Kei's silence made Charlie feel awkward. Aishia and Est were not the talkative type, so the atmosphere fell into a suffocating silence.
*GRRR—!*
A loud, growling stomach suddenly broke the deadlock.
Kei immediately touched her stomach, her face flushed red like a sunset. She bowed her head deeply, not daring to look at anyone in the room.
(Oh my god, this is so embarrassing! Why did my stomach rumble at a time like this?! I know I haven't eaten for two days, but at least pick the right timing!)
Regardless, she was still a young girl who possessed a sense of shame. Behind her dirty face, Kei felt incredibly embarrassed as she continued to grumble inwardly.
"Ahem... Are you hungry, Kei? Eat this to tide you over for now."
Suppressing a laugh so as not to add to the girl's embarrassment, Charlie retrieved several neatly packaged loaves of bread and a bottle of mineral water from his Space-Time Cache—a storage item shaped like a bracelet on his right hand.
"C-Can I really eat this?"
Kei almost drooled at the sight of the still-wrapped bread. How long had it been since she had seen bread so beautiful and intact?
Since the apocalypse began, the scarcest resource was food. In these dark times, she had heard stories of women willing to trade their bodies just for a packet of instant noodles or a piece of stale bread.
Of course, with her high self-respect, Kei chose to survive by eating whatever she could find rather than selling her body just to fill her stomach.
"Just eat it. I still have plenty. Eat as much as you want, Kei. There's no need to hold back."
To prove his words, Charlie once again pulled out dozens of loaves of bread in various flavors from his Space-Time Cache, stacking them on the dusty bed.
"I-In that case, I won't hesitate. Thank you for the food, Charlie-san."
Faced with the temptation of delicious food and overwhelming hunger, Kei took a piece of bread. She carefully opened the packaging, then took a slow bite of the bread.
"...!!!"
The soft, sweet, and textured taste of the bread flooded her taste buds. It was the taste of truly proper food, something she had long forgotten.
Unconsciously, tears began to stream from the corners of her eyes, wetting her dirty cheeks and leaving clear tear tracks.
"Kei? Why are you crying? You don't like the taste? Tell me your favorite flavor, and I'll switch it out."
Charlie looked panicked, not skilled at handling crying women. He thought he had made a mistake somewhere.
As for Est and Aishia by his side, they were already calmly eating bread.
"Sniff... I'm sorry, Charlie-san didn't do anything wrong. It's... it's been so long since I've eaten decent food like this... This bread is so delicious..."
Wiping her tears with her dirty sleeve, Kei ate while sobbing uncontrollably. Tears of sorrow mixed with tears of gratitude.
The life that others took for granted—a simple piece of bread, clean mineral water—was often the life dreamt of by some.
A longing for the lost normal life. That was what Kei felt at this moment.
"Eat slowly. No one is going to snatch your food."
Seeing Kei eating hastily, almost choking, Charlie advised her with a gentle voice.
"Mm."
Obediently, Kei nodded, chewing slower. This attention from Charlie unintentionally reminded her of her older brother, who used to advise her in the same way.
If this were her past self, she might have retorted with sarcasm or a sneer, but now she had changed. Her rebellious phase had ended early, replaced by deep regret.
"After defeating Heracles, Charlie should have gained a lot of Excelia. Why don't you try to update your Status? Maybe your parameter stats are maxed out and you can Level Up." Said Aishia, who was licking the leftover jam on her lips.
Meanwhile, Est was still engrossed in her food.
"Nom... Nom... Nom..."
Her chewing sound was soft, and although her expression was flat, her hamster-like way of eating made her look very cute.
"You have a point, Aishia. If I recall correctly, I haven't updated my status even once since reaching Level 5."
Charlie felt his parameter stats must have increased significantly. After all, Heracles was an incredibly tough opponent, and he managed to defeat him—specifically, defeat his twelve lives. The Excelia he obtained must be substantial.
He estimated that at least his parameter stats had now reached Rank B or even A.
So, Charlie retrieved a glass bottle containing Hera's Divine Blood from his Space-Time Cache. Carefully, he dripped a drop of the divine blood onto his forehead, then activated his The Chosen Savior skill—one of its effects allowing him to update his Status without needing the assistance of a Main God.
*BZZZ!*
The next second, the emblem of the Hera Familia on his back—a silhouette of a long-haired woman's profile adorned with a wreath of lilies and a royal crown, with a scepter on the right side, and the entire highly ornamented design framed by a pair of peacock feathers—suddenly emitted a bright light.
The Sacred Text on his Status began to move and change, forming new letters and numbers that signified the growth of his power. The Falna update process had begun.
"..."
Kei watched this entire scene in awe. She didn't fully understand what was happening, but her instinct told her this was something extraordinary.
She could feel a sacred, holy, untainted, and untouchable aura emanating from the mysterious "tattoo" on Charlie's back—that was roughly her guess.
"Aishia, please do as usual."
"Mm."
With a very customary gesture, Aishia took a blank piece of parchment from Charlie's hand and accurately pressed it against his back.
The parchment automatically copied Charlie's Status, forming neat rows of numbers and letters.
Aishia glanced at the contents of the parchment for a moment before returning it to him.
"Congratulations, Charlie. You've become stronger."
Charlie accepted the parchment, his eyes quickly scanning the small writings on it.
"The increase is more significant than I expected. Well, that's not a bad thing. Sure enough, the fastest way to get stronger is through actual combat rather than training. Nothing beats real experience."
A faint smile spread across his lips. This feeling of becoming stronger was truly addictive!
⊰✧⊱
Charlie Avalon
Level 5
Strength: I 0 → EX (2333)
Endurance: I 0 → EX (2643)
Dexterity: I 0 → EX (2540)
Agility: I 0 → EX (2244)
Magic Power: ∞
Magic:
-Spirit Art
-Spirit Contractor
-Aithra Athanatos
Skill:
-The Chosen Savior
-Prodigy Swordsman
-Infinite Essence
-Triptolemus Arc
-Dragon Slayer
-Armor of Fafnir
-Crystallized Wisdom
-Six Eyes
-Immortality
-Senrigan
-God Hand
-Nine Lives
Development Abilities
Luck: H → G
Mystery: G → F
Chain Attack: G → F
Strong Body: I → H