A plus to survival rate II

Marcus

Four from five days on weekdays, I would spend about three hours after classes to hone my martial arts skills. On Monday it’s judo, on Tuesday it’s boxing, on Wednesday it’s street boxing, and on Thursday it will be a lesson on weapon handling. I learned all those skills like I am out for a killing.

But it’s true that I AM out to kill the monsters that chase me inside the maze. Rox never said that I should just run away from them, so I decided to fight. Running would be easy until at one point you were pushed onto a corner where your life and death is separated by a hair’s width. That’s why before that moment came, I’ll just prepare for the worst.

“But that is too extreme for someone who said that they didn’t want to get bullied.” Alphonso retorted when he heard my idea of learning martial arts. “I mean, taking lesson for 4 self-defence skills all at once is ridiculous. It’s not like we are in an apocalypse.”

He got a point. Though I don’t want to risk dying just because I am not prepared. Besides, it’s not like I am busy or anything. I do need to cut my gaming time a little bit to learn martial arts.

“Alright, I know. I just feel like learning all of them at once. It never hurt to learn them.” I groaned a bit as I punched my forearm. Ugh, this time’s tackle is a bit harsh, my body is aching all over. Boxing lesson with Senior Natalie tomorrow might be rough. Should I tell her that I would skip tomorrow’s lesson?

Alphonso narrowed his eyes. “Don’t come crying to me if you have sore muscles.”

I narrowed my eyes back at him. Too late for that, bud. My body is already aching.

I don’t want to, that was what I was about to blurt out. Instead, I pursed my lips and curved a smile at him. I don’t think I should be blunt to him, not when he doesn’t know the real reason as to why I was learning all of these martial arts. Not everyone would be able to look at me the same when I said that I learned all of these because I wanted to spar with the monsters I encountered in my lucid dream.

Heck, I dare you not many people took lucid dreams seriously.

For the zenith time, I was wondering how I got myself into this situation. Yeah, well, I might have started at the wrong foot, eating three cups of ramen and all and opening a leeway for me to become a player in between life and death and saving someone I didn’t even have any idea of who they are. But stopping now when I have gone this deep into the game might be too cruel of me, but continuing this game would be harsh on me instead.

The thought of my own situation continued until I returned home. Only God knows the heavenly feeling of soft mattress pressing against your aching body. I feel like I could melt in it if my tummy didn’t grumble, wanting to be filled.

“Ugh…” Luckily, I showered thoroughly after training. And because it was almost winter, I didn’t sweat much outdoors. So, I don’t have to take another bath to clean myself. Though, cooking something to eat might be a chore.

I fumbled on the bedside cabinet to look for my phone. Dialling some numbers, I was about to order a food delivery when I remembered that I was saving up money to buy a limited-edition figurine. I groaned again.

Man, why were things hard for me these days? I can’t even play games properly because I was training hard, and all the trainings are hellish you wouldn’t believe I did all that just for the sake of living. My mouth unconsciously mumbled the procedures on how to disassemble and assemble a revolver.

You might not believe that I had been training using weapons, but in my college, there are actually numbers of people who had relations with people from the mafia. Though, apart from their scary faces, they actually have a hobby of knitting and playing with cats, and for some reason were very much obliged to teach me on how to use weapons. I won’t ask what they use them for.

I really don’t want to ask.

My mumbling stopped when my gaze laid upon the glass box that I used to store the puzzle pieces Rox gave me. As if telling me that everything until now is not a dream, he gave me those puzzle pieces. Then out of nowhere, maybe because I was hungry and tired at the same time, I felt ticked off.

“Damn…” I uttered. “If you were to make me one of your avatars to save your damn life, at least compensate me properly…”

I blurted out grudgingly. Giving some puzzle pieces won’t fill my tummy nor increase my figurine collections. What’s more, the time of when the next stage starts happened randomly, that I don’t know what I should do to prepare. Thanks to that, for the past two months of an uneventful night, I had to worry about what outfit I should wear so that scum Rox didn’t start with his demeaning comments. Luckily, it was currently autumn. If it was summer, I would have resumed with my plan to pull his long hair bald already.

That being said, it has been two months since the last time I have a lucid dream. I was always prepared whenever if Rox would summon me somewhere strange with monsters that craved for your soul spawning here and there. Don’t even get me started on those beauty sessions I had every night to make sure my skin doesn’t feel dry to the touch and is soft enough to be bitten.

…NOT because I was preparing for when the King bit me or anything. I was just doing them because the seasons are getting colder and my skin is getting dry anyways so why not.

…Bet you didn’t trust me. (Sigh)

Now that I think about it, I didn’t do my beauty session for tonight. Meh, maybe I should skip for the night. It’s not like Rox would call me anyway. This game-like shenanigans might have ended way earlier than I expected.

My eyes blurred out soon after that. I guess my fatigue won over my hunger. Just before I closed my eyes, I could see the puzzle pieces glinted mysterious at a distance.