We sat around a fire and I recalled Rose having sparked one to life. If her Class had something to do with fire, as evidenced by that [Firebolt], then it made sense. I was sitting on a log, surreptitiously glancing at the others over a kebab of glistening gloom tiger meat. Apparently, Jack had a Skill that allowed him to determine if something was edible. Technically, I had one too, but this method was more convenient.

Elsewhere in the [Sleepywood], my clones were on reconnaissance.

The increased PER was tangible. Every sound and movement somehow more pronounced. There was a layer beneath the eerie quiet of the woods, a sound unheard, like the buzz of insects lost to the monotony.

A clone dodged forward as a snarling…thing appeared. This time it was an oddly lithe creature, having been pressed against the shadow of a tree. Two arms came down into scythes and its bug-like eyes were complimented with horns.

Its arm came down, aimed for my neck. Idly, I noticed I wasn’t panicking. I saw its strike, traced the path in a moment between moments. I was processing it faster, much faster than I should. It was taller than me, hunting me, but I never faltered.

Sixth dodged again, coming to his feet in half-surprise. Then Seventh came, peeling away from the treeline and approaching from behind. From the other side, Eighth and then Ninth, until suddenly it was surrounded.

The scythes came down again but I had a view from four different angles. I watched myself dodge, never in danger for a moment, mastery of that singular space unparalleled. An itch across all my senses, [Solo’s Instinct] working in tandem across all my clones, amplified even.

None of my clones had any weapons. And if not for the Title and boost to my physical stats, my numbers wouldn’t have meant much. As it stood, my clones reached the physical attributes of my prior original self, and then a bit more.

Each of my selves weaved between its strikes and I didn’t freeze or panic, locked in a state of flow. I didn’t hesitate to get close, oddly confident at being untouched. I grappled the creature down, clones tearing at its limbs with a foot on its joints and a pull with both arms. Multiple arms, at times.

It died quietly, without sound, and left four Evahn’s coming down from adrenaline.

[Dungeon Notice]: For defeating a Gloaming Scythe, you are rewarded with a [Dark Wand].

[Dungeon Notice]: Congratulations! As you are part of the first group to explore the [Sleepywood] the [Dark Wand] reward has been upgraded to a [Twilight Wand].

Item: [Twilight Wand]

A wand crafted from moon-soaked wood. It is perfect for harnessing the scattered rays of the dawn, the soft glow of twilight, and the shadows of dusk.

- 20% increase in the effectiveness of twilight, light, and dark magic.

I stared at the Item, a shot of excitement at the thought of magic. But the wand itself didn’t declare any support toward learning. There wasn't anything immediately obvious when holding it, no surge of power, or mysterious arcane knowledge. I looked at the wand in my hand, amounting, currently, to nothing more than a stick.

It was a little disappointing but I held hope, allowing a clone to experiment with it.

Back with my original body, we were discussing the nature of the Dungeon.

“I think it’s an open space.” Rickson was saying. “I’m not sure if we’re supposed to defeat anything. We can leave whenever we want, but that will be the end of our bonuses.”

I tore into my kebab and tried to ignore the thoughts so intently directed towards me. He hasn’t said anything. I wonder what he can do… to have escaped that thing. Rose shuffled beside me and I felt her gaze lift for a moment.

“That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some kind of Dungeon Boss,” Rickson added, to the effect of uncomfortable shuffling.

“Risk for reward.” Parker intoned, crossing his arms. He was wearing a furred vest that would’ve looked entirely out of place if we hadn’t seen him pull it out of the [Common Chest]. It was blue and I couldn’t pull up a description on it. Apparently, it was gloom tiger hide.

“Well, now that we’re here we have no choice but to make the most of it,” Gary said gruffly. “It may seem greedy but I don’t think we can afford to leave empty-handed. Not with so much to gain.”

“How long are we talking?” Someone asked, concerned.

“Days at least.” This time I recognized Jack. “We’re leveling, getting useful Items, if everyone comes out stronger we’ve got more tools to survive once we leave. We can’t let an opportunity like this go to waste.”

“So what? We just… hunt? Go out, search for monsters, and kill them?”

“It might be for the best,” Parker replied.

There were a few murmurs and I listened to that buzzing noise, that frequency of thought. It was strange, grabbing snippets of internal monologue. Less daunting, now that I could practice in close proximity. The general sentiment was agreement and nervousness.

I directed my mental focus on Rose, whose thoughts were already hard to ignore. Reaching for that mental equilibrium, where all other noise was filtered and only a clear stream of thought remained, would’ve been impossible without the increase in mental attributes.

“Evahn, what do you think of all this?” She asked once the conversation died down and people spread out. He seems oddly… relaxed. Is he not nervous?

I glanced at her, catching curious blue eyes. “Someone has to take that first step, right? I don’t think we can survive without getting stronger. There’s no telling what else is out there in the swamp.” Or the rest of the world, for that matter.

“He’s right, you know.” Parker joined, holding a skewer over the fire. “People need to see that, for their own good.”

He nodded to me politely and I felt his gaze linger before he turned back to the fire. He’s stronger than he looks. He was the first person saving people and he somehow knew how to deal with the rootmother’s mind control. His gaze flicked back to me. I’m glad he’s here, at least.

I scratched my head. “Well, let’s hope we can make our time here worthwhile.”