Belle! How many apples have you eaten by now?

Munch… munch…

“40” She answered.

And you’re still hungry?

“What do you mean by that? I haven’t had a bite of anything yummy in 21,000 years,” she said while munching with a playful pout.

Well… to be fair, I’m pretty hungry myself, but I need to finish weaving this first. And I need to know more about Rogrendria.

"So, tell me what you know about Rogrendria," I asked, to keep the conversation on track.

She gave a small sigh before answering, "There's not much more to say, Rogrendria is one of the eight mythic beasts, along with his siblings, said to be tied with the natural forces of this world. My father met him once, in his youth, but never shared much about the encounter."

"I see, and what about the mythic beasts?" I asked.

"Before demons and mortals came into being, the gods created nine mythic beasts to shape the world. These beasts spread life and energy across the land. But soon came demons and mortals and with them came conflict. One of the beasts, Oscavalca, admired the cunning nature of demons and sided with them, eventually becoming their god."

"Oscavalca hated mortal races and tried to sway the other beasts to join him in his schemes, causing chaos and imbalance. Rogrendria, who was the youngest of them all, saw through Oscavalca’s manipulation and chose to side with mortals. This led to war between the siblings, dividing the mythic beasts. Some followed Oscavalca, others Rogrendria. When the gods discovered the conflict, they unleashed their wrath and imprisoned Oscavalca for eternity and the remaining eight beasts vowed never to interfere with mortals again and entered a deep slumber."

Hmm… so Rogrendria was one of the good guys who tried to help humans then? I asked.

She replies, “Exactly, even after he was sealed Oscavalca’s followers never stopped finding a way to release him. When my father climbed in the ranks, became a king, and tried to create a peace pact with my mother who was the princess of her kingdom, he banished most of the cultists. But there were too many of them and Oscavalca’s followers were also one of the main reasons why demons plotted against my father and killed my mother.”

I was shocked to hear that one of the mythic beasts was the cause of Belle’s suffering.

“I’m sorry to hear that and things you lost,” I said to her.

“You don’t have to be sorry, you saved me and gave me these delicious apples. Although I can’t forget nor want to let go of these memories, even so, I wanna see what my new future holds now.”

Hey, I have something I want to give you I found it in your room while climbing.

“My room?” She was confused by what I meant.

So I showed and gave her the hair ornament I found in the dungeon under the pillow in her room.

“This…” she was in awe…

“It was my mother, she gave it to me when I was just a child… I deeply cherished that ornament.”

“Kazuma… thank you so much for giving it to me.”

Then I saw that beautiful big smile of joy with tearful eyes that stole my heart as she blushed away.

(It was truly radiant and out of world… I might never forget it.)

( ( Alert, I’ve found an Infernopaca nearby to harvest wool for the mattress. In addition, its meat is one of the rare delicacies that can be found in this world. ) )

!!!!

“Isabelle, I’mma go out for a bit…” I told her.

“But where!?” She asked.

“Nature's call,” I said.

“Ok”

Then I quickly went into the forest while surfing through my shadow.

(Athena, tell me it’s location where is it?)

( ( “It’s a bit further to the north, use sense-based skills to pinpoint its precise spot.” ) )

Whrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiing

(I was crazy, right after I heard the word meat…I want it, I truly yearn to eat some meat.)

I found it!

CONSUME!!!

…

Phew, I'm glad I found it. Now I just need to find some seasoning, I have skills and almost the resources to make a pot and a bonfire.

(Athena, is there any lake nearby?)

( ( “Yes, there is if you go through east.” ) )

So I rushed to the east, and to my surprise there was a lake.

Finally! I could find some fresh water and there were fish too! But most importantly I need to find one thing I came for and that’s salt!

I began my search by looking for huge chunks of rock salts, at the same time I used “Devour” in a large area of effect to gather water supplies and fish.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Even if I don’t get many I can still get an unlimited supply of fish just by having one.

And then something strange happened, as I heard a faint ringing bell from my right.

I saw a green light which looked like a small fox, I felt as if it was trying to show something to me. So I began chasing it, it was fast but I was fast too, but as soon as I could get closer, it disintegrated.

“Woah… that was intriguing and a waste of time,” I said.

I should head back…

Uh… where did I come from?

…

Awhile later…

Arriving back at Goblin Village.

(Thanks, Athena for helping me get back here.)

( ( “You’re Welcome.” ) )

I could see the Belle still eating apples, but there was already such a large house built when I came back.

And once again my reaction was like “Woah” Nuzma’h and the knights had already finished most of the work including the interior.

There were wooden stairs, a floor, windows, a table, and a king-sized bed!

Then Isabelle approached me and asked what took me so long…

So I showed her a bucket of water I crafted and told her, “I got this!”

And for some reason her was was disgusted as she said, “Ew, don’t tell me this is the offering you gave to nature.”

My immediate reaction was a big “WTF” but… I had to make it clear.

“Baka! (Dummy!)” flicks her head

This is fresh water I got from a lake I found nearby!”

I also found a seasoning, some fish, and… meat.

And in a moment, with sheer enthusiasm and a drooling face, she reacted, “Wait did you say meat? You got meat!? LET’S GO COOK!!!!!

Heh, she was excited but yeah let’s just cook.

Afterward, I crafted a pot and created a bonfire which we used to make meat, although it was nothing but salt and meat broth, It still tasted so good. Of course, the villagers would also get the smell of it so I multiplied everything and well enjoyed it.

Nuzma’h and the soldiers were undead so they didn’t eat anything. So I gave them a task to set up a barrier around the village.

After I was finished eating, I let Belle and the villagers eat some more apples and I went to my house. (Well I should call it my house since I have no base or place to stay at.)

Then I went to the bedroom and started weaving the remaining mattress combined with wool from Infernopaca.

I’m pretty sure both apples and meat would soon get rotten as long as they stay in my inventory, regardless of quantity but I’ll think about that later.

For now, let’s finish this and I need to ask Athena some questions regarding what happened in the dungeon.

(Athena, you awake?)

( ( “Yes, do you require any assistance?” ) )

(No, but I have some questions, regarding events that happened in the dungeon. “Why did you suddenly show up that ring, when you had taken it inside of you?”)

( ( “I believe it was the quick and efficient solution, to end this fight in your favor without a living person.” ) )

(I see, then, “What about the King’s throne, and how’d you know about its ability to see through things, and why didn’t you tell me you can create portals?”)

( ( Alright, I’ll explain to you from the very beginning, "As you know, our souls are linked by the system. When you opened your gift, the thing you desired most was the Cheat Trainer. But instead of being given to you, it became my ability, though I had no idea how to make it work for you. So I entered your soul, trying to connect every part of mine with yours. During that time, I couldn’t respond to any of your requests, and still, it didn’t work. ) )

( ( “Since I was created to serve you, I became desperate, searching for ways to fulfill my responsibility. But when you put on the ring, a surge of power ran through me. It not only upgraded me, but also bonded our souls, and granted me the ability to manipulate the laws of this world from within your body, bypassing the system. Although I can still administrate the system but if I were to return within the system, our souls may unbind, and we might lose the ability to use hacks.” ) )

( ( “As for how I knew about the king’s throne room and other powers, I initially had my own research abilities and stored data. By using distortion, I learned even more about the dungeon. With our bonded souls, I can borrow any of your skills. So when you sit on the throne, I was able to create a teleporting portal by borrowing your skill and mimicking it the way you first arrived in this world.” ) )

( ( “This is why, when you thought you activated sense-based abilities, you couldn’t feel them because I was borrowing them to assess our surroundings and plan the best countermeasures. Then, I would return the skill to you so you could decide and perceive whatever came next." ) )

…

(Gosh that was way too much for anyone to comprehend, but still, that fills most of the gaps that were bothering me.)

(So Athena, you’re telling me that our souls are bonded together as of now and you’re pretty much doing most of the work right?)

( ( “Yes.” ) )

(Does that mean you can also possess me?)

( ( “Yes, but I was born with the purpose to serve you and carry your burdens, so I cannot do It without your consent.” ) )

(Hmm…)

(Well Athena, since you’re inside me I have one task for you.)

( ( “Yes?” ) )

(You see, the souls I've conjured don't seem to be interested in serving me. However, I understand that it's a good thing that they chose to remain loyal to Belle even though I’m their master now. Is there something you can do so that they obey my commands? I don't want to be harsh on them, I feel like both Belle and them are a part of me now.)

( ( “Understood.” ) )

Afterward, Isabell came saying, “What have you been doing here, all alone?”

At the same time, I was done with the mattress, as well as with the pillows.

So I replied, “Nothing, just making this bed for us.”

“Kazuma… you really don’t expect us to sleep together right after what Goblin Elder said right…?” Isabelle said with a suspicious and doubtful gaze she said.

Then she continued, as she started blushing “I mean we’ve known each other for a little time right, you would give me some time to prepare right…?”

Then I replied, “Actually Isabell, we can’t sleep together…”

For some reason, she was startled and peeved by his comment as she said.

“Huh!? What!? What do you mean by that!? Do you find me unattractive? Do you not think of me as your wife after making all those promises?”

So I quickly responded before things could go sideways, “Hey chill out, it’s not that… It’s just… I have a sickness, I can’t sleep together with anyone.”

“What sickness!?” she exclaimed.

But it was something I couldn’t tell her… otherwise she would’ve kicked me or murdered me…

“I can’t tell.”

Furious she was, she said, “That’s it! We’re sleeping together tonight!”

And so she grabbed me by the ear and dragged me to bed as we both lay down side by side.

It felt kind of uncomfortable since I was still in my armor… but my sickness was already tingling I had to do something to divert it from my head. So, I initially turned off most of the physically affecting cheats to fall asleep faster and then I started asking Belle a few things.

“So how’d you like it? Your first day out of the palace.”

And so she said, "Hmm, why do I feel like you're up to something... But still, I'll answer it. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about today. Everything was new for me. I got to eat delicious apples, drink some water, and even get to taste meat after so long. It really brought me joy I had once forgotten about. Still, these new emotions are unexplainable and a bit hard to adapt to. But I do feel like it was worth getting out of there."

I see, so uh… then she interrupted me saying, “Nuh-uh, It’s my turn to ask now.”

“Tell me about yourself and how you got there, for some reason I feel like, all of this is new to you as well.”

And so I told her the entire story about me from my parents' situation to how I died and got here.

Then she gave me a hug that pressed my head against her chest and she said, “I’m sorry to hear that you had it rough too.”

You don’t have to be sorry, Belle, if it weren’t for you I feel like I might still be walking under a dark cloud. Even though it’s too early to say having you here gives me strength.

(I feel like this could be our moment as we both bring our faces closer.)

But then a groaning foreign voice spoke,

…Heh Heh Heh! Looking at you two unfortunate love birds sure makes my heart melt fast.

Huh!!!?