The past few days had been extremely busy, but the Living Trees were all settled in and resting in the backyard, Dahlia's party had left with a promise to return later for their cookies, and I was about to finish the most exciting quest ever: the quest that would give me an actual oven! Finishing this quest so quickly had been a little exhausting, but the idea of an oven was just too good to leave sitting around.

I laid out all the requirements on the kitchen floor, piling up the clay, stone, and wood. They barely fit in the small space, which made me wonder how the oven itself would fit, but that felt like an issue for future me. Right now, I just wanted to bake cookies the proper way. In an oven.

[New Oven Quest - 25/25 customers, 10/10 clay, 10/10 stone, 10/10 wood]

"Okay, Sweet Potato," I said, "time to do your thing. Let's complete that quest."

[Quest Completed: New Oven]

[Reward: Oven]

The clay, wood, and stone lifted into the air, spinning and swirling around each other as they morphed into different shapes, becoming tall and rounded like a brick-style pizza oven. The oven slid against the far side of the kitchen with a chimney that went through the cafe wall for venting. A wide-open circle in front, big enough for a large cookie tray, revealed an open dome inside where I could place the food.

Spark moved closer, bouncing up a set of tiny stairs built into the side of the stove, before hopping inside to explore for himself. There were circular indentations perfectly shaped for him to rest on, like little slime chairs inside the oven itself. Had the system intended for slimes to run the oven? I leaned down, verifying that there was a place for me to add wood as well in case I wanted to bake the normal way, but with how Spark was wiggling I had a feeling I'd never need to.

His big smile lit up the entire oven, casting a warm glow on the new appliance.

"It's beautiful," I said. "Thank you, Sweet Potato."

[No thanks necessary. You did all the hard work yourself. You should feel proud of what you've accomplished]

I stepped back to admire the new oven, but it filled so much of the small room that I knew I'd need to finish that cafe expansion quest sooner rather than later. I needed more space in the kitchen and dining area so I could work on more baking projects and serve even more customers. I wanted full counters lining the kitchen too, instead of the makeshift ones I'd made out of crates, and extra tables for customers. Every time I upgraded one thing, it felt like there were ten others that could benefit from an upgrade too.

Spark peeked out from the stove, chirping and bouncing like he wanted something. With how much he enjoyed me cooking, I had a feeling I knew exactly what was on his mind.

"Think we should try it out?" I asked the fire slime, who nodded before going back to his oven chair. "Okay then, let's make some cookies."

I pulled out flour, butter, eggs, chocolate chips, and everything else I'd need for the cookies and started working on the dough. While I mixed the ingredients together, Boss tried to squeeze through the kitchen door, but there wasn't really anywhere for him to sit now that the kitchen was so much smaller.

"Sorry, Boss, but I don't think you'll fit." The big blue slime sighed, deflating a bit. I scooped out a bit of cookie dough for him and held it out. "Want a little snack? We're about to try the new oven."

His eyes widened as he leaned forward to gobble up the cookie dough. I laughed as his slime tickled my skin. He settled down right outside of the kitchen, watching my every move as I shaped the cookies into balls. Fiona had made me a beautiful set of baking pans that I hadn't been able to use yet, so I pulled those out and filled them with balls of cookie dough. Then I slid the pan into the oven where Spark nudged them into place perfectly centered. The slime's flames danced, bright and happy as he kept the oven at the perfect temperature.

"You're amazing, Spark." I smiled at him and started on the next tray of cookies.

Boss closed his eyes, apparently falling asleep as I rolled cookie after cookie. I started humming that song Dahlia had made up about my little monster cafe in the woods. It was actually pretty catchy. I'd have to have her sing it properly next time she was here.

When the first batch of cookies were done, I pulled them out and set them on the makeshift counter to cool while I put the second tray in for Spark. It looked like the oven was big enough for multiple trays at once, but I had a feeling I'd need multiple fire slimes then. Especially since there were three little slime chairs inside like the system had already thought of that.

[Chocolate Chip Cookies Level 10 Acquired]

[+15 XP]

I reached back to snag a cookie for Spark since he was doing all the hard work, but the counter was empty.

"What the..." I frowned, staring at the tray that used to be full of cookies. I held my hand over it, feeling the warmth emanating from it still. I glanced up at Boss, but he was still snoozing outside the kitchen, too big to fit inside anymore. "What happened to the cookies?"

Boss opened his eyes blearily, blinking at me like he had no idea. My frown deepened, but since the slimes couldn't talk, I guess I wouldn't be getting an answer anytime soon. I rolled a few more cookies into balls, filling the next tray up. I kept glancing back though, trying to spot anything unusual happening. When the second tray was done baking, I set it on the counter next to the first, determined to keep an eye on it this time. Whatever cookie shenanigans were going on, I'd find out.

Except, nothing happened. The cookies cooled on their tray like normal and Spark started chattering for more. I added the next tray to the oven, glancing sideways at the cooled cookies. Tiny blue slimes hopped up on the counter, grabbing a few cookies each, before scuttling off to Boss.

I shook my head, grinning. That tricky slime! I had no idea he could separate at will now and send his little cookie bandits into my kitchen on their own! I focused on Spark, giving the Little Bosses enough time to scamper away with all the cookies. He deserved a good treat after everything he'd been through lately, even if it was a little devious to take them when I wasn't looking. Maybe he was just trying his new abilities out. Or maybe he was sad that he was too big to fit in the kitchen with me now.

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Either way, I'd let him steal as many cookies as he wanted.

I baked another three trays of cookies, feeding some to Spark and eating a few myself before Boss snatched them up. He seemed to be ravenous today, unable to fill his slime stomach no matter how many I made. It was kind of worrisome, but each time I looked back at him, he seemed to be a little more....golden? Like he was so full of cookies that his slime was becoming cookie-colored itself. It reminded me of the time Jellybean evolved into Matcha actually.

If Boss was trying to evolve as well, then I should keep feeding him as much as I could. Cookies had always been his favorite after all.

Dozens of cookies and many, many Little Boss cookie bandits later and it seemed like Boss was finally full. At least, the last batch of cookies I made was still on the counter cooling without being snatched up even after the next batch was ready to cool too. This was the first time I'd managed to get two trays cooling at once, so it felt like a good sign.

"How are you feeling, Boss?" I asked as the slime continued to pretend to sleep. "Want a cookie?"

The big slime shook his body slowly, golden-brown slime jiggling back and forth. Chocolate chunks dotted his body and there was no trace of his original blue slime left. He'd completely transformed into a chocolate chip cookie slime, just like Matcha had turned into a tea slime! A delicious buttery scent wafted off of him, as if he was the embodiment of a cozy cookie now. I walked out of the kitchen to give him a big hug, burying my face in his golden body.

"Aww Boss, you evolved! Congratulations!"

Boss wiggled, nuzzling closer to me until I was almost buried in his slime body. I laughed and pulled away before I couldn't breathe, patting his new cookie slime form. Matcha and a few other slimes seemed to hear our celebration because they bounced over to join in the fun. We all danced, cheering for Boss' evolution into a cookie slime.

"Do you still like the name Boss?" I asked, glancing at the big cookie slime. "I can think of something more fitting if you want?"

He scrunched his face up, but didn't make any noises, and eventually shook his body back and forth.

"Okay, we can always think of something later if you want." I gave him one more hug, squeezing him tight. "Congratulations. Now I think I'm going to go finish the cookies for Dahlia's party while I'm at it. Might as well keep going since I'm on a roll."

And since Boss was too full to eat any of them anymore. I chuckled to myself as I went back into the kitchen, gathering even more ingredients for cookies. I wanted to branch out and make other kinds of baked goods soon, but for now, the warm comfort of a classic chocolate chip cookie felt like what people needed. Something comforting and warm, that could soothe their souls and make them smile.

I got into a groove of mixing ingredients, rolling dough, and putting them in the oven for Spark to bake, zoning out a bit as the process became more and more familiar. The counters were filling with cooled cookies and the scent of chocolate filled the air. Boss' soft snoring was making my eyes feel heavier. I should probably sleep after the next batch of cookies since I couldn't remember the last time I'd gone to bed. It was so hard to keep track of time in the dungeon and adventurers had been showing up frequently.

I reached for the next pan to remove it from the oven, but yelped as the heat of it burned my skin. I grabbed the pan without a potholder! So stupid. I ran my hand under water, cooling it off. Thankfully, it didn't seem too burnt, just a bit tender. Boss was fully awake now and trying to squeeze into the kitchen, almost knocking over the makeshift counters and spilling all the cookies.

"I'm fine," I said, holding my hand up. "See? Just a little accident. Nothing to worry about."

Spark squeaked from inside the oven, peering out at Boss as they chattered away at each other. Boss nodded, backing out of the kitchen like they'd come to some sort of conclusion. Once again, I really wished I could speak slime. An acrid scent wafted over to me. Dammit, the cookies were burning!

I snatched them out of the oven, hating how dark they'd turned out. I'd have to toss them, except, the slimes had been eating every scrap of leftovers we had. So maybe they'd want them even if they were a little charred? I set them aside to check later, but for now I had most of a bowl of dough left and couldn't just let it go to waste. I hadn't managed to find a refrigerator quest yet, so once something was started, it had to be finished.

After two dozen more cookies, the bowl was finally empty. I let Spark hop inside it to gobble up all the crumbs, but he wasn't as enthusiastic about it as usual. He kept staring at me, like if he took his eyes off me I'd burn myself again. Or like he thought it was his fault?

"I'm sorry if I scared you." I patted the fire slime's head softly. "I'll be more careful from now on. I just grabbed it without even thinking."

Spark cooed, leaning into my hand, carefully avoiding the spot I burned myself. I never meant to worry them, so I should probably heal it even though I wasn't really that hurt. I grabbed one of the cookies I'd put a healing buff on and munched on it, watching the slight redness on my skin fade entirely.

I held my hand out to Spark. "See? All healed up."

The slime chirped and Boss leaned back into the kitchen. I shook my head, smiling as I held my hand out to him too. He nuzzled against it, as if he could tell if I was injured or not by touch, until he leaned back and nodded in approval. Sheesh. These slimes were like mother hens.

"Burns happen sometimes when you're baking," I said. "They're not usually serious though."

The slimes stared at me like they weren't convinced, so I just moved on to the next step: storing the cookies! I wasn't sure what to give Dahlia's party the cookies in since I didn't have to-go boxes, so I'd decided an empty treasure chest would do the trick. I lined the treasure chest with delicious chocolate chip cookies, piling them high. I couldn't help but grin as they filled the chest. Cookies were the true treasure in this dungeon now, better than gold and weapons that's for sure.

"Hey Sweet Potato, you can steal my idea if you want," I said, adding the last few cookies to the chest. "Your treasure chests can be full of tasty food from now on and people would love you for it."

[Honestly, it's not a terrible idea]

My grin widened. "Maybe I'd even want to explore more if you had treasures like these."

[Deal]

I blinked. "Really? It's that simple to change the dungeon?"

[...]

[No, of course not. I was just already thinking about doing that myself...]

Sure it was. I smiled to myself, closing the lid on the treasure chest full of cookies. This system was kind of adorable and I really wished I could meet them in person. If they were a person and not just lines of code. Even if they were lines of code, they must have some kind of main form. Like a computer or a control room. Now that would be worth exploring.

I leaned down to grab the bowl Spark had been cleaning so I could wash it myself too, but the room started spinning a bit. Black spots swept over my vision. I reached out to steady myself on a counter, accidentally pulling the crate over. I stumbled and this time Boss did push himself inside to steady me.

"It's okay," I mumbled, leaning against him. "I'm okay."

But my entire body was saying the opposite. It felt heavy, so I slid onto the floor, leaning against Boss as a backrest.

"I'm just going to rest my eyes..."

Darkness overtook me as I fell into a deep sleep.