Chapter 23: Hiding Versus Living
Reidar looked at the group again. Nine days of hiding clearly had taken their toll on their mental state.
Reidar couldn’t fix that for them, but seeing the System, really seeing it, and not thinking they’d lost their minds, might be able to give them the push they needed to break out of their protective bubble.
They were all thinner than they should be, despite the food supplies. Dark circles ringed their eyes. Their movements were intended to avoid making noise. It was clear that what they were doing wasn’t good for their own health.
"How much food do you have left?" he asked.
Linda glanced at the stacks of supplies. "Maybe a week’s worth, if we’re careful."
Reidar knew what he had to ask at that point.
"And then what?"
Silence.
"You’ll have to go outside eventually," Reidar said. "You can’t stay in here forever."
"We’ll figure something out," Frank said. "Maybe the army will come. Things will go back to normal then."
"Things aren’t going back to normal." Reidar was sure of this, and it was important they understood that.
The army was likely in a similar situation to what Reidar and the rest of the people were facing.
Besides, if they were truly searching for survivors, they would have arrived already.
Ten days had gone by, after all. Though Reidar couldn’t be certain they weren’t looking; considering how the entire world had probably expanded, it might have been they simply were taking too much time.
"This is normal now. The sooner you accept that, the better your chances of survival."
The college student, who had introduced himself as Mike during the conversation, spoke up. "Even if what you’re saying is true, we’re not fighters. We’re just regular people."
"I was a regular person too. I drove to visit my parents, worried about traffic jams. But the world changed, and I had to change with it."
"Or you went insane and convinced yourself you have superpowers," Frank said.
Reidar drew forth his Rift-Sprite Conductor. The wand shimmered with an unnatural inner glow as runes etched along its length throbbed with energy.
Of course, the wand materialized from nothingness, as Reidar had taken it out of his inventory. He had stored it there to avoid alarming these guys, who might have mistaken it for a common weapon.
Which it was. It was just that it wasn’t the kind of weapons those people expected. It wasn’t common at all.
"What is that?" Sarah asked. "How did you take it out of thin air?"
"A weapon. To be precise, it’s a wand. I got it from killing monsters." He held it up so they could all see it.
"This isn’t something you can buy in a store, at least not the one you are thinking about. This isn’t something that existed before the world changed, but it’s something you can get from monsters if you loot them. These things will actually help you fight whatever is outside, and this is without considering the skills you might gain."
The older man with the pipe, who had given his name as George, studied the wand.
"Touch it," Reidar said, extending the wand towards him.
George hesitated, then reached out with one finger. The moment his skin made contact with the wand, he jerked his hand back as if stung.
"I got a notification that said my level is too low," he said.
"That’s because most likely you are all level 0, while the wand can only be used by those that are at least at level 9."
Reidar paused. "This thing actually increases my magical damage and makes my summons stronger."
Frank shook his head. "There’s got to be a rational explanation."
"There is an explanation. This explanation says magic is real now. I don’t get why it is so hard for you to believe what you are seeing in front of your eyes."
This guy, Frank, was the classical type that struggled when their beliefs got shattered, and he didn’t like it at all.
Reidar put the wand away. "Look, I’m not trying to convert you to anything. I’m just trying to help you understand what you’re dealing with."
"Why?" Linda asked. "Why do you care what happens to us?"
Reidar thought about Martha and Marcus. About his parents in Creamont. About all the people who might be trapped in situations like this, too afraid to take the steps necessary to survive. He might have been one of them if he didn’t find the strength, and maybe these people, and all the others in their same situation, just needed a small push.
<I have to try at least.>
Resolve got itself etched on Reidar’s face.
"Because hiding here isn’t sustainable. When your food runs out, you’ll have to face this reality whether or not you believe it, and this means getting out and actually hunting. But by then it’ll be too late. The monsters will have gotten too strong for you to handle. I’d rather give you the knowledge that might just keep you alive than just be silent and know you will die."
"Even if we believed you," George said, "what could we do? We don’t have weapons like yours. We don’t have trained monsters like you do. We’re just civilians."
George then turned to Frank.
"It’s clear at this point that he is not insane, Frank," George said. "First the system’s menu... now he picked up a stick out of nowhere. Besides, those monsters are clearly waiting outside, not trying to enter like they did for the past ten days. He is telling the truth."
Reidar nodded, grateful that at least one of them, the one who looked the most reliable, had finally started coming to his senses.
"Everyone starts at level zero. Everyone starts with no skills. The system is designed to help people grow stronger; at least, this is as much as I’ve figured out until now, but you have to use it."
"And how exactly do we do that?" George asked. His tone suggested he was humoring Reidar rather than expressing genuine interest.
"First, you stop treating the interface like a hallucination. When you see floating text, you read it. When notifications appear, you pay attention to them. When the system offers you choices, you make decisions instead of ignoring them."
The elderly woman, Margaret, leaned forward. "And then what?"
"Then you win your fears and start killing monsters. You start with the weak ones in controlled situations. You build up your strength and confidence. You earn skills, items, and crafting materials, but most importantly, survival points. Although those can only be spent at vendors, and I haven’t seen even a single one until now."
"But what exactly is this system?" Margaret asked. "You’re basically talking about video game strategies."
Reidar nodded. "I don’t actually know what this thing is, aside from its general purpose; that might or might not be a lie." He paused.
"As much as I’ve figured out in those ten days, the system borrowed concepts from games because they provide clear, understandable rules for growth and development."
Reidar realized these people had invested too much in their current worldview to abandon it easily.
Accepting that the system was real would mean accepting that they had spent days hiding when they could have been growing stronger.
It would mean addressing the chance that their passive behavior had actually made them more vulnerable, not safer.
"Look," he said, "I’m not asking you to believe everything I’ve told you. I’m just asking you to consider the chance that there might be more options available than just hiding and hoping for rescue."
"Learning how to fight, I suppose." Mike said.
Reidar nodded. "Learning to survive outside would be a better description. But yes, fighting is also part of this. Building the skills and strength necessary to take control of your situation instead of just reacting to it."
Mike shook his head. "That sounds terrifying."
"It is terrifying, but it’s better than waiting here to starve."
Margaret spoke up. "Hiding has kept us alive so far. But Reidar is right that it’s not sustainable long-term."
"So what do you suggest?" George asked.
"I suggest we try to go with him."