The first rays of the morning sun filtered through the cracks of the hut, lighting up the faces still marked by the group's fatigue. Eldrin broke the silence with a clatter of pots as he whipped up an impromptu breakfast.

"Rise and shine! Dawn's here!"

Ugh!

Marshmallow shot out of bed as if electrocuted. He turned his head and saw the digital sunlight streaming into the hut. "Is it for real? Did we actually sleep the whole day away?" Marshmallow looked outside, incredulous at the already high sun. His expression was one of disbelief at having succumbed so much to the need for rest.

But it was worth it. He felt his arm and tried to move it. It worked! No more pain. Thanks to the potion, Marshmallow was back to 100%.

The Goat Horse, laying a hand on his leg, which now seemed as good as new, nodded. "Seems like it. And yet, it felt like I had just laid my head on the pillow. I've never allowed myself such a luxury..."

Dam, rejuvenated by the rest, couldn't help but smile at his companions' bewildered reactions. "I'd say it was about time. But now, it seems like the perfect moment to tackle more serious matters."

So, the group settled down at the table. Unlike the others, Eldrin had carried on with his usual routine. Breakfast was ready, the same soup Eldrin had prepared a couple of days before. When they saw it, Marshmallow and Goat Horse couldn't help but make a face.

Is this the only thing he knows how to cook? He must really like whipping up this particular dish.

As they sipped the soup, Dam wasted no time. "Marsh, have you thought about how to invest those EXP points you earned? This could be the right opportunity to make yourself more balanced or, maybe, to further boost your key abilities. You need strength to improve your use of that big hammer you're wielding, right?"

Marshmallow cut him off. "Hold on, before we talk points and EXP, you should be explaining that ability you used!" Marshmallow raised his voice, clearly a bit irked. "What do you think you are, a comic book superhero shouting out your special moves like that? And why didn't you tell us you could do something like that?"

Truth be told, Marshmallow had to admit to himself that moment was pretty cool. Dam had literally kicked butt with that move. If Marshmallow had a similar move at his disposal, he could've handled a lot of situations more effectively, without constantly getting into scrapes.

Damn B Rank bastard... how I envy you.

Dam, leaning back in his chair with a thoughtful expression, replied, "You know, I have no clue. It never happened before. Must've been the adrenaline, the desperate situation... At some point, the shout just came out naturally, and I felt this incredible energy coursing through my veins. It's like I underwent a mutation."

Marshmallow, puzzled, leaned forward. "So, you didn't even know you could do it?"

"No," Dam admitted, "I didn't know I could use it either. If I had, I would've told you when we were planning our strategy. But it was all instinctual. As if in that moment, Tricoda took on a life of its own."

The Goat Horse, listening quietly until then, couldn't help but add, "Well, it was a nice surprise, I'd say. Without that move, who knows how things would've turned out."

Right after breakfast, the group started preparing to leave. The virus plaguing Gear Savannah had been eliminated. Now, the journey to the Tower of Metal Moose would be much less arduous. The entrance to the tower wouldn't be clogged with the war among the biomachines anymore, and they'd unlikely have to deal with anything aggressive.

While Dam was clearing the table, Marshmallow was lost in thought, pondering how to allocate his experience points.

I've got 22 EXP points available, but to maximize the effectiveness of the Titan Hammer, I need at least 34 more. My Strength is currently at 16, and I need to get it to at least 50. I don't think it's worth putting them all into Strength; I'd become too unbalanced and might not handle it well.

The last fight had highlighted his shortcomings. He had great combat power with his Titan Hammer and an excellent sixth sense for predicting the enemy's moves. But if he got hit even once, just once, Marshmallow could be taken down. And he had been lucky; what if that fire dart had hit a vital area? If it had hit his stomach, head, or heart, Marshmallow would have been done for on the spot.

"You know," Marshmallow started, turning to Dam, "I've been thinking about how to distribute these points. The Titan Hammer... yeah, it's strong, but what really held me back against the Mechanical Cerberus and the Dark Entities was my endurance."

Dam, setting down the sponge, turned to listen. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Those fire darts were really tricky to deal with. They took down the Goat Horse too. I talked to him earlier, and I know he's got Tank-like qualities. Those darts probably would have hurt me too if they'd managed to get past my Tricoda's defense."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Marshmallow nodded, taking in Dam's words. "I get it," he said, "but I think versatility is key. If I'd had more constitution and stamina, maybe I could've lasted longer without going down so easily."

Dam stepped closer, leaning an elbow on the table. "I agree with you there. You have to be ready for anything. You can't just rely on brute strength. This game requires more than just a hammer, no matter how powerful it might be."

Marshmallow opened his status and scrolled through his stats. He thought for another moment, then made up his mind.

"Alright, let's go with this setup," he muttered to himself, confirming the distribution of points. A flash of light confirmed the allocation.

+5 points assigned to Strength

+5 points assigned to Dexterity

+5 points assigned to Constitution

+5 points assigned to Stamina

+2 points assigned to Luck

With that done, Marshmallow reopened his status screen, highlighting the progress made.

STATUS

Player name

Marshmallow

Rank

Jolly

Age

20

Faction

Wyolands

EXP

3651,2/4500

Level

9

Strength

20 + 1 bonus

Dexterity

16 + 1 bonus

Constitution

23 + 1 bonus

Stamina

19 + 1 bonus

Perception

47 + 1 bonus

Luck

8 + 2 bonus

Assignable Points

0

A satisfied smirk played on Marshmallow's lips. It was genuinely gratifying to see his stats slowly improving. He analyzed himself, thrilled by how light he felt, how his muscles had become firmer, and how supple his joints seemed. It was a sensation that would have been impossible to experience in real life. In that moment, Marshmallow felt entirely like a superhero, someone who had transcended human limits. He knew that no amount of real-life training could ever bring him to this level of power. He was at least twice as powerful as any human could ever hope to be.

Meanwhile, Eldrin moved with the efficiency of someone who had spent a lifetime preparing for any eventuality. The table where they had breakfasted was now clear, and he took the opportunity to lay out an assortment of items. There were detailed maps of Gear Savannah, rolls of bandages, various vials, and some strange inventions that only Eldrin could have concocted.

"You never know," he murmured, checking each item with a critical eye. "Better to bring a bit of everything."

Dam, observing the setup, raised an eyebrow. "I thought I was prepared, but you, Eldrin, are on a whole different level."

Eldrin laughed in the way an old sage might. "Old habits of an old warrior! Everything you see here could distinguish between coming home and becoming a memory."

Marshmallow approached, examining the various pieces of equipment with curiosity. "And these?" he asked, pointing to a set of small metallic devices that almost looked like toys.

"Ah, those are my mini-sentinels," Eldrin explained. "I didn't bring them for the Heart of the Forge because I didn't think they'd be useful. But for where we're heading, they'll be very handy. You can place them around, and they'll alert you if something approaches. Useful, right?"

The Goat Horse, now fully recovered from his leg wound, nodded in approval. "With all this, it feels like we're going to war, not on an exploration."

"The line between the two is thinner than you think," Eldrin replied with a slightly more serious tone.

Once every item had found its place in the backpack, Eldrin turned to them, his face lit by a confident smile. "Well, boys, it's time to set off. The Tower of Metal Moose awaits us."

"Let's go!" the Goat Horse exclaimed. Finally, the quartet was ready to head for the Tower of Metal Moose. They could hardly contain their excitement.