As soon as Ethan stood up, I didn't waste any time doing the same. Controlling the movements of my male body, I got up with a certain ease and walked over to stand beside him. With a casual but practical tone, I commented: "In that case, let's go together. It's always safer to move in pairs than alone... you never know what might show up out there"
Ethan just nodded at my words, and to be honest, I doubt he had any real reason to refuse. A moment later, his voice echoed through the space, carrying an almost offhanded honesty: "Fine by me... Honestly, this place gives me a weird feeling... bad, to be real. I think I'd feel way more comfortable having someone with me"
Hearing Ethan's words, an ironic smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Looks like the experience of being attacked by other humans had made him noticeably more wary... and honestly, I couldn't really blame him for that.
In an environment like ours, where survival is a constant struggle, trusting strangers can be a dangerous luxury. We never know what kind of people we're going to run into out there—sometimes, the next threat doesn't come from monsters or the hostile environment, but from other survivors just as desperate as we are.
I watched closely as Ethan and Justin—my male form—headed out of the cave. In the next instant, I switched over to Noa, my female body, and made my way toward Alice, who was chatting excitedly with Oliver. Judging by the light tone and occasional laughter, it was easy to guess they were talking about what they'd been up to just moments earlier, when they were alone.
"Alice, I've got something for you" I announced with a slight smile as I approached. My tone, though gentle, was enough to catch both her and Oliver's attention. They quickly turned their focus away from whatever they'd been talking about and looked at me with curiosity.
A second later, I pulled a simple yet elegantly detailed necklace from my pocket and showed it to Alice. Honestly, I'd intended to give her this necklace from the moment we met up again after I left the Dungeon. But... well, things never go exactly as planned. A lot of unexpected stuff happened along the way, and I ended up putting this off more times than I'd like to admit.
Either way, Alice stared at the necklace for a few seconds, like she was trying to figure out its meaning. Before finally taking it, she raised an eyebrow with a clearly doubtful expression. Then, shifting her gaze to me, she asked in a curious but cautious voice: "What's this necklace for?"
Without hesitation, I answered: "It's one of the items I found in the Dungeon I went through. It came along with the necklace I'm wearing now"
Hearing that, Alice turned her eyes back to the necklace, studying it with a curious look and a hint of hesitation: "Isn't it valuable?" she asked, running her fingers gently over the pendant: "Are you sure you shouldn't be the one using it?"
At her words, a faint smile formed at the corner of my lips. With a tone of light confidence, I replied: "Trust me... Justin and I have talked about this plenty. This necklace..." I paused briefly, giving the object in her hands a meaningful look: "feels like it was made especially for you. Just take it, examine it carefully... and you'll see what I mean soon enough"
Alice raised an eyebrow again, clearly confused by my words, but even so, she took the necklace without hesitation. For a brief moment, she just held it, letting her fingers trace the delicate curves of the piece. Then, with the necklace resting firmly in her palm, she stared at it in silence, like she was searching for something invisible to the naked eye.
It only took a few seconds before her eyes widened in surprise—I figured she'd just used [Identify] and uncovered the necklace's hidden effect. Next to her, Oliver, who had just been watching everything unfold, raised an eyebrow too, intrigued by Alice's sudden reaction.
"See? Even ignoring the extra stats you're getting, the necklace's effect was made exactly for your class. Even if I wore it, I doubt I'd get any real use out of it" I said with a small grin, keeping my gaze on Alice: "It's better for you to wear it so you can help us more effectively. If we can manage your mana consumption, you'll definitely be way more active in battle"
Hearing me out, Alice nodded slowly, like she was weighing every detail carefully. After a brief silence, she finally spoke in a low, thoughtful voice: "I can't deny the necklace would be extremely useful for me. My buffs and debuffs would last way longer, and on top of that, the increase in my max mana would let me cast more spells—for both strengthening and weakening effects"
As she spoke, her previously steady gaze became hesitant, and her eyes met mine with a mix of doubt and concern. With a soft sigh, she added: "But... are you sure you want me to use it? It seems... really valuable"
At that point, Alice was rejecting the necklace so insistently that I almost started to think she just didn't want it. But one quick glance at her face was enough to make that doubt disappear instantly. It was clear Alice liked the necklace, though a mix of hesitation and insecurity was written all over her expression.
She seemed to think she wasn't worthy of it, like she was carrying an invisible weight that kept her from fully accepting it. But if that really was the case, then maybe no one could unlock the full potential of that necklace.
After all, as far as I knew, Oliver and Ethan—who had chosen the archer and warrior classes—didn't have any buff or debuff abilities. I, as an assassin, was in the same boat—none of us had those support skills. Either way, I just shrugged at her words, indifferent.
Honestly, if I didn't give the necklace to her, it would probably end up forgotten with me, with no real use. Given that, the most practical option right now was clearly to hand it over to Alice. Strengthening her meant strengthening the whole group, and that's what really mattered.
"Just use it. That's what Justin and I agreed on" I said firmly, as I gently took Alice's hand and closed it around the necklace: "Besides, like you said yourself, it's a valuable item... But what good is something valuable if we can't unlock its full potential?"
Even though Alice still showed some hesitation, she nodded slowly, like she was taking in the importance of the moment. Soon enough, her eyes lit up, taking on a determined, resolute shine. With a confident voice, she declared: "Alright. In that case, I promise I'll make good use of it. I won't let you or Justin down"
At the end, I just nodded in agreement with Alice's words, a slight smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.
"Take it easy" I said calmly: "All of us in the group need to get stronger anyway. Besides, don't worry about going into debt with me or Justin. We're doing this because, besides the necklace not fitting either of us, strengthening you means strengthening the whole group"
Some time later, Ethan and Justin finally came back. Once we were all together again, we sat in silence, each of us absorbing the weight of the moment.
My masculine and feminine sides settled next to each other in an almost instinctive harmony, while Ethan, Oliver, and Alice took the other side. The inside of the cave was dark, but not so dark that we couldn't see each other — the dim light just softened the outlines of the figures around us.
Outside, daylight still shone brightly, filtering in through the entrance and casting a faint glow that reached the part of the cave where we were, gently lighting our faces and the rough stones beneath us. The air carried a faint damp, cold smell, typical of that underground environment.
As we remained in complete silence, Oliver's clear voice echoed sharply against the damp cave walls, breaking the quiet with firmness and determination: "All right, this is something I've already talked about with Noa, but I think we should focus on raising our levels. Right now, Justin and Noa have the highest levels among us, I'm second, Ethan's third, and Alice, unfortunately, is last"
He paused briefly, looking at each of us seriously before continuing: "As we all know, Alice is a key piece for our group. Without her, our strength and strategy suffer. So, I propose we focus our efforts on helping her level up as fast as possible"
After saying that, Oliver slowly raised his gaze and fixed his eyes on each of us, carefully reading our reactions. Honestly, I couldn't help but agree with his points. Alice's abilities were truly impressive — powerful and versatile.
Plus, the higher her level, the more new skills she would unlock, which would only boost our combat potential. So it was clear that if Alice could level up more efficiently, all of us would come out stronger from this.
Just as this thought crossed my mind, an unexpected question popped up, like a thread pulling at my attention. Firmly holding Justin back, I looked up and, staring at the three in front of me, asked curiously: "By the way, what level are you guys at now? Maybe it's because Noa and I always act as a team, but our levels are the same: 24"
As soon as they heard me, the three exchanged glances for a moment, as if silently trying to confirm something. Then, with sudden understanding—as if they'd just realized a crucial point—they turned their gaze back to me.
Oliver was the first to break the silence, his voice steady but carrying a slight hesitation: "You're right. We haven't really talked about each other's levels yet... Well, since we're on the topic, I'll start. I'm at level 19"
Following Oliver's lead, Alice replied with a small smile, her voice carrying a hint of determination: "My level is still 13"
Left last, all eyes naturally turned to Ethan, whose presence seemed to attract almost magnetic attention. For a brief moment, silence filled the air, heavy with expectation, until he spoke with a firm, decisive voice: "Level 16"
In the end, it seemed like everyone there was at least above level ten. But honestly, I still wasn't sure if that was good news or not. I had no idea what the average player level was right now. But considering everything I had to face to get to level 24, I could imagine the highest levels at the moment were probably around 15 to 19 at most.
That's why I like to believe I'm among the highest-level players still within the tutorial... or at least, that's what I prefer to think.
While I was lost in my own thoughts, Oliver's voice echoed, abruptly pulling me out of my daydream. I blinked a few times and turned my attention back to him. Oliver was standing, eyes fixed on the cave exit, his expression carrying a slightly thoughtful air, as if already planning the next steps.
"Now that we've settled that" he said practically: "let's make the most of the day — it's barely started. Our goal today is to level up... and also find something to eat. If you see anything that looks even remotely edible, don't hesitate to grab it"
Oliver's words echoed in my mind, bringing a sudden realization: we really didn't have anything to eat. Or rather, if we didn't hunt or find something to gather today, it was very likely we'd spend the whole day with our stomachs growling. The very idea spoiled my mood completely. It felt like another item was about to be added to my growing list of things trying to kill us. And this time, it was hunger.