Chapter 18 - Day XIX: Wuxia And The Mariachis

Another terrible morning heralded another terrible day. I woke up in the middle of the night, probably just after my body had enough rest to somewhat function, and then I couldn't fall asleep again, worrying about crystals hidden in the barricade. After an hour of fruitless attempts, I finally gave up and went outside. It was warm, like a summer night should be. Still, way chillier than during the day.

I sat on the ground and watched the stars for a while. I kept regretting not learning about stars, so I could maybe recognize something out there, in the night sky. That's how an hour, or maybe even two, had passed.

After It started to get a bit brighter, I headed down to the barricade with my equipment. I still took a longer path, even though everybody should be asleep at that time. I wanted to stay as far as I could from any people. I kept worrying that somebody found my crystals. Fortunately, it was not the case and I retrieved them safely. Next, I headed to the city center. When I got there only a few people were outside. The bonfire keepers. They didn't pay too much attention to me, but they did notice my presence.

I put the crystals on the symbol and turned them into points. Then I bought four oranges and a piece of meat with seasoning. Of course, without a bowl, it mixed with dirt, but at that point, I couldn't care less. I took it all and sat by the fire to cook the food. There were a few sharpened sticks available. I took one, and with the help of some ruble pieces, I managed to fix a construction that would hold it over the flame. Firekeepers were not amused by what I was doing, but they changed their attitude pretty quickly when I shared my oranges with them.

The injured were mainly taking care of the bonfire, and they changed pretty often., but now, after the raid on a goblin cave, those positions seemed to be occupied by the same people every day. They probably didn't have enough points to heal with the help of the device but had enough to survive for at least a couple of days and recover naturally. Still, they were very thankful for the food.

We talked a bit. I was able to find out that Juan made a group dedicated to upgrading the device, and they were working hard to achieve that. They called themselves 'The Mariachis'. The name come by at first as a joke, but then it stuck. The group consisted of people from all around the world, but since Juan was the one to put them together, and lead, he was also the main target of jokes. Mainly by members of his own group.

There was also the 'Wuxia' group made by a Chinese bodybuilder, which they mentioned as another big one. I remembered that guy, he was huge. His name was Zhang Yong. We never talked, but It was hard not to notice somebody like him. From what they were telling me, he also wanted to upgrade the device, but overall his goal was something bigger. He wanted to either go back to earth or make our living conditions better. They were telling me he wanted to build farms and stuff. Both those things, in his line of thinking, involved upgrades. I also thought the device is definitely a key to discover what the hell was happening to us, and also our survival.

Great goals if you ever asked me. Very noble. Even though, I kept doubting if they both will stick to them.

Done with the talking, I picked my equipment up and went to the device. Other hunters were just starting their day by then. I wanted to check if I can afford to get rid of the exhaustion since the price went up yesterday by 100 points. I felt even worse today, so I was worried about how much it would cost me. It went up by another 100. So the cost was 700 overall.

Even though I bought it, I was pretty skeptical about it, but, to my amazement, it worked. A strange feeling went through my body, and I felt way better. It's hard to describe. Like taking a dive into cold water. I felt like a newborn baby. I could only hope nobody noticed my reaction.

It also meant the upgrades had to work. I kept thinking that maybe we didn't do something we were supposed to do, or they were just so small, that we couldn't notice.

With new strength, I went hunting. It took several hours to encounter the first goblins, and even though it was a group of four, I decided to engage, because their equipment was basic. Only sticks. It was not the wisest decision I ever made, but it also wasn't terrible. A good test of my skills. The fight was short, but there was a moment when I almost got hit straight to the temple. It made me think way more about how I should approach hunting.

After I picked all four stones, I headed even further. The opportunity was too great to not take advantage of. I knew I'm not gonna feel the same tomorrow, and it will get only worse.

I searched for another hour, or maybe even two before I found a suitable group of three. This time I didn't rush to battle, and instead waited patiently, to ambush them. Because of that, I was able to take the first one almost instantly, and then the second one, when he charged at me, utilizing my longer reach. They rarely tried to block, and even then the power of full swing was too much. The third one died after a short duel. I collected crystals and pushed on.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find more groups small enough for me to engage, and after the sun started to head down, I gave up and headed back.

When I got close enough, that I could see the city gate, I took a good look around, to check if there is nobody around, then I marked a tree, and burrowed four crystals under.

Nacho's group waited for me as usual now. I gave them two crystals. They would take them anyway. This time though, I didn't get hit. After, I went with them to the city center. They did joke about me and insulted me several times during the walk, but I kept ignoring them. I knew that if I want to survive, I can not afford to get pointlessly injured.

I sold the single crystal for points, then bought four oranges and a nice piece of meat with seasoning. After that, I sat close to the bonfire, just as I did in the morning. I also shared the fruits while cooking meat and talking with them.

Then the rest of the hunters started to come back. I saw Will and Aisha. Both uninjured, but looking very tired. I didn't talk to them. Instead, I headed to my hideout, taking a longer route, as usual.

Day ended with 551 points on my account, and also four crystals hidden in the forest.