4. French Fries = Healing Potion

"Huh?"

Seola couldn't make sense of the situation at all. She'd barely managed to take down the griffin, only for a massive white tiger to appear out of nowhere... And on its back sat a pretty green-haired girl. The mysterious aura radiating from her was one thing, but that one line she uttered?

'Want some french fries?'

Was she hearing things? Had she lost her mind? Seola could only blink in stunned silence.

That's when the green-haired girl pulled something out from her bosom with her delicate hands. French fries. They were misshapen and crumpled, sure, but the glossy oil coating and the irresistible aroma of frying oil were pure temptation. For Seola, who hadn't had anything fried in ages, it was downright irresistible. She couldn't tear her eyes away as the girl waved them teasingly.

"...These are tasty. And they'll heal you right up."

The girl muttered with a slightly sullen expression. Her wounds were serious, no doubt. But not so bad that she couldn't enjoy some fries. Hey, if I'm gonna die anyway, might as well go out with fries, right?

With that thought, Seola opened her mouth. But the girl hurriedly shoved the fries straight in.

Crunch crunch— Even cold, the crispiness hit just right. How long had it been since she'd tasted fries like this? A wave of emotion washed over her.

But maybe she'd shoved too many in at once? Her throat started to tighten.

"Ah, not super cold, but here's a cola for you."

The girl grabbed a cola from a box strapped to the white tiger's back and popped it into Seola's mouth. Lukewarm or not, the combo of fries and fizzy soda was perfection. The ultimate last meal. She could die without regrets now.

"Not enough, huh..."

But the girl, seemingly unsatisfied, pulled out more fries from her bosom.

...This girl really loves her french fries, no doubt about it.

The girl crammed fries into Seola's mouth like there was no tomorrow.

Mmph!! Mmph!!! She poured them in until Seola's throat was in real danger of clogging up. What was with this frenzy? But what could she do? Seola swallowed them down one by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one as best she could.

Only after force-feeding every last fry did the girl finally look relieved.

"...Thanks. At least I won't die hungry."

But at Seola's words, the girl widened her eyes in surprise.

"Why would you die?"

"?"

"Wanna take a look at your body?"

What was she talking about? Seola cautiously glanced down at herself.

"...Huh?!!"

Somehow, her body was perfectly healed.

I thought the pain had dulled because the wounds were so bad.

Her body was still caked in filth and fatigue, but the gashes from the griffin's talons had vanished cleanly. Even the burns covering her entire body were gone.

How was this possible? Was this girl some kind of healer Awakener? But there wasn't even a trace of mana flow, which every healer needed.

What the hell had just happened? Her mind filled with questions.

Amid the confusion, the girl flashed a triumphant smile.

"So, since I've helped you out, how about we trade some info?"

"Trade info?"

"Yeah. Judging by the direction you came from, you're from downtown, right? What's it like there now?"

"Oh, I can tell you that much."

Seola spilled what little she knew. She didn't have much intel herself, of course.

"The city's already overrun by monsters. There are a few survivor groups holding out, but supplies are so short that fights break out constantly."

"Survivor groups?"

"Yeah, it's tough surviving alone against monsters, so they band together."

"Are you in one?"

"Yep. We're called Haven, operating around the Sam Mart. Got caught by that griffin mid-fight and dragged here."

The girl pondered for a moment before continuing.

"In that case, got a radio or something? For news."

A radio. The kind of thing someone out of touch with post-apoc Korea might mention. In a comms blackout apocalypse, radios were cliché survival gear. Against a normal person, Seola might've just handed one over.

But not to this girl. Her lifesaver deserved better.

"Even if we had one, it wouldn't pick up anything. We haven't heard squat lately."

"That's a shame."

"But we've got something better than a radio."

"Really?"

"Internet access."

"...For real?!"

Seola felt a swell of satisfaction at the girl's shocked reaction. She reeked of solo survival. Telling her about the internet was huge.

"Heard it's satellite-linked. Want me to bring one?"

"How much?"

"Free, as thanks for saving me."

"Seriously?!"

"How about we meet back here in three days?"

This girl was definitely a top-tier healer. Too valuable to let slip away. Maybe Seola could even recruit her to Haven. They had plenty of Awakeners and people—safer than going solo, for sure. Even if not, befriending a healer was a win.

That's why she suggested meeting again. She wanted to keep this going.

"......"

But the girl fell silent, deep in thought. After a moment, she spoke.

"I'm good."

"...O-okay?"

"Take care going back."

She gave a polite bow and turned to leave. Watching her go, Seola blurted out desperately.

"I'll leave that device nearby in three days!!!"

But the girl vanished without a response.

Seola didn't feel bad about it. If anything, she felt sorry for her. Survivors like this were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠paranoid about everything. In the old world, she'd have been in middle or high school, living normally. Now, she couldn't trust a soul.

How rough had her life been? Seola couldn't imagine.

Still, gratitude was gratitude. Seola stood and shouted after her.

"Thanks for saving me! If you're ever near the Sam Mart downtown, mention Seola Han. I'll help with everything I've got!"

No reply came.

**

"Phew..."

"You were super tense, meow?"

"Of course. Worst case, she could've flipped on us."

Her parting words suggested otherwise, but no need to take risks. Like I'd always said, in the apocalypse, humans were the real danger. You had to carefully judge if someone was trustworthy—and even then, if they were worth sharing everything with.

Still, helping her paid off.

"Internet access, huh?"

After seeing the telecom buildings burn on TV, I'd figured that was impossible. Satellite internet, though... I'd heard something like that before. Forgotten the details. Either way, it'd mean more info. Three days from now couldn't come soon enough.

Of course, she might flake and bring nothing. Oh well, her loss—and I'd dodged a risky contact.

"Hm-hm-hmm~!!"

Humming cheerfully, I headed home. Cola, internet, downtown intel—my boldness had paid dividends. And no one had come by the house in the meantime. It looked exactly as I'd left it. A quick scan confirmed: my home was still safe.

I stashed the cola crate in the shed, rinsed off lightly, and flopped into bed. Longer hair meant way more water use. The tank was getting low already. Guess I'd have to wash every other day now?

"Gotta figure out a water source."

Mulling that over, I opened my status window to reread my skills.

"...What? When did I level up?"

I'd hit level 2 somehow. I'd been level 1 even after the monster fight. The only thing I'd done since getting home was one: feed my homegrown plants to someone else.

"That count as a level-up condition, meow?"

"Looks like it."

Druid leveling: someone else eats plants you grew. Had to be it.

"Level up~ Level up~"

Great mood. Unexpected reward. Not as good as a crate of cola, but still.

"Time to pick a skill!!"

Awakeners got 1 skill point per level-up, plus new skills at certain levels.

"No new skills yet."

Level 2 wasn't much, so no surprise. Time to upgrade one of the two leveled skills, skipping Friend of Nature.

Could I preview upgrades?

Taming had hard numbers. Plant Growth didn't. I'd been leaning Taming anyway—this sealed it.

"Taming... click."

Whoa! Now I can make even more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠new friends!

Reason for Taming: simple. No worries about intruders while out with the tiger if I had one more companion. Excited to see what specials would show up.

"...!!"

Nyangnyang bolted upright suddenly.

"What's up?"

"Someone's here, meow."

"What?!"

Intruder?! I dashed out after Nyangnyang.

But outside, Nyangnyang just yawned lazily and headed back in.

"What? What's going on, Nyangnyang?"

"New companion's here, meow."

"Companion?"

"Special animals that hang with Druids, meow. I'm one too, meow."

Ah, so tamed specials are called companions.

"If you knew that, why not say earlier?"

"Didn't ask, meow."

Classic Nyangnyang—cat moves when you least expect. (She is a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cat, after all.)

Anyway.

"So where is it...?"

Nyangnyang said a fellow companion arrived, but I saw nothing.

Then I figured it out. A weird voice echoed from the sky.

"...A bird?"

It looked like a raptor. Nothing odd there. But the massive turtle in its talons? Super conspicuous.

"P-put this one down!! O Northern Falcon!!!"

"...Stay still."

A flailing turtle kicking its legs excitedly. A stern hawk low-flying with dignity.

No way... these two were my new companions?