Right after the inscriptions glowed, I could feel myself comprehending how the process of crafting is done in this game.

There's no weapon or material I can't craft in the crafting recipe.

This skill is wonderful. It will be beneficial to me until I can get my hands on the weapon I truly want.

While lost in my thoughts, Jasmine said something to me.

"If you don't like your current status, then, how about aiding me in clearing a few caves before going for the labyrinth,"

Huh? She wants me to aid her now.

Isn't she trusting me a bit too much?

Soon, she will be requesting we hold hands and skip into the sunset…

What do I do?

I barely have a hand that's strong enough to fight for a long period.

Her offer seems okay to accept, but I am still limping around while walking and this only made me wonder how I'll be able to fight with my injuries.

"You can't just sit around and wait for your injuries to heal. We have to keep on fighting to earn enough coins to buy healing potions,"

What Jasmine is saying is right. Sitting around and waiting for my wounds to heal isn't the right move to take, either.

Others will surely confront us at some point, and not all will be willing to have a chat with me like Jasmine.

I also understand she is trying to make us start some kind of alliance with our primary goal being the healing potions before going to the labyrinth.

Jasmine stood up and brought forward her hand to collect her skill book.

"I'm sorry for how things turned out to be like this. If you had not been surprised by my presence, the Minotaur probably wouldn't have hurt you," She muttered sadly as I offered her the skill book.

"You tried to save me, but I only ended up ruining your plans in attempting to kill the Minotaur," She sauntered towards the fireplace.

'Oh! She's talking about the time I was fighting the Minotaur',

But I had no intentions of saving her in the first place, all I wanted initially was the key to get me out of this forest.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

She probably thought I came for her while fighting against the Minotaur.

'I guess this is why she saved me and stitched my wounds.'

'He-he.....' It's funny how things ended up this way.

Either way, I'm grateful.

"Thank you," I muttered, just high enough for Jasmine to hear what I said.

"Huh?" She flinched in surprise at my sudden tone. It was the first time I had ever spoken to her in such a tone.

Or maybe, she just didn't expect such a reaction from me.

"You've given me the chance to see my mom and sister again. I can't thank you enough," I curled my fingers in rage at the thought of how I almost meaninglessly lost my life a few days ago while facing the Minotaur,"

"Hehe…."

'Uh?' Did she just giggle at me?

'I am trying to give a heartfelt statement here, and you're chuckling?'

'Isn't that considered rude?'

'Girl, that's a first-class insolence right there,'

I lifted my head to take a look at her expression, but she instantly plopped right beside me to take a sit.

"Um..... What's wrong?" I asked, shifting a bit away from her.

"Um? You have a sister?" She asked, moving closer to me.

Her eyes seem to be glowing.

'Why are her eyes glowing? Doesn't she have a little sister?'

"Um..... yes," I replied hesitantly.

"I wish I had a little sister," She said, somewhat sad.

Oh! I see. Good for you. Now move away from me.

"Mine is a little sister to me," I said, but I immediately regretted it.

"Really!!" She squealed. "What's she like?" She moved closer to me once again.

Ah? Seriously?

Now her face is a few inches away from mine.

Her teal-blue eyes sparkled even more, and I could feel her warm breath on my skin.

The more I tried to keep a distance, the more she came closer to me, bombarding me with more questions.

" How old is she?"

"Five, six, twelve?"

" And your mom?"

" Is she pretty?"

"Do you live alone?"

"Oh! Of course, you don't….he-he. Since you've got your mom and sis, right?" She giggled.

"Can I see them both?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" I interposed.

"You can ask too," But she replied bluntly.

"Ugh!!" I placed my hand on my face.

"Hey! Come on, you haven't answered my questions,"

"The same goes for my cooking as well. I know you liked it."

"You liked it. Didn't you?"

"Ugh!! My ears are about to explode," I forcibly tried to stand up, but I forgot about the pain in my knee and this made me place too much force on it as I tried to walk away.

"Ugh!!" I clutched my knee because the pain felt like I was being stung a thousand times by bees.

"Are you alright?" Jasmine rushed towards me.

"No, I'm not alright. Can't you see this is all....." I yelled but stopped immediately.

No, This isn't right.

I shouldn't blame her for this. She just took responsibility for her actions a few minutes ago and she apologized.

There's no point in trying to make her even sad by saying this was all her fault.

I am not the kind to talk to girls while I was in school, but it just pisses me off to see her smiling and giggling as though this survival game meant nothing to her.

People are dying, every second in this game, and here she is looking all jolly.

I'm a bit more incensed because her number of kills so far is at zero, so she doesn't even know what it feels like to kill a fellow human being.

_________

The total number of players currently in the game: 78,516.

The number of deceased players: 77.

The total number of deceased players: 1,484.

____

A/N:- Like my novel? Then support me. Trust me, you won't regret it. Ciao.