In the pitch-black night of a haunted graveyard, nothing boosts human morale like a roaring bonfire.
A campfire is often called "nature's television." Just watching the flickering flames and listening to the crackle of dry wood can soothe even the most frayed nerves.
In a game setting, a campfire like this might even help players recover their SAN values if they sat around it long enough.
With the Red Arremer dead, the immediate area had become relatively safe. The only enemies left were a few red eyed crows that didn't dare approach the fire. The real threats wouldn't reappear until they crossed the river.
Before long, the two students returned with their haul. Their bags were stuffed.
Besides snacks, they'd managed to find wet wipes, lighters, keys, nail clippers, and even a few individually wrapped "essentials" like feminine hygiene products and prophylactics.
In the modern world, survival trivia was everywhere. Both students remembered seeing short videos about how a sanitary pad could serve as an emergency shoe insert or how a high-quality condom could hold up to 1.5 liters of water.
When they saw the bonfire and Chris boiling water in his helmet, the guilt they felt from scavenging corpses was replaced by a wave of relief and admiration.
They'd found food, but they hadn't found a single bottle of water.
A person can survive for a week without food by burning fat and muscle. Without water, you're dead in three days.
Soon, the rhythmic sounds of eating, reminiscent of the sound effects in Minecraft, surrounded the fire. Banana chips, nut mixes, and chocolate wafers were all shoved into Chris's hands as the students practically competed to feed him.
Chris sat there, holding his helmet and drinking the warm water, while the two students used empty makeup cases and business card holders as makeshift cups, carefully sipping the water before it cooled.
Perhaps the 5% Fire Resistance applied to hot liquids too, because Chris didn't find the helmet or the water too hot to handle. He drained it and immediately went to fetch more.
Modern people can't even eat a meal without checking their phones, and this group was no exception. However, instead of scrolling through social media, they were all intently focused on their personal status panels.
It was a very modern scene, one that would have earned them a lecture from their elders back home.
But they weren't wasting time. There was too much they needed to understand.
Chris began systematically clicking through the options on his panel to read the detailed descriptions.
[Agility: Governs attack speed, movement speed, dynamic vision, and reaction time.]
[Spirit: Governs spell power, maximum MP, mana regeneration, and magic resistance. Current Ratio: 1 Spirit = 10 MP.]
[Charisma: Governs initial reputation with NPCs and factions, reputation gain rate, first impressions with neutral creatures, summon control/loyalty, and persuasion probability.]
The descriptions for Agility and Spirit were exactly what Chris had expected based on his years of playing Dota. Strength, Agility, and Spirit likely represented the three primary development paths for players. Specializing was usually better than being a "jack of all trades."
Charisma, however, was special. It was clearly designed for players who intended to focus on exploration, story depth, and summoner builds.
Chris knew he wasn't exactly "popular." People tended to feel an instinctive sense of dread when they first saw him, so his low initial stat made sense.
But as luck would have it, his very first proper skill, the one he'd just obtained, was a summon-based skill that relied heavily on Charisma.
He closed the attribute tab and opened the Achievement panel.
The "Red Arremer First Kill" achievement sat proudly at the top. Below it was a long list of achievements, some with visible requirements and others hidden behind rows of question marks.
[General Achievements (Can be completed across any dungeon):]
[Zombie Outbreak: Accumulate 100 zombie kills. Current Progress: 69/100.]
[SHUT UP!: Accumulate 50 crow kills. Current Progress: 4/50.]
[Herbicidal: Accumulate 50 man-eating plant kills. Current Progress: 2/50.]
[What's This? A Chest? Open It!: Accumulate 15 'Mimic' triggers. Current Progress: 1/15.]
[...]
[Ghouls 'n Ghosts Achievements:]
[Kingdom Knight's Wardrobe: Acquire and collect 'Knight Armor,' 'Bronze Knight Armor,' 'Golden Knight Armor,' 'Knight's Lance,' 'Knight's Shield,' and 'Golden Knight's Sword.' Current Progress, 'Knight Armor' 1/6.]
[There Are Six More As Strong As Me: Participate in the slaying of all six Demon Realm bosses guarding the main quest line.]
[Astaroth! I, Arthur, Have Returned!: Slay the true Astaroth while in a party with Arthur or while holding 'Arthur's Proof.']
[...]
Achievements were divided into "General" ones that tracked across multiple dungeons and "Exclusive" ones limited to the current world.
Chris could only see the ones he'd already made progress toward. None of the rewards were listed yet.
The general achievements had likely been completed by long term veterans already. He'd have to look for more information on them later.
If every achievement came with a unique title, and you could only equip one title at a time, there was likely a deep layer of strategy involved in choosing the right one for each situation.
"BELCH!!!"
Stuffed with snacks and bloated with water, Chris let out a massive burp. He tucked his "phone" back into his boxers, reaching in to... adjust things for better comfort.
He stood up and slowly began to re equip the dried pieces of his knight armor. Once he was fully armored, he shoved the entire set into a single inventory slot, leaving him once again in just his boxers and flip flops.
There was still so much to explore in the Heaven's Selection Space. But before any of that, he had to kill the Cyclops and get out of the Demon Realm alive.
Seeing Chris move, the two students immediately scrambled to their feet. The warmth of the fire was gone, replaced by the familiar chill of the graveyard.
"Don't worry about saving the food and water. We're about to cross the river. It's going to involve a lot of platforming and jumping," Chris said, pointing toward the magical platforms patrolling the water. "I suggest you leave anything you don't absolutely need right here."
It was time for the "Jump King" phase to begin.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]