We move slowly. The dirt road isn’t easy to walk on. Now that we’re farther from the city and the adrenaline has faded, the exhaustion of this impossible day finally starts catching up with me.

  I’m not in the mood to talk.

  Luckily Mom and Alicia seem to get along well. Despite the fatigue, we keep moving forward, brushed by the cool breeze drifting down from the hills.

  Every now and then something bursts out of the soil—moles or earthworms the size of dogs.

  These encounters aren’t too dangerous, though one mole did erupt right beneath my mother’s feet, splitting the dry ground open. Alicia healed her while I dealt with the creature.

  The real challenge was an Old Tractor — Level 4.

  From a distance it looked like an abandoned piece of farm equipment sitting by the roadside. But as we approached, the health bar and name appeared.

  I signaled Mom and Alicia to stay back.

  Then I stepped forward.

  This mob had a huge health pool, but it was slow. Very slow. One of its tracks was broken.

  With patience I circled around it, striking with Power Strike whenever I could. It didn’t have many abilities, except for a charge attack that was extremely dangerous.

  One time it hit me and sent me flying five meters. I got up coughing, my mouth full of dry dirt.

  After the fight Alicia healed a rib that must have cracked when I hit the ground. Her hands turned translucent, glowing faintly like a candle in the dark.

  The tractor fight pushed me to Level 4.

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  The road ahead is long. We’re walking, tired and shaken. But at least out here the land opens in every direction—fields of short grass and a few isolated farmhouses that we avoid.

  I finally take the time to open the many notifications I’ve ignored until now.

  Holy shit.

  I should’ve checked these earlier.

  Besides all the loot and talent points waiting to be assigned, there are also two completed quests.

  The first is [Escape the City], which I apparently completed by surviving long enough to leave it.

  The reward: experience… and a minimap.

  Finally something actually useful.

  When I open it, I can see a few hundred meters around me. Mobs appear as red dots. Corpses are marked with an X.

  There’s also a question mark.

  It’s located in a farmhouse we passed a few hundred meters back, just off the road.

  I’ll talk about it with Mom and Alicia. We’ll decide whether it’s worth checking out.

  The second quest is called [Save the Savior].

  Also completed.

  Apparently the objective was to defend and rescue Alicia from a dangerous mob.

  Yeah. Dangerous was the right word.

  I must have been seriously shaken not to notice the quest windows earlier. They flash much more aggressively than the other notifications.

  Or maybe it’s worse than that.

  Maybe I’m already getting used to this new reality.

  The reward from Alicia’s quest is a unique ability:

  [Vital Transfer]

  Wood Specialization

  Lose 20% of your Health to heal an ally for the same amount.

  This ability could save our lives.

  Being able to heal my healer is fantastic.

  The Wood Specialization part confuses me. I assume it’s tied to my passive abilities somehow.

  “Hey. Jack.”

  Alicia interrupts my thoughts.

  “You could say something every now and then.”

  “You’re right. Sorry. I was thinking. Alicia—do you have the minimap too? I just realized I unlocked it after leaving the city.”

  “Yeah, I unlocked it too. But you’re the leader. I’ll let you make the decisions. You know… the alpha male and all that.” She grins.

  She looks innocent, but she stings like a bee.

  “Listen, we’re risking our lives out here. If you have an idea or notice something new—anything—you need to tell me.”

  I try to sound firm, though I’m not very good at it.

  “Okay boss, okay. So what do you want to do about that question mark we passed earlier?”

  “Well…” I shrug. “I’d check it out. There might be something useful there. Maybe even a place to rest for the night. The light’s already starting to fade, and I definitely don’t want to be stuck out in the open fields after dark.”

  The three of us exchange a glance.

  The decision is made.

  We turn back toward the ? on the minimap.