? What was that beast? What happened to the forest? My inner turmoil was broken by Old Man Ben.
"Young lad, I can see it on your face. Let your thoughts go somewhere else."
Something about what he said, calmed me down, but I didn't know how to alternate the flashing images of Dan's mushed remains.
"Tell me what's your name" Old Man Ben asked me.
"I'm Jack." I answered without hesitstion nor thought.
"And you?" He directed to Marcus. But Marcus seemed like he didn't listen.
"Hey man, are you okay?" The guy closest to Marcus reached out to his shoulder as he asked.
Suddenly, Marcus screamed. He swung a wide punch, knocking the guy out.
I was so confused, I froze.
Marcus was drooling, his eyes wide. He went down on the guy, to deliver another punch.
Old Man Bruce were already on his way to tackle Marcus, which he succeeded. Marcus tried to fight him too.
"Keep him still!"
Three others and I went to hold Marcus down. I held his left arm back.
Old Man Bruce took his club, and smacked it through Marcus' jaw, knocking him out.
"His eyes... It seems like severe PTSD." Old Man Bruce indicated, and I just nodded.
"We- he- I-"
I stuttered, trying to tell them what happened to Dan and Marcus, to justify that he wasn't himself.
"I understand. It's okay, you don't have to talk about it."
I nodded again, like a child listening to his grandpa.
Two carried their knocked-out friend while Old Man Bruce and I carried Marcus.
"Thanks" I muttered to the old man. He smiled and nodded.
No one talked after that. The situation became serious and everyone wanted to get back and figure out what went down.
Somewhere after noon, we passed by another group of hunters. They noticed us, and screamed to greet the old man. He seemed quite popular.
It made me think how society at the clearing could have changed while we were gone.
We reached the clearing eventually. There were only around 30 people this time. They noticed us quickly and came to help carry the men.
I saw the two other guys lay down their knocked out pal. They looked exhausted and they stretched their shoulders while groaning. When I put Marcus down, the old man also groaned and went to the pond.
I immediately recognised the state of my own body. I felt great! It only felt like a walk with a bit of luggage. Sure, I was thirsty, but I could easily continue this type of walk until late night.
The upgrades worked, and my stamina were definitely coming in hand.
My hill was still sore, but it didn't get worse while I walked. I just imagined that upgrading my constitution to the same level as my stamina and dexterity, would make me feel like superman. Would I be able to become as hard as steel?
My thoughts were broken when Marcus woke with a groan. He stayed on the ground though, and looked completely... Not okay. The man was damaged, and I didn't know what to do.
"I just asked the people at the pond, they said that a few of your group returned late last night. Something about an owlbear or something ambushed you"
Old Man Bruce came up from behind me.
"Where are they? Are they okay? Is Travis among them?"
I loaded him with questions. At that moment, hope that I didn't kill everyone, filled me.
I know, it wasn't my fault, and you're right. But I wasn't alright back then.
"Calm down young lad. Why don't you go talk to Samuel? You can find him behind the boulder. Don't worry about your friend, I've dealed with plenty of veterans back home."
I looked at him, unsure. One of the men in his group spoke up behind me. I remember he had a big smile.
"Bruce is a veteran officer from the Afghanistan war. You can trust him"
That sealed the deal. I nodded solemnly, and then went of to find Samuel behind the boulder.
He was busy making a stone tool of some sort, sitting in the only shadow of the clearing.
"Samuel"
I said, in a deflared voice. He perked up, and his expression became one of joy.
"So you are alive! Is Marcus okay?"
I swayed my head.
"Bruce is looking after him for now. But his mental health is in bad shape. It looks like he healed his body though."
He nodded.
"Good. You should take some rest, and drink some water. Travis returned yesterday, but he went out to hunt for points this morning. He told everyone what happened."
I nodded and followed up with a dying question:
"Who else made it back?"
Samuel looked solemnly at me for a few moments, and finally said:
"Hannah, Victor, and Tessa also returned. The rest are dead or missing."
My mind raced. I felt my blood drain from my face.
"Be careful. Tessa blames you for what happened. Travis told everyone that he's certain you are innocent. People here are growing more tense and divided by the day, and they might pin their frustrations on you."
I didn't know what to say. How would I ever be able to look Tessa in the eye? Marcus already lost his mind over Dan.
"Take a rest here in the boulder's shadow, and wait for the bigshots to all return. I'll stay with you."
I nodded to Samuel and did as he said after quickly drinking water from the side.
It was probably 3 to 5 hours until sunset, so I couldn't sleep. I didn't feel tired at all, but my mind was completely drained. My mental state was still processing what happened.
What is this place? Why did it change in the east? What is this damn ball of light appearing in my sleep? What are its limits?
There were so many unanswered questions, and I doubt people knew what to make of all this.
I ended up listening to people talking as they drank from the pond, on the other side of the boulder. They were asking the same questions I was.
Some of them also wondered what was the upgrade at 10k points. Would it give answers? Others also discussed what the tome could reveal. They also spoke about what they should upgrade. It all sounded boring so I zoned out.
It seemed that everyone experienced the Sphere the same way as I did, but it sounds like most people are getting just enought points for food and little upgrades.
Where I laid down, I had a good view of the mountain. It was South-East from the clearing.
I made up my mind. I will go to the mountain and climb it. I need to know where we are, and the vantage point from there would be insane.
These were my thoughts as I drifted to a warm midday sleep.
________________________________________
[20]
I realized it showed up every time I was unconscious or asleep. Marcus had healed during the battle when he was knocked out. This time, I didn't get any kills, yet it still appeared.
Something about this consistency reassured me. It felt like a constant, a lifeline—proof that as long as the Sphere was there, I had hope.
That thought alone made me decide to push for 10,000 points. This Sphere, the very thing keeping me alive, could do even more if upgraded.
That settled it. I'd save at least 1,000 points daily for the next ten days. Another 200 points would go toward nutrition. Anything extra could go into improving my stats.
[Improve Strength - 10]
[Improve Dexterity - 21]
[Improve Constitution -12]
[Improve Stamina - 26]
[Improve Mind - 0]
______________________________________
I woke up to noise—people talking loudly over one another. Sitting up, I noticed it was almost dark.
Samuel peeked around the side of the boulder.
"Travis and the rest are back. Be careful—it looks like drama is coming."
I nodded, wiped the sleep from my eyes, and stepped around the boulder.
Chaos.
Almost everyone was gathered at the pond, standing in clusters. Some were in groups of three or four, but most had at least twenty people.
I spotted Rebecca. Her group had over thirty members, and several smaller groups stood close to her.
Opposite her, a relatively smaller crowd had formed, with Travis at the front. He was speaking to the gathered people.
"Calm down, everyone. I'm sure he didn't mean it! He's not in his right mind right now!"
Behind him stood Marcus, restrained by familiar faces. One of them was Victor—his bald head reflected the fading sunlight.
I hung back.
"What happened?" I asked Samuel next to me. His hair was so frizzed out, it looked like an afro.
"I didn't see it, but Marcus attacked someone just as Travis got back."
I nodded, a pang of guilt stirring in my chest.
After some time, they struck a deal—Travis would help the injured guy hunt for points to heal, and in return, he'd get a stat boost from extra kills.
With that settled, everyone dispersed.
As Travis's group of twelve passed the boulder, he noticed me.
"Jack? Good to see you're still here. Let's talk."
I just nodded in shame. I really didn't want to, but saying no would only cause more trouble. We walked apart from the others, toward the treeline where the ground was softer.
"What went wrong? Did you lie to us?"
He stopped, grabbed my shoulder, and locked eyes with me.
"No!" My voice carried, drawing everyone's attention.
I lowered my tone. "No."
He studied me for a moment, then let go.
"Then I believe you," he said as we continued walking. I was confused and couldn't understand what was going on. I wouldn't have trustes someone like me in this situation.
"What's your theory?"
His question surprised me. Why did he respect my opinion so much when he was usually such a hardass leader?
"I really don't know. I haven't figured it out myself. We passed the area where the forest was supposed to change, because I remember how far the mountain looked when the forest started to change. The large horde of goblins definitely not the same ones I encountered thay time. And I've never seen a monster that big before…"
I trailed off, my thoughts racing.
"Hmm" Travis said. "Victor and I discussed it and came to the conclusion that this forest—perfect as it seems—is artificial. Either it expanded and replaced whatever was there before, or it shifts like an automated maze."
I stared blankly at him.
We truly had no idea what was going on.
"Travis, I was thinking of climbing the mountain to get a better view. Maybe find some clues."
"Do that and report back when you return. We need every advantage we can get."
I nodded, I was surprised that he agreed so quickly, although with the aim to benefit his own agenda.
"I could reach it in half a day if I jog."
He didn't seem fazed at all.
"Make sure you don't kill any goblins in the first half of the trip. Other groups don't like us thinning out the hunting grounds."
I didn't like that idea. Before he could assign people to go with me, I stopped him.
"You know I'm faster alone. I should go now, before the goblins respawn. Your group wiped them out on the way back, right?"
He frowned.
"You're crazy. In this darkness? You need sleep to function properly, and the Sphere—"
I raised my hand, cutting him off. It was funny to see him startled like this.
"I slept since noon. We need answers sooner rather than later. I'll go now and be back the day after tomorrow."
He considered it for a moment before nodding.
"Take this," he said, grabbing a club from someone lying nearby. The person didn't protest—an unspoken sign of how much they respected Travis's decisions.
He turned away to talk to someone else.
I scanned the group. No sign of Hannah, the girl with the black hair ans blue eyes, who were as fast as Travis.
I've never spoken to her, but she'd caught my eye during the expedition. Her straight black hair reminded me of an Asian's, but her facial features were distinctly Western—a strange mix.
She was pretty—if you ignored the dried blood, dirt, and sweat.
As the others settled down for the night, I circled back to the boulder.
"I'll be gone for a while. Thanks for today," I told Samuel, who was chatting with Carl.
Carl's blond hair was matted with blood, making him look like a homeless man.
"Watch your back," Samuel warned.
"Tessa's hunting for you. Carl and I had to push her away while you slept."
"Yes. She's got a few others with her—most of them hate Travis and anyone who sides with him." Carl Added.
"Okay, I'll be careful, but I don't get it. Why are everyone so teamed up against each other? Against Travis."
"You missed what went down the first couple of days," Carl said, and didn't add to that more. "Now, it's mostly subtle. For example, the guy Marcus attacked? He has to get twenty assisted kills with Travis's help just to keep the peace."
My jaw dropped.
"That's extortion. 2000 points."
Samuel smirked. "By the way, you owe me at least five goblins for keeping you safe."
I scoffed. "What, you a gangster now?"
"Yes. And a gangster protects his cubs," he said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes. "Later."
You'd think I would've learned my lesson about walking through the forest at night, but I felt well-rested and pumped to hunt. So I went for it.
I headed southeast toward the mountain. I knew Travis's group had cleared the goblins between here and there, so I could jog at a good pace without worrying.
The moon wasn't full, but it was bright enough to light my way The second moon was the same. I still tripped over branches and rocks a few times but kept going.
Eventually, I ran into a goblin group.
I was only slightly winded—nothing compared to how exhausted I'd been a few days ago.
I killed three with the club, dodging their attacks with ease. They lunged and tackled, but I countered each time, smashing their heads in. One took two solid blows before going down.
As I neared the mountain, the goblins must have respawned, because I killed even more. It must've been past midnight. That meant I'd been jogging for six hours or more—covering what should've been a ten-to-twelve-hour walk.
Impressed with myself, I kept going, fighting through the night.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness, but I still struggled to spot them first.
By the time exhaustion hit, I was further south than I intended, still at the mountain's base. I walked to where I thought East would be.
Yawning, I climbed a few meters up—just enough to get above the treetops.
I checked my surroundings, making sure no goblins were nearby.
Then I sat against a rock, hoping it to actually be faced to the east. I had no way of knowing, but I went off memory of the mountain's silhouette.
It was tall, with only one peak.
I shut my eyes for a quick power nap, trusting the sunrise to wake me.
The night ended with 17 goblin kills and 20 points in the Sphere.