A sudden appearance of a vampire caught Julian Thorne completely off guard.
If there were text floating above his head right now, it would undoubtedly be a string of question marks.
One moment he was on top of the world, feeling like he was about to take flight, and the next he was being drained by a vampire. Was this really how he was going to die?
Wait a minute, the late 19th century, Paris, France, vampires... A strange expression crossed Julian's face as he made a guess. Could he have transmigrated into the world of Underworld or Bram Stoker's Dracula? Highly likely!!!
[Simulation complete. Please make your selection as soon as possible.]
[Option 1: Randomly acquire three skills or feats obtained during your transmigration.]
[Option 2: Randomly draw three items obtained during your transmigration.]
Honestly, there wasn't much to think about. Although he had acquired Advanced Writing Proficiency during the simulation, survival was the priority right now. Advanced Writing Proficiency was completely useless in this predicament. It wasn't like Death Note, where he could just write someone's name down and decide their fate.
That was just wishful thinking.
On the other hand, the item draw guaranteed a gun and a dagger.
"Hold on, if I draw items, where will they be stored?"
Julian suddenly remembered a crucial detail. His hands were currently tied behind his back. If the items just appeared on his person or dropped to the floor, he was screwed.
He hadn't expected the simulator to answer, but to his surprise, the damn thing actually replied: "After claiming the items, they will be stored in your inventory. You can access them at any time."
"Inventory? How do I take things out of it?"
The simulator didn't respond this time. Instead, a white glove icon appeared on the simulator interface, with an arrow pointing to the right of the achievement tab.
Julian: ?????
Only then did he notice a red dot on the achievement tab. To the right of the tab was an inconspicuous small right-facing arrow. He clicked it, and it immediately switched to a second page, displaying two small tabs: [Items], [Quests]. There were two more grayed-out tabs next to them, obviously not yet unlocked.
What the hell! What genius designed this UI?
Naturally, he chose the second option.
[You have selected Option 2.]
[You have obtained a rare-grade weapon: Ivory-handled Colt M1873 Revolver.]
[You have obtained a rare-grade weapon: Swedish Sjogren Inertia Shotgun.]
There were only two items, no third one.
Julian was taken aback at first, but after a moment of thought, he understood. In the game Apocalypse, item rarity was ranked as follows: Trash (Gray) < Common (White) < Good (Green) < Rare (Blue) < Unique (Purple) < Epic (Pink) < Legendary (Orange) < Artifact (Red).
It seemed that for something to be considered an "item" by the system, it had to be at least Rare-grade. Otherwise, there would be too many eligible objects.
No wonder his simulated self had specifically collected expensive guns and daggers. It was just that the collected daggers weren't of high enough rarity to be counted.
What a pity.
However, this confirmed that he could, to some extent, control the direction of the simulation!
He opened the item tab and, sure enough, there were two new items inside: an ivory-handled revolver and a shotgun that looked seriously badass.
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Focusing his attention on the two guns, tooltips quickly popped up:
[Ivory-handled Colt M1873 Revolver]: God created men, but Colt made them equal.
[Swedish Sjogren Inertia Shotgun]: 12-gauge, a real Hornet's Nest maker, a true murder weapon.
Only after seeing these two guns did Julian feel a sense of relief. There wasn't enough time left for another simulation. Although he hadn't gained any supernatural powers, having firearms meant he at least had a fighting chance.
The time for his counterattack had finally arrived. His plan was to use his Basic Pickpocketing skill, combined with the Nimble Fingers feat, to untie the rope behind his back. Then, he would untie the others, and the four of them would ambush the Curse Cult cultists. It would be like four people running a dungeon. Difficult, but not impossible.
But ideals were one thing, reality another. He was stuck on the very first step. Ever since he acquired the Pickpocketing skill, Julian had been trying to untie the rope, but it only seemed to be getting tighter.
What the hell! Where were those Nimble Fingers? His hands felt more like feet.
Julian took a deep breath, continuing his attempts to untie the rope while checking the panel.
A red dot was flashing on the achievement tab of the panel. Any gamer would know what that meant: something to claim.
He hurriedly opened it and saw that, without realizing it, he had somehow managed to complete a series of achievements.
Achievements:
[Orphan of Gaul] (No attribute bonus)
[Sense and Sensibility] (No attribute bonus)
[An Ordinary Life] (No attribute bonus)
[Pride and Prejudice] (No attribute bonus)
Achievement [Four Classics Quartet (I)] completed. You have obtained 1 Skill Point. You have discovered a hidden quest.
Hidden Quest Available for Redemption: A Literary Life [Yes/No]
After choosing to redeem it, the "Four Classics Quartet (I)" achievement was cleared, and a hidden quest appeared under the quest tab.
Hidden Quest: (Can be triggered under special circumstances)
[A Literary Life]: Deep down, you've always harbored a literary dream. In your future life, pursue this dream. In both the real and simulated worlds, complete a total of 1,000 books (0/1000).
Quest Hint: Read ten thousand books, and your writing will flow like water. This quest will definitely be harder than you think. Good luck, future literary master!
Quest Reward: Unknown
Future literary master Julian: ...
He had no idea he'd been hiding a literary dream all along. Also, this simulator was a scam! What "future life"?
Heavy footsteps echoed from outside the door again. Clearly, a new round of sacrifice was about to begin.
The room was filled with weeping. Julian was the only listener to three people crying.
Then, the sole listener was dumbfounded. These three managed to cry with the intensity of thirty people!
If one had to pick the most pitiful crier, it would be the chubby kid, Alan. He wailed loudly, while the other two whimpered softly, providing a kind of harmony. It was like a suona rendition of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" – extremely rhythmic.
The crying blended perfectly with the eerie atmosphere. A recording of this played in a mourning hall would surely make anyone feel heartbroken.
Julian himself was starting to panic. The ritual was nearing its end, and there were only four people left in the room. He had a 50% chance of being the next victim.
The door was pushed open, and three Curse Cult cultists entered. The leading cultist immediately pointed at the chubby kid who was crying the loudest.
"You, come with me."
"No, not me!" The chubby kid scooted backward, his face filled with terror. Then the cultist pointed at Julian. "You, come too."
Probability was a bitch, and so was Murphy's Law.
If anything can go wrong, it will.
This was going to be troublesome...
Julian and Alan were dragged to their feet and stumbled after the three Curse Cult cultists towards the door.
Just like in the game, outside the door was a long, "king" shaped corridor with six rooms. At the end of the corridor was another door. If he remembered correctly, across this corridor, the living room on the right was the ritual chamber.
The more desperate the situation, the calmer Julian became. This was the effect of the Extreme Calm feat. The Jasonath Haunted Mansion was a typical European-style mansion. The corridor was about 55.77 feet (17m) long. At his current slow walking speed, it would take about 25 seconds to cross. In those 25 seconds, there was absolutely no way he could untie the rope.
The only way out was to use the skill point from the [Four Classics Quartet (I)] achievement on Basic Pickpocketing! Then, he would do his best and leave the rest to fate.
Without hesitation, Julian immediately opened the game panel and upgraded Basic Pickpocketing to Intermediate. In this situation, every second of hesitation was a crime. Skill points were precious, but they could be earned again. He only had one life.
A moment later, Julian flexed his fingers and tried again. With the improved Pickpocketing skill, he quickly made progress.
He was likely tied with a sailor's knot. It would probably take about 32 seconds to untie it.
The closer they got to the ritual chamber, the stronger the smell of sulfur and blood became. Behind the corridor door, a massive creature seemed to be lurking. Julian could faintly hear a "huff... huff..." sound, gradually growing louder.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the others. He couldn't see the expression of the one leading the way, but the two cultists walking beside him were fervent, and the chubby kid looked dazed as if he were hearing some evil whispers.
It must be that my perception is too low to hear the creature's whispers, Julian thought. He took a deep breath and sped up his hand movements. With a soft "click," the main knot of the sailor's knot came loose.
Just then, the leading cultist pushed open the door to the ritual chamber.