As Faust's vision returned, the first thing he noticed was that the ocean had disappeared.
He was standing on solid ground.
"Hmm?"
Faust looked down at his feet before raising his head to examine his surroundings.
He appeared to be in a village.
A dozen old buildings stood along several dirt roads, surrounded by a thick forest. Some of the houses had damaged walls and broken windows, while others looked as though they had been abandoned for years.
'So they really transported me somewhere else.'
Faust turned around, searching for the monolith he had touched earlier. However, there was no sign of it, nor was there any trace of the ocean.
Instead, he found himself surrounded by people.
There were approximately thirty of them, scattered across the open area between the buildings.
Most looked rather miserable.
Their faces were smeared with dirt, and their clothes had been reinforced with whatever materials they could find. Layers of cloth, leather, and other scavenged materials were wrapped around their bodies, held together with strips of duct tape.
Almost everyone carried a backpack bulging with supplies.
Some had knives hanging from their belts, while others carried makeshift weapons or firearms that had clearly seen better days.
'They seem prepared.'
Faust glanced at his own clothes before looking at the others again.
'Quite a difference.'
Unlike him, the people gathered here looked as though they had already experienced their share of hardship.
However, their equipment wasn't what interested him the most.
It was their behavior.
Most of the survivors had already formed small groups.
Three people stood near one of the buildings, whispering among themselves while occasionally glancing at the others. Another pair remained close together, their hands resting near their weapons.
Only a handful stood alone.
A young man was leaning against a dilapidated wall, repeatedly flicking a lighter open and shut.
Click!
A small flame appeared.
Click!
It disappeared again.
The young man continued the motion while observing the crowd from the corner of his eyes.
Not far from him stood a man wearing a bandana across his forehead. A dark stain marked one side of the fabric, and his eyes moved constantly from person to person.
His feet were planted firmly apart, and even while standing still, he seemed ready to react at any moment.
Beside him was a muscular woman carrying a large backpack patched together from pieces of several different bags.
She was watching the surroundings just as carefully.
Whenever someone moved too close, her attention immediately shifted toward them.
'Those two have some experience.'
Faust moved his attention elsewhere.
An older man was sitting on a wooden crate near one of the buildings.
His gray beard was unkempt, and the remains of a business suit hung loosely from his body. His tie was gone, and the sleeves of his shirt had been torn away.
Despite his shabby appearance, his movements were steady as he carefully cleaned a handgun.
The old man checked the weapon's components before assembling them again.
Click!
He inspected the gun one last time, seemingly unconcerned with the people surrounding him.
A short distance away, a young man with several scars running along his arms was holding a makeshift spear.
His gaze moved across the crowd, lingering a little longer whenever it reached someone standing alone.
Beside him, a young woman sat on the ground with her knees drawn close to her chest.
Her clothes were badly torn, and she held a weathered book tightly against her body.
She looked frightened, yet she kept watching the surroundings rather than lowering her head.
In another corner, three survivors had spread a piece of paper across a wooden surface.
It appeared to be a map.
Their fingers moved along the markings as they discussed something in hushed voices.
Nearby, another pair was checking their equipment. One tested the edge of a knife while the other inspected the ammunition in his firearm.
Faust observed them for a while.
'Interesting.'
Despite having arrived in an unfamiliar place, nobody seemed particularly eager to approach strangers.
Even those standing in groups kept their voices low.
'They don't trust each other.'
That was understandable.
After everything that had happened, gathering information before making a decision was the safest approach.
Faust had no intention of introducing himself either.
Instead, he looked around the village again, examining the buildings and the forest surrounding them.
'So this is supposed to be the tutorial.'
He wondered what kind of challenge they would be facing.
Would they have to fight monsters?
Or was this some sort of survival test?
Before he could investigate further, something suddenly appeared in the middle of the crowd.
POOF!
A cloud of dark smoke burst into existence.
The nearby survivors immediately reacted.
"What the hell?!"
"Watch out!"
Several people backed away, while others reached for their weapons.
A faint smell of sulfur spread through the air.
Then, from within the smoke, a small figure emerged.
Faust narrowed his eyes.
'What is that?'
The creature was no taller than a garden gnome.
Its skin was bright red, resembling a ripe cherry, while two small horns curled upward from its forehead.
A pair of delicate wings extended from its back, their transparent surfaces covered in thin veins like those of a dragonfly.
Its body was small, with an oversized head that gave it an almost comical appearance.
'A goblin?'
More precisely, it looked like a chibi version of one.
The creature hovered above the ground, looking around at the survivors with an enormous grin.
"Hello, everyone!"
Its voice was unexpectedly deep.
Several survivors exchanged surprised glances.
Such a small creature speaking with the voice of a grown man was rather strange.
"My name is Impish, and I will be your guide for the duration of this quest!"
Impish spread its arms as though welcoming a group of guests.
"Now, I'm sure all of you have plenty of questions, but let's get the important things out of the way first."
It pointed toward the surrounding buildings.
"Your objective is simple. You must defend this village for three days!"
A few survivors turned to look at the houses.
"Three days?" someone muttered.
"That's right!"
Impish raised three fingers.
"Every morning, you will have until noon to prepare your defenses. You can repair the buildings, build fortifications, and do whatever else you think will help protect the village."
It then pointed toward the forest.
"But once the sun sets, the invasion will begin!"
The smile on its face widened.
"And those lovely visitors won't stop coming until dawn!"
The crowd grew quiet.
One of the survivors glanced toward the trees.
"Invasion? You mean monsters?"
Impish chuckled.
"You'll find out when night comes."
That answer did little to reassure anyone.
Faust glanced toward the forest as well.
'Defend a village for three days, with attacks lasting from sunset until dawn.'
He considered the arrangement.
'So we spend the day preparing and the night fighting.'
It was a fairly straightforward survival game.
At least, that was how it appeared so far.
Impish clapped its tiny hands together.
"Now, let's talk about rewards!"
The moment rewards were mentioned, several people turned their attention back to the creature.
"After each day, you will receive two types of rewards."
"The first is a group reward!"
A few survivors straightened.
"This reward can be used to purchase items that will strengthen the village's defenses. However, since it belongs to everyone, any purchase must be decided through a majority vote."
"Majority vote?" the bandana-wearing man repeated.
"Exactly! If most of you agree to purchase something, then that's what you'll get."
Impish raised another finger.
"The second type is your individual reward."
"This one is much simpler. The more enemies you kill, the more points you'll earn!"
It smiled.
"You can use those points to purchase items from your personal shop."
"Each player will receive a selection of ten different items every day. These items are unique to each of you, and the selection will reset the following day."