Chapter 2: 002 – Hint to the Truth

Chapter 002: Hint to the Truth

I go to my bathroom and look at myself. I’m dirty.

Hell, there’s mud on my bed sheets and blanket.

I actually got teleported away.

The only incongruity is my sleepiness. When I get in the dream world, I’m not sleepy anymore. Does it all happen instantly, right before I need to wake up? But then, why do I not feel the tiredness due to that morning of fishing?

It seems some additional magic is in play.

After taking a shower, I dress my wounds.

I wash them, disinfect them with a spray, and put bandages on top.

The disinfectant might not have a use here, but maybe the purify spell isn’t that good?

Can I even use such a magical spell here?

I place my hand on the piranha bite wound.

“… Purify.”

My hand shines.

The wound feels clean, the pus disappears.

“Alright… Alright. Then… If I get an alchemical skill to convert dirt into gold, I can use it? Just like that?”

This was beyond my understanding of physics and biology.

Is this ‘magic’, or just advanced enough technology? Something else altogether?

I hold my stomach with my hand, which still feels bad.

“Purify.”

My stomach ache fades away after a few minutes.

It seems getting purify might have been a better choice than healing. Healing is probably to close and regenerate wounds.

Bacteria and poisons are probably not eliminated with that alone. But purify seems to do the trick.

Still, I feel quite faint now. This spell uses either stamina or mana and makes me feel weak.

I rest on my chair, as I watch some videos.

It’s Monday morning. But I only have classes in the afternoon. I eat breakfast and feel much better.

If the Dream World takes me every week through teleportation, then I can plan around that date and try to bring objects with me. Next mission might take even longer than 24 hours.

(I’ll sleep with clothes on, and a bag of food, a lighter, a knife, water and more. Hell, I’ll do that the whole week just in case.)

With newfound motivation to survive, I take my wallet, dress up and go to the store.

I buy canned food, an electric lighter and a solar panel battery charger.

With this, as long as there’s sun, I have an infinite duration lighter. Plus the solar charger doubles up as a light torch.

I have water and boots at home, so I’ll pack that in my bag tonight.

I return to my room, laze around, eat lunch and go to class.

Arriving at my cell biology class, the young and most beautiful teacher of the entire university's staff enters my sight.

This professor, in her thirties, is Vanessa Oslin. She has blonde, neck length sharply cut hair. She wears stockings under a black dress.

I sit in the first seat I find as usual.

I notice Elisa entering the amphitheater, alone as well. She sits without glancing at me.

Being a transfer student from all the way from the country of Taiwan sure isn’t something I’ve ever lived.

More students enter and the class starts.

Miss Oslin starts out with a virtual quiz about last week’s class. I remember it well. Very well.

“Who here knows how many DNA integrity checkpoints exist within the eukaryotic cellular cycle? Please name them as well.” She asks.

I lift my hand and reply as she looks over. “There are three, the G1/S, the interS and the G2/M checkpoints.”

“Yes, very well. Now, let’s talk about the two other checkpoints, the mitotic checkpoint and the restriction point.”

The lesson continues on. I’m amazed I remembered it all so well, when comparing to my past self. Still, lifting my arm hurt, I ought to refrain for a while.

‘Enhanced Memory 1’ was already this good. Well, this was still only a week old memory. But this is good enough to make me one of the top students in all subjects.

As the lesson ends, I pack my stuff and move to the next classroom for the following class. This time it’s a thermodynamics class, where we resolve problems in a small group of 20.

The teacher is an old woman, Claire Gates.

Professor Gates teaches quite well, though with her experience it’d be criminal to not have this much proficiency.

As I wait at my seat until the lesson starts, one asshole comes by.

“Boot-licker! You answer Vanessa’s questions all of a sudden?”

“…” I give him a stare. “Shut up, Juan. You have to go back.”

My words give him a little hint of where he belongs, beyond the wall.

“Tsk!” He chews on gum. “Don’t talk to me like that! Want me to call my cousin?”

“Want me to call your mom?”

Somehow, a good answer falls onto my tongue and rolls off smoothly. I must have read that in a meme. Juan’s face gets bitter.

“Motherfucker!”

“That’s right, son.”

“… Fuck you!”

The teacher opens the door. “Hello everyone!”

Juan walks back to his seat.

It seems my experiences toughened me up drastically, on the mental level.

Still, that Mexican seems pissed. He’ll definitely look for trouble later.

If he does next week though… I bet he won’t win.

For now, I’ve only chosen healing and survival skills. But it seems everything is possible.

My heart beats strongly.

I don’t have hope for the future, only certitude.

There’s no way I’ll fail here, as long as I don’t fall in those dreams.

The class ends and I return home.

…

The next day, early morning, I wake up to my alarm clock and get ready to go to class.

Seated in class, an annoying black guy with long blonde hair arrives with a skateboard.

He speaks up to me with a high, no-testosterone voice, trying to get my attention.

“Hey Edward! You good?”

At first glance, when he first spoke to me a few months ago, I though he was just being friendly.

But by the third time, I understood him completely. He’s a persistent, raging gay reject.

He keeps approaching me.

A month ago, I even told him to his face I wasn’t gay. He acted like he didn’t hear me.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Ignoring him, he eventually goes to sit behind me.

Elisa comes in, with her usual expressionless face.

She wears a white top and jeans today.

She sits as the teacher comes for the class.

(I might even die this Sunday. I want to at least get closer to Elisa before that.)

In between classes, after packing my pen and paper, I approach her.

“Hello Elisa. I’d like to be friends with you, can I sit next to you next class?”

“… You… Want to be friends?” She replies with a heavy accent. “I… Don’t speak English very well…”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then… Alright.”

It went much easier than I thought.

Next class, we sit next to each other.

During a ten minute break, I chat her up.

“I’m Edward by the way. Edward Skies. I like French food, video games and martial arts. Oh, I guess survival stuff too…”

She looks at me, unsure of something. “Video games? I like League of Legends.”

“Oh? I used to play it in high school. I played Veigar a bunch.” I reply with a smile.

“Ah, I play Morgana.”

The chit chat ends quickly, and class starts, then ends.

I bid Elisa goodbye and return home.

At my desk, I sit down and remember some thoughts I had.

My potential death… I’ll do my utmost to survive, but the danger is there.

I start to write on a random paper my will. Explaining what’s been happening. This is for my parents. I leave the paper on top of the inside of a drawer.

The so-called Dream World has only given normal, nonsensical missions until now.

But considering the magical powers and the teleportation, it feels like I could be transported into Middle Earth.

It also seems that the underlying goal of missions is to kill, for now animals.

Next time it could be people, or even giant monsters…

I ought to buy camping equipment, an axe and perhaps a bow. I haven’t prepared nearly enough.

I go on my laptop and search which stores I can find these items.

I don’t have the time to wait for deliveries. Omozan products are Chinese trash for the most part anyway.

I go out with a large bag and go on a buying spree.

Camping equipment, an axe, bow and arrows, a motorcycle helmet, leather gardening gloves and a compass. I can just pretend this is for a hunting trip if anyone asks. I also get an emergency blanket, an aluminum water bottle and a survival knife.

For the bow, I hesitated between models. On one hand, modern compound bows are precise and easier to use, but you can’t rapid fire as well as a traditional bow. However my current strength isn’t the best, and I’m untrained. So I went with that, at a 20 to 60 pounds adjustable pull strength. It came with three practice arrows and I bought 20 hunting broad head arrows to go with it.

The biggest dents on my credit card were the tent and the bow, but I have some savings since I’m not a big spender, besides on my food.

I have more than enough money to buy guns, but this isn’t Texas either. Ohio is only so-so. Guns also aren’t perfect, especially with the noise they make.

Arrows are also reusable, so I’ll make do with this for now. I still haven’t confirmed whether or not I can even bring these.

At least I can use the bow if I get in the archery club.

Actually, I should get in. It’s late, but not too late to join as long as I don’t take archery as an academic option, but just for ‘fun’.

After returning home with all the new items I bought, I check online where and how archery lessons take place.

“I’ll go tomorrow.”

…

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…

The next day, I went to classes, and in the afternoon I went to the archery stands.

I just had to speak to the teacher there to get started. I brought my bow with me.

Entering the building, I see a dozen people practicing and getting set up.

I notice the older man that’s clearly in charge, next to a computer.

“Hello, I’m a second year student, Edward Skies, it’s a bit late, but I’d like to join practice. I have my own bow.”

The man looks at me and replies cheerfully. “Ah! Good, good. That’s fine, just show me your student card and I’ll register you. It’s just for regular practice, right?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, give me a second, then I’ll explain the basics and have someone show you around.”

He looks at my card and types on the keyboard.

After a minute, he’s done and gives the card back.

“Alright, follow me. So here are the archery stands, the distances are written behind, up there. Rule number one, don’t go there to pick up arrows whenever. Every 15 minutes, the red light up there changes to green,” He points at a large red light you’d usually find in streets. “And then everyone is to stop shooting and can gather arrows back. There’s a little sound with it. Of course, if there’s someone in the stands, you are forbidden to shoot. No matter how good you are. You will face at least disciplinary charges even if you don't hurt anyone, and you will be charged by the police if you injure someone in that manner.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Alright, the locker rooms are over there, practice arrows which are free to use, are stacked there… Um, Cassandra!”

The teacher speaks to a smaller athletic girl, with a small brown ponytail.

“Yes?”

“Here is Edward, he’s joining today. Can you teach him the basics so he can start practicing?”

“Yes, teacher.”

The teacher leaves. I present myself to the girl.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Edward.”

“I’m Cassandra! You brought your bow?”

“That’s right.”

“Then… Let me see.”

I hand her my bow. Cassandra moves to the spare practice arrows, and pulls the string, then tests out an arrow size. There’s only four different types here, it seems.

“Alright, your bow needs 30 inch and above arrows. Try one, pull all the way.”

I try it.

I fits well.

“You have to pull to right underneath your ear. Relax your shoulders, downwards… Good.”

She shows me the right pose and I start shooting.

After an hour, most leave the archery stands, until only her and I are left.

“Edward, you still want to shoot? It’s open every day of the week from six to eight, you know.”

“Right. Thanks a lot for showing me everything, Cassandra. See you tomorrow.”

“See you!”

We part.

My arms felt very tired. But if I can get a tiny bit stronger for Sunday’s mission, it’s worth it.

My light asthma is also completely gone.

I think.

On the way back home, I start jogging a bit for a few minutes.

Yep. It’s gone. Enhanced Immune System 1 corrected these defects from whatever vaccine I had when I was a child.

Thank god. This will also help my survival. Taking that passive upgrade was a good choice.

Right now, my aim with the bow needs some work, but I can manage hitting a rabbit some fifteen meters away, if I take my time.

My new immune system probably means I’m protected from cancer too. Unless I get in contact with nasty enriched plutonium or something.

Hell, I doubt I’ll die from the flu once I hit old age. Unless this ability is taken back. That’s something I’ll have to ask in the white room.

…

…

The rest of the week passed by without issue.

But then came Sunday night.

I was in my bed, trying to fall asleep, without a blanket on me.

I had bags on my side, a coat, boots and pants on.

As if I expected to be teleported into the jungle the next hour.

But that’s exactly what I was fearing, and exactly what I prepared for.

The bigger bag had all of my camping equipment and weapons, the smaller bag had food and water.

The reason I didn't bring so much water is thanks to an experiment I did.

Two days ago, I tried using my purification magic on my urine, it worked, mostly.

The smell and color were gone. The yellow residue actually formed on the sides, pushed away from the water.

It seems the mechanism of purification here is to move and chemically transform products. They don’t disappear into the void. Maybe the higher forms of purification magic do.

“…”

I can’t sleep.

I check the time, it’s 0:56.

What happens if I don’t sleep at all? Does the Dream World not appear? Or does it appear not on Sunday, but every seven nights of sleep? Maybe it’s completely arbitrary.

I’ve assumed it’s even Sundays, but truth is, I’ve only done two of these challenges. I’ve just drawn an arbitrary conclusion that the third time would line up the same way. Perhaps nothing will even hap--

The next second, I’m standing up in the white room, the weight of my bags already firmly on my shoulders.

“I’m pretty sure it’s exactly 1 AM.”

The black door appears further away.

“A zombie… Even with purification, I should avoid getting hit.”

I open my bag and attach my knife to my belt, ready my bow with my hunting broad-heads. I put on the motorcycle helmet, with the visor down. I place my hammer on the ground onto my belt too.

My coat would block the teeth of a zombie, that still leaves my legs and hands in danger.

“But… Zombie? Which kind?”

Is it the slow drone type? The super strong slow type? The running athlete type? The acid-spiting kind?

But that question also brings me to the right question.

“Search, information.”

System Interface? Now that makes me curious. I click on it. It gives a small description.

‘Gives basic interface to the user’s status. Information about Name, Class, Abilities, Equipment, Condition and Points are given. Enables additional search options.’

Condition?… Points, Name and Equipment aside, this seems pretty good.

I’m taking this on the way back.

I click on the encyclopedia, but it gives little information about the content. Since they cost 30 points in total, I can only buy two. Two out of fifteen, is not something I’ll tempt.

“Search, bow technique.”

Many techniques appear, the worst ones cost 10 points.

Being stuck with 5 points is quite terrible.

I can only buy consumables, but… Consumables aren’t my style. Not with these godly points.

Sure, a grenade would make me feel good, but I’d rather not, even if it only costs a single point.

I take out my leather gloves, slide them in my coat’s pockets, easy to grab.

I can’t shoot my bow too well with these. When the zombie gets close, I’ll throw the bow down and quickly put on the gloves.

Since I’m not going to buy anything, I might as well take the System Interface now.

“Buy System Interface.”

It doesn’t take a second to notice I have the interface.

A flashing icon appears top left of my vision. Turning my eyes top left doesn’t move the icon.

However it opens up a window anyway.

“Hum… That’s accurate.”

The words moved along with my eyes, but my mind could read them.

Actually, placing my hand in front of me, I could still perceive every detail, as if the screen wasn’t there, but it was.

A second field of view, from something like my mind’s eye showed the screen.

Concentrating a bit, I could make the screen move up, in the darkness, above the vision given by my eyes. As if I had a third eye that was closed.

When you close only an eye, you can choose to see a dark spot where that closed eye used to let you see, or not by concentrating your vision, your mind. But here, I had a brand new dark spot, where the interface rested nicely.

“Since there’s little information, it won’t bother my brain much I guess.”

It was time to ask the question I had before.

“Hey, do I keep the abilities I buy here even after the dreams stop?”

A hologram appears.

That was some really good news. It also implied the dreams would stop.

I'd like to think I tricked the answering machine or person behind all this into answering something they didn't want me to know.

Anyhow, back to checking out System Interface.

I promptly wanted to see what the additional search options were.

“Search, um… God!”

With a random word I spout out, I wait for the virtual hologram screen to appear.

It doesn’t.

Instead, it appears in my mind’s eye.

There’s a ‘hide unaffordable options’ button, an ‘exact word search’ button, function to search with ‘OR’ ‘WITHOUT’ and ‘AND’ denominators. Quite like an internet search.

This will definitely help me search when there’s too many options.

Looking at the search results however, astounds me.

The very first result is something I didn’t anticipate. Beyond the first result, there’s a bunch of weapons, armors and techniques with the name ‘god’, ‘godly’ or ‘divine’.

However, the first result revealed something grim.

Accumulation Apostle Unique.

The meaning is clear.

Only the apostle of that goddess may even see this option.

“I… Am the Apostle of Ellabizina Pa Lepma.”

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