Sleeping Tree
Rumiel quietly shook her head.
“⋯⋯No?”
The food stall owner looked puzzled, then soon relaxed.
“That's a relief.”
He let out a deep sigh and nodded.
He looked genuinely relieved.
“Sometimes there are those poor newbie adventurers who get fooled by the village chief and come to this gloomy place.”
Rumiel's eyes sparkled a bit.
Oh, this NPC knows about that quest too.
The food stall owner continued slowly.
“That’s also the reason I set up a food stall here.”
Rumiel's ears perked up at his words.
Does this NPC have some backstory?
“I wanted to provide food and a place to rest for the poor adventurers who come lost.”
He said that and looked around the food stall interior.
There was a strange affection in his gaze.
Perhaps he had put in some effort for the adventurers who come here.
But,
‘⋯⋯This is why newbies can't escape.’
Rumiel wanted to say that.
In fact, because this food stall received a 'safe zone' judgment, dead newbies revive here, can't go anywhere, and keep getting beaten by monsters.
The NPC's goodwill became a desperate trap for the newbies.
But,
Rumiel didn't say it out loud.
It would seem like she was ignoring the owner's sincerity too much.
‘Wanting to provide a place to rest for the poor adventurers who come lost.’
The sincerity in his words was so pure.
By the way, there was this behind-the-scenes story hidden.
Rumiel slowly looked around the food stall interior.
A space she never paid attention to when playing the game.
‘Why is there a food stall in a place like this?’ she thought as she passed by.
This place had its own meaning.
It was not just a simple background, but a place containing the NPC's story.
Rumiel nodded her head.
This food stall might be a small resting place for those who get lost in the Ant Tunnel.
Of course, for newbies, it's a living hell.
The food stall owner looked at the empty bowl Rumiel had left,
and slightly raised his eyebrows.
“You left a lot.”
Rumiel, upon hearing that, looked back at the traces of what she had eaten.
The bowl had sauce splattered everywhere,
and spilled lettuce and tomato pieces scattered.
It wasn't actually left; she just spilled it.
The hamburger was too big, so with her small mouth, she ate half with her fingers and left half on the table.
But since her stomach was full anyway, she couldn't eat more,
so calling it 'left' wasn't entirely wrong.
So Rumiel quietly nodded.
The food stall owner laughed heartily and said.
“Even so, you have to eat a lot to grow tall. Right?”
Suddenly, Rumiel's cowlick shot up sharply.
“⋯⋯.”
The food stall owner seemed to realize his mistake belatedly.
Rumiel's expression stiffened instantly.
With a creaking, rusty-machine-like movement,
she slowly, very slowly nodded her head.
It was stiff.
She definitely pouted.
The food stall owner opened his eyes wide.
He couldn't hide his embarrassment and scratched his head.
“Eh, what? Did you pout?”
Rumiel firmly shook her head.
But her cowlick was still standing up stiffly.
Unlike the denying gesture, the cowlick's movement accurately represented Rumiel's feelings.
The food stall owner looked awkward and cleared his throat.
“Hmm.”
And then cautiously continued.
“Sorry. It wasn't to tease you.”
Rumiel sat quietly without saying a word.
Her eyes half-closed, looking at the void.
The food stall owner saw her and smiled a bit embarrassedly.
“It's been a while since I saw someone, so I'm happy to stop.”
Rumiel pondered the words for a moment.
Shook her head once more.
The food stall owner forced a smile and said again.
“So, let me fix that pout of yours.”
Rumiel still didn't say anything.
Then, after a very short time, she opened her mouth.
“⋯⋯I didn't pout.”
Short answer.
But Rumiel's cowlick was still a bit puffed up.
The food stall owner smiled slightly.
The unique reaction when a kid pouts.
He no longer teased Rumiel.
Just quietly smiled happily,
and turned his gaze back to the kitchen.
¤
After receiving the owner's farewell, as she left the food stall, the damp air enveloped Rumiel again.
Cold moisture brushed her skin, and the sound of faint dripping water droplets came.
The low breathing of monsters from afar seemed to emphasize the silence of the deep cave.
But,
To Rumiel, who had been enjoying time eating hamburgers under the warm lights just moments ago, this darkness didn't feel threatening at all.
She lightly patted her stomach.
With warm food filling her body, her mood became relaxed.
Her stomach was full, so the next destination was already set.
Now it was time to return to the village.
Before that, she had to escape the Ant Tunnel.
Rumiel loosened her body lightly, carefully stepping on the damp floor as she advanced.
Returning was easy.
Just retrace the path up,
Wait, suddenly, Rumiel's footsteps stopped.
Because something was off.
She slowly turned her gaze to the floor.
The drop items had disappeared.
Rumiel looked around blankly.
Just now, when she came down here, she had wiped out all the monsters.
Thanks to the movement skill, the Drakes exploded instantly.
So, there should naturally be items scattered on the ground.
But,
Nothing.
No gold, no junk items, not even the usual monster drop items that should be lying on the floor.
‘⋯⋯Did they disappear after some time?’
Rumiel pondered, her cowlick wiggling.
Even in the game, there was a system where dropped items disappear after a certain time.
In her beginner days, she had lost valuable items several times by hunting and then going out to eat without picking them up.
But still, something felt off.
The time it took to come here was at most about 10 minutes.
It should take at least 30 minutes for items to disappear.
“⋯⋯”
She sighed.
It didn't matter.
It wasn't particularly important.
Rumiel already had overflowing gold, and her necessary equipment and potions were full in her inventory.
So, there was no need to worry about the disappeared drop items.
Rumiel loosened her body lightly.
And raised her fingertips, activating the skill.
[Holy Road]
Shung!
The darkness of the Ant Tunnel was pushed back.
The damp air and dark walls unique to underground dungeons
disappeared quickly from her view.
She repeated the skill several times, moving quickly along the path.
Passing through the silent Ant Tunnel, crossing the cave where darkness was thick,
finally, Rumiel arrived at the path leading out of the underground dungeon to the village.
The damp air lifted, and the familiar lights of the village appeared in the distance.
Rumiel let out a light breath and started walking step by step towards the village.
The village was still dark and gloomy.
A quiet silence enveloped the village, and the only sound was the occasional flowing water from somewhere.
This was always the case.
Unlike surface villages, there was no lively atmosphere.
A landscape close to colorless.
The NPCs leaving the village mostly just quietly stood in place with listless appearances.
Rumiel's gaze naturally went to the very top of the village.
There, there was a much larger and grander building than the others.
The Sleeping Tree Hotel.
The sign written as such entered Rumiel's eyes.
The hotel was, as the name suggested, structured like a large tree wrapping around the building.
Rumiel had used this place several times when playing the game.
When hunting in underground dungeons, there were times when she needed to recover health and mana,
and here she could recover health by staying overnight at a relatively cheap price.
Of course, the efficiency wasn't great.
At the time, she thought 'Wouldn't it be better to just eat potions?' and had tried using it a few times.
She quietly moved her steps.
The faint lanterns of the underground village cast hazy shadows along the walls.
And passing between those shadows, Rumiel slowly approached the door of the hotel.
Creak.
She pushed open the heavy wooden door, and the scent unique to old wood brushed her nose.
Unlike outside, the interior was illuminated by soft candlelight, and soft, quiet music flowed.
Old wooden furniture.
Old frames and decorations hanging in every corner.
All of that made Rumiel's mouth slightly twitch.