“Looks like someone’s preparing for finals,” I said.

Ambrosia looked down at the stack of books in her arms. The pile leaned far enough to one side that several volumes looked ready to escape.

“Yeah, I know it’s a lot.” She shifted them back into place. “But there’s so much to learn about this world.”

“Are all of those about monster biology?”

“Only some. Gloria helped me find the useful ones.” She nodded toward the receptionist downstairs. “The library lets us borrow books, so I’m checking these out before I head to the laboratory.”

The woman behind the front desk noticed us looking and offered a polite wave.

I had dismissed her as background staff when I entered. Apparently, Ambrosia had already learned her name and gotten research advice from her.

Ambrosia adjusted the books again. “There’s a free laboratory downstairs. If you need help examining samples, I can show you how everything works.”

“About that...” I said. “I sold all my slime materials before coming here.”

“Perfect.”

“That was not the response I expected.”

“I was planning to collect fresh samples anyway.”

“From where?”

“Viridian Basin.”

The name was unfamiliar, but it sounded more interesting than the tutorial fields.

“According to one of these field guides, it’s the forest beyond the beginner area. The local citizens are warned not to enter because of the dangerous creatures living there.”

I remembered the tree line beyond the slime fields and the player with the wrist crossbow running toward it.

“I think I know where it is.”

“So, do you want to come?”

“I would, but I still don’t have a weapon. I stopped at the library first because I thought it might close soon.”

Ambrosia studied me for a moment.

“How good are you with a knife?”

“A knife?”

“A laboratory knife.”

“That isn’t usually how people pitch an adventure.”

“It’s for collecting samples.”

“And stabbing things?”

“Only when necessary.”

“I’ve used knives in other games.”

“Good enough.”

She tapped the air, and a translucent window appeared in front of me.

PARTY INVITATION

Ambrosia has invited you to join her party.

“Nice meeting you properly, Cloud. I need to collect a few things from the laboratory first. Meet me near the entrance in five minutes?”

“Sounds good.”

I accepted the invitation, and Ambrosia carefully carried her unstable tower of books toward the stairs.

On my way down, I noticed that the staircase to the third floor was blocked by an iron gate. When I approached it, a red notification appeared.

Entry Denied

Required Item: Librarian’s Access Key

Now that sounded like a challenge.

A faint scrape came from behind me.

I turned.

A mannequin knight stood on a pedestal near the wall, dressed in full medieval armor with both hands resting on the pommel of its sword.

It was probably decorative.

I watched it for several seconds, but it remained perfectly still.

Trying to pick the lock while an armored statue stood behind me seemed unnecessarily risky. I did not have lockpicks anyway.

I headed downstairs and worked my way through the crowd toward the front desk.

Gloria stood behind it with a folder tucked beneath one arm. She had long black hair arranged in a loose braid, gentle eyes behind thin black glasses, and a patient smile that made the enormous library feel slightly less intimidating. Her black outfit was simple and elegant, accented by a few small pieces of silver jewelry.

“Hello, Gloria.”

“Hello, Cloud. Did you find what you were looking for?”

“I did, along with something else.”

“Oh?” she asked. “What did you find?”

“An entire third floor I’m not allowed to enter.”

Gloria gave me an apologetic smile. “That section is reserved for citizens with sufficiently high academic achievement. I’m afraid you do not meet the requirement yet.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“There is still plenty to learn from the first and second floors.”

She had answered naturally, but I wanted to know how far that went.

“One last question.”

“Yes?”

“What’s your favorite flower?”

Gloria tilted her head. “That is an unusual question.”

“Do you have one?”

“I’m fond of violets.”

Before I could test the conversation any further, Ambrosia appeared beside me carrying a compact metal case.

“You aren’t flirting with the librarian, are you?”

The already quiet library somehow became quieter.

A player at the nearest table slowly lowered his book. Someone between the shelves whispered, “Can you do that?”

“Bro, it’s full dive,” another player answered. “Of course you can.”

A third voice muttered, “Respect.”

Gloria covered her mouth with one hand, but her shoulders moved slightly as she tried not to laugh.

“I was asking about flowers,” I said.

“Right,” Ambrosia replied. “Flowers.”

Gloria lowered her hand, though the amusement remained in her smile.

“Mr. Cloud, please refrain from interrogating the library staff about their flower preferences.”

Someone nearby snorted into his book.

“I think we’re done here.”

I caught Ambrosia by the wrist and headed for the exit before the rest of the library became any more invested in the conversation.

A few minutes later, we were back on the street.

Ambrosia was still smiling.

“So you’re the kind of player who tries to romance the locals?”

“Not exactly.”

“That was a very quick answer.”

“I was testing something.”

“What kind of something?”

“You know how some games hide quests or items behind affinity?”

“Sure.”

“The easiest way to raise affinity is usually to learn what someone likes and bring it to them.”

Ambrosia stared at me.

“So, like real life?”

I considered that.

“I suppose.”

“That makes asking Gloria about flowers sound even worse.”

“Enough about me. Did you get the analysis toolkit?”

“Yep. Here’s yours.”

She handed me a small metal case. Inside were glass tubes, sample jars, tweezers, cloth wraps, and several sharp instruments arranged in padded slots.

“Oh,” she added brightly, “and you owe me one hundred credits.”

“Nice try. I know these are free.”

“Aww. Busted.”

A notification appeared at the edge of my vision.

Hydration: 50%

My hunger meter had also fallen below half.

“I should probably eat and drink before we leave.”

“Let me see what’s nearby.”

Ambrosia reached into her cardigan pocket and pulled out a thin black rectangle with rounded corners. It looked almost exactly like an old smartphone.

“Is that a—”

“The portable UI device,” she said. “You can do almost everything on it.”

“So humanity invented full-dive VR, escaped physical screens, and then put a phone inside the virtual world.”

“It’s more of a portable interface.”

“Right. A fantasy phone.”

“It has maps, messages, photos, search functions—”

“And doomscrolling?”

Ambrosia paused.

“Probably.”

“We’ve come full circle.”

She turned the device so I could see its screen. A community feed was already crowded with posts from players sharing day-one discoveries, disasters, screenshots, and whatever else qualified as content only six hours after launch.

One video showed a player sprinting through a slime field in white boxers while shouting, “LEEEEEROOOYY JENKIIINS!”

Another post, titled Best Game of 2050!, showed a girl posing in front of the city fountain as though she had discovered the perfect vacation destination.

Ambrosia tapped the search bar and entered food.

Several nearby results appeared. The top post showed an elf-like woman holding a sparkling green drink and smiling at the camera.

Free food for beginners: Green Apple Slime Slushie!

Posted 10 minutes ago.

A location marker glowed beneath the post.

I examined the drink.

It was green, contained the word slime, and was being offered for free.

“That looks questionable.”

“It also looks good,” Ambrosia said.

Unfortunately, she was right.

The location marker led us back toward the plaza, where the sound of the fountain mixed with hundreds of overlapping conversations.

A small stall stood beneath a wide purple-and-cream umbrella beside the main walkway. A hand-painted sign hung from its frame.

Éliette’s Café

A chalkboard below it advertised the day’s special in bright green letters.

Green Apple Slime Slushie

The woman from the post stood behind the counter. Her avatar had dark skin, long white hair, pointed elf ears, and a chef’s hat slightly too large for her head. A black apron covered in smiling slime drawings and traces of flour hung over her clothes.

A small badge was pinned near her collar.

Lv. 5 Cooking

Another sign had been attached beside the stall.

They’re free!
One per person, please.
Donations appreciated ♡

Éliette held up a clear cup filled with sparkling green slush. Whipped cream curled over the top, accompanied by a slice of green apple and a purple-striped straw. A smiling slime logo decorated the side.

A glass container of the same mixture sat on the counter beside a basket of apples and two slime-shaped buns that looked far too cheerful about being eaten.

Éliette noticed us and immediately brightened.

“Welcome to Éliette’s Café! Today’s special is the Green Apple Slime Slushie. Please take one.”

“You’re giving them away?” Ambrosia asked.

Éliette nodded. “I already earned Cooking XP from preparing them, and I wanted people to try the recipe.”

“That’s really nice.”

“It’s the first day,” Éliette said. “Everyone should get something tasty.”

I looked at the glowing green mixture.

“So this is a science experiment.”

“Cooking is science!”

Ambrosia leaned slightly closer to the counter. “How did you unlock the Cooking skill?”

“I started cooking.”

“Just like that?” I asked.

“Pretty much. I bought some ingredients, followed a beginner recipe, and the skill appeared after my first successful dish.” Éliette opened her inventory and showed us a book titled 100 Dishes for Beginner Chefs. “This helped.”

“May I look?” Ambrosia asked.

“Sure.”

Ambrosia opened the book while I read over her shoulder. It was an ordinary recipe collection, complete with ingredients, preparation times, cooking temperatures, texture notes, and detailed instructions. Several sections also explained how monster materials could be cleaned and prepared safely.

Apparently, slimes had culinary applications.

Wonderful.

“This is amazing,” Ambrosia said as she returned the book. “Did you find it in the library?”

“The general store. It has a whole cooking section with beginner books, tools, spices, bottles, and ingredients.”

That was useful to know.

“Here.” Éliette grabbed two cups. “Try these before they melt.”

She handed one to each of us.

The drink was bright green, fizzy, and cold enough for condensation to form across the cup. Tiny jelly-like cubes floated inside, bouncing around the straw whenever I moved it.

I took a cautious sip.

Green apple soda—sweet, sharp, and slightly sour. The chewy cubes popped between my teeth and released another burst of apple flavor.

A notification appeared.

[Hydration +25]

[Hunger +10]

[Gourmand XP +30]

I stared at the final line.

“You earn experience for eating?”

Éliette nodded proudly. “The first time you try a new dish.”

Of course.

Project Babel had turned eating into progression.

The suspicious slime drink was officially good.

“Mmm.” Ambrosia held her cup with both hands. “This is incredible.”

“It’s much better than it has any right to be,” I said. “How does the game know what a slime slushie should taste like?”

“Right?” Éliette said, practically glowing. “I want to try every recipe I can find.”

I pointed toward the two smiling buns on the counter.

“What are those?”

“Slime buns. They’re more difficult to make, and each one requires a slime core, but they provide a regeneration effect.”

“Regeneration?” I looked at Ambrosia. “We’re buying them.”

“These are the last two,” Éliette said. “Fifty credits each.”

She indicated a small wooden card on the counter. A glowing square had been printed across its surface, resembling an old QR code, except its lines shifted slowly whenever I looked at them.

“Scan the payment sigil.”

“With what?”

“Either Iris or your portable UI device.”

I glanced at the ‘payment sigil’.

“Iris creeps me out.”

Ambrosia showed me how to activate the portable UI device from my menu. Once it appeared in my hand, I opened its camera, aimed it at the payment sigil, and confirmed the amount.

[Transaction Complete]

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Éliette said.

“So we reinvented QR codes too.”

“Convenient, isn’t it?”

“Unfortunately.”

Éliette wrapped the buns and passed them across the counter.

“Thank you for your business.”

“Thanks for the slushies,” Ambrosia said.

“And the emergency slime buns,” I added. “I’m sure we’ll use them responsibly.”

“I should probably log out soon,” Éliette said. “All this cooking is making me want to make something in real life.”

“That’s how the game gets you.”

She laughed.

We thanked Éliette again and left the café behind.

With food, water, laboratory tools, and two questionable emergency pastries secured, we were finally ready to leave the city.

Next stop: Viridian Basin.