Eugene Blackwell

HP

134/134

MP

40/40

Stats

STR

29

INT

22

DEX

17

WIS

19

CHA

5

CON

20

Damn, it feels good to be stronger. With Eve's precious guidance, we managed to make the most of Theodore's generosity. Though stat upgrades aren't the only benefits, I got.

Skills DUMB LUCK Though unlucky in love, you are lucky in war. Sometimes you'll be able to survive a death blow. FAST LEARNER Nerds are the new jocks. Not really, people can still take your lunch money and shove you in lockers, but at least you pick up stats, skills, and potential points slightly faster. ACKSHUALLY After browsing Reddit for longer than is advised and neglecting your facial hygiene, you've gained the aura of a neckbeard. Ladies won't love you, but at least you'll be able to convince people more often than before. If only so they won't have to listen to your rants...

At this point, I'm getting used to the theme of everything in this game. While unsettling at first, now I've grown to ignore the snark and biting commentary, which seems deliberately designed to poke fun at me or even psyche me out. I don't even like Reddit that much. I just use it to browse cat pictures!

Back to the topic at hand, we had plenty of skills to choose from but decided to pick ones that would be useful for my future growth and the real world. I need to start earning more money or at the very least be able to launder my gains to be useful outside without arousing too much suspicion. The 'Dumb Luck' skill I had to argue over with Eve. She wanted me to get 'Bad Influence' to cloud people's decision-making when dealing with me, but I figured we could hold off for now since we have the 'Ackshually' skill already.

'Dumb Luck' potentially being able to save my life in the inevitable event I bite off more than I can chew helps too, of course! Eve Probably relented solely because of that, seeing the value of not dying.

We could spend more PP to boost my survivability and skill, considering I hold a staggering 72 after all is said and done. But since we're staying on the Goblin Kingdom floor to grind and trade with Theodore, I'm not gonna increase my stats until I'm ready to go down further. Not that we're complacent, far from it, in fact.

The past few weeks, we've gotten into a steady rhythm. Real work from 9 to 5, followed by dungeoneering from 6 to 10. If it were solely up to me, I'd go til midnight. Ever since my CON was raised, I get tired less frequently and recover faster. And because of my WIS, mental drains are a thing of the past. Not exactly, as I still get mentally exhausted, but it takes a lot more for me to reach that stage. Eve just figured some cooling off before bed would be helpful. As well as strategizing about the dungeon crawl. What tactics work best against what monsters, what certain information means to how we do things.

Speaking of information, Duke Theodore has been a great boon for it. He's been very forthcoming in supporting us and as a surprisingly good friend to have.

"So then my wife gets upset at me for forgetting our anniversary, only for her to be angry over the wrong date! She was a week off, Eugene, an entire week! Can you believe her? I swear if she didn't have that cute smile, it would be grounds for divorce!" The aspiring goblin king roared humorously, his British accent less pronounced after a few too many drinks.

"She's goddamn right! At least she remembered your anniversary." Eve cackled out in support of Elisabeth, Theodore's wife.

I roll my eyes at her while grinning. "Oh please, she forgot it too if she can't even remember the date," I rebuke in jest.

Eve and I laugh along, easily swept up by his tales of adventures, both on the field and apparently in his romantic life. I never really thought about it, but feral or not, every goblin lived a life before they got put here. They had families, businesses, friends, and dreams, only for it all to be ripped away.

We only really have time to sit down like this during the weekends, and we try to make the most of it. Theo is good company. We all take a swig of our grog as we calm down. Theodore looks somber, his face gaining age as it shows just how tired he is. "I miss her, you know," he mumbles ruefully.

"If only I could've stopped my people from somehow getting to this place, hell I still don't know how we got here" his pointy ears drooped.

We've bonded over drinks and tales often these past few weeks, and I can tell just how beaten he feels. Just barely able to show some bravado to his people that were transported to the dungeon with him. "We'll figure out a way, my dude," I gently patted his back. I don't know how yet, neither does Eve, but surely it's all connected to the portal and the gamification of my life. Once I get to the bottom of it, at the very least, I'll have an explanation for it.

That seems to have done the trick for Theodore, if only slightly. Using my words of reassurance, he steeled himself once more and regained his regal demeanor. Partly because he knew he had to be strong for those around him, I'm sure. But I do think deep down that he believes that we'll be able to help him out somehow.

"Yes, yes, you're right, mate, my wife's strong. She'll handle herself just fine until we find a way back," he exclaims, getting up with renewed vigor. "Enough whining for today, lads lets get back to some drinks!"

Eve gives him a cheer, and I follow soon after. Theo changes the subject, "So how long till you lads go deeper into the dungeon?"

As I started to ponder on an answer, Eve interjected, "actually, we're very nearly done with our preparations. We just need a few more weekends to deal setting up our trade upstairs before we're ready to go down further."

Crap, I completely forgot it's already Friday. I'm not looking forward to having to deal with everything we'll have to do tomorrow morning.