Out in the wilderness, in a graveyard, on a pitch-black night—in an environment stacked with buffs like this, nothing could boost human morale more than a roaring bonfire.
The bonfire was even known as the "outdoor television." All one had to do was watch the flames dance and listen to the branches crackle and pop as they roasted, and their anxious mood would receive a measure of soothing.
If there were a dedicated bonfire-camping skill, the players could even gather together and farm some SAN or something.
After Red Arremer was killed, the current area had entered a relatively safe state as well. The only enemies were some Red-Eyed Ravens that didn't dare approach recklessly. New enemies would not appear until they crossed the river.
Before long, guided by the bonfire, the two college students who had gone out to scavenge for food returned safely, their shoulder bags and briefcases stuffed full.
Aside from food, mostly snacks, they had also brought back pocket tissues, wet wipes, lighters, keys, nail clippers, and even individually wrapped condoms and sanitary pads.
Information spread incredibly widely in modern society, and the popularity of phones and the internet had allowed many people to obtain all kinds of information.
For instance, they had both seen short videos explaining such tidbits as using Feizi as an insole and how a good-quality condom could hold 1.5 liters of water.
When they saw the bonfire Cheng Tian had made and him boiling water in a helmet, the moral guilt that had clouded their faces after searching corpses quickly transformed into delight.
Although they had found no shortage of food, they had failed to find a single bottle of water.
Without food, a person could last about a week by burning fat and muscle.
Without water, they would be dead in three days.
Before long, eating sounds like those in Minecraft began rising around the bonfire. Nut kernels, banana chips, and Crispy Sharks were being stuffed into Cheng's mouth in turn.
With his mouth blooming with a hundred flavors, Cheng Tian simply held the helmet and drank water. The two college students used emptied foundation cases and business-card holders as temporary water containers, carefully sipping the still-scalding river water inside.
He didn't know whether the 5% permanent fire resistance also worked against hot water, but Cheng Tian didn't find the helmet or the water particularly hot. He quickly drained it completely, then decisively fetched more water and boiled another helmetful.
Modern people played on their phones even while eating, and Cheng Tian's group was no exception. The only difference was that at this moment, he and the college students were fiddling with their personal panels instead of discussing things face-to-face.
It was a thoroughly modern Chinese scene. If their elders saw it, they would definitely get scolded.
Of course, Cheng Tian and the others weren't playing around. There was simply too much they needed to figure out for themselves.
Many of the options on the personal panel could be opened to view detailed information.
Cheng Tian had already checked the Strength entry in the attributes section, so this time he opened the other attributes one by one.
Agility—corresponds to data related to attack speed, movement speed, dynamic vision, reaction ability, and so on.
Spirit—corresponds to data related to spell attack, MP limit, mana recovery efficiency, spell resistance, and so on. The current Spirit-to-MP ratio was 1:10.
Charisma—corresponds to an NPC's initial personal and faction reputation, reputation-gain efficiency, a neutral creature's first impression, summon-control ability, the probability of communication and persuasion, and other related data.
The aspects associated with Agility and Spirit were more or less what Cheng Tian, a knife-wielding berserker, had expected. Strength, Agility, and Spirit might also correspond to the three development routes of a Chosen Player. After all, evenly distributing points would make one either mediocre or unable to reach the top.
The Charisma attribute, however, was indeed rather special. It was clearly aimed at Chosen Players who focused on dungeon exploration, delving into storylines, or playing summoner-type roles.
Cheng Tian knew perfectly well that although his appearance had no obvious strengths or weaknesses, he clearly wasn't the popular type. In fact, many people instinctively felt a little afraid when they first saw him, so it was normal for his initial data to be low.
By an odd coincidence, the first formal skill Cheng Tian currently possessed was a summoning-related skill associated with Charisma.
Unable to figure out the reason for the moment, Cheng Tian closed the attribute descriptions and opened the achievement panel instead.
The completed "Red Arremer First Blood" achievement was conspicuously displayed at the very top. Beneath it was a list of hidden achievements, some with their conditions revealed and others still marked only with question marks.
General Achievements (can be completed across dungeons)—
Zombie Outbreak: Kill a cumulative total of 100 zombie units. Current progress: 69/100.
Annoying!: Kill a cumulative total of 50 corvid units. Current progress: 4/50.
Herbicide: Kill a cumulative total of 50 man-eating plant units. Current progress: 2/50.
What's This? A Treasure Chest? Give It a Try!: Trigger a cumulative total of 15 Mimic chest mechanisms. Current progress: 1/15.
Demon Village Achievements—
The Kingdom Knight's Heilan Home: Collect and obtain "Knight Armor," "Bronze Knight Armor," "Golden Knight Armor," "Knight Lance," "Knight Shield," and "Golden Knight Sword." Current progress: "Knight Armor" 1/1.
There Are Six More Guys as Strong as Me: Participate in and kill all the gatekeeper bosses under the Demon Kings across the six main-story stages of Demon Village.
Astaroth! It's Me, Arthur—I'm Back!: Kill the true Astaroth while teamed up with Arthur or while possessing the "Arthur's Proof" status.
Achievements were divided into general achievements that could be completed across dungeons and exclusive achievements that could only be completed in that specific original dungeon.
The achievements Cheng Tian could currently see were all ones for which some conditions had already been triggered and which could theoretically be completed. Moreover, these achievements did not provide any information about their corresponding rewards.
The exclusive achievements for Demon Village could be set aside for now. Surely quite a few veteran players had already completed the general achievements that could be done across dungeons, and he should be able to gather relevant information later.
If every achievement corresponded to a title, then considering that only one title could be equipped at a time, there might be some particularly interesting implications among them.
"Buuuurp!!!"
After stuffing himself with plenty of high-calorie snacks and filling his stomach with water, Cheng Tian let out a huge belch. Then, still not quite satisfied, he stuffed his phone back into the pocket of his underwear, steadying it with one hand as he adjusted the trajectory of his gun barrel.
Only then did he leisurely put all the Knight Armor components, including the helmet that had already been dried, into the same inventory slot. He himself remained dressed in nothing but underwear and flip-flops.
There were clearly still many places worth exploring in the Chosen Evolution Space. To continue exploring, however, it was crucial to find a way to kill the Cyclops and leave Demon Village alive.
Seeing Cheng Tian's movements, the two college students, who had clearly eaten much less than he had, immediately stood up and dusted off their backsides. Their spirits had been soothed considerably by the bonfire and the food, but ripples were beginning to spread through them again.
"Don't hold back on the food or water. Next comes the little-frog-crossing-the-river routine. We'll probably need a running jump, so I suggest you leave anything unnecessary here."
Cheng Tian pointed at the magic platforms moving back and forth across the river in the distance.
And with that, it was time for some platforming fun.
Before you continue