Chapter 9 - Objective

While talking to Ellen, a question popped into my mind, one that strangely hadn't occurred to me until then: why did I assume that my sister wouldn't be in this place too? There weren't any concrete evidence that we were the only ones here, but for some reason, I made the decision to believe that my sister wasn't present.

When I found myself immersed in these thoughts, a wave of panic hit me hard, squeezing my chest and suffocating my breath. After all, my sister was the deepest and most precious reason for my existence. The mere idea of losing her was overwhelming, a darkness I wouldn't know how to face. It was Ellen, by my side, who, with her comforting presence, managed to calm my internal turmoil.

Although she asked what was going on, I chose not to share my thoughts with her. After all, our relationship wasn't exactly close. To me, we were more like teammates, willing to use each other to achieve our own goals. This functional dynamic didn't bother me; as long as we were both useful to each other, there would be no reason for betrayals.

Anyway, we remained on the bus for about 30 minutes, taking the time to rest. We knew we had enough food for some more time, but this supply wouldn't last long. Additionally, our consumption patterns varied: people like me and Ellen, who explored the forest, needed more food than those who chose to stay inside the bus. As for the looks the other passengers sent our way, honestly, it didn't bother me.

Hey, if they want to eat like us, they just need to enter the forest, right? Well, honestly, it's easier said than done. Not everyone is willing to risk their lives like that, especially when there's someone doing it for them.

Strength: 2

Constitution: 15

Agility: 4

Perception: 5

Intelligence: 6

Ether: 5

By the way, here are my current stats. Clearly, the most notable one is constitution. As for strength, honestly, I haven't seen the need to increase it yet, especially now that I've discovered that pumping Ether into my heart can yield similar results to increasing strength.

In the future, my efforts will probably be focused on increasing constitution, agility, perception, and Ether. Honestly, I still don't fully understand the role of intelligence and whether I should invest in it. However, my theory is that intelligence directly affects my mastery of Ether, or at least that's how it works in games.

"Noah"

While I was immersed in my thoughts, Ellen's voice caught my attention, making me turn towards her, who was beside me. Her little sister still seemed to be asleep. As I looked at Ellen's face, I immediately noticed a look of concern.

"What's wrong?"

Upon hearing my words, Ellen briefly glanced towards Leo, who was chatting with some people outside the bus, before returning her gaze to me. I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her peculiar behavior.

"What do you intend to do?" Ellen asked, giving me a serious look.

I didn't exactly understand why she asked me that question, but I suspected it was related to Leo. Moreover, Ellen, in a way, shared the same determination as me, someone willing to do anything to protect those she loves.

"I intend to continue hunting monsters to level up. I can't shake the feeling that something big is about to happen as we get close to completing the main mission"

As I uttered those words, I redirected my gaze to Ellen and noticed a look of perplexity on her face. Did I say something wrong?.

"Which mission are you talking about?"

My confusion increased upon hearing this. Ellen wasn't aware of the mission? But why did I assume she knew? In fact, I realized that since I became aware of the missions, I hadn't heard anyone mention them. This made me think that maybe no one was aware of these missions.

"In your status window, next to your name, there's a square, right? Now, imagine you're selecting it. That should open a new window"

Ellen still wore a confused expression at what I was saying, but nonetheless, she acted upon my suggestion. Although I couldn't see her status window, it was evident from her surprised and incredulous reaction seconds later. This suddenly made me curious: were the missions we received the same for everyone, or was there some variation?.

"What missions are showing up for you?"

As soon as I asked this, Ellen seemed to snap out of her trance and quickly began reading what was written. While she was busy, I directed my gaze outside the bus. Leo seemed to be getting along well with the passengers; in fact, he was even giving orders to others.

"The main mission is indicating that I need to survive for a week, while the secondary mission is instructing me to reach level 5" explained Ellen.

I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not that the missions were the same for everyone. While that had its positive side, as everyone was on the same page, the flip side was that depending on the mission we chose, it could also entangle us in trouble. However, there was nothing I could do about it; I was completely at the mercy of this system.

"It seems like the missions are the same for everyone" I commented with a sigh.

"That's a good thing, right?" Ellen asked.

"Who knows, it probably depends on the people we'll be doing the missions with" I shrugged.

I was getting tired of staying inside this bus. Firstly, the sky of this place was strange; instead of the usual sun, it emitted an intensely white light. Moreover, I had no idea when it would be nightfall. So, I was eager to get out again and try to reach level 5.

"Hey, I'm planning to go out hunting again. If you don't want to join me, that's fine, but personally, I believe sitting inside this bus is going to get us killed by the end of the week"

Upon hearing my words, Ellen's expression turned serious. She rose carefully, adjusting her sister into a comfortable position on the bus seat, and planted a kiss on her forehead. Turning to me, she nodded, indicating she was ready. With that, Ellen and I stepped out of the bus, passing by Leo.

"Hey, where are you two going?"

Leo's voice caught the attention of the other passengers, who began to turn towards us, curious. Seriously, do these people have nothing better to do than eavesdrop on other people's conversations?.

"We're planning to head to the forest to level up. What's it to you?" I inquired, maintaining a serious look towards Leo.

For some reason, I had the feeling that Leo saw us as his subordinates, both me and Ellen. Furthermore, I don't think I need to mention that this guy's arrogant attitude, thinking he's superior to everyone here, was starting to irritate me.

That was probably something Leo noticed too, but in the end, he just stared at us for a few seconds before shrugging, as if he didn't care anymore about what we did.

"If that's what you want... But are you sure about this, Ellen?" Leo asked, directing his gaze to Ellen. "This guy's going to get himself screwed over, and you're going to go down with him"

After Leo's words, a heavy silence fell over the area. I noticed that the gazes of almost all the passengers were turned towards me. Thanks to Leo, I was now being seen as a harbinger of doom by the others.

"I don't mind" declared Ellen. "I've decided to follow him anyway"

With Ellen's words, Leo just shrugged and went back to his activities, ignoring us again. Honestly, I was a little curious as to why Ellen chose to trust me over Leo, who even from my standpoint seemed more reliable.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked Ellen as we approached the entrance to the forest.

"About what?" Ellen asked.

"Leo"

Upon hearing my words, Ellen cast one last glance behind before turning back to face forward.

"Oh... I'm sure" Ellen said.

She then looked at me, with a smile on her face.

"So, you better make my choice worth it, Mr. Leader"

I couldn't quite understand why Ellen seemed so confident in her decision, but I figured it might have something to do with her rune, as she seems capable of discerning when something is safe or not. I wondered what exactly Ellen saw in Leo during the time we were in the forest.

In the end, I just nodded to Ellen as I turned my attention to the darkness of the forest ahead. It was impressive how even during the day, that place remained dark and eerie.