October 20, 2022
Day 1
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Rahul and his merry band of software engineers had gone to a large clearing they had discovered on one end of the island, and there was a lot of excitement in the air. Throughout their lives, the success of these engineers was evaluated based on numbers going up or down. Increasing revenue, increasing traffic, faster API response times, big numbers in load tests, all gave a rush of dopamine. Now, the prospect of increasing the numbers on their character stats and getting strong made their eyes glitter.
That was three hours ago.
“You know, I never expected that my strength would go from 7 to 70 just by exercising. After a point, there would be diminishing returns and all. But this? This just sucks.” Rahul said, panting, sitting beside Matt who was already sprawled on the grass.
“Tell me about it. My endurance is a measly 5, and I’ve spent the last 3 hours running and resting and running again, and again, and again. Now I can’t even muster enough strength to get up. And my endurance? It went up by 0.” Matt said.
Rahul gave a resigned sigh of agreement.
Just then, Daniel jogged toward them and said “Keep it up boys, I feel we are at the brink of a breakthrough. Keep at it, let’s see who would be the first to increase a stat.”. That was the third time in the last hour.
"He’s still taking his role as our manager seriously. I hope he knows that no salary is getting credited to his account this month", Rahul remarked to Matt, and they both chucked lightly.
Still, after taking 5 minutes to curse and groan, the two got up and started running again.
Toward the beginning, everyone was trying to improve different stats and tried various activities. By the end of two hours, they started wondering if they were doing something wrong, as Martin had not given any specifics on what to do. Seeing as how there wasn’t really a way to do running ‘wrong’, everyone decided to focus on that. Running laps around the clearing soon proved boring, so they decided to run around the island. Others seemed to have had the same idea, as they crossed many teams running around the island.
Eventually, the sun set, and the group that returned to the castle was as despondent as the one that left it had been merry. Not a single level had been gained, and only on their way back to the castle had they realized that they had neither foraged for any food nor gone to the lake for fishing. They were hungry, exhausted, and not at all looking forward to leaving the castle again.
Thankfully, they didn’t need to.
When the group entered the castle, they were greeted by Mark. “Welcome back guys. Please head to the kitchen and help yourself to some food. It is one of the benefits of the castle, and does not require any settlement points to be spent. There are a few teams who still haven’t returned from their training, but once everyone is here, there will be some announcements. Please stay in the hall for that. Now go!“, Mark finished with a smile and shooed them away.
Don't mind if I do, Rahul thought, and walked briskly toward the kitchen, his legs drawing on some secret untapped source of energy, carrying him to the delicious-smelling food within seconds.
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“Two days ago, we were in a hotel in Tokyo, at the end of a fun retreat, looking forward to going back home. Yesterday, we were on a plane that disappeared. Then we flew through the sky, first helplessly, and then with purpose, until we found ourselves a bastion to settle. We were tired, hungry, afraid, and defenseless. “
Mark paused, looking across the room, and then continued.
“It's been a long day, but our circumstances have changed. Tonight we are tired, but of our own accord. We are afraid, but we are also excited. I see a glimmer in many eyes, a look of anticipation for what wonders this new world will bring us. I feel the same excitement, the same hope for a more wondrous future. But, I also know our resolve and hopes will be tested more than once in the near future. I have full confidence that we will overcome all challenges and come out of it stronger. “
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“We are tired because our resolve to improve pushes us, and we are afraid because our instincts compel us to be. This fear will keep us sharp, and this resolve will make us strong. Humans were the apex predators of the jungle long before we had our guns or our tanks. Our ingenuity has served us throughout the history of our species, and once again we will use every tool at our disposal, and not just survive, but thrive. “
“We now have a castle that will feed us, and we will sleep tonight with a solid roof over our heads. But while our stomachs are fed, we must continue to hunger for growth. Cause make no mistake, we might have a castle with thick walls around us, but it is just an inanimate object. We can never be truly safe if we are weak, and even walls of stone will crumble without men to defend them from attacks."
"I know you all were looking forward to a good night’s sleep after dinner, but we don’t have that luxury. Today was the start of the tutorial and no attack came upon us. However, tomorrow might be different, and we have no idea what to expect. We must all get at least the most basic combat instruction before we go to sleep, so we don't stab ourselves with our swords or shoot our arrows into our own feet. I know you are all dejected after training for hours, seemingly without benefit, but 3 among us have managed to increase their endurance by 1. I have a feeling a lot more of you can manage it before the night is over. “
That last part led to murmurs across the hall.
Mark waited a minute before continuing.
“All three who leveled up their endurance had run for around 2 hours around the island, with short breaks in between. I know many others ran just as much, if not more. What was different about this group was that they ran with Chris, who personally tutored them on their strides, their breathing, and many other things. "
"Chris, as some of you may know, was a professional marathon runner until he joined us last year. He still runs marathons regularly and has his endurance at 19. Seeing as how the only 3 stat improvements we got were under his tutelage, it’s clear that having experts train you is very helpful. "
After a pause, Mark continued.
"There's more. As soon as Stacey, who was the first to increase her endurance, got a level up, Chris got a notification informing him he had gained a skill, Endurance Trainer I. This skill passively increases the rate at which people increase their endurance stat when training with him, and scales based on the difference in the endurance stat between him and the trainees. After getting this skill, 2 more in their group of 5 gained an endurance point. So, in addition to the weapons training tonight, I'll suggest all of you train your endurance and go jog with Chris. “
“Finally, seeing how the system values expertise, we have arranged the weapons training to be conducted with experts too. Captain Seki, our pilot, is a skilled swordsman, and he will train you in swordsmanship. Caleb, who has some experience in fencing, has volunteered to assist the captain. Jeanette and Claudie had learned archery as kids, and have volunteered to help teach the basics. Jacob, who is an army veteran, has volunteered to teach the use of knives in combat. I would suggest everyone take the bow and arrow training and one close-quarter training at a minimum. If you have the energy, do them all. Good luck.“
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6 hours later, Rahul returned to the castle, surrounded by his colleagues. No, his friends.
Together, they had survived the disappearance of an aircraft, flying through the air, and most recently, being hit by an angry Japanese pilot turned sensei. They shared the exhaustion of miles of running, of sore muscles, and of bruises inflicted by the flat of a blade. Thankfully, these kinds of horrible experiences felt a lot less worse when surrounded by friends, so Rahul wasn't in a particularly bad mood.
Quite the contrary really.
All because of the notifications.
The group was reveling in the joy of increased stats and gained skills as Rahul checked his own notifications.
Your endurance has increased by 1 point, its new value is now 9
You have gained a skill
Basic Archery I : +5% damage to attacks with bows and crossbows, +10% to critical hits
You have gained a skill
Basic one handed Sword I : +5% to thrust, pierce and slash damage with swords. +10% to critical strikes.
You have gained a skill
Basic small weapons I : +5% to thrust, pierce and slash damage with short swords, knives and daggers. +10% to critical strikes.
Your strength has increased by 1 point, its new value is 8
One hour of running, and nearly an hour each of practicing with swords, bows, and knives, with plenty of rest in between. The result, a battered body but 3 skills and 1 point each in endurance and strength. Captain Seki, Caleb, Jacob, Chris, Jeanette, and Claudia had all gained the trainer skills, significantly accelerating the rate at which everyone acquired skills and stats.
All in all, Rahul was itching to get to bed and get a good night of sleep, so he can wake up early and train again as soon as possible.