Sophia had gained a point with her dagger skill as well. That was when Nick remembered his journal. “Why don’t you read through this before bed? You can check out the kp unlocks I earned in the tutorial, then add your thoughts to what I’ve learned about Taltos, magic, and the System. Feel free to add anything that I haven’t got in here. I hope to one day make a comprehensive guide to share with the other members of team Earth."

Nodding her agreement, Sophia went to work. She started reading through the journal, occasionally nodding along or letting out a soft grunt of agreement or surprise. Eventually, she asked Nick for a nub of charcoal and added two entries to the pages, then handed the journal back to him.

“Thanks for sharing that. You have some interesting stuff in here, especially the parts about beasts and essence. I was able to complete the two attributes you were missing. The wording might not be exactly the same as what the System used, but it should be close. Go ahead and take the first watch if you don’t mind, I’m a little worn out.”

He had a hunch that she wanted some time to herself rather than being tired, but he was happy to agree to her request. While Sophia stretched out in front of the fire, Nick opened his travel journal to peruse what she had added.

Creativity

Creativity is the attribute governing creation and expression. Baseline creativity can be increased by using your imagination in new and challenging ways, especially in situations with a high degree of risk.

Creativity includes:

Visualization: the ability to picture ideas clearly within your mind.

Generativity: the ability to form novel concepts and ideas, and connect new thoughts to one another.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Expression: the ability to translate ideas into the world.

Put simply, creativity determines how easy it is to come up with new ideas, how clearly you can see them in your mind, and how well you can translate them into the world.

Charisma

Charisma is the attribute governing social aptitude. Baseline charisma can be increased through engaging in social interactions, taking the perspective of other people, and risky encounters with social components.

Charisma includes:

Empathy: the ability to read the emotions and intentions of others. To sense when someone is hiding something or lying.

Influence: the ability to exert and resist psychological pressure.

Allure: the ability to make one’s words and actions appealing to others.

Put simply, charisma determines how easily you can understand the perspective of other people, how to speak and act in an appealing matter, and how effectively you can pressure them into doing what you wish. Note, charisma is not a form of mind control, but an enhancement of your natural social skills.

They made good time all the next day, only slowing down to avoid dangerous beasts, take cover from the blackmist, and scout out locations where they thought other people might be hiding. Fortunately, Nick was able to forage on the march to top off their stores, so they didn’t have to worry about running out of food for a while. Near the middle of the afternoon, they crossed into a biome made up of hills with narrow streams running along the valleys strung out between them.

After climbing to the top of a particularly tall hillock, the duo was able to look out over the marshlands, taking in a wide swath of terrain standing between themselves and the tower. By now, he was certain that they were only a few days away, taking into account the manner in which its immensity messed with his head. “We’re going to have to cross that river sometime soon,” Sophia pointed into the distance, where a wide waterway was reflecting the cloudy sky above.

“I think you’re right. There doesn’t seem to be any way around that big one.” Nick nodded his agreement. “Hopefully, we can locate an intact bridge once we’re down there, or a place where the water is shallow enough to ford. If we can’t find either, we’ll have to reexamine our options once we’re able to scout out the riverbank from up close.”

Relieved to be drawing near their destination at last, and that no global events had been triggered since they had begun traveling together, the pair started climbing down the far side of the hill with a spring in their step. They were eager to leave this stage of the quest behind them and start climbing the Tower of Rizzen.