Day X: New Goals

The Sphere gave no pulse as it appeared before me. Guess there's a first time for everything.

[20]

I realized it showed up every time I was unconscious or asleep. Marcus had healed during the battle when he was knocked out. This time, I didn't get any kills, yet it still appeared.

Something about this consistency reassured me. It felt like a constant, a lifeline—proof that as long as the Sphere was there, I had hope.

That thought alone made me decide to push for 10,000 points. This Sphere, the very thing keeping me alive, could do even more if upgraded.

That settled it. I'd save at least 1,000 points daily for the next ten days. Another 200 points would go toward nutrition. Anything extra could go into improving my stats.

____________________________________

I woke up to noise—people talking loudly over one another. Sitting up, I noticed it was almost dark.

Samuel peeked around the side of the boulder.

"Travis and the rest are back. Be careful—it looks like drama is coming."

I nodded, wiped the sleep from my eyes, and stepped around the boulder.

Chaos.

Almost everyone was gathered at the pond, standing in clusters. Some were in groups of three or four, but most had at least twenty people.

I spotted Rebecca. Her group had over thirty members, and several smaller groups stood close to her.

Opposite her, a relatively smaller crowd had formed, with Travis at the front. He was speaking to the gathered people.

"Calm down, everyone. I'm sure he didn't mean it! He's not in his right mind right now!"

Behind him stood Marcus, restrained by familiar faces. One of them was Victor—his bald head reflected the fading sunlight.

I hung back.

"What happened?" I asked Samuel next to me. His hair was so frizzed out, it looked like an afro.

"I didn't see it, but Marcus attacked someone just as Travis got back."

I nodded, a pang of guilt stirring in my chest.

After some time, they struck a deal—Travis would help the injured guy hunt for points to heal, and in return, he'd get a stat boost from extra kills.

With that settled, everyone dispersed.

As Travis's group of twelve passed the boulder, he noticed me.

"Jack? Good to see you're still here. Let's talk."

I just nodded. I really didn't want to, but saying no would only cause more trouble.

We walked apart from the others, toward the treeline where the ground was softer.

"What went wrong? Did you lie to us?"

He stopped, grabbed my shoulder, and locked eyes with me.

"No!" My voice carried, drawing everyone's attention.

I lowered my tone. "No."

He studied me for a moment, then let go.

"Then I believe you," he said as we continued walking.

"What's your theory?"

His question surprised me. Why did he respect my opinion so much when he was usually such a hardass leader?

"I really don't know. I haven't figured it out myself. We passed the area where the forest was supposed to change, but the goblin group that appeared behind us was the same one I fought before—when I got the sword. And I've never seen a monster that big before…"

I trailed off, my thoughts racing.

"Hmm" Travis said. "Victor and I discussed it and came to the conclusion that this forest—perfect as it seems—is artificial. Either it expanded and replaced whatever was there before, or it shifts like an automated maze."

I stared blankly at him.

We truly had no idea what was going on.

"Travis, I was thinking of climbing the mountain to get a better view. Maybe find some clues."

"Do that and report back when you return. We need every advantage we can get."

I nodded, I was surprised that he agreed so quickly, although with the aim to benefit his own agenda.

"I could reach it in half a day if I jog."

He didn't seem fazed at all.

"Make sure you don't kill any goblins in the first half of the trip. Other groups don't like us thinning out the hunting grounds."

I didn't like that idea. Before he could assign people to go with me, I stopped him.

"You know I'm faster alone. I should go now, before the goblins respawn. Your group wiped them out on the way back, right?"

He frowned.

"You're crazy. In this darkness? You need sleep to function properly, and the Sphere—"

I raised my hand, cutting him off. It was funny to see him startled like this.

"I slept all day. We need answers sooner rather than later. I'll go now and be back the day after tomorrow."

He considered it for a moment before nodding.

"Take this," he said, grabbing a club from someone lying nearby. The person didn't protest—an unspoken sign of how much they respected Travis's decisions.

He turned away to talk to someone else.

I scanned the group. No sign of Hannah.

I'd never spoken to her, but she'd caught my eye during the expedition. Her straight black hair reminded me of an Asian's, but her facial features were distinctly Western—a strange mix.

She was pretty—if you ignored the dried blood, dirt, and sweat.

As the others settled down for the night, I circled back to the boulder.

"I'll be gone for a while. Thanks for today," I told Samuel, who was chatting with Carl.

Carl's blond hair was matted with blood, making him look like a homeless man.

"Watch your back," Samuel warned.

"Tessa's hunting for you. Carl and I had to push her away while you slept."

"Yes. She's got a few others with her—most of them hate Travis and anyone who sides with him." Carl Added.

"Okay, I'll be careful, but I don't get it. Why are everyone so teamed up against each other? Against Travis."

"You missed what went down the first couple of days," Carl said, and didn't add to that more. "Now, it's mostly subtle. For example, the guy Marcus attacked? He can get twenty kills with Travis's help just to keep the peace."

My jaw dropped.

"That's extortion. 2000 points."

Samuel smirked. "By the way, you owe me at least five goblins for keeping you safe."

I scoffed. "What, you a gangster now?"

"Yes. And a gangster protects his cubs," he said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. "Later."

You'd think I would've learned my lesson about walking through the forest at night, but I felt well-rested and pumped to hunt. So I went for it.

I headed southeast toward the mountain. I knew Travis's group had cleared the goblins between here and there, so I could jog at a good pace without worrying.

The moon wasn't full, but it was bright enough to light my way. I still tripped over branches and rocks a few times but kept going.

Eventually, I ran into a goblin group.

I was only slightly winded—nothing compared to how exhausted I'd been a few days ago.

I killed three with the club, dodging their attacks with ease. They lunged and tackled, but I countered each time, smashing their heads in. One took two solid blows before going down.

As I neared the mountain, the goblins must have respawned, because I killed even more. It must've been past midnight. That meant I'd been jogging for six hours or more—covering what should've been a ten-to-twelve-hour walk.

Impressed with myself, I kept going, fighting through the night.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness, but I still struggled to spot them first.

By the time exhaustion hit, I was further south than I intended, still at the mountain's base. I walked to where I thought East would be.

Yawning, I climbed a few meters up—just enough to get above the treetops.

I checked my surroundings, making sure no goblins were nearby.

Then I sat against a rock, hoping it to actually be faced to the east. I had no way of knowing, but I went off memory of the mountain's silhouette.

It was tall, with only one peak.

I shut my eyes for a quick power nap, trusting the sunrise to wake me.

The night ended with 17 goblin kills and 20 points in the Sphere.