Sometimes, the fool's the smartest one in the room

The murmurs grew quieter as people began to listen carefully. 

Right, there has to be a reason, right?

Harry paced in the center of the group, his mind racing. "Let's break it down. Kyle was running, right? Laughing, shouting—basically drawing all the attention to himself. And then… bam! Death by underground tentacle."

He paused, rubbing his chin theatrically. "So, maybe it's noise? Or movement? Or… I don't know, maybe it smelled his fear?"

A voice piped up, hesitant but clear. "Or sound," someone said.

Harry turned, spotting a boy with glasses—one of his quieter schoolmates. The boy adjusted his glasses nervously as he spoke. "A lot of animals rely on sound or smell to detect things when they can't see. It's possible… whatever that thing was, it detected Kyle because of how loud he was."

Harry snapped his fingers, pointing at the boy. "Exactly! Thank you, uh… what's your name again?"

"Ryan," the boy muttered, looking down.

"Right! Thank you, Ryan!" Harry grinned. "So, if it's sound… then maybe we have a chance. If we stay quiet, move carefully, and don't draw attention, we might be able to avoid triggering whatever's lurking underground."

A ripple of understanding spread through the group. People exchanged glances, their panic giving way to tentative hope. 

"But…" someone started, their voice shaking. "What if it's not just sound? What if it's… something else?"

Harry shrugged. "Then we're screwed. But hey, let's focus on what we do know, yeah? Better than sitting here waiting to get eaten."

Jess stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning the crowd. "You heard him. No more shouting, no sudden movements. We move carefully and stay quiet. Anyone who can't keep it together—stick close to someone who can."

Harry stepped back, letting Jess and Darrow take over. He exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. The group still looked terrified, but at least they weren't falling apart anymore.

"Nice work," Jess murmured as she passed him, her tone approving.

Harry smirked. "Told you I could play the fool."

Her lips quirked into a faint smile remembering a line from her workplace.

'Sometimes, the fool's the smartest one in the room.'

_____ __ _

A few hours later.

Even though they had found a possible way to cross the distance to the fortress, no one moved. The group stood frozen, a palpable fear gripping them as they stared at the ground. The image of Kyle being swallowed whole was fresh in everyone's minds, replaying like a nightmare they couldn't wake from.

Every rustle of grass or creak of the earth made someone flinch. Whispers rippled through the group, hushed and panicked.

"No way I'm stepping forward," someone muttered.

"Are we just supposed to wait here until that thing gets us too?" another asked, their voice trembling.

But no one volunteered to test whether the ground ahead was safe. It was one thing to theorize about sound and movement; it was another to risk your life to prove it.

Harry, leaning against a tree, felt the weight of the group's indecision pressing on his chest. His breathing had calmed, and his mind had begun to clear.

The earlier panic that had gripped him was now replaced by a grim determination. He took a deep breath and whispered, "[Show Status]."

The translucent screen flickered into view before him.

[ Personal Fragment ]

Name: Harry

Health: 76% (Condition: Fatigued)

Stamina: 63% (Condition: Tired)

Core Attributes:

• Strength: 8 → 9

• Agility: 8 → 10

• Willpower: 9 → 11

• Intelligence: 11 → 12

• Wisdom: 15

End Points: 35

Harry studied the updates, his mind racing. His strength and agility had both increased, by one and two points, respectively. His intelligence had risen by one, and his willpower had jumped by two. He could even feel a subtle improvement in his stamina, though it was still displayed as a percentage.

"End Points are stacking up too," Harry muttered, his eyes flicking toward the total. "What can I even do with these?"

Could he use them to increase his attributes? Unlock skills? Or maybe they were part of some kind of shop system? He sighed, realizing he had no way of knowing yet. The system seemed to reward exploration and discovery, but so far, it hadn't given him a manual. 

He even tried to open the shop by speaking out loud many terms but it was of no use.

His gaze drifted to the horizon, where the fortress loomed. Between them and safety lay uncertainty—and danger. Behind them, the forest was eerily quiet, the Jonkeys, Endwalkers, and Grimlings seemingly held at bay by the underground creature.

But Harry wasn't naive. Whatever was keeping the forest monsters in check wouldn't last.

His eyes flicked to the sky, where streaks of orange and red painted the horizon. Nightfall was coming.

"Only six hours left," Harry muttered under his breath. "Two hours until dawn. That's all we need to survive. So why does it feel like the clock's ticking slower?"

He clenched his fists, his mind racing.

'We're stuck between two nightmares. One behind us and one beneath us. If we don't move before night comes...'

His stomach twisted at the thought. He looked around at the group. Most of them were sitting or standing in clusters, muttering nervously. Their faces were pale, their bodies trembling from exhaustion.

Jess and Darrow were at the edge of the clearing, speaking quietly, their faces grim.

'We need a plan,' Harry thought. 'But no one's going to step forward, not after Kyle. Not unless we're sure.'

He glanced back at his status window, the rising attributes giving him a small flicker of hope. Then his eyes locked onto the End Points again.

"There's gotta be a way to use these," Harry muttered. His fingers itched to test something, but the thought of burning points on a wrong guess held him back.

For now, all he could do was think.

And then it hit him: they didn't just need a plan—they needed hope. Something to rally them.

Harry stood straighter, his eyes narrowing as he stared toward the fortress.

"Alright," he said to himself, a grin tugging at his lips despite the dread creeping into his chest. "Time to check it out."