Poki reappeared in a coniferous forest. It was a forest that seemed ancient. She looked around, wondering where she was. "This place doesn't seem like Paradise Island. Where am I?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "No idea, but have this backpack."

  A black backpack appeared in Poki's arms. It was very light with her strength. It seemed to be a waterproof survival backpack.

  Poki studied the black backpack. "What's this for?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "It contains all the essentials you need to survive in this world of dinosaurs."

  Poki stared blankly at the Host. "Dinosaurs?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "Yep. You know what dinosaurs are, right?"

  Poki gave a nod. "Yes."

  A piece of paper appeared. "Good. The goal of this game is to survive for one month. On the island, time will barely pass, so you've no need to worry. Ready to play, or would you rather chill on the island?"

  Poki stared at the Host. "What happens if I die?"

  A piece of paper appeared. "If you die, you'll lose the game and respawn back on the island."

  Poki smiled. "Alright, got it. I'll treat this as a vacation."

  A piece of paper appeared. "Okie Pokie, see you later."

  The Host left, and Poki looked at the sun. It seemed to be early in the morning. The sun most likely rose from the east, so it could be used for direction. Poki looked at the black backpack in her arms and opened it.

  Inside, she found a lighter, knife, pot, food seasonings, clothes, tapes, ropes, flashlight, a slingshot, hammock, a fishing rod, a foldable bow, and a handgun. Poki's mind stopped at the gun. She had never held or fired a gun before. On the island, she had forgotten to try one out. However, shooting a loud gun on the island and disturbing people wasn't her style.

  She studied the gun curiously. After a short while, she thought she knew how to use it. Poki turned off the safety and aimed. As for firing it, firing a gun in a forest that most likely had dinosaurs was probably a bad idea.

  Poki placed the gun in its holster with the safety still off. She wanted to be ready in case a dinosaur popped out. Suddenly, her mind stopped—did she really need a handgun? Poki bent down and picked up a rock. With an agility of 1, she threw the rock as hard as she could. The rock flew and shattered part of a tree upon impact.

  Poki stared at the sight and then smiled. She turned the handgun safety back on and placed it in her backpack. Looking at another tree, Poki jumped ten feet toward it and quickly climbed up.

  At the top of the tree, she looked around the land. It was mostly covered with trees, but in the far distance, she could clearly see mountains. It was a beautiful sight—one of the many things she had always wanted to see for herself.

  Poki scaled down the tree and fell 15 meters down. She landed safely and went toward where she thought a river might be. As for dangers, she was pretty sure she could outrun them.

  Fifteen days later, the Host gazed upon Poki, who was eating a fish by a river. A piece of paper appeared. "Poki, how have you been?"

  Poki stopped mid-bite and looked at the paper. "... It's been fifteen days, and I haven't seen a single dinosaur."

  A piece of paper appeared. "No dinosaur? Let's see... Oh, winter is coming closer right now, so the dinosaurs have migrated from this land."

  Poki sighed with a smile; she had thought so. It was cold, so it wouldn't be strange for dinosaurs to have migrated. "I thought so. It was a little too chilly. I did find dinosaur footprints and dinosaur bones, so that was cool, I guess."

  A piece of paper appeared. "Apologies, I didn't take climate into account. Should have probably dropped you off at the equator. Anyway, although it hasn't been a month, I'll consider this your win unless you want to continue staying the rest of the 15 days."

  "I'd like to go back to the island. I miss talking with people. Also, being alone at night was scary. I don’t want to play a game alone again.”

  A piece of paper appeared. "Hmmmm, alright. Let's get you back."

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Poki disappeared and reappeared back on the island. Mercy was still meditating, while Reyn wondered why Poki got back so quickly. "That was quick."

  Poki sighed and gave a chuckle. "It was pretty long; it took fifteen days. Time just passed differently, I guess."

  A piece of paper appeared. "I'll increase all your stats by 1 as a reward for completing the game, Poki."

  —

  Poki

  Strength: 2

  Endurance: 2

  Agility: 2

  —

  Poki moved her fingers. "Nice, I feel stronger. Also, Mercy…”

  Mercy opened his eyes and looked at Poki. “Yes?”

  Poki gave Mercy a small bow. “Thanks for sending her back. I don’t think I could have slept without nightmares if I had let her reincarnate. You’re the kindest person I’ve met. Well, it’s probably not a high bar, since the world I come from has apathetic people like me. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for saving her. In fact, as thanks, I’ve brought back a sharp dinosaur tooth. Made it into a necklace.”

  Poki held out the necklace toward Mercy. Mercy looked curiously at the object. He stood up, took it from her hand, and studied it. He gave Poki a gentle smile. “Thank you, you’re the second person to have ever given me a gift.”

  Reyn smiled at the sight; she was happy Poki was able to find some peace after that brutal challenge. A piece of paper appeared. “Awww, that’s so sweet, Poki. When did you get so mellow?”

  Poki blushed a little; she wasn't good at taking unexpected teases. “It’s just something I wanted to do. I feel better now that I’ve thanked Mercy.”

  Mercy held his smile, his heart thumped gently. Poki seemed very humble to him. Perhaps this island wouldn't be too boring after all. Looking deep within his heart, Mercy realized that Poki had gained his respect. He saw her not as an equal, but as someone truly human. “Poki, can we celebrate you completing the game? A fun little party after your fifteen days. You look like you went through a lot.”

  Poki looked at Reyn, and Reyn smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that. I miss the food and comfort here, honestly.”

  Mercy snapped his fingers, and a round wooden table with wooden chairs and food appeared. The three sat down and started eating. Wanting to talk, Poki decided to start a random conversation. “Did you know, the game the Host had me play was to survive a month in a land of dinosaurs? Unfortunately—or fortunately—it was close to winter, so there were no dinosaurs, since they migrated to warmer places.”

  Mercy studied the sharp dinosaur tooth. “Hmmm, what’s a dinosaur?”

  Poki looked at Mercy, surprised, then realized he was most likely from a different time period in another world. “A dinosaur is a very big bird or lizard. Some eat plants, and some eat meat. Where I come from, they’re ancient creatures that died long ago. Ah, Reyn, does your world have dinosaurs?”

  Reyn shook her head. “I don’t know. My world was vast, and I was a sailor. I’ve seen many big birds and lizards, but I don't know if they count as dinosaurs.”

  Poki looked curiously at Reyn. “A sailor? No offense, but you don't look gruff to me.”

  Reyn smiled. “Indeed. To be precise, I was a merchant sailing the ocean so I could accumulate wealth and restore my fallen house. Unfortunately, my journey came to an end during a storm. What about you, Poki?”

  Poki became slightly embarrassed. “I was a gambler who lost it all and died to a world-ending meteor.”

  Reyn looked curiously at Poki. “What’s a meteor?”

  Mercy decided to elaborate, “It’s a giant rock from far beyond the sky that falls down at high speed.”

  Poki looked at Mercy with slight surprise. “You know what a meteor is?”

  Mercy gave a nod. “In my world, there are beings who can call upon meteors.”

  Poki’s eyes seemed to shine. “Your world had magic?”

  Mercy gave a nod. “Yes, though I wasn't much of a magic user.”

  Reyn suddenly had a thought. “I’m sorry to ask, Mercy, but about the first day we met you...”

  Mercy smiled. “I remember. Hope I didn't scare you too much. To be honest, I have a split personality. The one you met was Atero, and the me now is Mercy. In order to maintain my Mercy personality, I have to eat a special mushroom called Insanity Mushroom .”

  The naming of the mushroom confused Reyn and Poki. Poki decided to ask, “Why do you call them Insanity Mushroom if they make you seem sane?”

  Mercy shrugged his shoulders. “When others take Insanity Mushroom, they go insane. As for me, I become not insane—or maybe I am insane and my insane personality is actually the sane one. It’s hard to tell.”

  A thought came to Reyn. She wondered if Mercy knew Atero’s thoughts. “Do you know Atero’s thoughts?”

  Mercy gave a nod. “It's not so much his thoughts, but the way his mind works. When he looks at something, he determines if it's prey or not. If it's prey, he decides if he should kill it. He can still feel and think, but his perspective of the world is one of prey and predator.”

  Mercy took out an Insanity Mushroom and ate it. “Don’t worry too much, I doubt I’ll run out of Insanity Mushrooms on this island anytime soon, so Atero won’t be coming out. Unless I forget to eat them of course. Well, even if I do, Atero has an addiction to Insanity Mushroom, so he’ll eat an Insanity Mushroom of his own will to stop thinking about doing nothing. His mind is simple, either he’s on the hunt or he’s not. For him, there’s no need to be active if he’s not on the hunt.”

  Poki took a sip of her coconut drink. “I’m guessing he didn't see us as worthy prey or something?”

  Mercy shook his head and looked Poki in the eyes clearly. “Since he knows he can’t kill anyone permanently on this island, he doesn't see the need to waste energy, so he ate an Insanity Mushroom to bring me out.”

  Reyn touched her chin thoughtfully. “I see… Mercy, during that brutal challenge, you didn't hesitate to help Aren. Could you tell us why?"

  Mercy gave Reyn a soft smile. He wondered if he should share his feelings and thoughts. "I'm a firm believer in facing your fears. If something scares me, I face it head-on. I embrace the fear, so to speak. That girl, Aren—her will reminded me of my cherished friend. I wanted to help her, so I did."

  Reyn looked at her hands, then at Mercy. "Was there no doubt?"

  Mercy fell into thought. "With my perspective of the world, I've never had any doubts about what I wanted to do. If I did, they were immediately cleared away. As for regrets, I've yet to have any. I guess that kind of makes me insane, huh?"

  Reyn shook her head. "I wish I had your confidence."

  Poki smiled. "It's no wonder you always look confident. You really don't have any doubts, do you?"

  Mercy smiled. "No, I guess not."

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