The Dreamer's POV

In a way, I felt grateful toward Lisa and her friends.

Not only did they teach me very important lessons concerning the nature of this world, which would shape the interactions I was going to have with the people I would meet in the future, but they also made me leave the safe comfort of the hotel.

'To really survive in this world, I need to take action!'

However, I was a mere Level 1 mob, with no experience on how to fight. My Title <Visionary> allowed me to stay calm and level headed, except when under extreme stress, so I could probably manage if I encountered a Demon and decided to stay composed.

The issue was actually defeating one and leveling up.

'My skill-set isn't geared towards combat. I'll need a way to get stronger—and fast.'

The best thing I could think of was gaining an Item from <Shop>

However, with my current goal of conserving money, I had to look for the cheapest, most effective way to gain items.

'Something tells me that after the Tutorial, most of the Items that seem useful now will end up being junk.'

I couldn't waste my Currency like that.

My current goal had to be Items that would cost me less, and would last me till the Tutorial was over, at least.

"Haaa... in the end, I arrived here." A wry smile on my face as I looked at the System Panel in front of me.

[Shop]

~Welcome to <Lucky Draw>!~

{Use only 1C and you have the chance of gaining a very powerful item from the start. The odds are high, but the rewards are certain!}

[Click Here to Start]

I nearly chuckled once I saw the description of the Lucky Draw.

'Who are they deceiving? The odds are one in a million. That's already insane.'

I wasn't expecting any legendary item that would change my fate and make me incredibly strong.

That was already too unrealistic, and I didn't like giving myself false hopes.

'I just want something that'll help me survive in this world.'

Even if it only lasted until the end of the Tutorial. As long as it let me defeat Demons... I was all for it!

"Here I go! Please don't let me down!"

******

[Several Moments Later]

"This... this is..." My eyes widened, nearly bloodshot.

After over thirty tries, I finally obtained my first item from the Lucky Draw. I had to admit, it defied all my expectations.

The Item was...

"... A Rock? For real?!"

I was dumbstruck, no completely bamboozled.

"This is such a scam!" I nearly raised my voice in a frustrated scream, but I controlled myself.

'It's one in a million. What did I expect? I guess I was being optimistic.'

However, I couldn't stop now—not when I had actually come this far.

My available balance was 467 Currency. It wasn't too low.

"Just 17C more. After that, I'll stop. I'm sure I'll get something good. Please give me something good!"

Pouring all my heart and soul into it, I once again commenced the gambling.

*******

[Several Moments Later]

"Haaa... haaa..." Sweat fell from my brow as I stared right in front of me to observe the details on my screen.

"How did it get to his point?"

<Total Currency in User's possession: 400 C >

I had just blown away 100 Currency on Lucky Draw

'Shit... what am I doing?!'

If I had gotten a legendary item, or some ultra-rare Skill from the venture, I would have said it was money well spent. However, the only thing I could obtain throughout the entire venture... was a single rock.

"Just one rock." I stared at the round item locked in the palm of hand.

Once I stared at it hard enough, a System Window popped in front of me.

[Item Information]

Name: Rock

Special Effect: Always Returns to User.

Combat Ability: +1

Durability: Infinite

[End Of Information]

So, this item had nothing special about it, except it would always come back to me, but at least it improved my Combat Ability by a single figure of one, and—

'Hold on... the durability...'

I squinted my gaze at what was written there, and it showed 'Infinite'.

"Does that mean this Rock is more useful than I gave it credit for?"

No, I couldn't get my hopes hope.

Sure, it had a very impressive level of durability, but it's addition to my current situation was very minimal.

'At this point, I'm screwed. I'd like to get something more, but I've already reached the limits of my budget.

Perhaps I was being a cheapskate, but I didn't want my currency to fall below 400. If it did, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from compulsively trying to get something out of Lucky Draw.

"I have no choice but to rely on this Rock to survive."

To do that, I had to really leverage on the advantages it offered. It wasn't a super-legendary weapon, but it was the only one I had.

The Rock had unlimited durability, which meant I could use it indefinitely. It would also return to me, like that Hammer that Thor possessed.

Not to mention the miniscule, but still tangible damage it could render.

Combining those factors, I could come.up with some use for it.

"The best one I can think of is... to throw it at my enemies?"

Thinking of my situation objectively, I had no experience fighting. I also didn't know any kind of Martial Arts, so close combat was out of the question.

'Throwing a rock from a distance... that's the best I can do. If I do it over and over again, I should be able to kill a Demon.'

Since this was a world of Stats, where even someone's health was being measured by numbers, if I caused enough damage to a Demon—no matter how long I took in the process—it would eventually fall.

"Huu... looks like I no longer have an excuse." Gulping, I rose to my feet and stared at the entrance/exit of the drugstore.

To be honest, I was still plenty frightened about what would happen to me if I stepped out of my haven.

However, at this point, it was life or death. If I didn't do this now, I was bound to regret it forever.

"To survive in this nightmare... I must get stronger!"

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

It's finally time for some action and exploration.