[April 15th, 2024]
Jasmine filled a second serving on his plate and handed it to him.
She was both happy and perplexed to see her son eating heartily, which was unusual and somewhat baffling.
Yet, she didn't hesitate and served him without question.
He began eating once more, anticipating the energy to resume his work, but what he saw next left him quite disheartened.
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{Detection: The host has consumed an item, the effects of which are already nullified by the host's ability {Godly Adapter}. To observe any effects, please consider consuming items of a higher level.}
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He encountered the issue repeatedly and was becoming frustrated. When he asked Aiden for advice, Aiden simply suggested turning it off temporarily.
Rey attempted this solution, and it worked; the problem ceased to appear.
He resumed eating, but even after finishing his second serving, he was still hungry. With some hesitation, he requested more.
"Mom, may I have another serving?" Rey asked, causing both Emmy and Jasmine to look at him in astonishment.
"Oh, okay, but are you sure your stomach will be alright? I think you've had enough, and I don't want you to get sick. I made extra food thinking you wanted to finish it," she said, believing he was trying to eat all the food.
"No, Mom, it's not like that. I'm just really hungry today and want to eat more, that's all," he explained, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Okay, if you say so," she said, serving him the next portion as the food came to an end.
Rey, whose reflexes were now sharper, noticed the silence of kitchen utensils and realized the food was finished. He decided not to ask for more, even if he was still hungry, and thought of other ways to satisfy his appetite.
After receiving his third serving, he quickly finished it, undistracted by any notifications.
"Thanks for the food," Rey said, showing a full stomach, yet secretly he was still hungry and wanted more but did not want to trouble his mother.
Jasmine and Emmy, who had paused their eating to watch him, snapped out of it and resumed their own meals, which they had stopped after seeing his rapid eating pace.
He had consumed servings for three in the time it took them to barely finish their own.
"Well, Mom, I'm going back to my room to rest; I'm so tired today," Rey said. After bidding her goodnight, he walked away and locked his door once inside his room.
"Hey Aiden, come out right here, now!" Rey shouted, evidently shocked about something concerning himself.
"What's the matter, kid? Why are you yelling? Can't you see someone's trying to sleep here?" Aiden, clad in his sleep suit, said.
"You expect me to let you sleep peacefully after you've robbed me of my sleep?" Rey retorted.
"But what's made you yell like this now?" Aiden inquired.
"Why has my body become so abnormal? Look at my diet; it's excessively large for someone who usually eats so little," Rey complained. Previously, one serving was slightly too much for him, but now it wasn't even sufficient to keep him going.
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"It's quite simple. Your body now requires energy to function, which is supplied by mana. This mana aids in the proper functioning of your body. However, in this world, mana is seeping in gradually, forcing you to rely on food, and in large quantities. This will normalize once the mana invasion reaches twenty percent," Aiden explained, to which Rey nodded, his face a picture of surprise.
He checked the mana invasion process and found it increasing much slowly.
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"Alright, if that's settled, I'll go back to sleep," Aiden said, about to vanish, but Rey stopped him.
"Wait a second, aren't you going to tell me what you wanted to say before I went to get food?" Rey asked, prompting Aiden to pause thoughtfully, his eyes lighting up with knowledge.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot amidst the sleep, kid, I wanted to talk to you about a treasure..." Aiden began, but was abruptly interrupted as someone materialized behind him like an apparition.
"A treasure?" Victor, who had been within Rey, emerged beside him, his interest piqued by the mention of treasure.
"Where did you find it? I didn't see us taking or even discovering it," Victor inquired, while Rey looked on, bewildered by Victor's childlike excitement over a new favorite toy.
"What's gotten into him?" Rey asked Aiden, who simply sighed and explained.
"It's nothing; our friend here is quite the treasure enthusiast, you know, always keen on finding it," Aiden elaborated, and Rey then understood.
"Alright, calm down, Victor, and listen first," he urged, as Zero also made an appearance.
"I was mentioning, kid, do you recall the factory where we fought Jacob?" Aiden queried, and Rey nodded in acknowledgment.
"Well, the thing is, after defeating him, we discovered his locker or safe, which we then placed inside your inventory. I've been meaning to remind you about it, but you never paid attention," Aiden revealed, causing Rey's eyes to light up at the prospect of wealth.
"Ohhhh, so we're rich now," Rey exclaimed excitedly, but Aiden restrained Rey's horse before it could bolt.
"Hold on, we don't know how much money is inside, so don't get your hopes up," he cautioned, dampening Rey and Victor's spirits.
[Well, I think out of all of us, Victor is the closest to Rey, don't you think so, Aiden?] Zero, who had been silent until now, spoke up as she looked at them with a sad expression.
"No, we're not," they both said in unison.
"Yes, you are," he agreed, nodding at her.
"Me, close to this kid? No way. Just listen, I don't care about what happens to him. Just let me leave this world, and I'll find a better host," he declared angrily, ignored by the others.
"Let's set that aside for now. Where is it?" Rey interjected, scanning the area for the safe, but it was nowhere to be seen.
"Check your inventory," Aiden suggested. Rey accessed his system and searched.
The inventory was empty, and disappointment was about to set in when he noticed a large white box-shaped locker with a lock at the bottom of the screen.
He hastily retrieved it, and it materialized in his hand unexpectedly, almost causing him to lose balance, but he managed to stabilize and placed it quietly on the ground.
"It's not that big; I doubt there's much money or anything valuable in it," Victor commented, losing interest yet remaining to see its contents.
"But how are we going to open it?" Rey pondered, examining the lock and noticing a keyhole of an unusual design.
"We'll need the key," Aiden pointed out, prompting Rey to check his inventory again.
"But we don't have any," Rey said, managing a wistful smile.
"We can make one," Aiden proposed confidently.
"How?" Rey inquired, looking at Aiden expectantly.
Aiden hinted, "Did you forget we can use..."
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