Chapter 8: Day 8 (2) – Self Reflection

Chapter 8: Day 8 (2) – Self Reflection

I picked a building that was a bit distant from the gate, but close enough to overhear any noise and spot anyone walking around. It wasn’t the best position. That was on purpose since the best building to wait in, was one my pursuers would probably wait in to ambush me.

The restoration from the pillar removed fatigue, but there was a mental part that wasn’t completely removed. I basically set the watch to beep every half an hour. I had tested how far the sound carried, and it wasn’t that far despite the silence oppressing the deserted city.

Now I just needed a lot more points. I confirmed that killing people didn’t give me any points. I thought on what to invest in now. Body was okay, but I still struggled. I wasn’t hopeless, but I wasn’t in the kind of shape that I could run for over an hour. That short escape had been the very limit of my ability and if it hadn’t been for the recent restoration, I never would have made it.

It would cost about 3,000 points for the next 10 upgrades and then 3,500 or so for the following 10. If I wanted to raise each of my four remaining stats up to 10, I needed 32 more points. So about 10,500 or so points or 2,100 slimes.

There was no way any of the upgrades were useless. Perception meant being able to see or sense better and Mind probably meant being able to process things better. The details were unknown, but I felt I could work them out from their possible effect from their names alone. Spirit and Aura were the big question marks at the moment, but I didn’t have a single doubt that they would be any less useful than the other stats listed in the store.

If anything, they were the most important. Anything that humans weren’t used to, like magic, would probably fall under those categories. There was also no way I was upgrading the store. Especially after killing my teammates and the people attacking and chasing me from the plaza. It was a risk I was taking, but I wasn’t about to spend points on a store others would benefit from.

Still, it was clear there hadn’t been a mass arrival after five days. So, my hope was on ten days. If that wasn’t the case, then the next set of teleportation would probably only happen once everyone in this batch was dead or a very long amount of time.

I was in no rush at the moment after what had happened. If it was just me, it would be boring. I could handle the isolation and boredom no problem. I thought that now, but it was far better than worrying every second of the day if my teammates would kill me for crystals to get points.

I preferred the solitude, the silence, the quiet peace of reflection. I would never say no to a good conversation, but everything so far had been stressful. This was the first point I had since arriving to this fake game world to just relax.

I clenched my hands. What I had done, had been done. There was no going back. It was either them or me. Don’t lie to myself. It wasn’t them or me, it was a choice. Good or bad, I had to live with it now.

The key thing about these types of games, was that they were always zero-sum games. Like a sports game, there had to be a winner and a loser.

Was it the best choice...maybe? It was the choice I had made. That was why I would always suck at the Prisoner’s Dilemma. The idea behind it was two people in separate rooms. If both plead innocent, they each get 1 year on a lesser charge. If one confessed, and the other didn’t, the person who confessed would go free and the other would get 3 years. If they both confessed, then each would get 2 years.

The optimal answer was for there to be trust and both plead innocent. If they both thought that, then the next step in that logic train would be for you to confess and be free. That is how you end up with the sub-optimal result of both people confessing.

There had been a number of studies and analysis on the question. To me, it came down to a matter of trust. Do you trust people to do the optimal choice for all parties involved?

My answer was a clear and concise no. To put my life and fate in someone else’s hands was against who I was. I would trust a police officer, due to the fact they get paid and had consequences for bad behavior. The same with a doctor operating on me. But I was a cynic at heart. I didn’t believe in the inherent goodness of people.

That didn’t mean there weren’t good people. But the risk involved was too great for this type of situation. My life was the most valuable commodity and I was loathe to spend or risk it. Still, I clenched my hand in anger and frustration.

My preference would have never had to been forced into the situation in the first place. The fact that I thought there was no better path forward was a failure on my part to properly plan.

That was when I heard laughter and shouting. I checked out the window, and saw three people coming back inside the city. I frowned, they had probably picked up crystals from the slimes. It was time for me to act. I couldn’t let the secret of the points get away with these people. If I didn’t strike now, they would get a restoration and I would be easy pickings.

I left my pack behind and brought only a single club. While it was tempting to duel wield, it would be too easy to get overwhelmed and lose my grip on my weapons.

“We are going to eat well boys. These crystals have to give points or do something. No wonder that asshole had so much food.” I was creeping next to the houses. With one house extended out a bit more into the street in front of me they couldn’t see me.

“Finally, some good news. Let’s head back.” I rushed out. I counted five, the other two had probably hung back to try and catch me or something. My first swing hit the closest man in the side of the head, taking him out.

I didn’t hesitate and swung the other direction while stepping forward. I hit another man right in the face, shattering his teeth and jaw. He fell to the ground moaning and screaming.

“Get them Frank!” I shouted out, focusing my eyes and head behind them. The three remaining men, including the super brute hesitated and looked behind them. I stepped forward and hit the brute on the knee. He stumbled back and fell on his butt letting out a cry of pain. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

The other two spun around, rage on their faces at having been tricked. “DIE!” One of them shouted and rushed at me. I swatted away his blow, but that was when the second one rushed in as well. I had to move to keep the first man between us, to avoid getting overwhelmed. I parried another his attacks. I had strength and energy on my side while they were all exhausted and tired.

Act! I stepped in and jabbed out with my club. The blow took him in the chest. He began gasping for air and fell on his butt. The other man stepped past his downed companion and swung.

“Why are you doing this?” He screamed out in rage. His lips were dry, and his eyes were sunken. Probably a former drug user, which made him weak but also unpredictable.

“Magic formation, three. Fireball!” I swung out my free left hand. The man shied back in panic. I stepped forward and swung through his guard to hit him in the head. He stumbled to the side in a daze. I swung back in the other direction, hitting his head again and laying him out.

“You. You are going to die.” The super brute was on his feet, but his knee wasn’t looking good, and he was shaky on his feet. I backed up as he advanced, making sure to manage my breathing.

“You look like a person who is the picture of steroid abuse. Do you have a tiny dick?” I asked.

“Ahhhh!” He screamed and rushed at me. I quickly retreated. His leg was in bad shape, and he was clearly exhausted. I led him away from his group. Once there was some distance, I went around him and back to the rest of the men I had downed. Delivering a blow to the head of one of the men who was struggling to get up.

I then kept up the chase. After a minute, the super brute collapsed to his knees and was breathing heavily. I slowly walked around behind him, circling him like a shark. Forcing him to turn and turn. I kept walking around him. The other four men weren’t moving at all.

“Why?”

“Why not? This area is mine and the slimes are mine. I won’t allow you to steal this opportunity and get revenge.” I only spoke so he would waste more breath.

“I hate you,” he said that with such passion, I almost felt bad for not caring. The key word being almost. I kept walking and he kept turning to face me. I then quickly switched directions and he struggled to change his rhythm.

I rushed towards him and swung at his head. He got an arm up in time. There was a loud crack. The bone was broken for sure. I backed off and began circling him again. He only lasted one more blow, the one after that hit him in the head and killed him.