All in Charisma (A LitRPG/Isekai Adventure)

Justin stared at the options in his interface. As he considered them, his mind flashed back to something he often heard during his online gaming days: a phrase frequently repeated in the Nightmare Realms of Aether Quest, where death meant death and you had only one life to live. It was a mantra for building resilient characters, prepared to face any challenge, ensuring that weeks or even months of grinding didn't go to waste.

Survive to kill.

This was the only approach that made sense when every step forward meant confronting unpredictable dangers. Character builds that minimized the risk of bad luck or chance encounters were essential for survival, especially in a world like this, where death was absolute and not merely the loss of a fictional character.

He realized that this world, whether it was an advanced video game or not, operated under the same principles. The best Focus would be one that helped him survive to kill or, as a Socialite, survive to charm effectively.

With this new criterion in mind, he reviewed the options, starting with the Duelist Focus.

The temptation was strong. This build centered on finesse, precision, and delivering devastating blows in one-on-one combat.

However, the more he contemplated it, the more it felt like a gamble. Duelists thrived on perfect timing—a dance of elegance and power—but they weren't suited for surviving against waves of enemies or chaotic, unpredictable scenarios.

Perhaps, in time, the Focus would enable him to handle multiple foes, but that wasn't clear from the outset. Sure, a Duelist could defeat enemies one by one to survive larger groups, but offense wasn't always the best defense. What good was killing quickly if you couldn't live long enough to strike?

And survival, as Lord Harrington's party had demonstrated, wasn't solely about physical endurance. It was social, too. In both this world and Justin's own, navigating precarious social situations required more than just martial prowess.

Next, he considered the Noble Focus: leadership, influence, and the power to inspire. In larger battles, this could be invaluable. However, leadership came with its own dangers. The weight of responsibility could be crushing, and while the attribute boost was undeniably useful, it only activated under specific circumstances. Moreover, leaders always had targets on their backs. How long could he survive like that? The Focus might have the best long-term potential, but it offered nothing to help him now.

Finally, his gaze settled on the Gentleman Focus. Balanced and versatile, it provided enough poise to handle any situation—be it combat or social. The boon, Essence of a Gentleman, granted him a 10% chance to deflect all types of damage, a percentage that would only grow as he leveled up. Additionally, if he found gear that boosted either his Coordination or evasion chance, a "dodge tank" build could become viable. Even if he didn't pursue that path, the Focus would still be useful.

While the Gentleman Focus wasn't the strongest in any single area, it ensured that he would remain on his feet long enough to figure out how to win.

A true Gentleman didn't crumble under pressure. He stood firm, calm, and resourceful.

Survive to kill.

The phrase echoed in his mind once more. The Gentleman Focus was adaptable; it was the best at keeping him alive.

And that was the advantage he needed to secure victory.

He made his choice.

[Gentleman Focus selected. The path of the Gentleman balances charm with decisive action. When words fail, as they often do, your faculties will rise to meet any challenge with poise and resolution. Carry on, Mr. Talemaker.]

A surge of knowledge flooded Justin's mind, a strange but pleasant sensation. It felt as though hidden instincts had been unlocked within him—the grace of a diplomat, the poised reaction of a seasoned fighter, and the unflappable demeanor of someone who knew how to turn any verbal sparring match into victory.

The boon, Essence of a Gentleman, filled him with a deep sense of composure, making it feel as though slights and attacks—whether physical or social—could simply roll off his back.

He exhaled, allowing the new boon to settle into his awareness like the last piece of a puzzle snapping into place.

"It's done," Justin said, his voice carrying a new, refined confidence.

"What did you end up choosing?" Kargan asked.

"Gentleman Focus," Justin replied. "It was the only option that made sense. It offers a good mix of combat and social abilities—nothing too extreme, but flexible."

"Congratulations," Bohemond said. "An important milestone, no doubt. But we must be on our way; time is not on our side."

Justin couldn't agree more. They packed their belongings and headed toward the elevator shaft beyond the rise in the tunnel.

As soon as they reached it, a chilling realization gripped Justin. The iron gate was tightly closed, but the bigger problem was that the elevator was completely gone.

"What in the gods' name happened?" Bohemond asked, his voice tense.

Justin frowned. "Someone must have recalled it from below."

"When?" Kargan asked, looking around in confusion. "This thing is loud. We should have heard it moving."

Justin cursed inwardly. They had already wasted too much time here. He had spent the last fifteen minutes deciding on his Focus. They could have been far away by now.

Kargan frowned. "It must have happened while we were selecting our new skills. Either way, we need to get out of here fast. Whoever's in that elevator is coming up, and if they pass this floor, they'll see everything—the battle, the dead mushrooms. It'll be obvious someone was here."

Justin glanced back at the litter of mushroom monsters, their grotesque bodies sprawled across the cavern. The fire pit they had used had burned down to ashes, but it wasn't enough. Anyone would notice.

Then, a heavy metallic clank reverberated up from the elevator shaft, echoing in the silence.

They were out of time.

"We need to run," Justin said. "Now."

"Run where?" Bohemond snapped. "Right into more of those mushroom things?"

"I'll take my chances with mushrooms over the Baron," Justin shot back, already moving toward the cavern's deeper recesses.

The hum of the magical elevator echoed as it ascended the shaft. They sprinted across the cavern, the dim light from the glowing fungus on the walls providing scant illumination. They needed to get out of sight, and the mushroom trees growing in the distance could offer that cover.

Before they could reach them, the elevator flashed past. Glancing over his shoulder, Justin caught sight of shadows inside.

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They ran, their footsteps echoing off the stone as they ducked behind jagged rocks and twisted mushrooms deeper into the fungal forest. For a moment, the cavern was silent. Then the shriek of the elevator mechanism echoed again, followed by a grinding halt. Whoever had passed them before had now stopped at their level.

Just as Justin was about to curse their luck—or, more accurately, the disunity that had caused those few seconds of hesitation—a voice echoed from the elevator shaft.

"Justin! Kargan!"

Justin froze, his pulse racing. That voice—it was unmistakable.

"Lila?" he whispered, his heart skipping a beat.

Relief surged through him like a wave, lifting a weight off his shoulders. But he was wary. What if it wasn't them? What if it was some kind of magic cast by the Baron or his men?

Justin held his breath and adopted a "wait-and-see" approach. If it was Lila and Eldrin, the truth would soon reveal itself.

He crept forward, peeking out from behind a mushroom to see two familiar figures stepping out, illuminated by the dim light of the glowing fungus.

It was definitely them. Lila wore her familiar leather armor, while Eldrin sported a Ranger's cloak that helped him blend into the shadows. As Justin considered it, he realized it could be no one else but them. The System would never have allowed him to level up if an encounter with the Baron was imminent.

Justin sprinted across the cavern, and Lila met him halfway, laughing as she threw her arms around him. He held her, overwhelmed with emotion.

"It's so good to see you," he said.

The feeling of reunion was almost overwhelming. He had convinced himself she was fine. But deep down, a gnawing fear had lingered.

Now, holding her close, he realized just how much he had been afraid of losing her.

"Likewise," she said with a grin, stepping back but still holding his arms.

Eldrin, standing a few feet back, gave a small smile. "As much as I hate to break up the reunion, we need to move. We should be in the elevator right now, heading for the surface. The Baron isn't far behind."

"Lead the way, Ranger," Bohemond said, his voice steady.

[Eldrin and Lila have joined the party. Eldrin has assumed the role of Party Leader.]

[You have gained the expertise of Eldrin's Pathfinder's Pace. You are edified by Lila's Unified Cadence.]

It was good to have these familiar party tactics back, working in the background.

Together, they piled into the elevator. Justin took a moment to glance at Eldrin's new cloak, which shimmered and shifted colors to match the background. Lila, too, had a small golden harp sticking out of her pack.

"Did you two hit a Vault?" Justin asked.

While Eldrin set the elevator crystal into the slot to take them to the surface, Lila answered, "We did. It was awful. The entire place felt like a dwarven machinery graveyard. Every step we took triggered malfunctioning traps or constructs. We had to fight this little gnome mage in a pointy green hat. He couldn't have been over two feet tall, but he kept casting a sand spell that made us so sleepy. Trust me, you would have hated it! We got the hat as loot, but it's useless to us. It only works for the Elementalist class."

"Well, I'm sure it's worth something to somebody," Justin said. "How did you clear it?"

"With a lot of luck and quick thinking on Eldrin's part," Lila replied. "His potions carried us through. I didn't think we were going to make it."

"But we did," Eldrin said. "That's what matters."

Justin wanted to ask about their new gear, but it was clear they were still shaken by whatever had happened. There would be time for that later. Right now, they had to focus on escape.

As the elevator ascended to the surface, Justin felt a strange mix of emotions: relief, dread, and the creeping sense that things were far from over. He wondered how the goblins had fared against the Baron's forces.

"You said the Baron was close?" Justin asked.

Eldrin nodded. "Yes. But luckily, he seemed to be a bit occupied."

Lila nodded in agreement. "The Baron was busy fighting goblins when we saw him. And from the sounds of it, they were in deep—hundreds of goblins. It was chaos."

"We…might have had something to do with that," Justin said. "During our Vault, we saved the Goblin Queen's daughter. They promised to keep the Baron busy. Hopefully, they will take care of him for us."

"I wouldn't hold out too much hope," Eldrin said. "But it should slow him down, at the very least. Whether that's for an hour or a day, there's no telling."

"How did you find us?" Kargan asked.

"We didn't," Eldrin replied. "Not on purpose, at least. During our time in the Vault, the gnome mage dropped a map of Drakendir. We used it to find the elevator. Along the way, we encountered two goblins who seemed to recognize us—well, they recognized your names, at least, because they kept saying them and pointing toward the elevator. The rest became obvious."

"Borgruk and Ralthog," Justin said.

"Friends of yours?" Lila inquired.

"I'd say so," Justin responded. "We worked with Borgruk in the last Vault. A swell guy."

"What about the Baron's party?" Bohemond asked. "Did they see you?"

Eldrin shook his head. "No. We kept our distance and snuck away through a side tunnel before they could spot us."

Justin's mind raced. They had a window of opportunity, but it wouldn't last long.

The elevator finally slowed to a stop. The gate rattled open, revealing bright morning sunshine and a sky so clear it felt surreal. The snow, blinding beneath the sun, spread out below them. It was as cold as the previous night, and Justin didn't look forward to braving the weather, but at least they had their heat enchantments to keep them warm while on the move, along with Eldrin's survival skills.

Before leaving, Eldrin tried to take the glowing crystal that powered the elevator. His fingers wrapped around it, but a sharp pulse of energy made him wince and pull back. The crystal glowed brighter in warning, resisting his touch.

"It won't let me take it with me," Eldrin muttered. "I'd hoped to disable it."

Justin considered slotting the crystal back toward the deepest level. It would give them the most possible time to escape, but the risk of the gate closing on them was too great.

They exited just in time for the gate to close. Eldrin took the lead, walking atop the snowbanks lining the trail that snaked down into the valley below. It was hard to guess exactly where they were, but the mountain behind them loomed much higher than the ones before them, and beyond that lay an icy expanse of snow-covered forest and hills.

"Looks like we're on the north side of the Seraphim Range," Eldrin called from ahead. "Our options are rather limited up here. Let's at least make our way into that forest below. That's probably the southern edge of the Everwood. We can lose ourselves there and reevaluate our situation."

Justin's heart sank at the news. They would be far from civilization and the resources it provided. It had been nonstop action since they left Windfall, and Justin hadn't had time to process everything the Baron had told him.

He could only do that once they had gained some distance and reached a measure of safety.

Eldrin's Pathfinder's Pace allowed them to move faster than they should have in such harsh conditions. Even with the Ranger's ability, the pace was grueling, and Justin panted as they trudged through the snow. His cane proved invaluable, saving him from slipping on several patches of ice.

"I'm Level 9 now," Lila said, speaking despite the rough climb. "You?"

"10," Justin replied, still trying to catch his breath.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You've already got a Focus?"

"Yes," he said between breaths. "Just an hour ago. It wasn't an easy choice, but you're looking at Eyrth's newest Gentleman."

As he straightened his back and struck a slight pose, she raised an eyebrow. "Well, congratulations. I suppose you must have cleared a Vault as well?"

"Come on, you two!" Eldrin called from ahead, not giving them a chance to catch up.

The Ranger no longer bothered to follow the winding trail. Instead, he sat on the edge of a snowbank and slid the rest of the way down to the forest below with alarming speed. It was several hundred feet to the forest below.

Justin hesitated for a moment. Sliding down seemed reckless, especially with the threat of an avalanche, but they were running out of options. If the Baron's men were not far behind, they couldn't afford to play it safe.

With a quick glance at Lila, Justin sat down and pushed off after Eldrin. The slope was steeper than he had expected, and he picked up speed quickly, snow spraying around him as he slid toward the forest at the base of the mountain.

Within minutes, they reached a cluster of rocks that provided some cover. The pine forest loomed ahead, the scent of cold earth and evergreen filling the air as they approached.

Justin glanced back up the slope, but there was no sign of the Baron or his men. Still, the trail they had left was obvious; not even a Ranger could conceal the marks they had made in the snow.

"We've bought ourselves a little time," Eldrin said, surveying their surroundings, "but not much. They'll find the trail soon enough."

He headed into the forest, leaving the others to follow his path.

"Getting really sick of this running crap," Justin muttered.

"If we make it to Mont Elea, we won't have to run anymore," Eldrin replied, his sharp ears catching Justin's words. "Keep that in mind."

"Mont Elea?" Bohemond asked.

"We'll talk about it later," Eldrin said.

Justin's thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Valdrik. If the Templars of Arion were hunting Earthers, then Mont Elea was the last place he wanted to go. What if someone there had a way of detecting him? Maybe he could skip that part of the journey.

Since Windfall, Justin had never caught the others up on what the Baron revealed. Bohemond's presence in the party was a hindrance. The Knight was nothing if not a wild card. While he had proven himself in battle, his zealotry and conflicts with Kargan promised trouble ahead.

Justin couldn't worry about that right now. Maybe they could find a town on the way to leave Bohemond behind. The guy had probably had enough of them by now, and given the opportunity and his share of the loot, he would be eager to part ways.

At least, Justin hoped.

They slipped into the shadows of the forest, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of snow.