Callan was teleported back to the white void with a big frown on his face.
“I lost it… I lost my spear… I mean, I can make a new one… but I’m a writer, so I know what a warrior’s pride is. How can I have already used up two spears!”
[Yes]
“Even you get it Mirai. Well, I’ll just make a better one then, but this time, I ain''t ever losing it.” Callan sat back down to the ground beside the campfire he hastily made.
“Can I see the time, Mirai?”
[18:37:21]
“Well, I still have a lot of time. Oh, wait! Before that!” Callan jumped back up again and walked to Mirai. He tapped on Mirai and his status screen showed it.
“Based on what I learned, I should be 32 by now! Damn! Hell Y-” But before he could finish his sentence, his entire body froze.
[Callan Satchel]
[Level: 4]
[Strength: 19]
[Agility: 19]
[Endurance: 19]
[Magic: 19]
Callan’s mouth was left wide open for a good minute. If only the white void had flies, one would have already found a good home and died.
“That’s… kind of disappointing… but I guess it’s… O…P… if I just double my stats every level up? Is it?” He asked Mirai.
[Yes]
“Hah… fine, I already made my way up this high, if I get more sad I’ll just become an arrogant bitch.” Callan turned around sucking his lip. He sat back down on the ground and started to smash his rocks. You know what I meant.
However, despite Callan’s disappointment with his stats, Mirai felt a sense of joy. Though, of course, doubling his stats would have been an amazing result as that would just mean an eminent victory for Callan. But, those stats were still amazing.
Callan spent a good few hours crafting a new spear. From going back and forth to the second floor, he did everything he could to make an indestructible spear. Well, it’s still made from wood though.
“Okay! Finished! This time it ain''t just a branch, I fucking carved this stick from a trunk myself, hehehehe.” He rubbed his nose.
“Time, Mirai.”
[10:12:45]
“What! 8 hours! I spent 8 hours on that! Damn! I really am getting too into this!” He paused a little bit and continued. “Is… that a good thing…?”
[Yes]
Mirai replied. Though, Callan didn’t hear a thing. He always had a weird sense of focus, sometimes he couldn’t even handle doing the same thing for a few minutes and sometimes someone could just rob him without him even seeing a thing.
But… for crafting? For woodworking? That was an unexpected thing to be into for a shut-in like him.
“Well, I wonder what else I can do. Got a full 10 hours left, I guess… sleep is a good answer… oh God! I haven’t slept!” That wasn’t true though, he did sleep before, twice even. But if he wanted to sleep more, who would complain about one good sleep?
Then, like a giant baby, Callan slept on the floor for a very long time. It’s kind of disappointing how confident he is about the third floor, which is really annoying. I guess he’s still a human… for now.
[01:23:47]
There was only one hour left till Callan was forced to go to the third floor. His eyes opened wide. Raising his back like a vampire, just waking up from his coffin. Slowly twisting his head to face Mirai, he yelled. “I’m not ready!”
Callan panicked. He jumped up and started to walk in circles. “Oh God! What am I gonna do?! I almost died on floor 2 and I don’t even know floor 3! Mirai!” He yelled and ran to Mirai like a crying baby. Never forget, he is wearing something like a mawashi.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Do you know what the theme of the third floor is?”
[Yes]
“Oh fuck, stupid question! I already asked you that. Wait, let me just relax. Be calm and collected.” He massaged his head.
“Okay, so is it a forest theme?”
[No]
“Is it another water theme?”
[No]
“Then is it just another one on one like the first floor?”
[Yes]
“O! Really? Oh hell yeah! I can do this!”
[No]
“Huh? Is it a strong one? Well… I can’t really list all the animals or monsters I know. I mean I would never have expected the second floor to be piranhas!”
[Yes]
“Then… I have no choice… but to prepare. I don’t know what to prepare but I will.” Callan had one hour, and that was more than enough to think of some stupid plan for the unknown.
First, he laid all his weapons on the ground. His one spear and some spare knives.
“At this moment… having more weapons ain’t really an important thing. If it''s one-on-one, I’ll just need at least five knives…” Callan blinked his eyes five times. “...which I don’t have…”
***
Second, Callan took his spear and went to the first floor.
“Hah… I guess this will be my source of knives… which is made of iron, so it’s like an iron mine too.”
Callan started on the first floor once again. “Restart.” After a quick session of five one-sided fights, he left after only 2 minutes.
“Collected all the knives.” Though after fighting and doing something, Callan still had a hole left in him.
“But it still feels so lacking! I feel… so bored. But even then, I can’t really train my fighting skills cause it’s not like I have actual experiences. So shadow fighting is out of the options.” Callan dropped down to the ground and groaned.
“You know… there is one option. That is to exercise. But I have a fight in 1 hour so it’s not enough time. Guess… I’ll just… talk to you Mirai.” Callan stood up and positioned himself close to Mirai.
He looked below him, staring at the orb full of sorrow. “Mirai, are you okay?”
[Yes]
“I guess you''re used to it huh. Lost one hundred thousand people. We’re they all humans?”
[No]
“Huh… that’s interesting. Not like it matters though.” Callan sat down on the ground and leaned his back on the pedestal. He raised his right leg and placed his right arm on it.
“Plans, did you know Mirai that I am the most annoying person in the world. Well, at least a lot of people have said so.”
[Yes]
“Ahahaha! We haven’t even been together for a while and you agree already. For example, the plan, you heard that I wanted a plan right. Then where is it? It was just disregarded and feels utterly useless to even be there. But that’s my life, full of utterly useless decisions that are always forgotten.”
[Yes]
“You have been with a lot of people, so I know you get it. But what really bothers me the most is that I’m self-aware. I know my fucking problems yet why the fuck can’t I just resolve it! Why the fuck! Ahhhhh!”
[No]
“It’s okay, Mirai. I get it. They say it’s not easy to change. But it''s been 4 years… and I’m… I’m still the same.”
Mirai didn’t respond, she didn’t really have any useful words to say. Other than the guilt of not being able to help, at least having no heart relieves the pain a little bit.
“That’s why… that’s why… I don’t know. Life is shit, that’s why being in this hell is the best thing to happen to me.”
Callan laughed uncontrollably afterward.
“Just kidding! I’ll choose a worthless life more than the protagonist in your life, Mirai. It’s so much of a burden.”
[No]
“You’ll die if I die, right Mirai?”
[...Yes]
“You’re probably wondering how I know, but I just do. I… just do… I think that’s my plot armor. Whatever fucking story, novel, movie, anime, tv series, this utter bullshit life is. All I want to say… I’ll be the most inconsistent main character in the world.”
Callan smiled and stood up.
“Timer, Mirai.”
[00:58:47]
“I’ll do my best Mirai.” Callan walked back to his campfire and collected all his weapons back to his inventory.
“I won’t die… why? Well, I already died so my catchphrase doesn’t work anymore. But, catchphrase, try number two.”
Callan swiped Mirai, making the floors appear.
“I won’t die… do you know why?”
He raised his index finger in the sky and placed his face closer to Mirai.
“The Universe has one rule. I will never die.”
Callan clicked on the third floor, and he disappeared from Mirai’s sight.