24 Mob Loo (1/2)

*Now, where were we? Let's see if the fruition of my efforts is of any use at all.*

Just as I expected, on the steps lay two more crystals of similar contour and size to the first; they had jagged edges and were about the length of my thumbnail, although they were even thinner than that. Since I deemed these crystals non-lethal, I didn't hesitate to pick both of them up.

*Or rather, if they're lethal, it's already too late for me.*

This time, I studied them both a little more intensely, but I couldn't form any other conclusion about the crystals aside from what I already knew. They were brittle and clear, and would disintegrate when near the house. They were also impossibly light. Part of me thought they would float away as a helium balloon would, but they seemingly were able to cut through the air as if it didn't exist. It was as if I were dropping a feather on the moon.

*Strange. I never thought that I'd be able to recreate the famous astronaut's experiment personally...*

It was something I had dreamed about doing when I saw the videos of him on the moon. Just for fun, I took off one of my shoes and picked up a crystal. I held them both at shoulder height at an equal distance away from myself.

*3, 2, 1...*

And I dropped both objects simultaneously. As expected from my previous observations, both of them hit the ground at the same time.

*Although it really feels like they shouldn't... They really do, huh?*

But this fact brought up another question. Why did the crystal cut through the air? Did it even ”cut through”? Maybe it was just able to ”ignore” it? But if these things were true, the question still remained. Why?

*The mysteries just keep piling up. Should I just make a note of everything that's unusual about this world?*

I immediately declined that notion. It would simply require too much effort. However...

*It's only been like six hours, yet I'm bored out of my mind.*

Maybe I really did have ADHD. Even paying attention in cla.s.s was a ch.o.r.e.

*Back when cla.s.s still existed, anyway...*

Even though roughly six hours had pa.s.sed, it felt like way longer. I couldn't imagine how I would spend the rest of my life here.

*Which is why I'll prioritize finding other people once I leave my own d.a.m.n neighborhood!*

Even though I had to admit I was fairly anti-social, I wasn't a robot. Even the most antisocial people would need some form of human contact if they didn't want to go insane.

*Wait. Six hours? That reminds me of something else.*

Roughly another half-hour had pa.s.sed, and I still hadn't checked the position of the sun in the sky. I checked the time on my phone once again. It read 13:41. I checked the position of the sun in the sky. It was roughly three-quarters of the way through the sky.

*It's probably safe to say that a day and night cycle is two hours. What a mess.*

I was beginning to wonder how anyone would even be able to live in this world. My circadian rhythm would be thrown out of whack after mere moments. Of course, it would be normal for people living here, since they'd been experiencing it their whole lives. I wonder what survival strategies I could learn from them.

But before I met anyone, I would have to be alone for at least a little while. At least, there were no visible settlements as far as my eyes could see. If I was going to learn how to explore this world, I would have to prepare for the worst.

*A super-rapid day-and-night cycle, overly strong monster-like creatures, and rapidly changing weather. It can't possibly get worse than this.*

My life would be on the line at all times, and I wouldn't even be able to get a proper night's rest. Ever. Unless I came up with a valid strategy for sleep...

These jumbled thoughts eventually brought me to the conclusion that I had too much to worry about at the moment, so I would not be making a ”list of mysteries”, no matter how cool it sounded. With that in mind, I put my shoe back on and retrieved the crystal from the ground. But as I reached down to pick it up, I felt something before I even touched it.

Although the feeling was faint, I was sure I could feel *something* a few millimeters away from the crystal. It was a strange feeling to describe. It felt as if I were still touching it, but not quite. It was as if I were moving my hands through a solid with no resistance.

*Weird. How far out can I ”feel” the crystal?*

I picked it up with my left hand and started experimenting with my right. The result was that I could sense it about a centimeter away if I wasn't too focused on it, but that distance increased by nearly three times if I concentrated with all my brain would allow. This discovery led to an interesting thought experiment.

*If I a.s.sume that my level corresponds to my ability to sense these crystals, how much can I improve this ability?*

In other words, how far could I level up? Or rather, how far could I level up my ”Sense” skill?