"I have never played games before," Clare firmly replied, then added, "but I'm sure I'll learn quickly," looking at me with confident eyes.
"I understand. I also believe you'll adapt quickly. Let's start with the tutorial," I replied modestly, motivating her.
A lot of time passed, and we cheerfully spent it in this emptiness until suddenly, I paused the game and looked at my friend, who was also looking at me, pondering.
"If the world I sleep in is the real world, and the one where I can truly fall asleep is the dream world, then this one should be..." I said to myself, hoping for an idea to come to mind, but I couldn't think of anything. Suddenly, Clare said, "What do you think about 'Waiting Room'?" She stood up abruptly and cheerfully looked down at me, knowing it sounded cool.
"Okay, I like it too. So from now on, let's call this strange emptiness 'Waiting Room'," I replied equally happily, then unpaused the game, to which Clare, surprised, said, "Wait, I was jumping over the abyss, let me sit down." She quickly sat on the large cushions I had created. Occasionally, we snacked on our favorite foods, and it seemed Clare had similar tastes. We spent the time joyfully until Clare, looking at the camera showing my body, noticed something finally visible. It was a sign to take a break.
"John, look at the camera. I told you it was working," she reminded me, and we both stood up for a break. I headed to the real world to eat something. I quickly imagined returning to my body with great eagerness, and it happened. I opened my eyes and suddenly felt a huge hunger and fatigue, which was surprising after a 12-hour nap. I quickly grabbed some apples and coconuts that I had opened before and began to eat, hungry, but it wasn't the same as the delicious food in my dreams. Nevertheless, the feeling of getting rid of hunger helped me focus. Then I looked around and noticed familiar trees and the platform I had recently built. Looking down from above, I saw many goblins and wolves aggressively eyeing each other.
*There will be a fight,* Clare confidently said, her voice serious. *Do you think they will hear or see us?* I asked, concerned. *Unfortunately, the Blessing of the Rainbow Hope doesn't work during this phase of the moon, so you'll have to be very careful before it brightens,* Clare replied, worried. We then watched and telepathically commented on the fight between the wolves and goblins for a long time. I began to learn their fighting style and tactics, noticing weaknesses in some of their methods that I could exploit. Together with Clare, we thought about it, but we decided it would be better to focus on easier targets until I leveled up.
*So, what monsters should I go after to train and level up?* I asked my friend for advice, unsure. *I watched all the places we've been to yesterday, and it seems the easiest would be slimes because of their large numbers and easy access. Besides, they are considered weakest opponents, especially when they're young,* Clare suggested. *When they're young?* I asked, curious. *Yes, because the longer slimes live, the stronger they become. The oldest slimes can even defeat a young dragon. You probably noticed that yesterday when you encountered many slimes, including the largest one and the small ones that jumped at you and died after being hit, giving no experience. That's because most slimes don't live more than a day or two. Each day survived makes a Slime stronger, so adventurers hunt them,* Clare explained.
*Adventurers?! They exist?!* I almost exclaimed with energy, unable to contain my excitement. Trying to calm down, I continued, *Oh, you didn't tell me,* I was so impatient to travel around the world after hearing this *Adventurers just like in video games, dealing with quests and helping in emergencies,* Clare said happily, seeing my reaction. *That's amazing! I can't wait to become one!~* I eagerly exclaimed. Clare paused for a moment, then continued, *So... adventurers hunt slimes that are over 2 meters tall because they can cause more problems than a pack of goblins. However, the small slimes are ignored by adults, and more material can be obtained from them if they grow up first. They are often turned into a factory and locked in a cage, making the most popular in the world slime web. Anyway, they are considered the weakest monsters, so there's nothing to fear,* Clare said.
*I fully understand that I need to become stronger to avoid dying one night because of them,* I pointed to the ongoing battle that was slowly coming to an end. It turned out that the wolves were much stronger than the goblins. I waited long time, talking to Clare about various things to pass the time, and finally, the monsters began to gather their loot and the bodies of defeated creatures as the night faded and the day broke. But as the night vanished, I noticed something strange: the blood on the ground, combined with the fading moonlight and the sunrise, caused all the monster blood to evaporate as if someone had poured boiling water on snow, leaving nothing behind.
*What happened, Clare? Why did the blood disappear?* I asked, not knowing what was happening but suspecting it was due to the moonlight and sunlight. *That's what you're thinking,* she said immediately. *Wait, can you read my thoughts?!* I asked, startled. *No, I can't, but I guessed from the way you looked at the fading moon and the rising sun that you knew it was because of their light,* Clare replied seriously. *You're right. I just wanted to be sure,* I stated firmly. *You have to trust yourself more in making decisions, John,* she ordered. *You're right. Sometimes I should trust myself,* I replied with a smile. We waited for all the monsters to leave, and when they did, I came out of hiding, stretched, hummed my favorite songs, and started the day.
"Clare, do you know any weaknesses of slimes?" I asked, curious. *Of course, every creature has weaknesses, and slimes are known for their vulnerability to fire,* she replied happily. "Oh, I see. Thanks," I said, looking at the image Clare was describing. *You're welcome,* she said, and we went to gather dry sticks, some hay, and tried to make a fire by hitting sharp stones together. After a few minutes, I managed to light a fire. "I did it!" I exclaimed happily. *Yes, you did it very well. Now make a torch with a large stick that will burn longer. Remember to choose a stick that is hard and thick, resembling a club,* she suggested.
"Okay," I replied happily after igniting the fire, then went to find sturdy branches under the beech tree and chose the one with the best shape. When I returned, the fire was almost out, but I managed to light my torch. Then I went to the clearing where I had seen many slimes before, and as always, the small slimes attacked me, not causing any harm but rather tickling me. I tried my torch on them and quickly noticed how a smaller slime died. It looked as if someone had set cotton or hay on fire, and it died quickly.
"Wow, this torch is really strong, but at this rate, it will extinguish..." I said sadly as I watched the flame and the stick slowly burning out. *Don't worry. Now that you've killed the slime, you should notice the dark blue mass left behind,* Clare said. "Sure, what about it?" I asked, curious. *Put it on the torch after it cools down. Slimes are known to be highly flammable, it acts as fuel. In winter, for example, it is used to heat houses,* she explained proudly. "Wow, but how does it work that I can use something I burned to reignite?" I asked, surprised by the lack of logic. *It may sound silly, but you don't know that when a monster dies, its body changes in some way. The same goes for everything on this planet. You are the only one who leaves your body after death, just like humans on Earth where you died,* she explained seriously.
"I understand. In that case, let's take this mass and continue," I said, interested in learning more about this strange world. Every now and then, we were attacked by small and weak slimes that didn't give any experience, because of how weak they were. However, I kept the mass in my pocket and used it as fuel for the torch from time to time to prevent it from going out, even though the stick was already partially burnt, as was the link.
"Clare, I should make a few equivalents of this torch before it goes out completely and the wood burns out," I said, convinced it was a good idea, looking around for the best sticks for the task. *I recommend oak sticks; they have a much nicer smell and burn slowly and for a long time. If you manage to find red wood with black stripes, it's known for burning for a very, very long time,* Clare suggested, hoping we would find that wood.
"Okay, for now, let's make it from oak, and if we find that red wood, we'll make a good torch from it," I replied, and we continued our journey through the meadows until I noticed...