Another Stupid Isekai

When I woke up, my body was in pain, but at this point, I got used to it. I slept better because of the hoodie, and I also, overall, felt better. Still terrible by normal person standards, but my circumstances were not normal at all.

[0)ᴠʟ My leg hurt, but I was able to somewhat stand on it. Stupid ideas of trying to hunt went through my head. I thought that maybe if I could fight one goblin at a time, then maybe I would manage. In the end, I deemed those thoughts as moronic, picked my bowl up, and went to the city center to eat something.

Only a couple of people didn’t go hunting. Most of them were injured, but some not. I spent 8 points on some meat which I cooked over the flame and an additional point on the water. I started to slowly realize how fast my resources were burning.

Some people at this point were probably pretty desperate. How lucky I got when I managed to acquire those crystals? Those who were not fortunate enough, probably, at this moment were very short on points. I took a look around and people’s faces told me I was not wrong in my assumptions.

A few minutes later some of them came to borrow my wooden bowl, to get some water. I agreed. That was the only thing I could do for them.

Next, I found a spot to rest while listening to others. Most of them were worried about points and hunting. Some cried about the whole situation and were saying how they would change their lives if they could go back to the normal world. I was different in that sense. I knew nothing would change, so it didn’t matter where I was. To be frank, I felt more in control over my life, living in a place like this.

I was miserable, but the way to get better was simple. You just needed more points, and to acquire them one must kill goblins. There was no paperwork, no legal institutions, no money. Life was so simple. By all means very hard, but simple. I could understand it.

I was right in those thoughts, but also wrong. When there are no rules, somebody will sooner or later make them. Because we humans need them for some reason, but that’s something I haven’t experienced by then.

I didn’t do much that day. Unable to hunt and bored with listening to others, I decided to help those who were making tools. That’s where I met William. Brown-haired wannabe hippy in a white wifebeater, flower pattern open shirt, broken sunglasses, and slippers.

He was making a shield, but since he dislocated his shoulder during hunting, it was hard. With help from others, he managed to put it back in the socket, but the arm was barely functional. It wasn’t even five minutes before he started bitching about his life. I, against my will, found out that he had a family, whom he left to live with another woman. She then left him after realizing how much of a loser William really was.

He used to work in an office, then he was selling things nobody wanted and finally started dealing drugs. To put it simply – he was a scum. I had this strange feeling that he knew who he was and wanted to change, and he did, just not for the better. Falling further and further.

Then he started telling me that he deserves this place. It’s God’s way of making him become a better person, and he believes we all are here for the same reason. After all this bullshit he started talking about an alliance, and I knew he wanted to butter me up to use later. I had no idea why me, cause I was a loser, and there were better people to team up with. Well, maybe he didn’t succeed with them and had to work with what was left?

Overall William was the type of person I hated the most. He clearly wanted to use others for his own benefit, was chatty and annoying. So I kinda felt good when we finished the shield and parted. Why didn’t I go sooner? To be honest, I had no idea. There was something about him. Maybe the jokes? Or narration of his own story? Who knows?

For sure he was a peculiar individual, but I deemed him as an ‘unnecessary risk’. Maybe he really wanted to become a better person. Maybe this place was able to make him change. Maybe he just wanted to screw me over for his own benefit. Didn’t want to find out. There was plenty of other people to witness his transformation for the better or to get used by him.

I stayed a bit longer to listen to what’s going on around. Soon some people approached me asking if I could share some food with them, so I had to leave. Probably they heard of me sharing the bowl, or have seen it. Unfortunately for them, giving out points was something I was not gonna do.

As usual, took a stroll around before finally heading to the hideout. I spend a bit of time trying to make some kind of bedding with fragments of wood, but since I couldn’t find enough fitting pieces and didn’t want to get caught roaming around my hiding spot, just decided to give up for now.

It looked like the whole situation calmed down a bit. We reached some kind of stagnation. I started to think if this is how our society is gonna look like. It wasn’t that bad. The rational half of my brain quickly pushed those thoughts to the side. It was impossible to maintain a situation like this. Not with the device and its ability to upgrade ourselves. Maybe some people discovered it by now. Maybe they even used it. I knew that power will bring change.

Whoever is gonna hold it, will shape our futures. I could only hope it would be somebody smart and good-hearted. This place could be a paradise. It also could be hell. Shaping this world was in our hands. I wondered who also could see this.

The boring day ended with 261 points.