The fire licked at Aiden's skin as he sat beside it, but the unnerving feeling he felt from earlier remains.
The crackle in the burning wood was reassuring. Aside from the silence around him.
"This feels… Off."
The same passengers from the plane gave off an eerie vibe, like they were just statues. Unmoving, something odd lingered around them.
Not a single one dared to utter a word, not even that Karen who used to scream nonsense.
"Even that Karen who used to babble nonsense in a loud manner is unusually quiet," Aiden thought.
The strange pilots, mere corpses an hour ago, stare straight at the fire, their faces reflected in the light of the flames.
Aiden silently sat on a log far away from everyone, except Karen and her kid. Shortly after sitting down, she pulled her kid close, sticking her body to his as if he would disappear any second now.
"Just why does this have to be the only free spot, next to this madwoman! Oh, I guess everyone decided to stay away from her for a reason."
She suddenly said, "Where did you even come from?"
"From my dad's genes, can't you understand the situation, lady?
The Karen sat silently in shame after that response.
A pot lay before him, heating up above the fire, carrying bland soup.
There also appeared to be some aircraft cutlery beside it.
He bent down, picked up an empty bowl, and scooped some soup from the pot.
Before he could even pour the soup into his bowl, a voice interrupted him.
"What do you think you're doing? Do you think this is a charity where we would give away food to the uninvited like you?"
"And what if I don't play by the rules of a nobody like you?" Aiden replied, standing up.
"Oh, then I'll make sure to cut off that loud mouth of yours and feed it to you personally."
Aiden gulped, deciding it wasn't worth challenging her anymore.
"I apologize for my earlier rude comments. Please accept this as a simple misunderstanding." He decided not to push her buttons anymore.
She stepped closer.
"Oh, that's what I thought, all bark with no bite."
"Next time, try hunting for that food in front of you, and maybe we'll share it with you."
He turned his head away in shame, sitting back down on the log."
He knew better than to start a fight he couldn't handle yet.
His stomach growled.
"Maybe it was a better choice fighting for the food than sitting here all hungry."
With his stomach hurting more than ever, Aiden fought through it and decided to think of anything else but the ache.
"Has it really been only 1 hour since the crash? How did they adapt so quickly in such a short time?"
"None of this made sense. Am I dreaming?"
"Maybe if I sleep, by tomorrow, all of this would disappear and magically fix itself," Aiden reassured himself and began closing his eyes.
He was sleeping all peacefully until the buzz of his phone woke him up.
DING
Eyes all red and puffy, he pulled his phone out.
The screen dimmed in the firelight.
Progress: 25% | Game #2 | "Investigator."
"I still don't understand a single crap this phone has been spouting ever since I downloaded that stupid game."
You Work, You Eat
Aiden has woken up, this time with no interruptions.
It's currently 3 am, and everyone else is asleep.
His stomach growls nonstop.
"Ugh, I can't withstand this anymore."
He looks around and finds the same pot from yesterday; it's not yet finished. So, he bends down, scoops up the cold leftovers, and starts eating every last drop of it.
"That's helped a lot, I thought I was gonna die from starvation just a minute ago."
He then tries to sleep again, but he can't; his sleep schedule is ruined.
"Why can't I sleep?"
He rummages through his pockets and pulls out his phone.
It's still showing that same notification from earlier, now with 28% completed.
"28% wasn't it 25% yesterday? I haven't done anything, though. I feel like this phone is playing games on me."
He opens the "1000 game app" and starts touching random buttons until one works.
It showed a system interface containing all his information.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE]
Name: Aiden Cross
Age: 19
Level: 1
Race: Human
Status: Alive
Title(s): [None]
Aura Color: None
Aura Core: Dormant
--- SKILLS ---
360° Kick (Lv 1) Mockery (Lv 1) Roundhouse Kick (Lv 2) Counter Flow (Lv 1 – Locked
--- USER STATS ---
STR: 7 | AGI: 9 | INT: 5 | END: 6
PER: 9 | WIL: 8 | CHA: 1
HP: 100/100 | Stamina: 85/85 | Aura: 0/15
EXP: 12/100
"What is this crap?"
"Perception is at 9, hm, well, i was pretty famous for my reaction skills at the dojo."
"Oh, what is this shop button over here?"
[SYSTEM SHOP OPENED]
Currency: 0 Aura Crystals [Faint]
0 Aura Crystals [Low Grade]
0 Aura Crystals [Standard Grade]
0 Aura Crystals [Bright Grade]
0 Aura Crystals [Radiant Grade]
0 Aura Crystals [Pure Grade]
--- AURA MODULES ---
Minor Core Injection → 30 Crystals Unlock Skill Slot → 100 Crystals Aura Recovery Boost (x1) → 15 Crystals
--- COMBAT SKILLS ---
Low Sweep Kick (Lv . 1) → 25 Crystals Guard Break (Lv 1) → 40 Crystals Counter Flow (Unlock Cost) → 80 Crystals
--- WEAPONS / ITEMS ---
Rusted Aura Dagger → 35 Crystals Reinforced Wraps → 20 Crystals Emergency Heal Kit (x1) → 15 Crystals
[💡 Tip: Stronger enemies drop higher-tier crystals. Aura Crystals cannot be farmed indefinitely.]
"How does this app know all my details?"
"Tips: stronger enemies drop higher-tier crystals? What enemies?" Aiden mumbled.
--- ARTIFACT DETECTED ---
[Glowing Slot: Golden Chest Piece – Worn]
Rarity: Relic Type: Armor – Chest Condition: Worn, but functional Aura Compatibility: High
--- DESCRIPTION ---
This chest piece was once worn by a great hero going by the name of [Lyra], whose aura was said to shine brighter than the stars. Though cracked and worn out, it still holds fragments of her will.
--- EFFECTS ---
Doubles Aura Capacity (x2) +30 Endurance Passive Effect: [Resonant Core] – When near death, aura may spike temporarily to 200% for 20 seconds. (Cooldown: 1 Game)
--- NOTES ---
Worn conditions reduce physical defense by 40%.
Cannot be repaired through normal means.