Connor took a bite from his steak as he listened to Jasem explaining some things that made him sweat.
"... Those were all the Sleepers I've met, but from what I've heard from each of them, there were a lot more, each in a different place, some most likely dead while others are still around the island" Jasem continued. "So did you use up your second chance?" His question made Connor contemplate, understanding what he was asking about exactly since Jasem just explained everything to him.
From what he told him, there were other 'Sleepers', he wasn't the only one. People that are able to travel to this world by going to sleep. He understood that many were like him and each was from a different corner of earth. How they managed to understand each other is still unknown since from Jasem's perspective Connor wasn't speaking English but Arabic while from Connor's it was the other way around. Whatever power was helping them translate, it was incredibly good.
Jasem highlighted a few things. The first one was that people had a second chance at life, dying in this world would send you back to what Jasem called a 'Memory' where he could relive that day, but there was a catch that many failed to notice leading to multiple deaths. A memory needs to stay the same, meaning that if the Sleeper changes anything major, other than what led to his death, would break his mind, turning him into a hollow.
A hollow is an empty shell of a person, led by instincts, no better than an animal. And like rabid animals, they attack everything in their paths, forcing others to put them down.
Second thing Jasem made sure Connor knew was that there was only one second chance, no third or forth, meaning that the next time you die will be your last.
Third, do not say a word about earth. People here seem to overreact for some reason, turning them into psychopaths the moment the word earth or anything indicating it is spoken. Jasem seemed to have some theories about this world, calling it a trial or a simulation of some kind, to which Connor nodded to, making the people's behavior when anything about earth is brought up make sense.
Jasem spoke about many things, the other sleepers he met and their stories, which included of course his very own. From what Connor understood, Jasem was a student in Tunisia, which was a country in North Africa, with a simple life. His routine was to go to classes in the morning, eat lunch, then go to more classes before he goes home. At the end of a long day, Jasem went to sleep, only to wake up to a woman screaming. He shot up, looking at the crazed lady and then around him, not recognizing his surroundings. Connor laughed when he heard that he woke up in a Citizen's home, sleeping in the same bed as a lady, giving the poor woman the fright of her life.
Luckily for him, he was in the outer layer, in the house of a peasant. He was quick with his words, explaining that he had been drinking and must have gone into the wrong house. The woman eventually listened to him after calming down and finally let him leave, he was sure that she would have never let it go if not for his pajamas and white smooth skin. His pajamas looked expensive, at least from the perspective of an undeveloped world, making the woman think he was a noble and letting the matter go.
Jasem spoke about how he managed to sell his pajamas and his ring and bracelet which he always wore to a merchant, earning him a large sum of gold, which he instantly spent on some cheap leather armor and a simple dagger. He had enough to buy more expensive ones but all the gold he earned went into strengthening himself with a Tablet. He invested in himself and it paid off. He managed to befriend the guards and was allowed to make some quick trips to the forest to hunt, earning more Gold, which were spent on his food and a room in the tavern, while the rest went straight into strengthening his body. Jasem explained that he opted for Strength, which was something he said he lacked while strengthening his Dexterity once in a while, ignoring Spirit. He said that Spirit was for Mages and he had no interest in joining the Monastery since he would need to if he ever wished to get his hands on a spell.
Connor listened to him, laughing at some points while contributing with his own experiences, of course omitting a lot of details about Grim and his stats, only revealing the level of his Dexterity. He didn't feel bad though since he was certain Jasem was hiding some things as well since his story seemed too smooth.
"What about the scar?" Connor asked. "It doesn't look old"
"I got this on earth" He said, whispering. "Some Zombie mutated somehow. It walked on all fours, its eyes were wide open, skin torn off with maggots and blood. It had long arms, abnormally long with sharp fingers.. Not nails. They looked like sharpened finger bones" Jasem continued. "It was fast and very quiet… It ambushed me and it gave me this" He said, shuddering as he remembered the creature. "I have no idea how a human being turned into something like that… May God have mercy on our souls!"
They chatted and ate before the sun started setting. Jasem helped Connor get a room at the Tavern and they agreed to meet up in the morning.
***
Connor awoke, the sun hitting his face from an open window curtain. He sat up and grabbed his weapon, walking out. "Good morning" he greeted Lisa and Maggy, who were preparing some food. "I'm going out for a while" He said after they greeted him back.
"Are you going to look for more supplies? I'll come along!" Maggy jumped up. Lisa looked at Connor, then at Maggy, her expression neutral.
"Not today, I'm going to do something quickly and come back" Connor stopped her and started walking away after fighting her on it. He walked to the VIP area's gate and with a slight jump he managed to get over it. He looked at the Hotel in front of him, specifically through the doors at the large creature inside. "Jasem said that the mutants grow stronger, just like us" Connor held his weapon firmly. "I need to kill it before it gets stronger"