Finally—
[Upgrade Complete.]
The blue circle vanished with a quiet ding, and the panel flickered softly before updating.
Monica opened the bonfire's stats again, half-expecting some grand change.
But to her surprise, the flames still looked… the same. No sudden burst. No change in color or height. Just the same modest, sputtering fire.
Her brows knit in confusion until the system's panel refreshed:
[Item: Bonfire (Lv.1)
Function: Provides light and heat. The higher the level, the larger and stronger the range of its effects.]
[Current Effective Radius: 1.5 meters with a temperature of 14 degrees F, then the effect decreases further away.]
[Time Remaining: 823 minutes]
[Evaluation: A crudely built bonfire. Fuel is low, but functionality is not yet affected. Continue burning wood to gain upgrade experience.]
[Experience: 740/20]
[Note: This bonfire can be bound as the host's personal equipment slot to share attributes and special skills. Once bound, others cannot use or modify it. If destroyed, the shared attributes will reset.]
Monica exhaled slowly, reading the attribute panel. "1.5 meters… That's an extra half-meter in all directions."
"No temperature boost… but still…" She found that the effective radius had expanded to 1.5 meters, even though the temperature stayed nearly the same. A small improvement—but in this brutal world, every bit counted.
It didn't sound like much. But here, where every degree of warmth could mean the difference between sleep and death, that small shift was everything.
She looked up and saw the effects almost immediately.
Around the edges of the firelight, a few people stirred. Someone shifted closer. A child coughed once and curled deeper into their mother's arms, but didn't shiver quite as hard anymore.
Another leaned forward, extending frozen fingers just past where the warmth hadn't reached before. Their brows lifted slightly, eyes blinking as they registered the difference.
Although there was no roaring blaze or sudden wave of heat, the radius growing by 50% meant that dozens more people could feel the fire's touch, however faint.
Monica watched, chest rising and falling with a strange sense of satisfaction. "Small steps," she whispered to herself. "One step at a time."
Then she glanced back at the panel—and blinked. The Experience bar now reads: 740/20
Her eyes widened. "Wait… It didn't reset?"
That was new. In the game, each upgrade usually starts fresh. But here… It had only deducted 10 points—the cost for going from Level 0 to Level 1.
"Only 20 EXP needed for the next level… and I've still got 740 left." Which meant she still had 740 points to spend.
Her heart skipped. "That's… that's enough for dozens more upgrades!"
Without another thought, she called out again in her mind. 'Upgrade.'
The faint chime returned instantly, as another translucent ring of light hovered above the bonfire.
This time, Monica didn't just wait.
The countdown ticked away once more.
[Upgrading: 00:59]
She sat down cross-legged on the cold ground, facing the fire directly, hands held over the growing warmth.
Her frostbitten fingers still ached, but not as much. The fire might look weak, but now she knew it held potential. If she could upgrade it again—and again, maybe it wouldn't just keep them warm.
Maybe this was her first weapon in this new world.
The seconds crawled by. The circle rotated slowly, glowing like a magic sigil above the flames. Monica's eyes didn't move from it.
All around her, people continued to huddle in silence, oblivious to the supernatural transformation unfolding before them.
She clenched her hands, knuckles pale. "C'mon… c'mon… just a little more."
[Upgrade Complete.]
The sound echoed in her ears—clear, final.
The light faded. Again, no sudden burst or flaring change in the flames, but Monica knew better than to judge by appearances.
The stats refreshed:
[Item: Bonfire (Lv.2)
Function: Provides light and heat. The higher the level, the larger and stronger the range of its effects.]
[Current Effective Radius: 2.2 meters with a temperature of 15 degrees F, then the effect decreases further away.]
[Time Remaining: 823 minutes]
[Evaluation: A crudely built bonfire. Fuel is low, but functionality is not yet affected. Continue burning wood to gain upgrade experience.]
[Experience: 740/40]
[Note: This bonfire can be bound as the host's personal equipment slot to share attributes and special skills. Once bound, others cannot use or modify it. If destroyed, the shared attributes will reset.]
She nearly laughed when she saw it: "Finally. A temperature boost."
From 14°F to 15°F.
It wasn't much, but in a place where even the air tried to kill you, even a degree rise in temperature meant everything. More people shifted. Some let out faint sighs.
One older man near the edge of the group coughed, then lifted his head in quiet disbelief as his breath no longer misted so sharply.
A mother instinctively tugged her blanket down from her child's face, testing the air. The increase in radius and the temperature change gradually affected those who were between one meter to two meters.
Monica couldn't help it—she smiled. A small one. But real.
She opened the panel again.
[Experience: 720/40]
She could upgrade again. Easily. Without even making a dent.
Her fingers curled into fists. Her lips trembled—not from cold this time, but from something else.
She whispered, almost reverently, "Let's go again, Upgrade."
Another chime. Another countdown. The glowing circle spun again above the fire.
[Upgrading: 00:59]
The air was still brittle, cold enough to crack bones. But around the bonfire, something had started to change.
Each upgrade brought a pulse of warmth, a breath of life to the frozen cave. Monica could feel it, not just in the stats, but in the way the people reacted.
The shift was subtle, but unmistakable. Faces that had been tight with despair began to ease. A few children stirred, their lips less blue. One or two people even opened their eyes, blinking in surprise at the warmth now reaching them.
And Monica—she felt it most of all.
When the bonfire hit Level 3, the radius expanded again—this time by another 50%. The heat ticked up another degree: 17°F. It still wasn't much.
But at this rate, Monica realized, the fire could eventually push back the cold. Not just hold it at bay, but drive it out.
The experience bar updated smoothly:
[Experience: 680/100]
"That's new," she muttered, eyes narrowing. "Didn't double… just jumped from 40 to 100."
Back in the game, experience costs tended not to double with each level. But this world didn't play entirely by the same rules.
"However, the sharp increase to 100 is too much." She muttered, but didn't hesitate. "Upgrade."
The chime sounded again, by now so familiar it was almost comforting. The countdown started once more. She sat, hands open toward the fire, watching the glowing sigil float in silence above the flames.
[Upgrading: 00:59]
Each minute was a ritual. A heartbeat of time measured in glowing numbers and soft crackling. She barely felt the cold anymore, not because it was gone, but because her focus was total.
When Level 4 clicked in, the stats jumped again. This time, the radius doubled from the previous 3.3 meters.
[Radius: 6.6 meters]
[Temperature: 18°F]
[Experience: 580/120]
[Time Remaining: 761 minutes]
However, when the bonfire reached level 4, the consumption of the wood also increased slightly.
People around her shifted again. A man, previously curled in a fetal ball, sat up slowly and stared at the flames as if seeing them for the first time.
But Monica wasn't done. "Again."
Monica didn't stop. Couldn't.
The sound of the chime was now etched into her mind, like the ticking of a clock counting down the moments she had left to change her fate.
[Upgrading: 00:59]
By now, it felt almost sacred. A private ritual in a world gone cold and silent.
She sat cross-legged, her back straight despite the aches. Her half-frozen hands hovered just inches from the flames. Her cracked lips whispered again, more mantra than command.
"Let there be warmth."
[Upgrade Complete.]
[Bonfire: Lv.5]
[Radius: 9.9 meters]
[Temperature: 20°F]
[Experience: 460/140]
[Time Remaining: 700 minutes]
The firelight flickered—and for the first time, Monica saw it. Not just felt it.
[Experience: 460/140]
"Still enough," she murmured.
Another chime. Another countdown.
Not yet.
One more.
She didn't hesitate.
"Upgrade."
The familiar ring formed again. This time, the air buzzed faintly, a shimmer barely noticeable to anyone else—but she felt it in her bones.
[Upgrading: 00:59]
She barely moved. Not even a blink.
Just watching the seconds tick away, breath slow, heartbeat steady.
[Upgrade Complete.]
[Bonfire: Lv.7]
[Radius: 52.8 meters]
[Temperature: 25°F]
[Experience: 220/240]
[Time Remaining: 600 minutes]