Diner and Discussion

Once we were done with our shopping, we found a bench near a massive fountain to relax. This part of the colony had the feel of a medieval town hall.

A tall clock tower stood nearby, and even though it was nighttime, the place was vibrant, with the lights still shining.

Matthias began the conversation, addressing Jayden, "Jayden, you really like that ice cream, huh?"

Jayden nodded, a big smile on his face as he continued to lick his ice cream. "Yes, it's sweet and cold. I like it."

Curious, I asked, "How old are you, again?" I had been guessing his age, but I was beginning to think he was older than I initially assumed.

"I'm twelve years old this year," Jayden replied.

"Oh, so you're older than I thought."

Matthias, with a worried look, inquired, "Have you been surviving alone in this game? What about your parents?"

I was curious about how he had managed to survive on his own for so long too. And why had he chosen the Assassin Class?

Did he have some natural skill for it, or did selecting a Class automatically make you skilled in it?

Jayden lowered his head, "I don't have parents. I live in an orphanage."

Matthias suddenly looked guilty and apologized, "Oh, I see. Sorry for asking that."

Our somewhat awkward conversation was fortunately interrupted by Gideon, who approached us with bags of vegetables, and possibly meat for dinner.

"Sorry if I made you wait. Let's head to our cottage," Gideon smiled brightly, it seemed that he enjoyed shopping.

The cottage was located not far from the fountain and the clock tower. There were several cottages of different sizes and designs. Ours, while not the largest, had a cozy feel to it.

It featured two floors: the first floor had the living room, dining area, and a kitchen with a warm fireplace, while the second floor contained two bedrooms and a bathroom.

After Gideon finished making dinner, all of us sat at the dining table. He placed bowls of salad, meatloaf, and French fries on the table.

French fries with meatloaf? It was an interesting combination.

I noticed Jayden folding his hands and beginning to pray. It seemed a bit odd to pray when it felt like God had abandoned us, but everyone had their ways.

"Wow, this is delicious, Gideon! How are you such a good cook? Weren't you in the military?" Matthias exclaimed, still talking with food in his mouth.

"Show some manners, Matthias," I chided him.

He just rolled his eyes, and I decided to let it go. The food was, indeed, delicious. The most delicious food that I've eaten since the apocalypse began and I'm never thankful of Gideon's existence in the party.

"I live alone; that's why I've learned to cook, and I enjoy eating," Gideon explained while enjoying his salad.

"Anyway, how did Matthias convince you to join this party?" I felt curious about his unexpected appearance in the midst of the battle with the Goblin Lord.

"He didn't force you, right?"

I give Matthias a questioning look. He merely rolled his eyes in response.

Gideon began his story, "Well, I was in that area when I heard a loud sound and saw a building suddenly collapse. I thought there was a formidable monster. But, it turned out to be Matthias's spell."

Matthias continued the story, "So, I asked him to join my party if he wanted to face the Goblin Lord because clearly, that monster was mine."

Of course Matthias would do that. The minute he was mocking me and the second later I become his member party.

His skill to lure people was no joke.

I chuckled, saying, "It looks like he roped you into this." I glanced at Gideon, who couldn't help but laugh.

"But, it's not a bad thing, right? I mean, I truly helped all of you, and we accumulated a lot of killing points, didn't we, Jayden?" Matthias attempted to engage Jayden in the conversation.

Jayden nodded, "I really like this party. All of you are kind enough to let me become a member." He continued to savor his food.

"Of course, I don't judge based on age or skills, right, Seth?" Matthias said, giving me a grin.

Yeah yeah, I understand what he meant. I might not be the strongest, but at least I was the one who defeated that Goblin Lord.

"Without Seth, we would have never won," Gideon added, patting my shoulder. He then promptly got up and took the food to the sink.

What the hell, he was really fast? I am not even half done?

"The last person to finish their food has to wash the dishes," Matthias then speedily devoured his meal until his mouth was full.

"I'm done," said Jayden and carried the dishes to the sink. "I don't mind washing the dishes."

"No, you can't do that, Jayden! I'm done. Seth, you need to wash the dishes," said Matthias holding Jayden back.

"Let's go relax in the living room."

Why did they eat that fast!? Didn't they want to enjoy the food? Damn! So many dishes too. I couldn't believe it, I need to be uncivilized to be able to live in this cottage.

After washing the dishes, I headed straight to my room. I climbed to the top bunk bed and decided to explore the system. It was something I hadn't done before, even though I could manage just fine without it.

But curiosity got the better of me, and I wondered what this system was truly capable of. As I gazed at the screen in front of me, my attention was drawn to my skill points and skill levels. I figured it was time to level up a bit.

I decided to start by leveling up my SSS skill since my other skills were already at level 3 at most.

[You will use 20 skill points to level up (Soulbound Summoner)]

what?! That many, in just one level!? The hell, I thought it just needed like 5 skill points at best! Maybe because it was SSS skill that made it even more pricey.

Ah well, fuck it. That skill would be useful in the future anyway. I just need to level up and remember all the games, films, anime or manga that I watch and read.

[You will use 60 skill points to level up (Soulbound Summoner) until level 3.]

[Yes/No]

"Yes."

[Damage output from (Soulbound Summoner) increased 3%]

Wow, that stingy. So the damage output was now 3% more stronger than my own damage?

[Yes, the higher the level, the more powerful the skill becomes.]

[Depending on the level, it can also reduce the skill cooldown and increase the skill duration.]

How about the character that I summon? Could it increase the number of characters I summon as the skill level goes up?

[Yes, it can]

Seemed like I would need to save up some skill points for this skill. The other skills would naturally level up on their own; after all, they were only SR skills.

Then, my interest changed to attributes. If this were anything like a MMORPG, attributes could probably be improved through the use of some kind of potion or another goods, just like we could level up our weapon and normal skills with skill points.

While attributes naturally increased with each level up, waiting for that to happen was a slow process. I needed to become stronger faster.

[You can't buy attribute potions at this level]

It informed me abruptly. So, increasing my attributes directly was off the table for now.

[Attribute items will be available at level 15]

Well, that sucks. I wanted to increase my intelligence and ATK since I need it to add damage to my skill. I sighed, maybe Matthias right, maybe that weapon was useless.