We obtained some gold, generic gear, and health patches from the remaining goblins and divided the loot between us. As we prepared to head back to Green Tree Village, Carol turned to me.

"Hey, Simon, we should consider forming a party," she suggested.

I smiled.

"I'd love that," I replied.

Setting up a party was a simple process, mainly done through the menu. From now on, we would be able to communicate easily through chat, no matter the distance between us. It was quickly decided that Carol would become the party leader as she was higher level and had more experience in this world.

"Lead the way, boss," I said, looking at her.

She chuckled and responded :

"Let's go back and see how well your idea of giving away the Gem works out."

As we walked down the path to the village, I finally noticed how tall she was. During the battle, it wasn't as apparent, but now, walking side by side, the height difference was striking. She was at least a head and a half taller than me. We made quite the odd team.

On the way, we engaged in light conversation, discussing trivial topics. Carol mentioned her initial days here before I arrived, how she was initially defeated and struggled to understand how things worked. I could relate to her experience. Lost in my thoughts, I reminisced about my own first battle against just two goblins. I was frightened, wanted to give up, and felt like a coward. But there was something unique about this place, or perhaps it was our inherent human survival instinct. We had to keep pushing forward.

"That snack you gave me," she said. "It was really good and restored a significant amount of health."

"It's called Tiwuiwui," I mentioned.

"Where did you get it?" she asked.

"From the main inn at Green Tree Village."

"I skipped breakfast, wanting to move as quickly as possible," she explained.

"So you've been here for almost a week, but you haven't reached the second floor yet. You're strong, I'm surprised you haven't made more progress," I inquired.

She paused for a moment, walking in silence, before responding without looking at me, her gaze fixed on the path.

"I wanted to explore, raise my level, and obtain better gear. Time flew by, and only recently did I decide to push forward."

"Well, I'm glad," I said.

She glanced at me and smiled before continuing :

"But now we need to pick up the pace. You also need to level up; you're still quite low. We need to beat this Tower."

"I agree," I replied.

We continued walking in silence for a while. During that time, I couldn't help but repeatedly check the Gem of Abzu in my inventory. Doubts started to creep into my mind.

Was I making the right decision? What if this game was different? After all, I was competing against another person - Cleo. Perhaps the system wanted us to stack the odds in our favor. Should we use the Gem? Was Carol right?

Most games rewarded the "good" path, but not all. And this game was designed by unknown creators - the Dominants- who may have had a different way of thinking. If the Gem was truly as powerful as Carol claimed, it could be a wasted opportunity to not use it. It could be the difference between winning or loosing.

I tried to shake off these thoughts, focusing on my own knowledge of game design. Physically, I wasn't particularly strong yet, so I would have to rely on Carol for much of the heavy lifting. However, I could contribute in other ways.

Once again, I opened my inventory and examined the Gem.

But just how powerful is this Gem? If it's as rare and powerful as Carol said, I could use it.

I closed my inventory and shook my head :

"No," I said aloud without realizing.

"No?" Carol asked, surprised.

I took a moment to quickly clear my head.

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

"Sorry, I was thinking about my level and the need to grind," I lied, trying to come up with a quick excuse.

"And?" Carol inquired.

"I think I'll need to grind more to catch up. I can't rely solely on you," I replied.

"You'll get there," she nodded.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. We encountered a few wolves and a handful of goblins, but everything felt more familiar, boosting my confidence in my abilities.

"I can do this," I thought to myself.

As we returned to the temple, all the Enkis were looking at us. We made our way through the crowd and entered.

Inside, the young Enki priestess was crouched on the circular platform, deep in prayer. The temple appeared even sadder than before. The stagnant water was nearly empty, the ivy dried up, and everything was covered in moss and stains. It felt as if the tree itself was dying from within.

I walked up to the priestess.

"Milady," I said.

She turned around, her face lighting up as she recognized us.

"You're back!" she exclaimed.

"We are," I replied.

"Did you find the Gem?" she asked, hope in her voice.

I paused, thinking once again. If I gave away the Gem now, I wouldn't have another chance to possess it. It would be a permanent decision.

Lost in my thoughts, I stood in silence until Carol nudged my shoulder.

"Simon?" she called.

Snapping out of my daze, I replied :

"Yes, we have it."

I took the Gem of Abzu out of my inventory and handed it to the young Enki. Her gel-like eyes widened as she carefully accepted the Gem.

"You... you did it," she said softly.

The other Enkis in the temple gathered around, murmuring to each other. She raised the Gem in the air, and they all cheered.

She walked towards the pedestal and placed the glowing violet Gem on top of it, taking a few steps back.

A loud "WOOSH" resonated from the Gem as it levitated a few inches above the pedestal. Wisps of glowing energy emitted from it, slowly at first, then with increasing speed, bursting forth and hitting the walls, water, and ceiling. Wherever the energy touched, a ripple of revitalization spread. The ivy began to regenerate, and the dirt and stains on the carvings dissipated. The temple rumbled, and the sound drew closer as the entire structure trembled. Suddenly, water gushed from holes in the walls, washing away the stagnant and dirty water, encircling the platform and replacing the once-foul smell with the fragrance of wild flowers. The temple had been completely transformed.

The power of the Gem of Abzu had undone all the damage done to the place. Carol turned to me and whispered in my ear :

"Remember, you gave away all that insane power."

I knew, and I couldn't help but feel a tinge of concern. The Gem's power was astounding- within seconds -, it had transformed this dying, malodorous temple into something fit for the gods.

The young Enki turned towards us, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

"You saved us," she said. "You saved all of us here."

"Not a problem, milady," I replied, bowing and smiling.

She burst into laughter, then stepped forward and embraced me. Taken aback by her reaction, I hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace. Carol cleared her throat, and I turned to face her as the young priestess released me.

Of course, I couldn't have accomplished this without my loyal sister-in-arms, 'Carol the Bonker Berserker'," I said, pointing toward the French woman.

Carol didn't seem to appreciate the nickname, and she glared at me with a hint of fury.

However, the young Enki smiled and bowed to Carol :

"Thank you, fierce Bonker Berserker," she expressed her gratitude.

Carol crossed her arms over her chest, acknowledging the appreciation with a nod.

"You're welcome," she responded, her voice filled with a mixture of pride and playfulness. "But, um, not to be mean or anything --"

"The gold," the Enki interrupted. "I have it right here."

The priestess signaled one of the temple assistants, who rushed over with a big leather pouch.

"Way to ruin the mood, Berserker," I murmured to Carol.

She playfully shoved my shoulder with force.

"Aye!" I exclaimed.

"Don't forget," Carol murmured back, "the gold is mine."

"Of course," I replied with a smile.

"If you want the girl, you can have her," Carol chuckled.

I glanced at the tall French woman, who was trying to hold back a laugh.

"Jealous," I teased.

"Get on a chair and say it to my face," she retorted, a wide grin on her face. She seemed quite pleased with herself.

I had nothing to say, caught off guard and staring at her. She had won this round.

The priestess handed the pouch to Carol.

"It's all there," she said.

"Thank you, Priestess," Carol replied, placing the pouch into her inventory.

"Thank both of you," the Enki priestess said.

"Milady," I said, addressing her. "Do you know how we can reach the second floor of the Tower?"

The young Enki priestess pondered for a moment before replying :

"I never been there, and I do not know anyone who did. But there has been a rumor about an elevator operated by the goblins, but I am unaware of its exact location, or if it's even true. I apologize. But I'll ask around."

"Thank you," I said sincerely.

"Before you leave please tell me your name," she asked.

I looked at her surprised. This definitely wasn't ordinary NPC behavior. Before I could replied, Carol said ;

"Simon the Savior," she chuckled.

I turned towards the French woman, staring at her. She was covering her mouth with her hand trying to not laugh out loud. Before I could correct her, the priestess said ;

"Simon the Savior and Carol the Bonker Berserker, thank you. From all the Enkis in Green Tree. Thank you."

I nodded.

"You are most welcome," I said. "And may I dare asking for your name?"

I bowed, my fist on my heart.

The young Enki laughed.

"I am Priestess Danalii," she replied.

"A wonderful name, milady," I agreed, still bowing.

She laughed even more ;

"Thank you, Simon the Savior."

None of us could contained our laugh.

I smiled at her and bowed a final time as Carol and I left the now majestic temple, heading out on our next adventure.

"Nothing extraordinary happened when we gave back the Gem," Carol remarked.

"Not yet," I replied. "But I still believe this was the right move. Also I would say that the transformation of the Temple was quite extraordinary."

"You know what I meant. For us. But yes, that Gem was incredibly powerful. We could have used it," she said.

"Trust in the system," I replied.

"What do you think about this elevator?" Carol asked. "None of these NPCs seem to know much about what's really going on."

"I know who to ask," I replied confidently.