Woken up by weird banging on the abandoned car. I hold my makeshift spear tightly. I brace myself for whatever coming up.

"Heeey. Are you still alive?"

"Oi, are you sure he is still alive? Even if he is still alive is it fine to disturb him just like that? What if he's offended? What if he is not a good person in the first place??"

"Oohh you, shut up! Can't you be more quiet!"

"B-but you're the one who's being loud!"

"You!, you dare to talk back to me like that?!"

"Hiiiiek, sorry"

Other survivors? Is it a good sign? They didn't seem very threatening. Communication also seems feasible.

"Hey, you two. You two shouldn't be disturbing people's sleep like that"

I said creating conversation while walking out of the abandoned car as calmly as possible, to not create any incitement that might lead to conflict which I can't afford being one versus two in a situation where I didn't even know their capabilities.

"And shouldn't you guys introduce yourself first, in this kind of situation?"

I add.

"Oh, sorry about that, my name is Maya, and here is Bima we are here to do daily scout at that giant forest right there"

Said a woman named Maya, she's a quite petite girl with a height of approximately 152 CM and black hair that shines a little bit golden through a sun ray at shoulder length. Her personality looks kinda lax, and little bit overbearing attitude.

"M-my name is Bima. N-nice to meet you"

Said a teenage boy beside her probably in his 19th with quite tall heights at 190 CM, short black hair with few white hairs here and there, probably because of being stressed to live in this kind of world. He has quite a reserved personality or maybe just being calculative or even just that timid instead I can't be sure either.

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"My name is Rian, anyway, scouting? Is there some kind of dangerous entity in there?"

Not to say it's a daily scout which means it's periodic things to do. Them being scout also means they're not something I can underestimate either. Which also means they have a group backing them up.

"You don't know? Man, where have you been?"

Said maya.

"You know that these kinds of sites appear suddenly after [the third migration] right? And then after [the fourth migration] monstrous monster that appears on [the second migration] somehow they started to hide themselves in this kind of sites"

She then explained.

"Wait didn't that mean this forest is hella dangerous? What about the government then?"

I blurted out without thinking much.

"What? Do you think the government would keep it together after [the second migration] when all monstrous monsters and these kinds of sites appear out of nowhere? Have you been hiding yourself away all this time?? But your status is actually pretty good for dudes who have been hiding themselves away"

She said interrogatingly.

"Status?"

I try to change the topic right away.

"Stats, don't you know it? It is just like in the games, Just say it out loud or think about it in your mind and some kind of game window would appear, some older people who didn't understand the game concept said they just thinking about their body conditions and it appears in kind of things they understand. Mostly they describe it as floating writing or something like that. Blind people are even more varied some said they see it clearly like their vision is back, even though everything else is still dark or blurred while others who can't learn the concept of seeing in their lifetime heard a whisper instead. Quite incredible don't you think?"

She explains.

"All this thing's past the point of incredible ages ago"

I said commenting on her easygoingness.

Thinking back it's seems her group accepts old folks and those with disabilities too, which quite unthinkable in this kind of scenario. Either their group is a great group that has the capabilities to accept these kinds of people or they're fucked group that exploits disadvantaged people... There is also an option that they're just push over group but there is no way that kind of group would last this long... would they?

"Hehe, you're right. Now now, aren't you going to check your stats"

She urged me.

She is right, I got lost in thought.

"Ugh, fine. Status!"

I comply.

[Status]

[Mana : 4.7]

[Strength : 6.8]

[Health : 6.2]

[Special status]

[Comprehension : 7.6]

[Blessed body]

"Now, what are your stats!"

She keeps urging me.

"Uuugh"

Annoyed I told her.

"Nope, I won't tell you unless you tell me how this stats actually works"

"Muu, fine you don't actually ask how status works right? just want to know what the standards actually are right?"

She corrected me.

"R-right"

I agree with her correction, why would I ask something obvious? Am I overwhelmed by her? haaah.

"Okay, I would say people with ordinary physique would have 0.9 to 1.4 and 2.1 for people with strong physiques like athletes"

She explained.

"What? mine is mostly above 5.1 tho?"

I'm genuinely confused.

"Aha!"

She shouted out of nowhere.

"That's the stats of people when they haven't ingested any essence yet. Ingesting essence would increase your stats. Wow, it seems you're quite productive in your hunt"

Essence what does she mean? did she mean these pearls? I keep quiet cause I don't want her to read more about me.

"Ingesting... How did you know that?"

I ask cause I'm legit curious about it.

"We observe it by how animals get stronger after eating it, don't you do the same?"

She explains.

"Ah yes, it seems it all the same, it seems"

I'm trying to confirm her.

"What about special status thought?"

Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm curious about it too.

"Special status??? Do you have that? Is that why you felt different??

She asks enthusiastically.

Damn, am I just stepping on land mine just now?