Ch 107

  The days following his phone call with Peter were filled with Matt working diligently to determine what he needed to prioritize as they continued their exploration. They eventually reached the level 17 area and quickly learned, after just one battle, that the gap between E rank and D rank was incredibly vast. The difference was so significant that although the dungeon maintained its pattern of sending either two enemies or a swarm-style enemy at them, the first encounter nearly resulted in their demise.

  They faced two misty, catlike monsters that lacked tangible bodies, except when they attacked. Had it not been for Greg’s magic forcefully repelling them, Matt was certain that several members of their group would have been easily slain. This was especially alarming considering that a casual swipe of one of the creatures' paws was enough to deplete over 10% of Matt’s HP. Despite the danger, they managed to survive the encounter thanks to Matt’s quick instincts, Bob’s and Yumiko’s agility, and Greg’s magic attacks. Even so, they prudently retreated to the level 16 area immediately and resolved to reach level 17 and achieve D rank before even considering another attempt.

  Reaching level 16 did little to ease Matt’s mind, as he knew that with his next level, he would once again experience a significant increase in power, and he wasn't certain he was prepared for that. The advice that Tempormr had given him at level 16 was about how he was approaching the rank that most people never surpassed. Although he had been somewhat vague, rank D was where the system began removing the constraints that had previously guided all their abilities. While some, like Greg, were already experiencing some of those changes, with his skills condensing into a few general ones, what could happen to Matt and the others might be even more drastic.

  Tempormr had advised Matt to review his current list of skills and the steps he had taken on his own path. His first step, Regeneration, apparently hinted at a powerful bloodline that the system had yet to identify for him, and Tempormr mentioned that it might never do so. Instead, Matt might need to find a way to reveal what his blood was concealing through his own efforts, as not knowing could mean wasting much of its potential. The next skill was Self-Sacrifice, which he had chosen due to the overwhelming need he felt to heal others with his Regeneration, especially when his party was on the brink of death from severe burns. This choice likely explained why many of his skills referenced giving and helping others.

  Next, he embraced defiance, refusing to be merely a tool for others or to blindly follow what they wanted. This determination led him to develop the ability to use his regenerative powers offensively, enabling him to inflict damage on his enemies rather than just healing himself. In many ways, he perceived self-sacrifice and defiance as both similar and different, intertwined yet distinct. More than anything, Matt believed that the skills he acquired demonstrated his capacity to repurpose abilities in unintended ways. For instance, he could transform regeneration into a means of destruction, and self-sacrifice into self-preservation, using these powers to retaliate against foes and negate their attacks.

  Finally, there was luck. Besides unlocking the luck stat, it had been taken in accordance with Tempormr’s advice. The irony of this was not lost on Matt. However, he refused to be so rigid as to ignore sound advice he agreed with, just because he didn't want to listen to someone else's input. At that point, defiance was simply stupidity, and having luck on your side was never a bad thing. Even though Matt felt that apart from a few skills to accelerate his own regeneration in key areas and avoid damage, luck was the hardest to quantify, he also believed it would be a major part of his success moving forward. As he contemplated what changes reaching D rank would bring, he understood that luck might just tip the scales in his favor during crucial moments.

  While he was contemplating these matters, Matt was also reaching out to those who had been invited based on the others’ recommendations. This task had him sitting there, acting much like a translator for each of the calls, as both parties could hear him, but neither could hear the other. It became particularly awkward when either side used words like "I love you." Thankfully, Matt quickly figured out that saying "they love you" was a safe way to proceed, especially the first time this situation arose when Emily was speaking with her mom.

  In many ways, these calls were teaching Matt more about his party members than anything else, as he got to hear how they interacted with their families. These interactions, although a bit awkward with him in the middle, were nonetheless impactful and emotional, given the events that had forced them to become separated. Still, much like his own mother, who hadn’t joined Scattered Stars despite being invited more than once, the person someone wanted to speak to often wasn’t on the member list. This absence caused doubt and worry to fester within the group, as many mourned the unconfirmed deaths of their loved ones, their hearts weighed down by uncertainty and grief.

  It was shortly after Zara discovered that her father was unavailable and ended up calling her mother instead that Matt decided they all needed to have a serious conversation. His intention wasn't to persuade any of them that the missing members of their families were still alive, but rather to emphasize that none of them should bear the burden of their families' safety alone. It was also finally time for him to confront his own issues and make a decision on how he was going to move forward.

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  "All right," Matt called out firmly. "We haven't even made it all the way around for each of you to have a chance to speak to someone, and already one theme has started to become too common: believing the worst of all those who didn't join Scattered Stars. I am as guilty of it as the rest of you, and no, I don’t have answers for any of you, but these calls are supposed to be helping, not hurting us."

  "Grieving is good for us," Eleanor countered softly, her eyes filled with determination. "It lets us move on with our lives as we work to accept that—"

  "We can grieve when we make it back to Earth," Matt interjected, his voice sharp with urgency. "I feel like founding Scattered Stars has been more of a curse than a blessing, even if we are getting some extra raw materials out of it. Right now, our focus needs to be on our survival, not assuming the worst with no proof. Maybe it would be different if they had joined and then we got a death notice, but I've only received those for a few of the people Jaelyn recruited."

  "It doesn’t work like that," Rose stated with a hint of frustration. "Trust me, even though I refuse to reach out to anyone from my life before the integration, I still worry about some. Even when we want to, we can’t simply shut off our emotions."

  "That's not what Matt is saying," Greg replied. "At least, it's not what I think he means. We're all awkward in our own ways, so we should forgive each other for not always having the right words. Still, I think he's getting hit extra hard because he's the middleman for all of us trying to connect with our loved ones, and he's having issues dealing with it."

  "No, not entirely," Matt stated. "I think it has more to do with seeing the expressions on your faces throughout the day and knowing why you're sad. It's making me worry about you when it's time to fight, especially since we need to risk going into the level 17 area again."

  "What!?" Emily exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief. "I thought we all agreed it was too much for us at E rank. We even let you off the hook after seeing how huge the gap is."

  "Well, I'm not letting myself off the hook," Matt replied firmly, his determination evident. "Instead, I feel the need to push myself and rise above what can reasonably be expected of me."

  "There is a difference between pushing oneself and getting yourself killed," retorted Emily, her voice tinged with frustration. "Weren't you the one advising others to weigh the risks and only take on those you believe you can handle?"

  "We know we can handle it," interrupted Greg confidently. "We already assessed the situation and decided it wasn’t worth the risk before. However, I believe that if we can safely tackle a quarter or more of the daily battles we currently face in our area, we should do it. That way, we can level up slightly faster."

  Emily shook her head, her brow furrowed with concern. "We have no idea what we will face, especially since those mist cats were almost too much for us alone. Past experience shows that the first encounter in any new area is always the easiest, and they had lower HP compared to some of the other monsters here."

  "They were built like Bob," Matt chimed in thoughtfully. "High dodging abilities, but low sturdiness. Even against Greg's relentless wind spells, they nearly outmaneuvered all of us. You're right; fighting them again would put our lives at risk. However, something tells me that more than just reaching level 17 faster, taking on rank D monsters will yield greater rewards. Rewards that we will need if we truly want to live freely one day."

  "What is this 'one day' nonsense," retorted Greg with a hint of impatience. "Either we're living freely now, or we never will. After all, I don't see anyone standing over us, demanding anything."

  "I do," stated Matt firmly. "Just knowing that our world is at the bottom of some hierarchical order that has long been established is enough to force us to decide whether we accept staying at the bottom at others' whims or strive to become those at the top."

  "I once read a book," Emily chimed in thoughtfully, "that said the road to the peak is never-ending. If you ever get there, it will only be a moment before someone else surpasses you. It was a very bloody story, and while many were rescued by the hero, they never really had their own happy ending. It was just on to the next bit of chaos from which they would emerge stronger."

  "Sounds like a lousy author," Greg replied dismissively. "Unless you didn't finish the series, in which case the jury is still out on whether you're a bad reader or the author is at fault."

  "It was over 50 books and still not complete after more than a decade," Emily retorted with frustration. "I mean, who does that to a fanbase?"

  "Someone dedicated to writing the whole story and not just the cliff notes," Greg replied with a shrug. "If you really wanted to—"

  "Can we not," interrupted Matt. "Right now, I'm asking that we all agree on two things. First, until we know for certain that someone is dead, we don't treat it as if they are. Second, we need to get our heads ready to face the challenges in the level 17 area."

  "I have a better idea," added Yumiko. "Let's pretend we're dead until we make it back to Earth. That way, there's no reason to mourn those who, like us, are not among the living, even if we can exchange messages through Matt."

  Matt frowned, pondering Yumiko's suggestion. As he considered her words, he noticed others starting to nod in agreement. It was Zara's response that solidified his decision.

  "That works for me," Zara said, "but I'm still going to be emotional whenever I get a chance to talk with family."

  "That's fine," replied Matt. "What's important is ensuring those emotions don't linger into the next day. Now, let's call it a night and prepare for the toughest day yet in the morning."

  With that, Matt pulled out the rough mattresses filled with leaves. Jaelyn had sent them to Matt for 18 merit points, and they had greatly improved their lives, as they were infinitely better than sleeping on the bare ground.