It makes Damon start grumbling, but he surprisingly stands up and says, "Let's make it quick." He lifts up his goblin, and a surprised look appears on his face.

Did he invest his stat points? He should have leveled up, and Sophie as well. I am pretty sure he put it all into strength, so I decide to watch him carefully to compare his increased strength to my constitution.

My theory is that my increased constitution means I can use my peak strength for longer, and I will need shorter rest to be back at my peak form. I also have a suspicion that I will heal faster and have tougher skin and stronger bones. Just like the goblin.

Increased strength should increase the density of muscles and their strength, but it also comes up with a potential problem.

What if you invest too much into strength, but you don't have a body strong enough to handle it?

Once again, I become annoyed for not knowing and not being able to test it out as much as I want.

I also put the goblin on my shoulder, but I make sure to have my right hand free and be ready to throw the body on the ground. At worst, I can also use the goblin as a shield against an attack. Sophie also picks up the goblin, she does it quite easily.

Hmm. I guess that means that stat increase manifests fairly quickly. A few minutes maybe?

Hadwin puts the gun into his right hand and the goblin's spear in his left, and starts leading us into the forest.

As we enter, I don't feel as pressured as before, but I am still careful. The wind is now stronger, so we can hear the rustling of leaves and creaking branches as they bend in the wind. The sun seems to be right over us.

I still twitch every time I hear an unexpected noise.

As before, Hadwin walks first, me to his left, and Damon to his right. Sophie follows behind us, and I notice that she moved the goblin slightly lower to cover more of her back.

At this point, I am sure that the results of my increased constitution are showing, as I don't feel myself getting tired from carrying the creature. The only thing I notice is my empty stomach.

Food. I need lots of food.

I glance at the goblin, but I instantly decide that I am not that hungry.

Yet.

When we finally throw the goblins into the hole, I notice Damon's rugged breathing. He seems better than before, but it's easy to notice how tired he is. I am now also 100% sure that he didn´t put much into Constitution.

Sophie seems to be better than him, so I guess that she put at least something into it.

I move the knife to my left hand and pull out the pipe into my right hand.

On our way back, we are even more careful than before, but we move much quicker. Not being able to see what's behind the trees makes us all nervous.

When we get back to the bus, I feel relieved, even though there isn't too big a difference in our safety.

As I move away from people, I take a peek at my stats.

[Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]

Difficulty: Hell

Floor: 1

Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 20h 52m 59s

Lvl 2

Strength: 6

Dexterity: 8

Constitution: 8

Mana: 3

[Primary Class: Unavailable]

[Sub-class: Unavailable]

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Skills:

- Focus Lvl 3

- Mana manipulation Lvl 1

[Skill Points: 0]

[Stat Points: 0]

I let Hadwin and the others take care of annoying stuff and sit on the ground, leaning once again against the bus's tire.

Wind brushes my hair as I close my eyes, and slowly breathe in fresh air. It's so different from the air in the city. There's a hard-to-describe smell to it, slightly sweet but not too overpowering.

I like it.

Warm rays of the sun on my hands touch my skin, and other than the passengers, I don't hear anything. No cars, no machines, no planes. It's quiet, almost peaceful, yet I know how dangerous this place is.

Also, It's called the 1st floor, so does that mean that the sun, wind, and sky are fake? Are there other floors above or below us, or is it just a place on a distant planet? Is it the whole planet? Simulation?

At the moment, I'm curious about what will be in the sky tonight, but at the same time, I feel a hint of fear.

It's hard enough to fight against unknown creatures during the day, but at night, with reduced visibility...

Sure, we can set up a campfire, but that would be like running around the place and screaming that we're here.

"Haaa..." I let out a sigh. We're fucked, aren't we? I have a feeling that we were insanely lucky until now.

The wolf seemed to be starved or wounded and without its pack. We got ambushed by only three goblins, but even then, Hadwin almost died, and the other two got injured.

There will be more of them. I'm sure of it.

Should I leave? I glance back at the bus and try to ignore the discussion inside.

There are pros and cons to staying, but I feel like the pros outweigh the cons. I need someone to keep watch when I'm sleeping. Hadwin has a gun, so that's something, and it looks like the guy knows how to move around the forest. If we're going to stay here for five years, he would be useful.

I don't know how to hunt or skin animals. Hell, I wouldn't even know how to set up a campfire or cook.

Then there are also others. I can collect some data just from watching them - stat point distribution, skills, classes if we get to it.

Footsteps catch my attention, and a student emerges from behind the bus - a girl around 17-18 years old, slim, blonde, and taller than me, a girl called Tess, who used to be a friend until... I shake my head and force the memories to back of my head.

She briefly glances my way but then directs her focus towards the forest, leaning against the bus. Retrieving a cigarette and lighter from her pocket, she lights it up.

With her eyes closed, she slowly inhales, savoring the smoke.

“Haa... It will be really bad when I run out of cigarettes,” her voice is quiet as she slowly smokes, enjoying every whiff.

She looks at me. "Do you want one?" she offers.

I just shake my head and stay quiet.

"So you did stop smoking... so responsible." Tess smiles slightly.

I still don't react. Let's see what she wants.

The girl stops when she is halfway through her cigarette and extinguishes it against the bus. Then she carefully puts it back inside the pack and then pocket.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Five.

She is leaning in silence while looking towards the forest, "Do you also think that we are in deep shit, Nat?" her voice is quiet, and she still doesn't look at me.

Isn´t that obvious?

One minute of silence.

"It all looks so normal... trees, grass, sky..." She falls silent after glancing at the sky.

"You know, before we ended up here, I had a fight with my mom," she said, her voice even quieter now. "I called her..." she pauses for a moment and a self-deprecating chuckle echoes in the surrounding silence.

She then continues to talk, and I don´t say anything but listen.

I can do that much for her. I feel like I owe her at least that much.

"Do you think I'm an asshole?" she looked at me.

I didn't get it. Isn't what she thinks more important than my opinion?

I shrug my shoulders, and there is a slight disappointment in her eyes.

Then she chuckles.

"I should have expected such an answer from you. Anyway, Kevin found out something. Just say 'quest window'," Before she disappears back inside, she asks, "Nat, will you help me if you can?"

I look up from the ground and our eyes meet.

Obviously, my life is a priority. But if it doesn't put me in danger...

My answer is just a short nod.

Before she disappears from my sight, I see a hint of relief on her face.

"Quest window," I say out loud.

[Floor quest]

Stay alive for 30 days

Rewards:

- Entrance to the second floor

- Access to Community

- 1 skill point

- 5 stat points

[Side quest]

Stay alive for 24 hours.

Rewards:

- gear of your choice