Weapons of Mass Destruction

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

We've 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. We've also fortified our position somewhat.

To be honest, it's pretty makeshift, but I guess it's 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.

We've also slightly upgraded the bus with pieces of wood that replace some windows and reinforce the entrance. It's 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 wouldn't even be surprised if the flames shone like a rainbow.

I'm sitting on the ground, and nestled between my legs is a small corgi. Well, it's not that small, to be honest, and it's quite heavy.

I swear it's 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.

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 isn't that far off at this point.

As for the corgi's owner? Well, she isn't happy about it, but she doesn't say anything – at least not to my face, obviously. I'm sure she isn't so quiet behind my back.

But, darn it, Biscuit. You're 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; it's 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 didn't ask them to; they're just that worried.

It's 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. I'm sure the bravest doggo of the 1st floor of Hell difficulty wouldn't 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. I've noticed that my emotions are somewhat subdued. The reason is most likely [Focus]. I finally realized that I'm 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?

It's hard to explain, and I'll 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 I'm doing it on my own and unconsciously or it's part of the skill.

That would explain a lot.

Sure, I'm 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 it's for survival, I really don't mind losing a few. As for what will happen to me after I level up [Focus] even more? That's a problem for tomorrow's 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 didn't notice anything? Well, who watches the news nowadays, right? And it's not like I need a friend to hear such stuff from them. Yup, I'm not the odd one here.

"I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense. They didn't even show it on the news. Just a few clickbait titles on websites..."

"So do you think we're 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 we'll 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 don't want to be mean, but it doesn't 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?

That's tomorrow's Nathaniel problem!

Maybe not even his, that's the government's 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, I'll blush.

But during Hadwin's entire speech, I notice that he isn't too unhappy. It's 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? That's something we'll 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 don't say anything interesting, so I just filter it out. After some time, they begin talking about what everyone likes to talk about – themselves.

"I'm 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 won't be able to use our skills after we get back to Earth? What if all of this disappears?"

Huh?

Good one, Kevin. It doesn't 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 don't 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.

That's another problem for tomorrow's me.

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