The dirt slimes and I had spent the past few hours digging a giant fire pit by the front of the cafe. Okay, I spent the time digging, the slimes had mostly been playing, leaping in and out of the dirt like it was water. They were actually breaking up the ground really well though, making it easier for me to remove the dirt.

I shoveled out more and more, making this fire pit three times larger than I'd originally planned. I wanted the fire slimes to have a place all to themselves, a place where they could feel comfortable no matter how busy the cafe got inside.

A glomp noise drew my attention to the pile of dirt next to me. It was half the size it was before with just a tiny dirt slime wiggling next to it. She was the one with strawberries on her head and her smile was full of joy as she opened her mouth wide, devouring even more of the dirt. She cooed, bouncing like it was the best meal ever.

"That can't taste good," I said. "Is that how you all evolved? You ate a lot of dirt?"

She bobbed, nodding. Well, to each their own, but it made me want to feed them so many delicious things. Except, dirt probably was delicious to them. Hmmm...maybe I could make them a dirt cake? The slimes squealed cheerfully as we removed the last of the dirt from the fire pit, leaving a nice big empty space for the fire slimes to get cozy in. Now we just had to line it with rocks just in case their fiery playtime got out of hand.

The river would be my best shot at finding rocks suitable for the job, but Fiona and Marvin were training over there, and it was honestly a bit too painful to watch. Marvin flinched every time Fiona raised her sword, even when she'd downgraded to a long stick. When it was his turn to attack, he often stumbled and injured himself instead of her.

Overall, not the best student. Which would be fine if he was enjoying himself or actually wanted to fight, but sheer misery was etched on his face every time I looked over at them.

"Come on," Fiona said, "you hit like a wet noodle!"

"Maybe I should be a chef then like Hazel," Marvin joked. "Because I'm obviously terrible at this."

Fiona sighed. "You know that can't happen. Hazel is special. She's the only one who can get away with baking her way through the dungeon."

The slimes and I quietly gathered our rocks, the cool river water washing over my hands. Was I really that special? Sure, it seemed like I was the only person who could get XP from something besides fighting, but there had to be other people out there enjoying themselves right?

"Hey Sweet Potato?" I whispered. "Why did you give me this class? Was it really just because I chose Dave's grilled cheese as a weapon?"

[Of course. It was on the weapons' table, so it was only fair to grant you a class worthy of it]

I stared at the water, glittering in the sunlight. "And what if we put other things on that table? Would it unlock other new classes?"

[...]

[That is not possible]

"But why not? Some people just aren't meant to be fighters." I glanced over at Marvin, who was careening towards the ground with his hands flung out trying to steady himself. "If they could be something else, like a gardener or a tailor, then maybe they'd level up faster. Everyone works harder when they enjoy their work."

[Hmmm....so you're saying that enjoyment is the key to progress?]

"Well of course it is." I shook my head, chuckling as I handed a dirt slime a smooth, flat rock to carry back to the firepit. He balanced it perfectly on his head, bouncing along like it was a new hat. "See that slime? He's happy, so he's working hard. They all are, growing food every day to help my cafe. It's why I bake so much too. Sure, it gets me XP, but I love it too. I can't imagine going a day without cooking something."

[You do seem to glow when you bake. Like a fire's burning in you, warming everyone around]

I stared at the message box. "You think I look like that?"

[Yes. It's beautiful]

The system....thought I was beautiful?

The blue box eventually faded away, along with its kind words, but they wouldn't fade from my mind any time soon. Just what was the system really? It felt like a real person sometimes, but then other times, it felt like a machine. Like when it was running diagnostics a while ago. I couldn't seem to get a handle on it, so every time it said something like that, it threw me off guard. If the system was being run by a person, I hoped I could meet them one day.

And ask why they'd created such a frustrating dungeon.

Matcha cannonballed into the river, splashing all of us within distance. The cold water pulled me from my thoughts as Matcha gave a big goofy slime grin, spinning in the water. He floated downstream all the way into the back garden, which was where he usually ended up before coming back here and starting all over again. He always found enjoyment in the little things and I loved that about him.

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It made me want to be bold too.

"Sweet Potato," I paused, not sure how to even ask this. "Are you a person?"

[I am a dungeon]

I sighed. Of course it was a dungeon. What else would it be?

A slime nudged me, waiting for another rock. I smiled, piling them up high like a tower. Every dirt slime was doing their part making this surprise for the fire slimes, so I shouldn't get distracted either. Not even if the system thought I glowed when I baked.

Together, the slimes and I lined the inside of the firepit with the smaller rocks, saving the biggest ones for the ring around the top. I cleared the grass away, wishing we had flat paving stones to make a seating area too. This would have to do for now though. Once I added the last rock, we all stood back and admired our handywork. Well, I did. The dirt slimes just kept bouncing into the firepit and back out, sighing. They couldn't play in the freshly dug soil anymore there.

"Sorry," I said, patting them on the head. "Why don't we go find the fire slimes and show them our little surprise? I made a special treat for the occasion too."

They cheered, leaping out of the firepit and following me into the cafe. I'd managed to make fresh marshmallows with all the ingredients Marvin brought and I couldn't wait for the fire slimes to try them. They crowded around me the moment I stepped inside, pushing against my legs like I'd been gone for years.

"Calm down," I said with a laugh as I made my way over to the table. "I was only gone for a little while."

Spark jumped on top of another fire slime, and then a third slime jumped on top of him, piling themselves up like a totem pole. The fire slimes wobbled, swaying back and forth as if they were trying to see what was on the table before I got there. I had a feeling they'd tried that a few times while they were waiting in here, but thankfully, the marshmallows were all still in one piece.

"It's time," I told the slimes. "Want to try out your new firepit?"

The tower of slimes collapsed, rolling towards the door with excitement. I grabbed the trays of marshmallows, carrying them outside carefully. The slimes had gathered a bunch of roasting sticks for us too, so everything was just about ready. I added a bunch of logs to the firepit, laying them flat so the slimes could sit on them easier, and then placed Spark right in the middle. The fire slime looked around, eyes widening as his flames licked the wood that we'd found just for them.

I would have helped the other fire slimes inside, but they'd all jumped in already too. They snuggled up against each other, nestling into the burning logs. The dirt slimes cheered, bouncing in their own little dance.

"You all did a great job," I said, smiling at the adorable slimes. "Thank you for helping me."

Spark moved to the edge of the firepit, trying to snag a marshmallow off the pan all sneaky-like. I laughed and grabbed a tiny stick for him, spearing the sticky treat.

"Here you go. You'll want to heat the marshmallow, but not burn the stick, okay?"

The slime nodded, wrapping a little trail of fire around the stick. Spark held the marshmallow above his head, following it with his eyes. The white outside slowly started toasting, turning a beautiful golden-brown.

"Okay, now you get to eat it." I motioned for the slime to hurry up and devour it. Spark opened his mouth wide, gobbling the marshmallow up. His eyes sparkled as he wiggled happily. I put a hand to my chest, my heart feeling very full right now. "I'm glad you like the marshmallow."

The other fire slimes hopped forward, reaching for their own little sticks and marshmallows. Soon the air was full of the scent of caramelizing sugar and my stomach was rumbling. Spark let his next marshmallow go past golden into charcoal land, giggling as he held it out for another slime. The other fire slime devoured it, cheering. Apparently that one must like charcoaled food.

"Hey Fiona, Marvin, get over here," I called out, getting a few larger sticks ready for us. "I don't think these marshmallows will last long. They look too tasty!"

I held my own over the fire as Spark moved closer, toasting it even more perfectly than his first one. He smiled as I bit into the warm marshmallow. It was sweet and gooey, exactly what I'd been hoping for. If only I had graham crackers and chocolate too, this would be the perfect snack.

[Toasted Marshmallow Level 9 Acquired]

[+15 XP]

[New Quest: Serve 50 S'mores Reward: Upgraded Firepit]

Fiona grinned as she watched the fire slimes play. "Ohhh, this looks like quite the party. Mind if I join?"

"It wouldn't be the same without you." I handed her a stick and a marshmallow. There was something about sitting beside a campfire with friends that just felt so cozy. "Hey everyone, get over here for some tasty treats!"

I'd probably need to make more marshmallows, but it would be worth it. Matcha bounced over, followed by Boss. Halfway to us, the big slime froze, his eyes panicked.

"What's wrong?" I started to get up, but Marvin grabbed my arm, his grip tight until I pulled away from him. "It's okay, he's friendly."

But Marvin wasn't listening. Him and Boss were locked in a death stare.

"He's the one who ate me." Mavin's voice was hushed. "Twice."

Boss puffed himself up, looking even larger and more imposing than usual, except his body was trembling even more than Marvin's hands. Hands that were wrapped around the hilt of his training sword. He pointed it at Boss and took one stumbling step forward.

Before I could react, Boss fell apart. Literally. Dozens of little blues slimes cascaded onto the ground like a waterfall, all bouncing in different directions. It was chaos, blue bouncing chaos! I tried to pick one up, but they kept squirming away, fleeing.

I spun around, staring Marvin down. "What. Did. You. Do?"

"I didn't, I wouldn't, no," he sputtered, dropping his sword like it had stung him. "That slime was the one who ate me."

"And now you're going to be the one to save him," I said, shoving Marvin after the fleeing blue slimes. "And you better catch 'em all."

Marvin gulped as him, Fiona, and I ran after the slimes, trying our best to corral them safely. There was no way I'd let Boss fall to pieces like this, not without a fight. There had to be a way to put him back together again, right?