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Chapter 50

  Ch 50

  Matt smiled as he stepped outside the fort's walls the following morning, having just wrapped up a quick meeting to discuss the progress made overnight. Though the gap in the wall remained wide open, the rest of the fort appeared nearly restored, and morale soared after the successes of the previous day. These achievements helped them accept that Matt might not return until late that night, or possibly not until the next day. As for which direction Matt was headed to find more groups like their own, Tempormr had directed him back toward the riverbed. Matt felt that if he treated the path they had come from as six o’clock, then he would be moving toward eight o’clock.

  As he ventured in the general direction, he encountered and dispatched several monsters along the way, although they contributed little to his experience level. At this point, a single level 3 monster was worth a mere 3 experience points, while a level 4 monster offered just 4 points. He was grateful that a level 5 monster still provided 15 experience points, though he knew this would soon decrease. However, it seemed level 5 was the highest level of monsters he was encountering, and he was uncertain how to address this limitation. By the time he reached level 8, he anticipated that a level 5 monster would only yield 4 experience points, with the rest providing just a single point at best.

  The sheer number of monsters he would need to defeat made Matt feel as if his task was insurmountable. Nevertheless, he knew some goblins were exceptions to this trend and hoped focusing on them would help him reach level 9. Consequently, he only paused to fight monsters when he encountered something he deemed valuable for the fort’s repairs. By the time he met another group of people, he had accumulated 152 experience points and had half-filled his spatial storage with useful resources for repairing the fort.

  As he finally arrived at the riverbed, which turned out to be much farther than he had initially anticipated, he noticed a significant bend in the river. There, he discovered what appeared to be a small pond, roughly 20 feet across, where water still lingered, though the foul odor made it clear that drinking from it would be unwise. Nonetheless, it was evident that this pond served as a refuge for fish and other aquatic life. Two men seemed to be attempting to fish while two others stood guard behind them. Noticing the hats on their heads, woven from strips of the tall grasses surrounding the pond, Matt surmised that the group possessed some level of resourcefulness and likely had experienced some success in fishing.

  To Matt, however, the group of four seemed largely disappointing, as not one of them had noticed his presence in the 20 minutes he had been observing them. They hadn’t constructed any fish traps, which would have allowed them to catch fish passively while attending to other tasks. Most strikingly, their clothing suggested they hadn’t engaged in any fighting since their arrival. While there were a few rips here and there, none of their garments bore significant bloodstains. Unless they had been fortunate enough to fight exclusively from a distance, Matt doubted they could have avoided such marks altogether.

  For these reasons, he felt safe and confident as he stood and revealed himself to them, stepping out from the tree line. This only reinforced his belief that this group had experienced nothing in terms of a struggle with monsters, as they failed to even notice him. It wasn't until he picked up a rock and tossed it into the middle of the pond that they finally looked up and acknowledged his presence. He stood there, waiting to see what they would do, which turned out to be not much besides standing and looking startled. All four of them stared at him as if waiting for him to make the next move. Feeling there was nothing else to do, Matt began to walk towards them to avoid shouting across the distance.

  "Whoa there," called out one of the men who had been on guard, as Matt approached within ten feet. "That's close enough; we don’t need to shout anymore. So, mind telling us where you came from and how you’re able to move around on your own?"

  "My group found a fort that we took over, about 20 miles from here. As for moving around on my own, it’s simple: I am faster and stronger than any of the monsters. So, I get to choose whether I fight them or outrun them at my leisure."

  Matt smiled at the incredulous looks the four men gave him, patiently waiting for their response. Finally, one of the men, who appeared to be in his early 50s and had been fishing, seemed to have heard enough and spoke up.

  "That seems a bit far-fetched, even for someone as young and fit as you look. While we've avoided those nasty little things after the first few hours taught us how this place works, and I believe you could outfight and outrun them, I don't see you doing so over 20 miles. So, how about you call out to the others that are with you, and we can start trusting each other as we talk?"

  Matt simply shook his head, knowing there was no way to convince them he was truly alone. With a calm yet determined tone, he replied, “I'm telling you the truth. I don't blame you for doubting me, but I have no idea how you want me to prove it. Unless you've leveled up, you wouldn’t understand how much an increase in stats changes you.”

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  “What level are you?” asked the guard who had spoken first.

  “Five,” Matt replied with a slight smile, “which is where rank F starts, if you're curious. At this point, most of my stats are above 30, and my stamina is up to 54.”

  “So, you're a stamina master,” remarked the second guard with a tone that reminded Matt of Greg. “Tell me, how many women do you have back at your camp—and—”

  “Knock it off,” the first guard interjected sharply. “This isn't the time for jokes.”

  “Oh, come off it,” the second guard argued. “If he wanted us dead, we would be. What harm is there in breaking the tension a little?”

  “That is rather dark,” Matt observed dryly. “Has your group ever had issues with other people?”

  “No,” replied the second guard. “We haven’t seen anyone else before you arrived—”

  “Stop giving away details,” snapped the first guard. “Why are you out here?”

  “Simple,” Matt began, his voice steady as he added a few extra details. “I’m searching for other groups to see if they’re interested in coming back to our fort. We currently have 19 members, but we’re aiming for anywhere between 100 and 400 in the near future.”

  “You’re gathering manpower for defense,” noted the second guard, his tone thoughtful as he considered Matt’s words. “But why would we want to abandon our carefree life—just four guys on a never-ending fishing trip—to become soldiers?”

  “Have you encountered goblins?” Matt asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in concern.

  “Are we talking about little green dudes?” the second guard replied, now taking over the conversation with an air of casual curiosity.

  “Not all of them are green and not all are that small,” Matt explained, adding a bit more detail. “My group’s been dealing with them since all this began, at least until we reached the fort a few days ago.”

  “The goblins, do they break the law that if there are four or more in a group nothing will approach?” the second guard inquired.

  “That, and the rule about other monsters not fighting each other when they chase us. I even once led a group of monsters into their caves—to great effect,” Matt recounted with a wry smile.

  “It sounds like you've been living a pretty crazy life out here,” said the first guard. “But what exactly does that have to do with us?”

  “Nothing—if you don’t believe danger will come for you,” Matt replied earnestly. “But I encourage you to think it over for a few hours. At the very least, joining me could help you reach rank G with little effort. And if you decide to leave after that, I won’t stop you.”

  “How is that?” asked the last man, who had been silent until now, hinting that he might be the true leader of the group.

  “Well,” said Matt with a glimmer of hope that they would follow him, “after a few days of searching for people out here, I plan to organize a run—pulling monsters from the forest to the fort. You can stand on the walls and get in on the action by throwing rocks at them. That’s how we finished getting the last members of our group to level 3 just yesterday.”

  “I see. So, are you just going to wait here while we decide?” the last man queried.

  “No,” Matt replied, glancing toward the shadowed forest with determination. “I’m going to see if I can find at least one more group before heading back for the night, then I'll be back at it tomorrow.”

  "Alright,” replied the last man with a nod. “We'll think it over, and if we decide to join you, we'll stay nearby until sunrise. When you return, just toss a stone into the center of the lake to signal us to come out of hiding if you don't see us."

  Matt nodded, waving farewell before he broke into a full sprint. As he ran, he could feel the scrutinizing glances of the four men behind him, their looks a mix of skepticism and challenge. He allowed himself a brief moment to show off his speed before refocusing his thoughts on his next move. He consulted Tempormr for further guidance, and the response was simple: stick to the riverbed.

  Slowly but surely, Matt followed the trail of waning ponds until he reached one about ten miles from where he had crossed paths with the four men. There, he discovered what appeared to be an earnest attempt at fortification—a small outpost clearly built by people who had arrived in this world, like he had. They had settled on a rocky outcrop that overlooked a larger pond, roughly 35 feet across. On that vantage point, they had meticulously used mud as mortar, stacking rocks into a makeshift wall. Matt could spot at least eight guards on active duty along the wall, which, although only four feet tall and enclosing an area about the size of a basketball court, indicated that this group was serious about defense. With the sun dipping lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the land, Matt figured it was as good a time as any to see if they might be interested in moving to a larger, more secure fort.

  Yet, Matt was acutely aware of how precarious the situation was. Their posture and tense demeanor suggested that they were on edge, and he knew that any misstep could provoke an immediate attack. With that in mind, he selected an approach point that would place him directly in the line of sight of a guard who, notably, was not yet armed with his bow. When he stepped into view, a shout rang out—one that, to Matt's relief, was not immediately followed by an attack.

  "Who goes there!" the guard demanded.

  "Name's Matt, and I'm here to talk," he answered calmly.

  "And where are the others you came with?" the guard inquired sharply.

  Once more the assumption that he wasn’t alone caused an irritating pang of annoyance ran through Matt. The instant presumption made it clear that he needed to address this concerns for future groups, to reassure them and thereby ease their tension—though that would have to be a problem for later. For now, he replied, "Believe it or not, I’m alone. If you don't believe me, I'll simply leave."

  Before he could settle into the conversation, the sound of a bowstring twanging as an arrow was fired shattered the brief calm. Recognizing the sound as the only sign that he might be under attack, Matt scanned the area and noticed that the arrow had narrowly missed him, flying past in ominous warning. Another call rang out from the guards: "Stay where we can see you! Lie again, and we will consider you hostile."

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