Razor and Viper lay on the ground. Alan remained still for a few extra minutes. It wasn’t exhaustion since both the health potion and mirabanis fructus made sure that he felt as if he had just woken up in the morning.

Bobby didn’t climb down from the platform at first because he’d been frozen with a mixture of shock and awe from the scene that unfolded below him, grappling internally not just with the fear of his former ‘friends,’ but also with an unsettling feeling towards Alan, a man who had clearly risked his life to save him, yet displayed a chilling comfort and perhaps even enjoyment in the act of taking the lives of two fellow human beings.

Or at least, that’s what his body language said.

They relaxed after a few minutes. Still, no one dared utter a word until Alan stood up, dusted himself off, and walked toward Bobby, who half-flinched as soon as Alan moved.

Alan stretched out his hand, palm up, toward Bobby. “Are you okay?”

“Not really,” Bobby replied. He sighed, hesitated, and then finally grasped Alan's outstretched hand, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

“I get it.” Alan said softly. “Let’s loot these guys and continue on our way.”

Bobby walked past Alan’s left side. “No. I’m gonna get a headstart. You loot them and catch up.”

“Very well.”

The assailants didn’t have much. Four knives, a pair of boots and two small belt pouches were all the fallen candidates carried with them. One of the pouches was actually smaller than the other and both were perfectly made for storing knives.

[Swiftstride Boots (Common): A pair of lightweight boots designed for quick and agile movement. +1 Movement Speed.]

After slipping into the boots, Alan felt the material conform to his feet. Though subtle, they magically shrunk down half a size. Perfect fit! The spark returned and his emotional concerns slowly faded away.

All four knives were different; Razor's dagger added plus one to dexterity. Viper had a knife that also provided plus one to strength. There was a rondel dagger, giving another plus one to strength. Lastly, the one that blew the hole through the tree was called a ‘Plumbata’ which oddly gave plus one to ‘Force?’

When he was done looting, he headed in Bobby’s direction. He did not…feel faster with his new boots, but he took the opportunity to review all of his missed notifications.

You have vanquished [Human - tc 4 - Finesse Pursuer] — Myst has been assimilated.

You have vanquished [Human - tc 5 - Valor Pursuer] — Myst has been assimilated.

DING! Myst Accumulation Threshold Reached! You have successfully assimilated ample Myst to enhance one of your boons. Boon Upgrade Available! Channel the gathered Myst to fortify and elevate your chosen boon to its next tier of power.

Eligible Boons:

[Boon of Augmentation x2]

[Boon of Manafestation x3]

Do you wish to weave your accumulated Myst into [Boon of Augmentation], elevating its potency? Confirm to allow the cosmic forces to intervene.

Finally, I mean…yes!

The universe resonates with your intent...

Blessings bestowed! Through the nexus of Myst, [Boon of Augmentation x2] has transcended. Embrace your newly acquired [Boon of Augmentation x3] and let its power guide your journey.

As Alan studied the status of his new boon an idea came to mind. An idea that just might work.

After finishing with the notifications, there were no traces of doubt left. He picked up the pace, and in no time, he caught up to Bobby. And the tension.

He wasn't stoked about having an emotionally charged conversation. Or justifying himself. But he had come to enjoy Bobby's company.

“Hey Bobby, how are you holding up? Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” Bobby continued staring straight ahead. “I’m grateful to you. I truly am. Those were the guys that I was telling you about.”

Alan took a deep breath and bit his lip before responding. “I kind of figured. But you know I gave them an option to leave us alone. And they drew first blood.”

For the first time since the confrontation, Bobby’s eyes met Alan’s. It was a silent acknowledgement. A weight seemed to lift, if only slightly.

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“I wasn’t gonna tell you this, but I almost left you,” Bobby blurted out. “I was about to run away, I’m a coward, but I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. They were after me. Not you. But you killed them without giving it a second thought. And I helped you do it. I’m not mad at you, how can I? I’m scared of you…but that’s not even the problem. The problem is that you’re doing what we’re supposed to do here. And I can’t do it, I’m not emotionally strong like you are.”

“I don’t know what to say…don't call yourself a coward; you didn't run, did you? Look, I didn't, exactly, enjoy killing those men. But, it had to be done. Doing what's necessary is unpleasant, but that doesn't mean we should shy away from it. We can't change what's happened, but we can choose how we move forward."

“Mmm…you’re right,” Bobby sighed.

“You can drop that burden on me. After all, that’s our deal. I do the fighting and you throw the occasional rock,” Alan chuckled. “Let’s enjoy what’s left of this quadrant, we’re crossing over to the next one in a few hours.”

Bobby lightened up as they continued on their journey. He shared something that got Alan overly excited. Apparently, after he'd thrown his health potion at Alan's wound, he received a notification that he'd earned a new Boon, followed by a Class Upgrade.

He now possessed the Boon of Quickdraw Alchemy, and his class was ‘Alchemystic.’ Bobby wasn't sure what either meant.

“How did you know that throwing a health potion at my wound would work?” Alan asked.

“I didn’t. But I supposed it would work, it needs to get in your bloodstream. I was more scared about missing the shot.”

“This looks like a good place. How do you feel about taking a break here before crossing to the next quadrant?”

“Sure,” Bobby replied.

His voice still carried a weary tone. While it wasn't as bad as before, the tension made Alan uneasy. Although he knew Bobby needed time, Alan hoped he'd be ready for the tough challenges that were sure to come.

The prepared wolf meat was still edible thanks to the unexpected chilly morning air. But it wouldn’t last long. They ate that first and saved the mirabanis fructus, aka magenta bananas for later.

Alan kicked off his shoes, freeing his feet. He felt a sudden rush of energy. So he started to work out.

“Why the hell are you doing push-ups now?”

Alan pushed up from the ground and spoke between breaths. "It's something... new I’ve decided. I need... to increase my Boon's... potency."

Bobby watched, intrigued. "Boon, huh? So, like... leveling up but... in real life?"

"Exactly," Alan grunted, finishing another push-up. “My Boon of Augmentation multiplies all my stats by six. The problem is that my base stats are very low. Therefore, I need to somehow increase my them to get more out of it.”

He then transitioned smoothly to crunches. "Stronger I get... more effective my abilities... an investment in... survival."

Bobby chuckled. "Look at you, between push-ups and crunches, talking about investments. Maybe I should work on leveling up my Boon too."

"Sounds... like a plan," Alan puffed out as he crunched up. "I’d support... that. Let me know how I can help."

As Alan finished a set of crunches and sat up, wiping his forehead, Bobby lightened up. "Man, I’m glad we are on the same team."

"Yep, me too," Alan agreed, catching his breath. "And I believe this tutorial will be easier this way."

Bobby grinned. "Bold words. But I like the sound of it. But aren’t you just gonnaBy the way, are those…their boots?”

“Yeah,” Alan replied sheepishly. “They make me walk faster.”

“Goddamit Alan—" his eyes darted to the distance. “What the hell is that?”

Alan followed Bobby’s eyes and landed on…

A burning orange meteorite not too far from their location plummeting into the ground.

They both agreed to inspect the meteorite as a quick detour. Alan desperately laced up his boots. He promised that they would keep a safe distance. But his eyes lit up. It’s like a switch had turned on.

But when they reached the site, what they found was even more bizarre than they could have imagined.

The impact crater was no larger than a car. In the middle lay a tall, slender blue being with a subtle glow around him. His body type resembled that of a male human, but he had little wings for ears. And his gem-like eyes seemed to take in everything.

[??? - tc ???]

That’s not ominous, Alan thought with a mix of excitement and curiosity.

Two candidates had already arrived and were cautiously approaching the crater, weapons at the ready. The first, with a shaved head, sported a ruthless grin and wielded a common-looking spear. The other, his black hair slick with grease, advanced with no weapon but a determined boxing stance.

Alan and Bobby remained hidden, close enough to catch every minute detail.

The boxer advanced toward the blue alien, who, upon observing him, spoke in a distinct British accent, "You there, worship me." Without hesitation, the boxer delivered a powerful right hook, only to find his hand, wrist and forearm breaking upon impact.

“Look at what you did,” the blue alien scoffed, he sounded like an entitled aristocratic heir. Then the boxer stepped back, screaming, as he attempted to hold his dangling arm in its original position.

In an instant, the other man thrust his spear at the alien, only for it to shatter into several pieces. The shaven man quickly retreated, grabbing his still-screaming comrade's uninjured arm, and dashed into the jungle.

“You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Behind the bushes, Bobby had entered panic mode. “Alan, we have to get out of here. Not even you can kill this guy. He is wicked strong.”

“It’s true I would love to fight him, but that’s beside the point. Look,” Alan pointed toward the crater. “He is coming this way. There’s no getting away from him. But…I don’t think he will hurt us. He didn’t kill those guys after all.”

“Could the two of you kindly come out of those bushes,” the alien commanded.

Alan wrestled with the foliage and stepped out of hiding. “Hummm…hi. Impressive display back there. Can we help you?”

“You help me?” The alien said, putting emphasis on ‘you’. “Can you be any less casual? And does your acquaintance plan to make an appearance?”

“I’m sorry. My friend is a little scared of you. I’m Alan, and you?”

“Very well. Alan of Verdenterra, you may worship me.”

“Excuse me?”