A few minutes later, I let out a long sigh and sat down, my eyes fixed on the panel's cold "Sanity Level: 3%." I glanced at Nola, and she seemed to understand exactly what I needed. She padded over and curled up in my lap, her soft fur warming me against the chill of the silent forest.
I started to pet her gently, feeling a bit of tension melt away. The world was quiet—almost peaceful for a moment. Just as I was starting to relax, the panel flickered and updated:
Sanity Level: 2%
I stared at the number, then nodded to myself. This world wasn't going to give me any breaks, but at least I had Nola by my side.
A few minutes later, I stood up, hoisted Nola onto my shoulder, and said, "Alright, it is what it is. We're both still hungry. Let's go." She nodded in agreement, her little paw patting my head in support.
As we walked, Nola gathered stones and tucked them away in her beast taming space—a handy trick. I nodded approvingly. "Good thinking."
After a short trek, we stumbled upon two goblins. This time, I didn't bother hiding, nor did I feel any disgust or fear. As soon as the goblins saw us, they charged.
A stone appeared in my hand. I gripped it tightly and muttered, "Grasp of the Mountain," my face now completely deadpan.
As the goblins closed in, I hurled the stone at one, striking it square on the head. The other lunged at me, but I reacted instantly, kicking it hard in the stomach and sending it sprawling.
Both goblins were now injured and scrambling to get up. Stones materialized in my hand, and I gripped them with grim determination. The goblins saw death in my eyes and tried to flee, but I sighed, raised my hand, took careful aim, and launched the stones.
They struck with brutal accuracy, knocking both goblins down for good.
A few minutes later, the goblin bodies dissolved into blue particles, vanishing just like before. I sighed, weary but unsurprised.
Suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air toward me. Time seemed to slow as I spotted its trajectory. A ranger? Great, just what I need, I thought, twisting my body to dodge it at the last second.
Nola, sensing the danger, spoke up before slipping into her beast taming space. "Tell me when you have food."
I nodded, bracing myself. While Nola disappeared into the safety of her space, more arrows came flying, forcing me to keep dodging and sprinting forward, adrenaline pushing me onward.
Finally, I dove behind a tree—ironically, the first time these damn trees had actually been useful, I thought with a hint of mockery. The arrows kept coming, more desperate now, but they struck only bark and earth. Frustrated, the goblin archer stepped out from cover, now advancing slowly toward me with a crude bone knife in hand.
I sighed. My hands were already at their limit; I could probably use Grasp of the Mountain only one more time before I was spent. If I don't finish this with one hit, I'm done for. Anxiety and uncertainty flooded my heart, but strangely, my sanity ticked up to 5%—perhaps the sheer adrenaline was keeping me focused.
I steadied my breath, determined. One shot. That's all I've got.
And I missed. What a surprise, I thought mockingly, as the stone smashed into the tree, leaving a noticeable dent in the bark. The goblin's eyes went wide with a mix of fear and fury.
He stared at me like I was some kind of monster. My hand was trembling from exhaustion, but I managed to lift it and glare right back at him. In a mocking tone, I taunted, "What, scared already? I still have my other hand."
I raised my left hand for emphasis. The goblin froze in place, fear and uncertainty flickering across his green face as he weighed his options.
Seeing this, the goblin's rage boiled over. It lunged at me, gripping its bone knife tightly. Shock and fear flooded me—I tried to dodge, but it was no use. The knife plunged into my stomach.
As pain overtook me, a sudden realization flashed through my mind: Isn't this almost exactly what happened when I was first summoned? A sense of helplessness washed over me. I closed my eyes, unwilling to accept my fate.
I don't know how much time passed. But then—pow, pow, pow—something soft was patting my cheeks. I opened my eyes to find myself back in my apartment.
Nola was sitting on my chest, her tiny paw gently tapping my face to wake me up. I blinked, scanning my surroundings. Two agents in suits were seated on my sofa—one male, one female.
The woman, who looked to be in her thirties, spoke first. "Welcome back, Mr. Arin."
A few minutes later, she handed me a cup of coffee. I took a grateful sip while both agents nodded approvingly. After a short silence, the male agent asked respectfully, "Sir, if you don't mind, would you tell us your current sanity level?"
I nodded and summoned the panel—visible only to me. I checked, then closed it. "It's at 10%," I said quietly.
Both agents broke into cheerful applause. "Good, good! Not bad at all! You're the tenth member whose sanity can actually be controlled."
I was about to bombard them with questions, but the woman held up her palm to stop me. "Now, now, I know you have a lot of questions. But first, let's get you calmed down and return your sanity level to 0%."
I nodded helplessly, sank into my sofa, and decided I might as well take a nap.
After resting, I headed to my room, took a long shower, and freshened up. When I stepped out of the bathroom, the male agent was waiting, holding out a pair of suits.
"Bro, you don't need to do this," I said, feeling a bit awkward.
He just waved me off with a smile. "It's alright, it's alright."
Sighing helplessly, I accepted the clothes and got dressed. The suit fit well, making me feel oddly official.
On the way out, I asked, "By the way, I can't feel the connection to the tower anymore. Why?"
He shook his head and replied with something that shocked me. "The tower only summons at the end of the year—exactly at 12 o'clock—along with the new members."
I paused for a moment, letting that sink in, before continuing on.
A few minutes later, I stepped out of my room. The female agent was standing at the entrance. I asked, "Where are you guys taking me?"
She replied, "Oh, nothing special. We'll take you to detention to observe you—see if you're a threat to society." Her eyes flickered with pity as she looked me over.
I frowned and asked, this time seriously, "What are you talking about?"
The mood in the room instantly grew tense. Evan sighed heavily and said, "Bro, just surrender. This is for your own good."
I let out a soft chuckle, feeling my sanity level inch up to 5%—the absurdity of it all almost amusing. A few moments later, I taunted, "Do you know what my sanity level is now?"
The female agent's expression darkened. She stepped closer, her voice cold: "Hey, punk, do you know we're from the military? Don't make me force you. Just because you spent a day in the tower doesn't mean you're some kind of superhuman. You're still human—and a bullet can still kill you."
As she spoke, Evan had already drawn his gun, aiming at me, both agents ready to take me down if I resisted.