"You really startled me, Jayden! Don't just appear out of nowhere like that," I exclaimed.
Jayden looked a bit guilty and muttered, "I'm sorry, Seth."
I know he was an assassin class, but still! He needs to do something with his skill or else I would die because of a heart attack.
"Well, it's okay," I sighed.
I glanced at him for a while, but he remained silent. Head lowered and he played with his fingers again. It was puzzling. I wasn't sure what he wanted.
"Are you ready to head back to the colony?" I asked, suspecting he wanted to.
Jayden nodded enthusiastically. It seemed like he really wanted to return to the colony, but I wondered why he needed an escort.
Considering he had survived the second game and accumulated more than 20,000 points, it was clear he wasn't just lucky.
How suspicious...
"Which colony are you from?" I inquired.
"I think we're from the same one. I saw you yesterday, asleep behind one of the houses," Jayden explained, fidgeting with his hands.
"Ah, I see. All right, we'll head back to the colony. But first, there's something I need to do," I said.
We headed to the only surviving store. It wasn't an easy task to locate it amidst the ruins, with bodies scattered everywhere.
Damn! The smell was horrific, like finding a rat corpse forgotten in a hot cupboard for days. If these bodies weren't taken care of, the plague from a thousand years ago would appear.
Despite the reduced numbers, some monsters still roamed the area. I took care of them with my trusty revolver, making our path clearer.
Inside the store, we scoured for warm clothes, as the autumn chill was setting in. The number six rule in apocalyptic world was echoing in my mind: hygiene is essential, so clean clothes are a must!
I grabbed a bag and selected various warm clothing, including trousers, vests, and leather jackets.
I quickly changed my clothes because they were dirty, stained with blood, and torn from the goblin rider's attack.
Every time I remembered that incident, I couldn't help but feel frustrated about how weak I was to be slashed by that darn goblin!
While I changing clothes, Jayden watched me closely. His own attire was in tatters, stained with holes and blood.
I took a look around and noticed the children's section. "I think you need some new clothes, Jayden. Make sure to grab something warm like a jacket; it's getting cold out there," I advised him.
Jayden simply nodded and selected some warm items without much conversation. He turned out to be a quiet kid, which was probably a good thing.
Because I didn't like children. They were too noisy for me.
Once we were ready, we left the store, and not far from us, I spotted someone I knew - Nadya and Nia, lying lifeless on the ground. I stopped, a strange feeling in my heart, perhaps pity.
"Why are we stopping, Seth?" Jayden asked, curious.
"Just wait here for a moment; I'll be back," I told him, heading back to the store.
I took a cloth from the store's curtain and covered their lifeless bodies. They were fortunate to have left this harsh world together, holding hands, and their bodies were still intact.
This world was too cruel for them. It was best that they left it behind as peacefully as possible.
"Do you know these two?" Jayden inquired when I returned.
"Kind of... Let's get back to the colony," I replied, leading the way.
As we walked, I felt Jayden's hand hold mine. He looked at me as if asking for permission to do so. I didn't object and kept walking.
I remembered what Randy had done for me on his last day - he protected me and lost his life. I hadn't wanted that, but I felt like I owed him something.
Because Randy had saved me, I felt compelled to save someone else. Now, I save someone, it means we were even right?
Old me would mocking myself ruthlessly. I mean, why would I care about others?
Well, it's not something important to think of.
As I saw the golden hour, I realized that today had been an extraordinary day, despite nearly losing my life a few times and getting a seemingly useless skill.
Speaking of skills, where has One Strike gone? Well, he'd vanish in a few hours, anyway. For now, let's just savor the day.
We walked slowly as we savored the moment of peace for a while. After a while we arrived at the colony, I noticed an electric billboard displaying various population statistics:
[North Colony Population: 6,100]
[Ambrosia City Population: 31,250 ]
[Republic of Rufrenia Country Population: 3.75 millions]
[Gaia Population: 2 Billions]
Damn, a quarter of Gaia's population had already been exterminated, and this number would likely keep shrinking due to the ongoing game.
I didn't understand why God made this game. If She wanted it to be an apocalypse, why do all of this? If She wanted to make a new world, why did She kill so many people?
My deep thought was disturbed by the annoying sound of Matthias. He embraced my shoulder as if we were close friends. Of course I brushed his hands.
"I thought we would be close since all the trauma we shared." Matthias said, sounding disappointed.
"You mean my trauma? What even happened to you?" I retorted sarcastically.
Seriously, Matthias was an enigma. Sometimes he acted like a friend, sometimes he acted like an enemy with his sharp tongue. Could he just pick one role?
Matthias simply rolled his eyes. "Well, if you say so," he shrugged.
"Hey, everyone, I've found the perfect cottage for us," Gideon announced as he approached us
"A cottage? How is that possible? Aren't all the buildings reduced to rubble?" I asked, intrigued.
"Wow, you're a bit slow, Seth. The system provides houses for parties. If you're playing solo, you'll have to share with another solo player," Matthias chimed in, leading us to the new colony.
Indeed it was a new colony. I looked around, in front of me was a market, like a traditional market full of items. From food to weapon and armor.
Damn, how could all of this appear in just a couple of hours? It might be God's power. Despite the cruel games She has created, it's somewhat kind of Her to provide a new home and place for the players.
"This is the market; it's incredible, right?" Matthias acted as if he were a tour guide. "And you'll see that the sellers include elves and dwarves who, surprisingly, haven't tried to kill us."
He smiled and winked at one of the elves, but she looked uncomfortable and pretended not to see him.
I couldn't help but ponder, "Isn't it strange how God suddenly dropped us into this situation?"
If this was an anime, this would be the point where the genre would flip, changing from action to slice-of-life. I hated that, because I knew someone was gonna die at the end of the story.
Gideon, however, saw it differently. He chimed in, "You know, at first, I found it odd too. But isn't this almost like a blessing?"
His eyes wandered to the market as something caught his interest. "I'm going to grab something real quick. Feel free to explore the market while I'm gone."
Matthias suggested, "Let's meet again under the big clock tower later," as Gideon waved and walked off, leaving us to our own devices.