Weapons of Mass Destruction

Chapter 29

Much later, all of us are either inside the bus sleeping or gathered around the fairly large campfire we set up, as itʼs not only darker now but also colder. Itʼs not too cold, but itʼs noticeable.

Weʼve dragged all the dead goblins to the edge of the forest, perhaps in hopes that Cinderbear will eat them and leave us alone in case he comes back. Weʼve also fortified our position somewhat.

To be honest, itʼs pretty makeshift, but I guess itʼs better than nothing. There are sharp sticks planted in the ground, pointing towards the forest. Some of them are quite long, while others are really short, possibly intended for goblins to step on.

Weʼve also slightly upgraded the bus with pieces of wood that replace some windows and reinforce the entrance. Itʼs rather unsightly and took a long time to complete.

A few small groups of goblins came while we were working, but they were relatively easy to deal with. They consisted of only two to four goblins, all of them level two or three.

So now, we just sit here. The fire crackles pleasantly, and the warmth feels nice on our skin. Oddly, the flames are redder than they should be – just another strange occurrence. At this point, I wouldnʼt even be surprised if the flames shone like a rainbow.

Iʼm sitting on the ground, and nestled between my legs is a small corgi. Well, itʼs not that small, to be honest, and itʼs quite heavy.

I swear itʼs bigger than before.

Surprisingly, this little doggo has taken a liking to me after I fed it a few times and saved it from a goblin.

Time to pay!

I boop its snout, and corgi woofs in its sleep, mostly ignoring me.

Now that I look at it up close, he really does resemble a burrito. Maybe Kevin isnʼt that far off at this point.

As for the corgiʼs owner? Well, she isnʼt happy about it, but she doesnʼt say anything – at least not to my face, obviously. Iʼm sure she isnʼt so quiet behind my back.

But, darn it, Biscuit. Youʼre heartless.

Good boy!

What did she do to you? Did she try to turn you into a vegan or something?

I boop his snout once more; itʼs cold and the doggo only scrunches its face this time.

Tess is keeping watch again, along with Sophie and her sister. All three sit on the roof of the bus, while a few more people keep watch from inside. We didnʼt ask them to; theyʼre just that worried.

Itʼs easy to notice how close everyone is to each other, as if seeking safety and warmth from the people around them.

Perhaps a bit too close? A little closer and Kevin will end up sitting on my lap – well, on Biscuit and then on my lap. Iʼm sure the bravest doggo of the 1st floor of Hell difficulty wouldnʼt take that lying down.

On my other side is Lily. Like many people, she also leveled up and used her stat points. It seems that the experience requirements to level up from level 0 to level 1 are incredibly low. People were able to level up even after only poking a goblin once with a stick.

Oh, and one more thing. Iʼve noticed that my emotions are somewhat subdued. The reason is most likely [Focus]. I finally realized that Iʼm maintaining a lower version of the skill almost constantly and only enter a deeper state when I want to. Has it almost become a passive skill?

Itʼs hard to explain, and Iʼll need to experiment a lot more to fully understand it, but some of my emotions, such as fear, anxiety, and desperation, are still present – just much weaker than they should be. [Focus] is, well, allowing me to focus on my survival, and either Iʼm doing it on my own and unconsciously or itʼs part of the skill.

That would explain a lot.

Sure, Iʼm a phlegmatic person, but even in situations like this?

Absolutely not.

So yeah, thanks, Mr. Focus!

I should be more concerned about having some of my emotions nearly erased, but if itʼs for survival, I really donʼt mind losing a few. As for what will happen to me after I level up [Focus]

even more? Thatʼs a problem for tomorrowʼs me!
Okay?

Okay.

Thank you for your service, future Nathaniel.

I continue to use my skills and listen to the conversation of people around the campfire.

”...noticed it even before we got there. There were some disappearances of people all around the world. I heard that an entire class of kids disappeared in Japan a few weeks ago and another day, a plane full of passengers.”

Oh?

”I heard it too from my mom. Her friend said some people on the beach disappeared. She saw it with her own eyes. One moment they were there and then they just vanished.”

Huh, am I the only one who didnʼt notice anything? Well, who watches the news nowadays, right? And itʼs not like I need a friend to hear such stuff from them. Yup, Iʼm not the odd one here.

”I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense. They didnʼt even show it on the news. Just a few clickbait titles on websites...”

”So do you think weʼre not the only ones on the first floor? There might be some people who came here before us?”

”Maybe? You saw the rewards, right? One of them is Community, so maybe weʼll be able to talk to others?”

”Maybe we can create guilds!”

Silence, then they continue, completely ignoring the boy.

”There might be other difficulties other than Hell. If so, why did we end up here?” Hadwin looks around, and no one can answer, ”Also, what will happen after we get back to Earth?”

Not after, Hadwin, IF. I donʼt want to be mean, but it doesnʼt look like most of us will make it.

”Can you imagine the mess it will create if a bunch of superhumans appear out of nowhere?”

Who cares?

Thatʼs tomorrowʼs Nathaniel problem!

Maybe not even his, thatʼs the governmentʼs problem!

Finally they will do something useful with my taxes.

”And we just started; look at how strong we are after just a little over one day,” Hadwin says.

A few eyes turn to me.

Darn, stop, Iʼll blush.

But during Hadwinʼs entire speech, I notice that he isnʼt too unhappy. Itʼs hard to catch, but I swear I hear a hint of satisfaction and relief in his voice.

”How many floors do you think are here, Mr. Hadwin?” Lily asks quietly, and a few heads turn to the older man.

”I want to know that too. Also, do we have to move to another floor, or can we spend the entire 5 years on the first floor? Thatʼs something weʼll have to think about. Other floors might be much more difficult, so staying here might be a good idea.”

A few people nod. They continue theorizing, but most of the time they donʼt say anything interesting, so I just filter it out. After some time, they begin talking about what everyone likes to talk about – themselves.

”Iʼm pretty well-off back on Earth, and I know some powerful people, so if we get back, I can arrange something for us. Imagine how much we can get paid with skills like this.”

Oh come on, shut up, Ethan.

”What if we wonʼt be able to use our skills after we get back to Earth? What if all of this disappears?”

Huh?

Good one, Kevin. It doesnʼt sound too impossible.

The group around the crackling fireplace quiets down, everyone deep in their thoughts.

I look up at the beautiful lights in the sky. What would I do? I donʼt like the thought of losing mana.

To be honest, I hate it.

I let it flow through my body, pushing it, making it circulate faster and slower as I wish. Wisps of mana appear on the tips of my fingers, like smoke, but then they become denser, sharper, and longer when I want them to.

Thatʼs another problem for tomorrowʼs me.

But I have a suspicion that tomorrowʼs me would prefer staying over returning to Earth without mana.