The Survival of an Inferior

 "Hah!" I abruptly jump up. I don't have the time to be sleeping. 

"EEK!" Audrey exclaims. 

I realise I am lying on a bed in a small tent. Audrey is tending to me. 

A cold wet cloth lies on my forehead. 

"Arsto," She says. "How do you feel?" 

Tired. But... 

"I'm fine. How long was I out?" 

"An hour." 

Good, there's still time. 

I get off the bed and wear my coat hung over the bed frame. 

Audrey follows me out of the tent. They bought a medical tent and a healing totem side by side. Good choice. 

Audrey hands me a bottle of water and bread. Right across the medical tent is a large box. They bought a food package. In total, twenty-five thousand coins are spent. 

I look around to see more turrets built. Melissa climbs down from a turret and runs to me when she sees me. "Arsto, are you okay?" 

I nod. "How many turrets did everyone build?" 

"I am planning a total of 3000 turrets. Afterwards, I fixed the barrier and upgraded it to the second level." Melissa replies. She notices how difficult it is only for the ten of us and is employing more help from the turret. 

3000 turrets...we have 705,000 found left. Each one of us acquired 100,000 coins from the first wave. 

"Alright, upgrade the turrets to level three and rest when you are done."

Melissa nods. 

"Oh yes, the goblins we met in the first wave were scouts. Please mentally prepare yourself. The next wave might be the main army."  

...Melissa turns her back to me. I can hear her anxious heartbeat. 

I leave and gesture for Audrey to follow me. She constructs a research centre as instructed and I pour all my coins into researching "Flame Hell", an enhancement that imbues fire to our attacks including the turrets. 

"Audrey, help Melissa and rest. I will search for the escape ticket." I say and jump over the barrier to the gate. 

Audrey stares at the wall worried, eyebrows furrowed. In her pocket is a cloth tainted with red blood, possibly mine. 

I gaze upon the giant gate. It is a double metallic gate that pulls inwards to the city for entrance. No way that is happening. I need to find the secret passageway. 

Walking alongside the circumference of the wall, I stop when I see a slightly dented brick. Unlike the rest of the wall, this brick is far more worn out. 

I push the brick into the wall and a section of the wall near trembles and slides open revealing a ladder to the top. I climb the ladder. 

The hot breeze of sand blows into my eyes, I bear with the pain and continue climbing. My body trembles. Moving is difficult and now I need to climb. 

When I reach the top, I lay down on the wall panting. 

-------------

You are very exhausted! 

-50% overall stats 

-------------

...

Even so, I pull myself and continue to trudge my way across the wall. 

Sun is setting. It's getting really cold. With no clouds in this desert sky, I could see the orange canvas diluting the dark blue sky. Around the gate, many turrets form a shadow of a mini city. I can see everything from up here and there's so many. But this number is not enough to clear upcoming waves. 

That's why...the only way we can survive is... 

I push myself to the end of the wall where another ladder is present. It leads to the inside of the fortress. At first glance, the medieval city within the walls looks normal. Clean. Except for a few dust and spiderwebs. The buildings are in good condition. 

I climb down the ladder to enter the city. 

Only when one truly steps into the city can one realise something amiss. Clothes, pants, hair accessories, and weapons are littered around the city. 

Most of the clothes and pants are together and lie on the sidewalks.  A carriage is stranded in the middle of the road, and there is a suit in the coachman's seat. 

It's as if everyone just suddenly "disappeared" leaving everything else behind. 

That also explains the rotting smell from inns, bars, and eateries. 

I start my search through the houses nearest to my location. Despite tiring, this is the best part. Why?  

Loot. 

I widen my eyes when I find a box of shining jewellery. Since everyone disappeared they left their valuables behind. 

If I sell this, I could yield close to a million gold. 

...

Well, that's considering if I will still be alive. 

With that thought, I throw the box of jewellery aside and continue my search. 

Rummaging through the drawers, wardrobe, boxes, and under the bed, I find nothing.

"Huff huff..."

Shit...

I'm too tired to search efficiently... 

I don't have the time to trudge my legs around. 

!

An idea comes to mind. 

I walk out of the house and glance at a tall green tower in the distance. 

Right...since everyone disappeared, there are still pills left behind. 

That tower belongs to the past Alchemist Association. In every major city in the kingdoms, there used to be one branch of the Alchemist Association. They were a neutral organisation and were the prominent ace in the alchemist world. After the hero's death, they disbanded and high-ranking members are not heard from ever since. 

I trudge to the tower. Robes scattered at every corner. 

The inside of the hollow tower is immense. In the middle, a giant pillar extends to the roof with circling stairs that lead up the tower, one can get off on the platform at each level. 

I climb up the stairs to reach the second level.

*Thump Thump Thump* 

The eerie silence consumes my lonely footsteps. I can hear my heartbeat. 

Playing as Rena, she would always enter the dungeon at the late game due to its location. If a player survives until then, getting the pills offered in the Alchemist Association Tower is a piece of cake. The pills in this tower are trash during the late game. That's why I paid little attention to the pills in every playthrough. 

But for my current level... 

I push open a pair of metal doors. Alarms blast and break the silence at my presence. Albeit noisy, the strong smell of fresh pills and herbs crashes and rushes out. 

This is the jackpot.