---
Kleila stretched her arms as the morning sun peeked through the trees. Last night's discovery still lingered in her mind—the sudden ability to hear Radibun's "Pii" noises as words.
Radibun hopped onto a fallen branch and tilted his fluffy head.
"Pii… (I'll scout ahead. There should be edible herbs nearby)."
Kleila blinked. The translation still startled her.
"Still not used to that… but thank you, Radibun. Just don't go too far, okay?"
To anyone else, Radibun only chirped a soft "Pii."
But to her, his words were completely clear, threaded with sincerity and innocence.
Before beginning her task, Kleila opened her System Menu. A window blinked to life:
[Archive Room — New Item Added]
• Grandmother's Recipe Book (Bound Soul-Memento)
Stored safely. Cannot be destroyed. Cannot be stolen. Cannot be lost.
Her chest tightened with relief.
"So Grandma… you're safe with me," she whispered.
Now she could cook without the fear of losing the one precious thing she had left.
---
The Mawkin Alternative Ingredient Quest
Today's challenge was listed under:
[Daily Trial Dish — Ingredient: Mawkin Substitute]
She eyed the ingredient in question sitting on a tree stump.
A Mawkin was nothing like the plump, cute pumpkins back home. This one looked like a shrunken pumpkin skull—deep-set cracks like veins, and a faint glow from within as if something unpleasant was breathing inside.
"Yep… still ugly," she muttered.
Step by step, she followed her grandma's instructions from memory. The recipe in the archive opened as a holographic page.
Chop finely. Heat until the aroma turns sweet—not before, not after.
"Okay… sweet smell, not burning demon odor," she murmured.
At the first cut—
SQUELCH.
Thick orange fluid oozed out, wriggling unnaturally.
"…That's disgusting. Why did I choose this over the adorable Radibun… Oh right. Because he was adorable."
She sliced, stirred, and mixed as instructed.
And then—
The Mawkin piece twitched.
The chopped bits began to glow, reshaping themselves with a wet crackling sound.
"What—!? You're supposed to be an ingredient, not a transformer!"
The lumps merged into a vibrant, golden cube that shimmered with a warm aura.
A new notification blinked:
[Unexpected Transformation!
Ingredient evolved into: Sun-Mawkin Essence
Quality: Rare ★★★★]
Kleila gasped.
"…Grandma, was your cooking always this dramatic?"
---
Radibun Returns
Radibun hopped out of the bushes carrying herbs nearly twice his size.
"Pii. Found these. Good for soup."
"You're amazing," Kleila said, beaming.
Radibun's ears twitched bashfully.
"Pii…(I just picked what smelled safe)."
She could tell he was honest—innocently proud in the simplest way.
---
The Sudden Collapse
Just as she finished simmering the transformed Mawkin into a small golden stew—
THUD.
A dark figure crashed down right next to her campfire.
Kleila shrieked and grabbed Radibun.
"Who!? Radibun, hide!"
Dust cleared to reveal a man—tall, broad-shouldered, muscular like a seasoned warrior… yet currently face-down in the dirt.
He wore a guild emblem on his cloak, though it was slanted as if he had put it on while half-asleep.
"…Did a handsome adventurer just fall from the sky?" she whispered.
Radibun sniffed him.
"Pii. (He's alive. Just… empty)."
"Empty?"
"Pii. As in… (stomach empty)."
Before she could respond, the System chimed urgently:
[Emergency Sub-Quest Generated!]
Title: "Feed the Starving Fool"
Target: The collapsed adventurer
Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: He will continue being dumb enough to starve himself unconscious.
Kleila blinked.
"…That is very passive-aggressive, System."
But another notification popped up:
[Suggested Dish: Sun-Mawkin Recovery Stew]
Well—good thing she had just finished making it.
---
A Meal That Revives
She knelt beside the unconscious man and lifted his head gently.
"Hey… can you hear me? You need to eat."
He muttered something faintly:
"…Food…? Did I… forget again…?"
"Yes. Obviously," she sighed. "Now open your mouth."
She fed him a spoonful.
The effect was immediate.
WHOOSH.
A warm golden glow washed over his skin as strength returned to his body.
His eyes opened—deep blue, shining like a warrior's… though his expression was more puppy-like than heroic.
"…Delicious…" he murmured. "…Who… are you… angel…?"
Kleila flushed.
"I'm not an angel! And you fainted right at my cooking fire!"
Radibun chimed in:
"Pii. (He's an idiot)."
The man blinked.
"…Did your rabbit just insult me?"
Kleila froze.
"You… heard him?"
"No. I just felt insulted for some reason…"
She exhaled.
"Right. Good. Because I'm the only one who can hear him."
---
A System window popped up:
[Quest Completed!
Reward Unlocked: New Cooking Skill — "Ingredient Purification Lv.1"]
Kleila's eyes widened.
"A new skill… from saving him?"
The adventurer sat up, rubbing his stomach sheepishly.
"…Thank you. I… kinda of forget to eat when finishing quests for three days."
Kleila stared at him flatly.
Radibun: "Pii. (Definitely an idiot)."
This time even Kleila didn't argue.
---