Ch 30

  “Why did you all charge forward when the wolves appeared instead of letting us help out?” asked Emily, pausing momentarily to catch her breath.

  “Because I knew they would let me reach level 4 if it was just the three of us,” replied Matt with a wry smile. “Greg, Zara, how close are you two to leveling up?”

  “I just need 215 more points, so one more fight like that should do it for me,” answered Greg confidently.

  “I wasn’t really paying attention when the messages came in,” Zara admitted, “but I think it's just over 400 points for me.”

  “I hate how much less experience we get for the same fights,” commented Matt, frowning. “At the very least, the system should weight our contributions somehow.”

  “Then hurry up and bring us all to your level so we don’t need you to do this work for us anymore,” Emily retorted. “We all know it isn’t ideal. We’ve yet to encounter anything below level 3 and even if we did, we wouldn’t know until after we killed it. Everything about how this system is set up is terrible. It forces us into combat without giving any indication of our foe’s capabilities beforehand. At the very least, we should be able to see our own stats and learn how to improve them beyond simply leveling up.”

  “Exactly,” agreed Greg. “We’re working under miserable conditions here, and the only one who can afford to take damage is you, Matt, thanks to your regeneration ability. It’s just not fair that we risk facing enemies who are much stronger than us any time we—”

  “Bears are naturally stronger than humans,” Matt interjected, his tone calm and measured. “Yet we use tools and skills to bridge that gap; this is no different. Besides, I think not showing our levels might be working in our favor. Imagine if the monsters could see our levels—what do you think would happen?”

  “They’d ignore us since we wouldn’t be worth much experience,” replied Zara thoughtfully.

  “They’d see us as easy prey,” offered Greg, shaking his head.

  “Nothing would change from what they already do,” stated Emily firmly. “I believe the monsters here are controlled; they only seem to attack when we’re in groups of three or less.”

  “They’d do exactly what I did to the pack leader during the last fight,” remarked Matt, his eyes glinting with a mix of caution and amusement. “They isolate the ones that pose a threat while they deal with the easier targets. You don’t understand just how overpowering the alpha of that group could be.”

  “It could kill me with a flick of its tail,” Greg responded, recalling the moment vividly. “Just watching the way you and it moved told me that. There’s a reason I want to grow stronger before I try pulling stunts like those.”

  “You sound like you’re finally realizing you’re not the main protagonist,” commented a petite woman with a wry smile, clearly enjoying the opportunity to dampen Greg’s high hopes.

  “I’m starting to think you have a thing for him,” Zara mused, raising an eyebrow. “Every time our groups meet up, you always make some comment about Greg.”

  “That’s—”

  “It’s time we get moving again,” interrupted Matt. “I’ll focus on luring enemies while you all fight them. Just remember, we need to get you all to level 2 before dragging out any more unnecessary fights.”

  Emily nodded as the petite woman appeared as though she wanted to yell at Matt. However, she refrained, knowing that if she did, Emily would kick her out and let someone else earn the extra experience they were gaining. With that, the pace shifted back to the rhythm of the first two hours. About an hour and a half later, and after defeating 14 enemies, Greg gained 231 more experience points, reaching level 2. Zara gained 167 points, putting her just 260 points away from level 3, while Matt only managed to acquire a mere 28 points from the fight.

  While Greg celebrated taking another step towards becoming a wind mage, Matt remained silent. The same could be said for Zara, as it was clear she wasn’t pleased to be at the same level as him. Yet, Matt could tell she was excited, likely anticipating reaching level 3 in just a few more hours. He was certain she would make another attempt to prove herself as a better option than Greg. Although Greg showed significant improvement in his spellcasting after leveling up, as his spell suddenly became powerful enough to push most monsters a few feet back after reaching level 2. It wasn’t quite enough to be deemed extremely useful, but it certainly indicated a potential future for him as a spellcaster.

  Unfortunately for Zara, their journey led them to a location that Matt would bet was the reason Tempormr directed them in this specific direction after another hour and a half of walking. This left her just 86 points away from level 3 as Matt called for them to stop and wait for the rest of the group to arrive. After all, the site they were observing was likely to become their base of operations moving forward. As Matt pondered the potential of the location, Zara was the first to speak.

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  “What exactly are we looking at?” she asked, her eyes scrutinizing the rundown building.

  “It’s our new base,” Matt declared confidently.

  “Okay, but are you sure this is a wise idea?” Zara responded, a note of concern in her voice. “It looks more decrepit than anything, and who knows what dangers might be lurking inside.”

  “We can handle that quickly enough,” Matt countered. “Besides, if there are even stronger monsters hiding in there, it just means we can level up far more rapidly.”

  Greg chimed in with skepticism. “This place practically screams giant spiders. Just look at those massive, sticky webs. Besides, we’d have to rebuild entire sections of these walls.”

  “It’s a literal stone fortress,” Matt argued firmly. “Sure, rubble covers the ground and most surrounding structures seem utterly destroyed, but these walls remain largely intact. There’s plenty of material scattered about to repair what’s fallen.”

  “How long do you think it’ll take our group to rebuild everything?” Zara asked, thoughtfully. “If we were a hundred strong, it might make sense.”

  “We can get there,” Matt assured them. “In fact, we should aim to gather 200 if we’re to rebuild this place. Even then, it might still feel rather empty at first.”

  “Who cares?” Greg retorted. “I don’t believe this fort has been abandoned for no reason. If my instincts are correct, this is a star style fort—it might even have an inner keep. Whoever controls this place must be incredibly powerful; otherwise, the goblins would have taken it long ago.”

  At that moment, Tempormr’s voice whispered into Matt’s ear, “The fool is right. Now the question is, what will you do knowing this?”

  “I hope they’re powerful,” Matt stated decisively. “The more formidable they are, the better—it’s my belief that defeating beings stronger than us is the surest way to rise in ranks. If someone is too afraid to face them, that just means more experience for me.”

  “Are you thinking of taking them on by yourself?” Zara asked, worry edging her tone. “I can’t let that happen.”

  “No, this is a fortress. At most, I'll scout it first before assembling a team that I believe can handle the challenge,” Matt replied.

  “Wrong,” Zara insisted. “You’ll let Eleanor discuss it with the group and abide by her decision. That said, capturing a fort of this size will be significant enough that she might let you act independently if she’s convinced you can win.”

  “I’m confident it won’t be beyond our abilities; I doubt there’s anything in this world that ranks above E-tier,” Matt said.

  “What makes you think that?” Greg challenged. “For all we know, things might get significantly stronger as we move further from our starting point.”

  “Because if we were to reach F rank together, it wouldn’t reflect the best we could achieve. Reaching E rank might even mean we’re preventing others from reaching F rank,” Matt reasoned.

  “That’s only true if everyone survives,” countered Zara. “We don’t even know how many people ended up in this world or if we’re in a region where only loners have ventured.”

  “Does it really matter?” Greg replied. “All we can do is face whatever stands before us and push toward our goals.”

  “Good,” Matt concluded. “Then let’s do just that as we move in. If things go south, the two of you can retreat while I cover our escape.”

  “You mean charge forward and hog all the experience?” Zara retorted sharply. “No—we’re waiting for Eleanor. Unless you plan to charge in, forcing the other groups to follow and possibly dragging them into the mess you create inside.”

  Matt nearly bit his tongue to keep from speaking up, not because he cared, but because he knew cooperation was essential. Though he might have dismissed the discussion with indifference, he understood that playing nice was crucial if he was to secure a safe place to rest and ultimately survive. After all, no matter how powerful he was, death by exhaustion was still possible. Reluctantly, he remained still until the entire group of nineteen had assembled, all engaged in a heated debate about the fort.

  Opinions clashed: some saw the structure as the perfect base, while others feared it would only draw unwanted conflict. Throughout, Matt sat quietly, allowing each person to feel involved in the decision even though he had long since made up his mind. His only lingering thought was whether to make the fort his long-term base of operations or abandon it once his immediate task was done. As he reviewed the particulars of the structure in his mind, Eleanor’s voice pulled him back into the conversation.

  "Matt, we’ve heard everyone’s opinions on the fort, but you’ve been quiet since sharing your initial thoughts. Tell us, are you still set on exploring it no matter what?" she said, her tone mixing curiosity with authority.

  "Yes," he replied simply.

  "Even if I tell you not to?" she pressed.

  "If you gave that order, I would break away from you, either dying while clearing the fort or reaching a point where nothing on this planet holds any appeal to me," Matt responded, his tone steady despite the weight of the choice before him.

  "Hey, I’m going with you," Greg declared, adding a touch of bravado. "So, no dying allowed."

  "Seconded," Zara chimed in. "I think I’ve made my intentions clear already."

  "Then count me in as well," Rose said with a smile as she stood up and stretched, letting her bracelets fall and revealing scars that told silent stories of past traumas.

  "I want to go as well," offered Emily softly.

  "Even you, Emily?" Eleanor questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Are you saying you’ll be the fifth member of the group following him?"

  "Yes. Don’t get me wrong—I don’t want to split from you or the others, but I feel my path is with him," Emily explained.

  "It does for all of us," added Yumiko, her bow held at the ready. "But if he’s dead set on this, there will be six of us venturing into the fort. My reason is simple—I need arrows. I can’t imagine a place more likely to have them than this location. I’m tired of being hindered by the fear of running out, so I’m ready to face whatever awaits us."

  "It sounds like all but two of your group would rather follow Matt than you," Steve remarked. "Maybe you and Maria should just accept—"

  "Oh, shut your trap," Zara interrupted sharply. "You’re making a power play and it’s disgusting. Eleanor, ditch Maria and come with us. Even if Greg is an idiot, at least he’s better than that ass."

  "I see, Matt, are you willing to accept leadership if I—" Eleanor began.

  "Piss off. Just because that jerk desperately craves control doesn’t mean I’m committing to anything. But if you want me to be the guy with the big stick—the one you point to as ‘in charge’ while doing all the real work—then yeah, I’ll deal with that," Matt snapped.

  Recognizing the knowing smile on Eleanor's face, Matt realized that, for now, his reluctant acceptance of leadership had been understood. Whatever came next, he knew he’d have to face it head on.