Turns out little slimes could run much faster than big slimes. Boss usually moved at a languid pace, easy to catch up with, but tiny Bosses? It was like trying to herd cats and I was apparently terrible at that.

I collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. "This isn't working."

"I'm sorry," Marvin muttered as he tried and failed to catch another slime. "I'm useless."

"We'll figure this out, don't worry."

He'd been working hard, even if nothing he did was helping, so it was hard to stay mad at him. He hadn't actually attacked Boss or meant him harm, he was just afraid. That wasn't his fault. Marvin was an adventurer who Boss had eaten multiple times, which meant they'd fought each other multiple times. I felt bad for both of them, but that's how this dungeon worked. Pitting human against monster until they either had to fight or be miserable.

It meant both sides were either vicious or afraid and that wasn't either of their faults. It was the dungeon's fault for being set up this way. The light-blue slime bracelet Boss had given me shimmered on my wrist, mocking me. We supposedly had a bond, but I couldn't even keep him safe at my own cafe.

"This dungeon sucks." I shook my head, leaning back on my hands to stare up at the embers in the ceiling. "We got thrown in here with no memories, forced to fight for no apparent reason, and then just have to deal with it no questions asked. It could take us years to get to floor 100 and we're just supposed to keep mindlessly fighting that whole time?" I stood up, brushing off my hands. "We all deserve more than that, no matter what our lives used to be."

Fiona was the only one of us still dashing around, but even she'd only caught two slimes, and it didn't really feel right putting them in the cafe like we were locking them up. Boss should come back because he wanted to, not because we were forcing him to.

"New plan," I said, opening my inventory menu. "If we can't catch the little Bosses, then we should lure them to us. And what do slimes love most? Tasty snacks." I pulled out sugar, vanilla, slime jelly, and two empty pots. "Can one of you get me some water from the kitchen?"

Marvin rushed forward to grab the pot before a slime could. "I'll do it."

"Thanks."

He was trying so hard to fix his tiny moment of fear. Okay, I guess I was completely done being mad at him now. It was time to forgive and move forward. With marshmallows.

"Will you help me with this, Spark?"

The fire slime nodded so fast that he tumbled off the logs he was sitting on. I grinned, handing him the pot to hold with his flames. It wasn't ideal, but I didn't want to leave Boss outside all by himself. So we were going to cook over the open flames instead of in the kitchen. Spark bounced back onto the log, situating himself firmly before holding the pot over his head eagerly. Guess it was time to start baking.

I added sugar and water to the pot, feeling like there was one more ingredient I needed. My cookbook appeared, flipping open to the page with my new marshmallow recipe. Oh right, corn syrup!

"Ingredient Efficiency: add corn syrup!"

The entire pot glowed as the new ingredient poured into the mixture. One day I'd have to find a dungeon equivalent to that, like honey from those sugar stingers the system had mentioned or maybe maple syrup. I'd tried slime jelly, but it wasn't the right consistency to take the place of both corn syrup and gelatin.

Spark curled his flames around the pot, cradling it carefully as he added just the right amount of heat while I got a pan full of powdered sugar ready to coat the marshmallows with. We'd practiced this a few times for the firepit surprise, so I was confident they'd be tasty, but the main problem now was the wait time. Marshmallows had to sit for a few hours before cutting them up, but we didn't have that kind of time now.

"Hey Sweet Potato?" I pulled up my skill menu, searching through the options available to me. "Got anything that could speed up time?"

No message boxes appeared.

"System?"

Still no response. It was like the system was ignoring me, but why would it...

"Is this because I said the dungeon sucks?" I asked. "Because I meant the setup of it, not the actual system."

[The system sets up the dungeon, they are one in the same. Not that your comment bothers me. I am just a system]

I winced. That message was darker blue than usual, as if it was full of sorrow. How could I insult the system after it had been so kind to me? Who cared if I didn't agree with everything it did, it had been treating me well since the moment I woke up in that meadow. At the very least, I could be polite about the issues here and find a way to discuss them without flat out saying the dungeon sucked. Even though it kind of did.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "You're not just a system. Not to me anyway. You're my friend and you didn't deserve me being rude."

[...so you don't think this dungeon sucks?]

"Well, no, I do, but there had to be a nicer way to say it." I sighed, knowing I was just digging myself a deeper hole here. "You really don't see the issue with making people fight monsters non-stop as their only option in life? Where's the freedom to do what you love? Where's the joy?"

[Joy doesn't make you stronger]

I rolled my eyes. "That depends on what kind of strength you're after. Because happiness definitely strengthens the soul and that's the only kind of strength I care about. Once you find the thing that brings you joy, the rest of your life just gets better. Like adding sugar to a pie. It doesn't change what the pie is, but it makes every bite sweeter."

[People are not pies]

Maybe I actually was talking to a system and not a person running a system. For them to not understand why happiness mattered was baffling. Or very, very sad.

Spark chirped, bringing my attention back to the now bubbling sugar mixture. I had to focus on getting Boss back right now. I'd finish this conversation with the system later.

"So back to my question about speeding up time..."

[Please tell me you don't want to be a time mage now]

"Of course not." I shook my head with a smile, grateful that we seemed to have moved past the awkwardness. "I just want these marshmallows to set faster."

[Ah, food, of course.. If you can't wait for a tasty snack, try leveling up your Perfect Timing skill. You'll not only know exactly when things are ready, but you can jump to that time as well]

"Now there's a handy skill." I immediately spent my last skill point on upgrading it. "Imagine how much faster it'll be to bake bread if I can just zap to after it rises? Thanks!"

[I'm glad I could help]

And I was glad that the system was talking to me like normal again. I'd have to be a lot more careful about what I said in the future.

Once the sugar mixture bubbled up even more, I removed the pot from the fire and added slime jelly, whisking it with as much gusto as I could manage. After a few minutes, I switched arms, hating how much my muscles were burning from doing this multiple times in the same day. Baking was quite the workout, I didn't care what anyone said. After another minute or two, Fiona walked over, a grin on her face.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Need help?" she asked sweetly.

I stirred the marshmallows harder, willing them into their nice fluffy form, but it was no use. I sighed, pushing the bowl at Fiona. "Have at it."

She mixed the marshmallows firmly, whipping them into a beautiful white fluff that only a strong baker could achieve by hand. Maybe the dungeon had a point about needing to get stronger, for my baking at least. But...there were stat points for that, weren't there? I opened my menu, adding my last stat point into strength, upping it to 3.

The soreness in my muscles faded away. I flexed my hands, feeling strength coursing through them. Too bad Fiona was already done with the marshmallows, because it felt like I could whip them into shape in no time.

"Okay, now you need to pour them into that pan." I pushed the prepared pan towards her. "Careful not to spill any."

She nodded, holding the bowl up over the pan as I scooped the mixture out. Together, we managed to make the best-looking marshmallows of the day. I spread the mixture out evenly, staring at it. Perfect Timing was usually an instinct, not a skill I used on purpose, but for this to work it felt like I had to do something.

"Perfect Timing!" I shouted, making Marvin jump. "Sorry, the system said I have to shout my skills..."

My face burned as the others chuckled a bit, but hey, it was worth it. The marshmallow fluff instantly set into a jiggly solid mass instead of fluff. I poured powdered sugar on top, cutting the marshmallows into squares and dusting the edges too.

[Marshmallows Level 9 Acquired]

[+15 XP]

"It's time." I speared a marshmallow with a stick and handed it to Marvin. "Are you ready to help me bring Boss back?"

He stared at the marshmallow for a while before taking a deep breath and grabbing hold of the stick. "I'm ready. Let's bring your friend home."

Together, we all held our marshmallows over the fire, toasting them to golden perfection as the scent of caramelizing sugar drifted over the entire area. The smoke from the campfire mixed in, tugging at a memory. I felt like I'd done this before, somewhere besides the dungeon. Funny how this smoke usually made me forget, but something about today was different. It was like all of us working together, sharing tasty treats, was unlocking something....but before I could pinpoint what, a little blue slime bounced in the corner of my vision.

When I turned to get a better look, he hid behind a bush. My chest ached seeing that Boss was still this out of sorts. What could I do to reassure him that he was safe here? That he could be whoever he wanted to be? I went back to toasting marshmallows as if I'd never seen him, and slowly, more blue slimes crept forward, inching closer and closer to the firepit.

"Do you want a marshmallow?" I asked softly, holding the stick out to a slime without looking at him. "They're delicious, I promise."

I felt the stick pull down as the slime ate the marshmallow. He cooed, bouncing closer with stars in his eyes.

"You liked that, huh?" My lips tugged into a smile as the tension in my shoulders eased. "We've got plenty more. Do you think that, maybe, it's time to pull yourself together again?"

Little Boss tilted this way and that, swaying in place. Fiona offered him another marshmallow, which he gobbled up in record time with a big grin on his face. Another Little Boss joined us, bouncing onto the first one's head. I fed him a marshmallow too. Slowly, the top slime seemed to merge with the bottom slime, their bodies vibrating just like Boss had when he first fell apart. Maybe that was part of the process and not a sign of his terror?

The slime next to me was about double the size of the others, not huge, but definitely good progress. One by one, other Little Boss slimes joined us by the fire, gobbling up marshmallows and merging with each other. Eventually, Boss was eye level with me while I was sitting. That felt like his normal size, but how could I be sure none of the slimes were missing?

I leaned my shoulder against the big slime. "It's good to have you back. I was worried."

Boss snuggled closer until he was practically in my lap, like a big dog who didn't realize they weren't a lap dog anymore. I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tight. My bracelet glowed softly, shimmering against Boss' body as the slime turned to look at me. His big eyes were full of an emotion I couldn't quite identify.

[New Skill Acquired through the Slime Bond: Slime Sense]

[If you focus on a slime you've bonded with, you will be able to sense where it is and bring its location up on your map. In the same way, the slimes who've bonded with you will always be able to find their way back to your cafe]

I focused on Boss, trying to sense if there were any others of him out there all alone, but the only thing tugging at my mind was the big slime right next to me. He'd put himself back together after all.

"Now I'll never lose you again." I swallowed the lump in my throat, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I buried my face against Boss, hugging him even closer. "Thank you for bonding with me. I'll do my best to protect you and make sure you have a wonderful life. You never need to fight again."

Boss shuddered, a big exhale leaving his body. We sat like that for a while, watching Spark and the other fire slimes play in their new firepit, until the scent of roasting marshmallows seemed to be too much for Boss. He moved forward, leaning into the firepit for Spark to feed him a marshmallow. He munched on it before opening his mouth wide for another. Soon the fire slimes made a game out of it, toasting marshmallows and launching them into Boss' mouth like a goal.

All of the slimes gathered together, giggling and playing like Boss had never fallen apart and they were just enjoying a chill day out by the fire. Fiona and Marvin had stepped aside at some point, but Marvin was back now, bowing deeply.

"I-I'm sorry." His voice was shaky, but he stood in front of Boss anyway. "I never wanted to hurt you in the first place, but I thought I had to. To get to the safe zone. I had to fight."

Tears fell onto the ground, but Marvin didn't look up. Not until Boss bounced closer, nudging him. The big slime held a stick with a perfectly roasted marshmallow on it, offering the treat to Marvin. My chest warmed. A slime offering somebody their food was a big deal, but Marvin just kept glancing between me and Boss.

"What do I do?" he whispered.

"Eat the marshmallow!" I shooed him forward. "Honestly, do I need to explain everything around here? He's trying to be your friend. Toast a few marshmallows with him and see how it goes. Maybe you'll realize you have a lot more in common than you think."

Marvin's eyes widened as he pulled the marshmallow off the stick, getting sticky sugar all over his fingers. He winced, eating it the best he could. Then he smiled at Boss. "Thank you."

The big slime nodded slowly, then went back to playing with the fire slimes who were charcoaling marshmallows before devouring them. Marvin shook like he was shaking water off after it rained, then took a deep breath and held a marshmallow over the fire too. I smiled. They'd gone through a lot, but it felt like this was a big step towards healing.

Fiona sat down next to me. "You did a good thing here."

"Me? I just made some marshmallows." I nodded at Marvin and Boss. "They did all the real work."

"But they wouldn't have thought to try without you." She glanced at the cafe before grabbing another marshmallow to toast. "This place feels important. It's changing things, making them better. You're giving people a place to relax and understand each other. That's not nothing."

Maybe she was right. I'd been improving the cafe so I could level up and get out of here, but maybe it could do more than that. Good food had a magical way of bringing people together and taking some of the stress away. It was hard to be frightened when you were covered in sticky marshmallow eating a delicious treat after all. If I could do that for Marvin and Boss, then maybe I could do that for other adventurers and monsters too.

"Well, maybe I'll just play monster therapist and never leave the cafe then," I said with a laugh. "Imagine the business I could make. A dragon sitting at one table, a slime at another, while adventurers sat between and tried not to be terrified."

Fiona grinned. "Hey, you mock it, but I can see it happening. Since you've got the bonus of not needing to leave to level up."

"That's true..." I frowned. "I mean, as long as I'm stuck here, why not work on making the dungeon cozier? I could–"

[New Upgrade: Full Quest Menu]

[You may now work on as many quests at once as you want]

My eyebrows shot up. "Really? What quests can I all take?"

Fiona tilted her head, but seemed to realize I was talking to the system once I started tapping through menus. There was an entirely new one called Quests and it not only listed my current ones and their progress, but it also had a link to all the cafe upgrades I could work on too as optional quests.

[Primary Quest: Escape the Dungeon - 6/100 floors]

[Quest: Unlimited Pantry - 10/10 ingredients, 0/10 wood]

[Quest: Sprinklers - 0/1 water stone, 0/10 metal]

[Quest: Upgraded Firepit - 0/50 s'mores]

I'd known about all of those, but now there was a new section full of possibilities! Instead of the options being grayed out, they were fully visible and available to take. I could upgrade my stove, expand the kitchen, expand the dining area with new seating, or even...add a second floor to the cafe?? There were so many options here, all with varying degrees of difficulty to complete.

I couldn't help but smile as I scrolled through the options. It was like the system had not only heard what we were talking about, but agreed with me. It wanted the dungeon to change just as much as I did and the proof was right in front of me! Why else would it give me so many cozy new upgrade options?

"Thank you, Sweet Potato."

Between me, the slimes, Fiona, Marvin, and now the dungeon itself too, there was no way we could fail. This cafe was going to become the best spot in the whole dungeon. A place every adventurer yearned to visit.