Although we slept together last night, nothing explicitly happened between us.

Aside from each of us taking our side of the bed to sleep, her latching on to me was just Jasmine's unconscious action.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head," I muttered, gently shaking my arm.

At first, Jasmine protested, squirming like some kind of small animal and unwilling to wake up from her slumber.

But before I could wake her up once again, her eyes finally opened, but the fatigue of last night's battle assaulted her once again.

She groaned, wanting to rest for a few more minutes.

To be honest, I couldn't blame her because I too felt tired as well.

Just right after we managed to clear the labyrinth, we were brought to this inn against our will, and we fought our way to remain as the last two remaining survivors.

This much exhaustion was to be expected.

Jasmine latched on to my arm tighter than before as her body heat merges with mine, but I couldn't focus on the tantalizing pleasure I felt because of the system notification displayed before me.

[Ding! Congratulations survivors on surviving your first wave. As a reward, all players are allowed to keep all the spoils obtained during the wave in addition to a thousand gold coins for the completion of the quest (Survive!).]

[Ding! You have successfully received a thousand gold coins, stored in your inventory.]

[Good luck.]

'Oh! That reminds me,' I received a couple of skill books last night from the mutated zombie.

I separated the important skill books I needed from those I didn't.

There were a couple of skill books I already have that I didn't need anymore, and so I placed them aside.

Of all the remaining skill books in front of me, there was only one I could say would be of use to me.

Unfortunately, it was a level-three skill book and not something I could use yet.

But I did find one that could be of use to Jasmine.

___

"An Enhanced Hearing Skill?" Jasmine asked, a bit surprised.

A few minutes passed, and she was currently sitting on the bed.

As for me, I stood close to the window, just checking on how things were outside.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Yeah," I replied, then continued. "And with that, you now have all three Enhanced skills, right?"

Jasmine nodded while saying her thanks with a smile.

She obtained a couple of gold coins and skill books from Gabriella, with the most vital skill she required being the 'Enhanced Smell' skill.

The rest of the skills she found were either useless or they were the ones she already had before now.

We didn't talk about what happened last night. Jasmine as well seems a lot more lively this morning.

And I would like to keep it that way.

She's trying to put the past behind her.

"Which skill book is this?" Jasmine's eyes fell upon a skill book I separated from the rest.

"Oh! That's the level three skill I told you about,"

"Oh, I see. Then you better keep it. I'll dispose of the discarded skill books shortly,"

She said, before standing up to her feet. She stretched her body before putting on a vibrant beam on her face.

"You must be hungry, I'll whoop us something delicious to eat," She said, then skipped happily downstairs to craft the materials required for eating.

I shook my head happily as I watched her back shrink into the distance.

"She must think we're some kind of newly weds or something," I muttered to myself.

" She's certainly a weird one,"

"Well, I'm the weirder one for being happy about the thought of the two of us being a couple,"

Before descending the rickety stairs, I decided to do a few light exercises before going out to hunt our meal for the day.

Today is the seventh day we've been in this messed up game so far, and thinking back to how things have been until now.

I have to say that it's been really good so far.

Good, but not easy.

I caught a couple of rabbits with a boar, while Jasmine was able to get her hands on a couple of vegetables.

She prepared a wonderful vegetable soup with meat cooked in such a way that still makes my mouth drool just by the mere thought of it.

"Wow! That was good," I unintentionally complimented the chef.

" He-he..... You finally admitted my food is delicious," She cupped her cheeks, hiding her already reddened cheeks away from me.

"Ouch! TCH, TCH,"

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's my arm. It's been feeling a bit stiff lately,"

"Oh really, how about I give you a massage?"

"Uh? Really? You would do that?"

" Sure. We're partners,"

" He-he..... Are you trying to get intimate with me?"

"Eh?"

"What will your three girls think if they found out about this,"

" Eh? Girls? I don't have… Oh, yeah." Phew, that was close. " They won't know a thing if I don't say anything,"

" Fufu... You're funny. I'll reconsider your offer. For now, I want…"

" Huh? You don't want the massage? I'm pretty good at it, you know,"

While at home, in the neighborhood I live in, I needed a part time job I could use to earn something for my family.

Then I introduced myself to a classmate mom who lived around the block.

She took pity on me and decided to teach a thing or two about massage therapy.

The customers around the block tell me how good I am.

Even Sophia tells me I'm gifted with my hands, so I'm confident Jasmine would love the massage if she does allow me to give it to her.

"No, it's not that. It's just I was hoping we could spar together before you help me with the massage.

[Status]

[Level: 2]

[HP: 20/20]

[EXP: 500/800]

[Hunger: 8%]

[STR: 2]

[AGI: 1]

[VIT: 1]

[STA: 2]

[DEX: 2]

[PRE: 3]

[CP: 0 points.]

[SP: 1 point]

[Weapons]

[Potions]

[Skills and Recipes]

[Inventory: Slingshot (1/1). Dark Minotaur horn (1/1). Silver Sword (1/1). Skein of thread (1/1). Bow(1/1). Arrows (20/20). Wolf Claw (1/1). Wolf fang (1/1). G-23 handgun (1/1). Revolver (1/1). Magazines (4/10).]

[Number of gold coins: 3,605 gold coins.]

[Number Of Kills: 31.]

[Bounty: 80 gold coins.]

[Acquired skill: Hand-to-hand combat skill. (LVL 3/10). First aid skill (Lv 1/10). Crafting skill (Lv 1/10). Archery skill (LVL 1/10). Enhanced Perception skill (LVL 3/10).]

___

The total number of players currently in the game: 77,740.

Number of deceased players: 20.

Total number of deceased players: 2,260.