Randy led Fratley into a room he hadn't entered before. Inside, it was filled with all kinds of armor and weapons. Fratley even spotted a full armor set that once belonged to the Order of Snail.
"Is all this gear our loot?" he asked, eyes scanning the collection.
"Well, not all of it," Randy replied. "Only some. After the Order of Snail raid last year, we've only been attacked three more times. Most days are peaceful."
"What's their reason for attacking? I mean, I know the Order of Snail wants our drugs, but what about the others?"
Randy glanced at him, then let out a sigh. "And this is why I hate those simulation programs. I already told your mom she should've let you grow up normally, but she insisted this was best for you."
He turned back to a rack of weapons. "Pick a melee and a ranged weapon. We'll talk on the way, Jack's already waiting for us."
Fratley nodded and stepped forward, looking over the selection. There was a wide variety, from combat knives to halberds, even a few spears hanging neatly on the wall.
For ranged weapons, he was surprised to find a classic wooden bow among the stockpile of rifles.
Thanks to the simulation, Fratley already knew how to handle them all. Without hesitation, he chose a long spear and a rifle. The rifle had two modes, single-shot and burst fire, perfect for adapting to different situations.
As they left the building, Fratley noticed signs of progress. Where there was once an empty field, now rows of crops had begun to grow.
The plants in this world weren't all that different from the ones in his past life. He spotted Karen tending to rows of corn and potatoes, carefully checking each stalk.
"Boss, you're heading out?" Karen asked as she spotted Randy and Fratley approaching. "And who's this guy?"
"Yeah, we're scouting that ruin. Hopefully, we finally found the right one, we can't afford to waste any more Psychalite." Randy pointed at Fratley. "And him? Don't you recognize the face?"
Karen squinted at Fratley for a few seconds, then shook her head. "Nope. So, who is he?"
Randy felt the urge to knock some sense into her. Fratley's face was practically a copy of Emily's. "It's Emily's kid. She's been with us for a year now."
"Emily?" Karen turned to glance at a corn stalk behind her, then said, "This Emily? No way. My Emily looked way better."
Fratley's lips twitched. 'Did… did she just compare me to a corn plant?' Worse, she said the corn looked better. He opened his mouth to complain, but Randy raised a hand.
"Forget it. Whatever you say is just gonna be a waste of time. Karen's a bit peculiar, but don't worry. Give her a few more years, and she might actually remember you."
After the brief exchange, they continued their journey. Outside the settlement, they were surrounded by a vast sea of trees.
Fratley took a deep breath, raising his awareness. From what he'd learned in the simulation, forests like this were dangerous, crawling with monsters.
Randy noticed his tense posture and smirked. He pulled out a box of cigarettes, lit one, took a long drag, and exhaled slowly.
"Kid, I don't know what you learned in that simulation, but reality's different," he said. "Being alert is good, but if you stay tense the whole time, your body will burn out fast.
What you need is instinct. That only comes from real combat. No amount of training in a pod will give you that."
Fratley nodded, though he still kept his guard up. This was his first time outside the settlement, and he wasn't about to lower it just yet.
Randy chuckled. "This world's a mess. Every corner hides something nasty.
Monsters, Exo-Frames, mutant freaks, cannibals, you name it. That's why you gotta learn when to relax and enjoy yourself. Otherwise, you'll lose your mind."
'Like Karen?' Fratley mumbled internally, but wisely kept his mouth shut. "So where are we heading now, boss?" he asked.
"Haha, no need to call me 'boss.' Just call me Randy. The only one who calls me that is Karen, and it's annoying.
We're a small settlement, everyone's equal. I'm just the guy who's survived the longest."
Fratley gave him a confused look. Despite spending years in the simulation, none of the information had covered the settlement or its people. Most of it focused on practical survival skills, his family history, and knowledge of the Arkon Empire.
For instance, he knew that Psychalite was a drug used to awaken latent abilities. For someone like him, it could be the key to becoming a mage. But hearing Randy say he was the longest surviving member raised questions, questions about how many had come before and how many had already died.
"Anyway," Randy continued, "right now we're gonna get you some hunting experience and confirm the location of a ruin. If our intel is right, it used to be a lab, one that might still have the equipment we need to refine Psychalite safely."
"I see… so no one else has used Psychalite besides my mother?" Fratley asked.
"Well, I've used it once," Randy replied, puffing his cigarette. "And let me tell you, that stuff really makes a difference.
That's how the Empire stays strong, dominant in this crazy world. If only we could find another source of the drug…"
Randy than trailed off, his explanation turn into a familiar rant. He started complaining about the Empire, cursing them and muttering how the world would be better off without it.
Fratley just nodded along, barely registering the words. He'd already heard most of it before on the simulation, same speech, different day.
But then Randy abruptly raised a finger, signaling him to stay quiet. He pointed to the right.
Fratley followed his gesture, and a clearing came into view. There, he saw dozens of deer gathered, some grazing on the grass, others calmly drinking from a nearby river.