"Are you okay?"
"Yes, let's go. We have to get out of this place..."
Cough! Cough!
With Usagi's help, Jacob got up. Although his injuries weren't too serious in the end, he was extremely tired from the control his AI assistant had exerted over his body.
"Let's take the weapons on the floor and leave this place. I don't want to stay here for another moment." Jacob looked at Usagi, who surveyed the surroundings with a strong impression.
"I'll take care of that." Usagi moved away from Jacob and walked towards the scattered weapons on the floor, with corpses strewn everywhere. Blood stained the walls, forming thick puddles. Some of the dried puddles created a strange sensation when stepped upon.
While Usagi searched for the weapons, Jacob walked slowly towards the auditorium screen. On top of a table, there was a card stealthily placed with the number 9 of spades. It meant they had passed the trial of this place.
"This level is definitely not the highest. There must be better games waiting for us out there... If we had been together from the beginning, facing whoever we wanted directly to pass them the bomb, there wouldn't have been so much chaos, and that man wouldn't have killed so many players..."
Jacob's whisper was faint, as if he didn't want anyone to hear him. But those were his thoughts after all. It was impossible to force people, especially when they fought for their lives, to achieve something together.
"Jacob, I have the weapons." Usagi stood at the door with five pistols, a shotgun, and a rifle slung over their shoulder.
"I'm coming!" Jacob turned around and walked towards the door, helping Usagi with some of the weapons, and they both left the playing field.
...
Half an hour later, in the building Jacob and Usagi used as a camp, they tended to their wounds.
"They say the cards can hold the answer to everything that happens in this place, but I think that's overly optimistic." Jacob, who was closing the wound on his leg, spoke to Usagi.
"Can you think of anything better? We don't have many chances. If we initially played a game of 9 of spades, I don't want to imagine a difficulty 10 of spades trial..."
"Not really... However, if the games are card-based and the last card is the 10, where are the Kings of the deck?" Jacob asked as his gaze turned cold.
"Will there be kings and queens in this place?" Usagi asked this in a strange manner.
Jacob sighed and murmured, "I don't know, but it's better for us to rest so that we can go get more food tomorrow."
Before going to sleep, Jacob had taken one of those advanced medicines that could heal any type of wound much faster than conventional medicine, so he did that and then, due to exhaustion, fell asleep.
He had been thinking a lot about the game and knew that things would have gone better if he had thought differently. But since there was no turning back, he could do better in the next game.
...
Jacob was exhausted and covered in dried blood after the deadly confrontation in the auditorium. His body ached from the received blows and the accumulated tension of the previous game. With the first light of day filtering through the windows, he decided to take a shower to cleanse his body and refresh his mind.
The cold water fell on his skin, enveloping him in a revitalizing torrent. The icy sensation was like therapy, temporarily erasing fatigue and pain. Jacob made sure to wash away every trace of blood, letting the water carry the weight of the battle with it.
After stepping out of the shower, he approached the mirror to examine his wounds. To his surprise, he noticed that the injuries that had previously appeared severe were now in the process of healing. The marks of the punches and cuts were starting to close, healing at an extraordinary speed.
Jacob shuddered at the discovery. It was evident that something more than common medicine was at play. The medicine he had acquired, the one provided to enhance his physical abilities, was proving to be much more powerful than he had imagined.
With curiosity and caution, Jacob explored the wounds further. With each observation, he realized that the medicine seemed to have an accelerated regenerative effect. Even the deepest and most serious wounds were rapidly closing, leaving only small scars as witnesses of the battles fought.
A sense of awe and relief washed over him. This incredible healing ability not only gave him an unexpected advantage on the battlefield but also represented an opportunity for his survival. He knew he had to learn more about this medicine and how to harness its full potential.
With his body renewed and wounds nearly fully healed, Jacob prepared himself for the new problems that he had to solve today at the latest.
After drying off, he dressed in the clothing he had obtained as additional equipment and felt much more comfortable. Then, he left the bathing area and saw Usagi, who was preparing breakfast.
"Aren't you going to shower? We should make use of the water we have." Jacob sat by the window and began inspecting the weapons he had acquired.
In addition to pistols, he had obtained a sniper rifle slightly better than the one he had, so this was a victory.
"I'll do it after breakfast. What are we going to do today?" Usagi served the food and acted as if everything was normal.
"The first thing we'll do is go for more food. We need to bring more water and, if possible, gather other types of resources. We'll establish some defenses in this building to alert us of people long before they reach us."
Jacob understood how dangerous this world could be, considering Makumi's last words, so it was good to have defenses to protect themselves from others. With the plans set for the day, they quickly finished their meal and set off.