Chapter 94 :
Episode 20 : A Fulfilling Meal (6)
Inside my own tent, I sat there, resting my eyes while I crossed my arms. Even after evening came, I was just sitting within my tent quietly.
"They're here." I spoke, not opening my eyes yet.
"Hello, hello everyone!" The loud voice of Tanzanite could be heard from the sky, catching the attention of everyone in different places.
Tanzanite continued on talking. "Sadly, since my two sisters are currently busy right now, they can't come here."
"But thankfully, I'm here!" She giggled joyfully.
"As you know, I have warned you all that there would be a 5000 coins deduction if you didn't complete two quests!"
"So did everyone do a great job while I was gone?" Being the only ‘Helper’ here, Tanzanite kept speaking nonstop.
Even though I was inside the tent, I could tell that she must be flying aimlessly in the sky, looking over the areas she passed.
"Oh my! Seems like a lot of you have finished two quests already."
As I began to hear Tanzanite's voice getting louder and louder, I wondered if she was floating above us.
"Here's advice for everyone. If any one of you had completed a gathering or kill quest, rather than handing over the loot you got to the NPC, why not keep it for yourself?"
"But do not worry, you would still complete your quest even if you kept the items to yourself."
"Why would you do this, you ask? You may not know when you'll need those items desperately. Heh." Tanzanite giggled in a sinistrous manner which must have made other players listen to her advice.
Afterwards, Tanzanite cleared her throat before clapping her hands to create a shockwave that could shake the earth.
"Since my time is almost over, I'll be doing the coins deduction now."
Naturally, I knew that the shockwave wasn't just a mere wave of shock, but it was also a widespread shock of deduction.
Once the wave traveled past a player, it proceeded to decide whether or not if that player had done the minimum quests.
If a player had done completely, they would have a green check mark hovering above their head as to indicate they had finished.
However for those who didn't, they would have a red cross mark floating on their head.
After that, it unveiled a coin deduction on top of the cross mark, removing all the coins those players currently had and forcing them into a negative number in the amount of coin they now have.
Obviously for me, I got a green check leisurely ascending above me, including my teammates as well.
Not long after, a message popped up after the deduction was over. I then read it out of curiosity.
[Over 761 Players, there are 239 Players that haven't accomplished their tasks.]
[Punishment for lack of coins needed for the deduction process will be proceeding.]
[Beginning the debt probability.]
"Now, now. Everyone doesn't need to be scared by this huge debt." Tanzanite chuckled while she was reassuring everyone.
"As long as you get more coins, you will be out of debt. Right now, the ones in debt should be more concerned about their lives from now on."
Without telling why those players should be worried about, Tanzanite only giggled which annoyed me even more.
Although those players already knew themselves that without coins, their lives would be difficult onward.
"Well then, it's time for my departure. I pray for you all to get through this stage quickly so that my sisters and I can get a break."
"You might not see us again in a couple of stages or more. Hehe." And that was the end of Tanzanite's continuous chattering.
It seemed Tanzanite had finally left, again leaving behind a lot of confused and scared players without proper information.
Eventually after that moment, I was called by Behemoth who had entered my tent. "Master, dinner is almost already."
"There's still some time. Come here, Behemoth." I said, opening my eyes to look at Behemoth and tapping my laps to call him over here.
Behemoth understood immediately and swiftly hopped onto my laps. It seemed he really did want to have headpats, but he didn't want to tell me.
I caressed his head, asking him as I could hear Behemoth's purring. "Behemoth, you and Mirai—"
My sentence was cut off by another person entering into my tent again. Not only that, as if speaking of the devil, it was Mirai who came in.
I glanced at her while patting Behemoth. "Do you need something, Mimi?"
"Well, Captain.. Can I also get headpats?" Mirai asked me, getting flustered over something like headpats and also hiding the glare she had on Behemoth.
I smiled and stretched out my right hand which led to Mirai looking all gleeful and hopping onto my hand in her spider form.
Instead of me patting her head, Mirai hugged my thumb after getting on my hand.
"Both of you are a handful." I sighed, having to take care of these two and unconsciously grinning like a fool.
———
At the same time but elsewhere..
HwanGi, who was cooking the food, washed his hands in the lake.
Gazing at the reflection of his face, HwanGi faintly smiled, not fazing by how gorgeous he looked before getting up and walking over to the camp.
Since the food was already done, he was about to sit down and eat with everyone. But after seeing three missing people, HwanGi realized that JoonChul, Mirai and Behemoth hadn't shown up yet.
"I should tell them quickly before everyone eats all the food." HwanGi said to himself, proceeding to move toward JoonChul's tent.
When he got near the tent, he entered the tent, witnessing a man with a spider and a cat with him. "JoonChul-ssi?"
"Hm. What is it, HwanGi-ssi?" JoonChul asked while he was patting the others.
Despite viewing this unusual sight, HwanGi ignored it all and told JoonChul. "Come outside. The food is ready to eat."
"Right."
After that, Behemoth speedily got off of JoonChul and rushed toward the exit of the tent.
"He must be really hungry." HwanGi spoke as he stared at the cat that ran away in a blink of an eye.
"The dishes are mostly fish."
JoonChul standing up with his hand out, walked over to HwanGi and added. "You know how cats like fish? For Behemoth, his love for fish is extreme."
"And that spider is?" Before HwanGi asked, he spotted a spider on JoonChul's hand.
"Huh? Was you not aware that Mirai is a spider?"
"Spider..?"
"Don't be very surprised. Something like this is nothing compared to the much more revelation in the upcoming future."
"..Yes."
In spite of being shocked, it only lasted for a few seconds because of what JoonChul had said to HwanGi.
‘Why does his words sound like there would be more terrifying things in the future?’ HwanGi pondered, obviously feeling a bit afraid of what the future holds.
At that moment, HwanGi had countless questions he wanted to ask to JoonChul. Because of how much JoonChul knows about this world and system, HwanGi thought of JoonChul as a suspicious person.
And yet, HwanGi didn't want to be doubtful of JoonChul since he trusted him quite a lot and the fact that JoonChul might be his childhood friend.
As a result, HwanGi couldn't bring himself to suspect JoonChul of why he knows a lot about everything.
"HwanGi-ssi. HwanGi-ssi!" Trapped in his thoughts for far too long, HwanGi heard JoonChul calling out his name.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere that was arising, HwanGi chuckled nervously and opened his mouth to say this. "Sorry for keeping you here. Shall we go and eat?"
"Yeah." JoonChul, leaving his tent with Mirai who had suddenly changed into her human form, didn't bother to look back when they passed by HwanGi.
But thanks to this, HwanGi was able to gaze at the back of JoonChul without him turning back to find out his stare.
When HwanGi was going back to thinking again, the scream of joy could be heard from here.
"Whoa!!! This tastes so great!!!" It was Alaine who shouted excitedly.
Seeing as HwanGi saw how JoonChul covered his ears when Alaine's voice appeared, HwanGi let out a slight laugh from witnessing that scene.
After a bit, HwanGi remembered the item he received from one of the ‘Forest’ bear's drops.
Taking out the remnant of a sword, he stared at it while mumbling. "I don't think this is its drop item."
The broken piece in the hand of HwanGi, felt as though it was shining like the star in the sky, but in reality, it wasn't.
"I have no clue what this is. It seems powerful judging from the sensation I'm perceiving right now."
"Maybe I will find out when I collect all the pieces needed to complete this unknown sword."
After muttering that, HwanGi looked at the remnant for a short moment before placing it back in his inventory where it should be safe and sound.
It was then that he heard a grumble coming from his stomach which caused him to feel slightly embarrassed.
"No one noticed." HwanGi, sighing in relief, walked over to the camp where a feast was being held.
He could see everyone enjoying the food that he and Louis had made, beaming a smile on his face when he noticed everyone's joyful expression.
"HwanGi! I'm gonna eat all of these if you keep grinning like that!" Declaring something like that, Alaine waved her hand to get HwanGi's attention.
Knowing that his food might be eaten away from a hungry lady, HwanGi, walking, began hastening his pace.
Needless to say, he arrived quickly enough that Alaine wouldn't be taking his meal.
———
It went without saying that everyone was delighted by the food, liking the food from each and every bite of it. Taking their time and pleasure munching on their food, they finally finished with a full stomach.
Peacefully as it was, the night sky and the wind breezing around them were enough to make anyone feel drowsy.
And thus, everyone went to their own tents, going to sleep the moment they went in, except two people.
It was Frostina. Stargazing while resting on the grass, she frowned with a sadden expression on her face as if she recalled an unwanted memory.
An expression that had regret and sorrow mixed together, was surfacing on Frostina's beautiful face as she was faintly getting sleepier.
Slowly but surely, it only took a little time before her eyes closed, falling asleep from the tranquil ambience.
"..." Now the only one awake, JoonChul stared at the sleeping beauty, frowning from the sight of her sorrowful expression.
Without saying a word, JoonChul carried Frostina to her tent carefully, moving there with no disturbance to awake her up from her needed rest.
Eventually after that, JoonChul got out of Frostina's tent and glanced at the night sky, clenching his hands into fists.
As he was walking over to his tent to bring an end to today and to start a new one tomorrow, JoonChul mumbled.
"I pray Frostina can endure the next world. And those ‘twins’.. I hope I won't get to see them."
