Crackle… Crackle…
The burning wood produced a calm crackling sound that soothed anyone's heart.
Raven picked up a pot and placed it over the campfire.
Inside were fish fillets, seasoned with various spices.
It had barely been placed over the fire, yet the aroma was already irresistible.
Even Rose, who was sitting with her back against a tree trunk, sniffed the air. Her gaze never left the pot.
Raven glanced at her but said nothing, only giving a small smile.
"Claire, can you help me cook the rice?"
Claire nodded and stood up.
"Of course."
She took another pot and began rinsing the rice Raven had prepared.
While waiting for the food to cook, Raven walked over to Rose and handed her an apple.
"Eat this first. The food will take a while."
Rose accepted it and whispered, "Thank you."
"[Ding! Obtained 10 affection points!]"
Raven glanced at the love gauge above her head and froze. The woman's affection for him was at -10!
"Is it because I was rude to her?" he wondered.
However, Raven quickly calmed himself. He wasn't worried about it.
After all, he already had his own way of making Rose fall for him.
He walked back and sat beside her.
Rose frowned, thinking Raven was up to something.
But it seemed she was overthinking it. Raven simply lay down on the ground, his gaze fixed on the leaves above.
"Tell me," he said, "how did you end up fainting and getting swept away by the stream like that?"
Rose pursed her lips and remained silent.
Raven furrowed his brow, shot her an annoyed glance, and warned, "If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. But after we eat, I want you to leave. Don't disturb Claire and me. I can't let a stranger of unknown origin join my group, especially with Claire here."
Although the system classified Rose as a target, Raven wouldn't suck up to her or show goodwill without a purpose.
He was a calculating person. Any kindness he offered had to be reciprocated. Besides, Rose was different from Claire.
From the moment he first saw her, he knew Rose was stubborn and tough.
Facing someone like her, Raven had to be even tougher.
Rose was irritated by his warning, but she knew his words made perfect sense.
If she were in his position, she would have reacted the same way.
Rose took a bite of the apple in her hand and explained, "I'm a solo player. I don't have any friends or anything like that. But earlier, a few people asked me to form a team. At first, I refused. But after thinking about it, I decided it was worth a try. After all, I can't kill a level-two monster on my own. And…"
Her expression darkened. "They betrayed me. Their leader, Darius, wanted me to sleep with him. It was disgusting."
Her left hand clenched tightly, as if she wanted nothing more than to kill the man she was referring to.
Raven raised an eyebrow slightly. The word "player" was likely what she and the others participating in this survival test called themselves.
"I see. You fought them, lost, and ended up being swept away by the stream. Then Claire and I found you. Is that what happened?" Raven asked.
Rose stared at him in surprise. She hadn't even finished explaining, yet this man had already pieced everything together.
But that was fine. At least she didn't have to drag out her explanation.
"Something like that," Rose confirmed. She took another bite of her apple and let out a long sigh.
Raven fell into deep thought. He had already guessed that something like this was bound to happen.
As Malphas had said earlier, everyone cast out by Earth was problematic—evil, immoral, and so on.
In other words, they were stains that needed to be wiped away.
Therefore, no one could be trusted in this place. Fortunately, Raven had the Women-Conquering System.
With the system's help, he didn't need to worry about whether the women approaching him had malicious intentions.
After all, anyone who earned the system's recognition must possess a unique character and would never betray him.
At least, that was what Raven believed for now.
"I understand." Raven took a deep breath and sat up. "Let's eat first. We'll talk about your problem afterward."
He stood up and walked away, leaving Rose sitting there with a dazed expression.
Fifteen minutes later, the steamed fish in spiced broth was finally ready.
Raven lifted the pot carefully and placed it on the ground.
The enticing aroma made Rose unconsciously sniff the air again.
"Raven, the rice is ready," Claire said as she walked over carrying a pot of freshly cooked rice.
Raven smiled. "Thank you. Just set it down over there."
Claire nodded and placed it down. Soon, Raven, Claire, and Rose sat in a circle.
Raven began serving the food onto each of their plates.
"All right. Let's eat."
Claire picked up her plate and began eating. As the tender fish touched her tongue, her eyes widened in delight.
"Your cooking is delicious, Raven!" she praised, taking another bite.
"Thank you." Raven chuckled softly. He then turned to Rose, who was silently staring at her food, and asked, "Why are you so quiet? Don't worry, I didn't put any poison in it."
Rose snapped out of her daze and shook her head.
"It's not that. I just haven't eaten food this delicious in a long time," she replied, sounding both sad and helpless.
She couldn't cook. The ingredients Malphas had given her felt useless.
To survive, she had been picking fruits or roasting the fish she caught from the river.
Of course, the fish tasted awful—aside from a bit of saltiness, since she'd sprinkled salt on it.
But she had no choice. It was the only way to survive.
"Pfft!" Raven snickered. "I get it. Well, eat up before it gets cold."
Rose nodded and tore off a piece of fish with her hands.
The white flesh had turned a deep orange from the spices and herbs Raven had added.
The moment she put it into her mouth, her eyes lit up.
"It's so delicious!"
The taste was utterly different from what she'd been eating over the past few days.
Without caring about her image, she began eating eagerly.
"[Ding! Obtained 10 affection points!]"
The -10 above her head disappeared, replaced by a 0.
Raven glanced at her love gauge and smiled in satisfaction.
"Good progress," he whispered.