Day XIII: First Murder

The Sphere pulsed 87 times in rapid succession.

[8 700]

[5 650]

...

[14 350]

'Strange' was my first thought. I expected this would happen again, but now I had even fewer pulses and points than before.

'I killed 19 on my way here. I passed by 68 confirmed yellow goblins and counted 25 on the far sides…'

It clicked. 19 plus 68 equals 87. All these points were from the goblins I killed and those whose bodies I passed by. I had never killed a goblin from range before, and at the mountain, they all died by falling—not by my hand directly.

This meant that the Sphere recognized the kills only when I was in close proximity to the goblins.

'But why? Why does it work this way? I thought the Sphere just knew and tracked everything in this forest.'

[1 000 000]

The tome again.

I scoffed, rolled my eyes, and decided to move on. From now on, whenever I kill goblins, I will make sure to get close to their bodies. This also meant that the Sphere was not directly part of the forest.

'Would being close to a goblin while someone else kills it at range give me the points?'

It was an interesting thought.

I stared at the points again. 14 450 was a lot.

I bought [Good Nutrition] for 500, just because I could. I didn't know if it would make that much of a difference, but better safe than sorry.

Then I took a long pause. I had enough points for the upgrade of the Sphere, which cost 10 000 points. But I could also fix my leg now for 3 000 points. The same leg I broke in an accident back on Earth.

The images of that day flashed through my mind like a drag race. I was speeding on purpose, aiming to crash—all because of the guilt for what I did to the person who loved me most.

I shook off my thoughts. That was the past, on Earth. Now, I'm in this new world, whatever it's called.

I reached out with my thoughts and purchased the upgrade from the Sphere.

In the very next moment, I swelled. It drew me into itself. I panicked. I was confused. I felt like I was being eaten alive.

If I had skin in this dream-like state, it would burn. It felt like my very soul was being engraved upon.

The Sphere consumed me.

I panicked—a lot—but there was nothing I could do.

Then, new ideas popped into my head, the same way the Sphere always communicated with me.

[FIRST TIER GROWTH]

'Huh?'

[Embervein]

The concept of Embervein coursed directly into my mind. It granted me the ability to create and manipulate small flames. How was this possible? I had no idea.

Many ideas invaded my mind.

[Umbral Veil], [Echo Sense], [Aether Sense], [Giant Ancestry], [Blood Absorption], [Spectral limb]...

The list went on for quite a while, but there were about 10 or so.

But I understood every one of them. It was like superpowers? Nothing grand enough to let me fly, but they were all abilities that could be considered magic. There were options that allowed me to sense Aether, like [Aether Sense], and others like [Heaven's Pulse], which allowed me to sense Ki in my body.

Magic and Ki? Aren't they from different cultures and fantasies? You'd be correct to think that.

[Giant Ancestry] could give me a limited boost of strength when I needed it.

Another that stood out was [Umbral Veil], which would make shadows linger over me. It could help me blend into darkness, but the whole idea of shadows moving and reacting to me sounded… very, very weird.

Everything was weird...

All these abilities intrigued me, but I had no idea which one to choose. I settled on picking something that would help me immediately.

I first thought of the cave. If I had a way to navigate, I would be fine.

There were two options for this—[Embervein] and [Echo Sense].

[Echo Sense] was basically my mind sending out pulses, like a sonar. I didn't think it would send pulses rapidly, since I had to concentrate to emit even one. That was the impression I got from it. It seemed risky—being in total darkness and only sensing my surroundings every few seconds.

[Embervein] seemed like the better choice for walking through the cave. But I would still get burned by the flame, so I couldn't just keep it in my palm. If I used a stick as a torch, I'd run out of sticks quickly. If I spawned flames around the cave, I might burn away my oxygen. Besides, the flames didn't last that long.

I double-checked all the other options.

[Aether Sense] would allow me to sense and subtly manipulate magic. But I would have to learn how to use it myself. I had no knowledge of spells, so I wouldn't actually be able to wield Aether yet. The upgrade only gave me the ability to sense and interact with it—not to cast spells. Maybe [Aether Sense] could been the best choice in the long run.

Every option would help me survive in some way, and they were all great options.

I thought a bit more, and it really did all come down to my instincts again.

In the end, I chose [Echo Sense].

The very next moment in the blink of an eye, it felt like the Sphere moved through my entire being. Like there was no difference between me and the light it emitted.

Then, just as quickly as it enveloped me, it vanished—only to remain in front of me as usual. It was slightly bigger now, but otherwise unchanged.

I focused on my new ability, and more options appeared.

[Echo Range]

[Echo Frequency]

[Power of Mind]

There was more to this ability than I initially thought. That meant all the other abilities likely had their own hidden depths as well.

Both [Echo Range] and [Echo Frequency] did exactly what their names suggested, while [Power of Mind] determined how much I could tolerate the ability before tiring.

'Does my [Mind] stat influence my ability?'

[1 000 000]

The tome appeared again. It was becoming a real nuisance.

I decided to assume that my [Mind] stat influenced my abilities—it just made sense.

I could upgrade [Echo Range], [Echo Frequency], and [Power of Mind]. The first two were cheap, only 300 points each.

[Power of Mind], however, cost 1 000 points.

I had 3 850 points left. The smart thing seemed to be upgrading all my base stats until they reached the threshold.

I upgraded my Strength 5 times for 150 points. Next was Constitution, which I hadn't upgraded much before. I had to upgrade it 14 times for 420 points. If I wanted to upgrade any stat further, then it would cost 1000 points for one upgrade.

[3 280]

I moved on to invest in my new ability. I bought 1 upgrade for [Power of Mind], 3 upgrades for [Echo Range], and 4 for [Echo Frequency]. It all cost me 3 100 points.

[180]

I was done shopping and upgrading for now, but I needed to figure out what to do with this information.

Was I the first to discover that we could gain abilities from the Sphere?

If anyone else knew, it was Travis. He had that one hunting spot by the river where he could grind almost 20 goblins in an hour.

For now, this would be my secret. Once people saved enough points and dared to buy the upgrade, things would change.

'Maybe I should tell them?' I hesitated.

In the end, I owed them nothing.

Well… I did owe Samuel, Carl, Travis, and Marcus. But telling one of them meant telling everyone.

I decided I would tell Travis—if my instincts told me to.

I also wondered when everyone else would reach their stat thresholds. Were they the same for all of us?

What would happen if I upgraded my Strength another 50 times? Would I become a demigod?

Weird thoughts filled my head.

In the end, I willed myself to wake up from this dream-like state.

———————————————————

Agony

Severe agony and pain awaited me the moment I regained consciousness. I screamed in pain. My face felt caved in and beaten on one side.

"Why won't you die, you fucker!"

It was a woman's voice—one that sounded familiar.

I screamed and rolled away. I still couldn't see clearly at all. My eyes were swollen shut. It was actually burst and popped.

I quickly got up after the roll, but I was so dizzy, I stumbled.

A heavy blow struck my face, and I fell. I couldn't feel the texture of what hit me because I soon realized that my skin was torn almost completely. I felt dizzy and barely avoided the next hit I anticipated. I just threw myself around to avoud whatever could hit me.

I struggled, by falling and rolling everywhere like a desperate mad man.

I could hear many voices, but I was too spaced out from dizziness to make sense of them. I tried to fight back, and then I used Echo Sense for the first time.

To describe how the ability felt wouldn't do justice to how amazing it was. It was as if my awareness reached out, touching everything around me, and then retracted back into my mind. I could almost feel everything around me. It was more than merely sensing—I could perceive things as if I were looking at them with my eyes, except it happened in a 360-degree view, all at once. There was no color, but the outlines and properties were recognizable.

I didn't have time to register who was around me. I saw many people around me, some moving in towards me. Hands grabbed and held me up—behind, in front, from the sides, everywhere.

I fought back, swinging fists and elbows wildly. I was sure I knocked a few out with some of my swings.

I used Echo Sense again as soon as I could.

It took a bit of focus—almost like I had to charge my mind before expanding it outward.

What I saw made me stop fighting immediately.

Several people surrounded me, holding me up with worried faces that were faintly visible with Echo Sense. They all looked incredibly stressed seeing me like this.

Behind them, I sensed a group standing over a body. A tall, bald man stood among them, hands raised. I immediately knew it was Victor.

The voices around me started making sense as I calmed down and stopped fighting like a madman.

"Calm down, Jack. It's okay, we're here," said Carl's smooth voice. It was as smooth as his blonde hair.

"You're safe now, calm down," Samuel added from right beside me—probably the one holding my arm.

"What the fuck is going on?! I can't see!" I panicked like any normal person would.

"You were attacked while you slept, but Victor saved you, it seems," Samuel answered.

"Sit down. Let us take a look at you," Carl instructed. I complied.

I struggled to breathe, forced to gasp through my open mouth—my jaw wouldn't close properly.

It hurt like hell. My whole face and head throbbed with pain.

Familiar voices screamed in the distance—Rebecca and Travis. Their voices were furious. I used Echo Sense again.

Victor stood behind Travis and several club-armed men. Rebecca loomed over a body—Tessa. Her neck was twisted completely, snapped in a hauntingly unnatural way.

I also sensed an entire crowd behind me, held back by people who usually accompanied Old Man Ben.

"Shit. Don't fall asleep, okay? You have a severe concussion," said a voice I didn't recognize.

"What the fuck happened? Did Tessa attack me?" I asked, my voice strained with pain and groans.

"Was it Tessa or Victor who attacked you?" someone asked.

"I heard a woman's voice cursing me when I came to," I answered.

"Did you see it was Tessa before she got your eyes?" Carl pressed.

I almost fucked up. I knew it was Tessa because of Echo Sense, but I couldn't say that.

"I recognized her voice. I think. Why am I the one being interrogated?"

"Yeah, back off, Carl," Samuel defended me, helping me as I struggled to stand. Carl turned away to talk with Travis and Rebecca, who were still arguing. Echo Sense told me they were moments away from spilling blood.

"Is it morning?" I asked.

"No, probably a few hours till dawn."

I grunted, irritated. I thought Travis had someone on night watch. I wanted to scold him, but he and Rebecca were still arguing. Echo Sense showed me they wouldn't fight anymore but were trying to figure out what to do next. I could even make out Travis's face—he looked pissed.

"How bad is my face?" I asked, though my jaw ached terribly when I spoke. Some of my teeth were missing.

"Nothing the Sphere can't fix. We just need to figure out how to get you some kills."

"I'm glad I got to you in time," a familiar voice approached.

A few seconds later, Echo Sense showed me Victor standing next to me.

"Thanks. What happened to night watch?"

"I was on night watch with a few others. We got distracted by some of Rebecca's group—they wanted to lure us away. I didn't leave completely, and when I turned back, Tessa was standing over you with a big rock."

He answered patiently, with sincerity and regret in his voice.

I only got more pissed and screamed through my broken mouth and sore jaw.

"Rebecca! You bitch! Your people helped Tessa! I demand justice against those!" I was totally losing my shit.

I used Echo Sense again and saw Travis nodding in affirmation, with a grin.

"You are responsible for Tessa's death and the disfigurement of his face. You will bend the knee to me because you're clearly an irresponsible leader."

I wanted to punch Travis in the face. Somehow, he managed to make this all about himself.

They started arguing again.

"For all I know, you could have controlled Tessa to conspire against me so you could become the dictator of this place!" Rebecca shot back. I even heard cheers from the crowd as she rejected Travis.

I sighed and tried to walk away. Samuel helped me, my arm draped over his shoulder.

"For fuck's sake." I was so mad. This officially confirmed that I wouldn't share any of my findings with Travis. I even started considering that this might have been his conspiracy all along.

"Let's help you get some goblins. There's a good hunting zone to the west," Samuel said.

Then, I heard the voice I was most happy to hear at that moment.

"Yeah, we'll help. Come, lads! We got charity to do!"

Echo Sense confirmed Old Man Ben leading Samuel and three others as they helped me walk. I took this moment to test the range of my ability, using it as frequently as I could.

We were obviously in a clearing, but after a couple of meters, I sensed nothing beyond. I didn't know exactly how far it extended.

After a few pulses, I picked up the root and stem of a tree—then three trees. I started counting my steps as I walked until reaching the treeline. I was able to deduce that my range was 13 meters.

So my ability allowed me to see outlines and some textures for 13 meters every 6 seconds. It truly was a superpower, all things considered. I chalked it up to luck that I had chosen this ability right before losing my vision.

I didn't blame Tessa for what she did. She acted on her feelings and rationality—which, all things considered, were in a better state than Marcus's. I hadn't even seen that man since I returned.

For a moment, I blamed myself. I felt like I deserved this, which was why I wasn't that mad at Travis or anyone else. I was mad at myself, and now it felt like I got the punishment I deserved.

Yes, I was starting to lose my mind.

Everyone has been going insane lately. The attempted murder was a clear sign that people were abandoning their morality.

This is not Earth. There are no laws here.

The thirteenth day was about to start with another hunt—one full of even more mysteries for what we were about to find.