Chapter 6: Escape Plan.

  Adam’s POV

  “I can’t sleep,” I confessed after tossing and turning for an hour. Maybe it was because I’d already slept too much.

  In the end I gave up. “Nove,”

  “Yes? How can I help you, Alper?” she replied promptly.

  I froze for a second. Alper? Oh, right—that’s the name of the kid whose body I’m currently possessing.

  “Tell me about my parents,” I said, curiosity creeping in. My own parents had been more like patrons, assigning me missions back when I was a mobster. This time, I wanted to know if things were different—or worse.

  “Your parents belong to a minor clan of House Celestium, called House Luminari,” Nove began. “Your father is Lord Alaric Luminari, heir to the position of patriarch, and your mother is Aria Stormweaver, head of Luminari’s nexus studies.”

  “Wait a damn minute,” I blurted, sitting bolt upright. “Nove, what do you mean by clans? What’s this about major and minor clans?”

  The word clan was already tugging at unpleasant memories of my mobster life, and I wasn’t liking where this was going.

  Nove’s calm voice cut through my rising panic. “The world of Alchamera is governed by kingdoms and various major clans. House Celestium is your major clan, and your family, House Luminari, is one of its many minor clans.”

  I couldn’t stop my mind from drawing parallels. Oi, why does this sound so much like my mob days? I DON’T WANT TO BECOME SOME LACKEY AGAIN! The thought of ending up as a lapdog to some powerful “boss” sent a chill down my spine.

  “Nove,” I said urgently, “tell me one thing: do minor clans have to listen to everything the major clans say? And… do these minor clans, uh… handle wet jobs?”

  “As long as it’s a command from the major clan, the minor clan must comply—no matter how dirty the job is,” she replied matter-of-factly.

  Oh, great, I thought to myself. Transported to another world, and I’m already back to being another type of mobster. Fantastic.

  There was no way in hell I was going to sit around waiting for a rescue.

  “Okay, Nove,” I declared, determination hardening my voice. “Change of plans. We’re getting out of here on our own. No waiting for a rescue.”

  I couldn’t stomach the idea of being someone’s lapdog again, forced into dirty work on someone else’s command. If I was going to get my hands dirty, it would be on my terms.

  “Alper, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nove replied calmly. “You have sufficient nutritional value to wait for a rescue.”

  “Nove,” I said, brushing her concern aside, “no one’s going to waste time rescuing a kid who fell 30 feet into a hole. They probably think I’m dead already. Why bother retrieving a body?”

  “Your mother and father love you very much,” Nove countered, her tone gentle yet firm.

  I was about to say something but I froze. Just for a moment.

  What if she was right? What if I was making a mistake? Leaving could mean breaking the hearts of parents who genuinely cared about this kid. But the alternative? A lifetime of servitude to a clan that might run like the mob I just escaped from.

  As long as you’re useful, everyone will love you. The thought slithered into my mind, cold and familiar. I’ve seen that story play out too many times.

  I shook my head, “I don’t care, Nove,” I said at last, my voice resolute. “I’ve made my decision.”

  “I can’t stop you,” she replied with a trace of disappointment. “But I’d recommend waiting.”

  Ignoring her advice, I stood up and checked my stats. My NEP had regenerated to a decent 207. Not ideal, but better than nothing. The real problem was figuring out how to get out of here.

  “Alright, Nove,” I muttered, “let’s brainstorm.”

  Dirt ladder? Crumbled under my weight.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Adhesive? Not strong enough to hold me.

  Stone ladder? Too heavy and impossible to carry.

  I even tried poking holes into the wall to climb out, but every attempt ended the same way—with dirt giving way and me tumbling back down.

  I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Come on, Alper. Learning a little Metalweaving wouldn’t have killed you, would it?”

  It was starting to feel like this hole was mocking me. No matter what I tried, it pushed back, forcing me to rethink everything.

  I sighed, frustration weighing heavily on me. The thought of going back to a life of mobster-style servitude wasn’t exactly thrilling.

  But then, a spark of hope flickered in my mind.

  What if there’s another way out?

  “Hey, Nove,” I asked, clutching at straws, “do you think this cave might have another exit?”

  She paused, calculating. “Based on our geographical location and the cave’s trajectory, there’s a 62% chance that it has another exit.”

  “That’s all I needed to hear, baby!” I said, grabbing my spear with newfound determination. “We’re looking for another way out.”

  Thus began Operation Ghost. My exit strategy? Stage a scene that screamed “devoured by a monster” and vanish into the wilderness.

  I returned to the battleground where I’d fought the worm. The bloodstains were still fresh on the floor which was perfect.

  Because it was dark, I had to squat down to observe the blood, to make sure it was red human-like blood and not some green alien goo.

  Satisfied with my analysis, I left my old shoes behind as “evidence.”

  It was for two purpose, of course—it supported the whole “hapless kid eaten by a monster” narrative and activated my dirt node’s NEP regeneration passive.

  Now, walking barefoot through a cave isn’t exactly a dream scenario, so I asked Nove to make a pair of dirt shoes using Metalweaving Base Arts. They weren’t fancy, but they got the job done—and the regeneration boost was a nice bonus.

  With my makeshift crime scene arranged, I couldn’t help but feel a bit smug. It was like I was playing a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek, vanishing without a trace while leaving just enough breadcrumbs to keep people guessing.

  “Alper, you can store your old shoes in your inner inventory,” Nove suggested, ever the practical companion.

  “Nah,” I replied nonchalantly, “those shoes are all torn up and useless. Might as well leave them here. Plus, I don’t want to waste inventory space.”

  A lie, of course, but it fit the vibe.

  “Affirmative,” she responded, as calm as ever.

  I grinned to myself, taking one last look at my expertly staged scene. Let’s see them figure this one out.

  From this point on, I was officially treading into uncharted territory. Spear in hand, I moved cautiously, the spear was extremely light in my hand now, not as light as a feather, but definitely light. this is the difference of getting just a measly +5 in strength stat.

  The cave remained cloaked in oppressive darkness, but my eyes had adjusted enough to make out vague shapes. My Web Senses passive is also on now, mapping the area around me up to two meters. It wasn’t perfect—anything flying or just outside my range was still a threat—but it helped me avoid the subtle rough patches of the ground or if anything tries to sneak up on me.

  I wanted to rush ahead, but this was a monster’s den . The last thing I needed was something lunging at me from the shadows. So, I moved carefully, every step deliberate.

  Then, my Web Senses flagged something odd—a chunk of stone embedded in the wall. It felt… different, almost out of place. Curious, I had Nove extract it, watching as a game-like window popped up in front of me with the details.

  Granite (1.5/6 Stars)

  Granite boasts incredible toughness, surpassing ordinary stone. Crafters prize it for forging insanely durable items however because of their weight It’s not exactly famous. However, they bare above-average defensive properties for alchemical conversion.

  I stared at the description, then at the chunk of granite in my hands. Was this what it felt like to be a geologist? If so, hats off to them—this was oddly satisfying.

  If I weren’t trying to conserve my NEP, I might have gone all out, digging up every bit of granite in sight. But just extracting that one small block had cost me a painful 18 NEP. Quality items, it seemed, came with a price. The stone and dirt I’d been working with were clearly half-star tier junk in comparison, which explained why they were so easy to manipulate. It also made me appreciate how Nove had managed to craft 3-4 star tier Core Nodes from them—a small miracle, really.

  As I continued deeper into the cave, a faint sound caught my attention. A rhythmic pitter-patter from somewhere ahead.

  My ears perked up. Water!

  My first instinct was to quicken my pace. I was parched. The faint sound of water had me practically sprinting, spear in hand, hoping for a lucky break.

  After walking for a while, I didn’t encounter any monsters—just a dead end. But this wasn’t just any dead end. A faint bluish light seeped through a small hole in the ground ahead.

  “Whoa,” I muttered, crouching down to peer into the hole. It wasn’t a massive drop, maybe about 10 feet, and at the bottom was a small pool of water. Around the edges of the pond, blue glowing algae and red mushrooms clung to the walls, their soft light illuminating the scene like a magical little oasis.

  “Finally, a light source,” I thought, marveling at the glow. My mind immediately began spinning ideas. Maybe I could make a torch by sticking some of those glowing mushrooms and algae onto a stick to make a makeshift torch. Then again, the materials I had were just granite, stone and dirt.

  “Nove, we’re adding ‘craft proper lighting’ to the to-do list,” I muttered under my breath. But first, water—top priority.

  I squinted through the hole, trying to make out more of the space below. Beyond the glowing pond, the darkness swallowed everything. It looked like there might be more ahead, but it was impossible to tell. No sounds of monsters or movement reached my ears, but that didn’t mean they weren’t lurking.

  To be cautious, I took a pebble from the ground and tossed it into the hole. The sound of the stone echoed as it bounced, its thuds fading into silence.

  Hmm... no reaction. That’s promising.

  “Well, never say never,” I said with a grin, psyching myself up. Then, crouching low, I leapt into the hole, landing just beside the pond.

  I could’ve landed in the water, sure, but I wasn’t about to ruin my only drinking source with my filthy, bloodstained clothes. I looked down at myself—mud, dirt and blood... not exactly the vibe for what could possible be my only drinking source.