"Talismans, Quests, and the Recipe to an Oni's Heart"
As soon as she logged into the game, the first thing Loli did was run straight toward Lua's shop. It looked a bit more organized now: a sturdy wooden bench had been added, along with a small work table where Lua was silently writing talismans with the focused grace of a calligraphy master. In front of her, a few breastplates hung once again from an improvised rack, and off to the side, a new sign stood out with clean, rune-like letters:
…
🔹 Enchantment Runes – Low Quality 🔹
🛡️ Defense Rune
+5 to the item's physical defense.
💰 10 Mana Stone Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
⚔️ Damage Rune
+2 to the weapon's base physical damage.
💰 10 Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
🔥 Flame Rune
+2 bonus fire damage.
💰 10 Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
💧 Water Rune
–5 mana cost for water-type skills.
💰 10 Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
💨 Speed Rune
+2 to movement speed.
💰 10 Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
🧠 Magic Awareness Rune
+20 to max mana.
💰 10 Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
🌿 Regeneration Rune
+5 HP/sec outside of combat.
💰 10 Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
🧲 Attraction Rune
Attracts objects within a 1-meter radius.
💰 10 Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
🔒 Stability Rune
Resists knockback and staggering.
💰 10 Shards / 1 Small Mana Stone
…
Loli stopped to read the sign with interest, her lips moving silently as she scanned each line. She didn't say anything at first. She was just absorbing the information.
"Did you come to buy something?" Lua asked calmly, without looking up from her writing.
"No. Actually, I came to let you know we might delay the mine raid by a day or two. We want to try creating invitations for two more players," Loli replied quickly, a little out of breath.
"Hmm...? How many stones are you short?" Lua asked, still not lifting her gaze.
"I'm not sure. I think fifteen," Loli said, scratching her head. In truth, she had rushed out before hearing the whole conversation.
Lua finally looked up and stared at her for a few seconds. Silence. That serene, emotionless gaze carried an intensity that made Loli press her lips together. She felt nervous without knowing why.
"Then I'll lend you a hand," Lua said softly.
A notification instantly appeared in front of Loli:
…
Quest: Daily Meal for Lua
Type: Daily – Profession Quest: Cooking
Difficulty: Medium
Requirements: [Cooking] skill unlocked | Character-exclusive: Loli
Description:
Though she won't say it out loud, Lua has started to rely on Loli's meals to maintain her strength, focus, and mood. From now on, she expects to receive at least one meal per day. This is an indefinite quest, meant for emotional and logistical support. The reward is given in advance.
Because if you want to reach an oni's heart… you must first go through her stomach. And like every good dish, it should be seasoned with a pinch of love.
Objectives:
• Cook a fresh, handmade meal for Lua (at least once per day)
• Replicated or summoned food is not allowed
• Maintain daily consistency
Reward:
• 10 × Large Mana Stones (delivered in advance)
Failure:
• Lua's silent disappointment.
(She won't say a word… but the atmosphere will turn ice-cold)
…
Loli stared at the quest text… and her eyes locked on that last line in the description: "a pinch of love." Her entire face turned bright red. She didn't think twice. She accepted the quest immediately.
Ten large mana stones appeared floating in front of her with a soft glow. She snatched them up quickly and stuffed them into her bag without lifting her gaze.
"Th-thank you!" she mumbled in a trembling voice… and ran away at full speed.
"Hmm? What's wrong with her?" Lua asked with a small blink.
"Maybe she was in a hurry," S.I.a replied with a suspicious smile, floating nearby. In truth, she had a backup plan: if they couldn't repopulate with more players… then Lua would become the direct candidate, completely ignoring the biological logistics of two women. Or maybe she wasn't ignoring them at all.
"You'll have to go find more mana stones now," S.I.a added with a giggle, watching how easily Lua had handed them over.
"Yes," Lua replied flatly, and continued writing her talismans.
…
Meanwhile, Bert, Sig, and Edward logged into the game around the same time. As they walked through the village center, they spotted Loli sitting alone on a rock, staring at the sky with a dazed expression.
"What's up with you?" Sig asked, frowning. He had never seen her so spaced out.
"I… ahem… I got a quest. Lua paid me in advance. I just have to cook for her every day," Loli said, pulling out a demon beast core she had just fused.
"What?" Sig exclaimed, rushing over. He grabbed the core from her hands and inspected it. It was real.
"Did you use your body to seduce her in the end?" he blurted.
"Wha"?! No!!" Loli shouted, completely red in the face.
"I told you I just accepted a quest to cook for her!"
"But you already do that all the time," Sig said, narrowing his eyes.
"Maybe that's why she gave it to me," Loli muttered, looking away.
"Well, that's great. That means we only need to gather 2 more large stones. Easy," Sig said with a grin.
"I'll go on ahead. I need to regroup my clones," Edward said calmly.
"Wait," Sig said, stopping him with a look.
"You should probably buy a spatial bag and ask Lua for an enchantment. It's expensive, yeah, but it boosts your damage and lets you carry more stuff."
"Spatial bag?" Edward asked, confused.
Without another word, the three grabbed his arm and dragged him toward Lua's shop. She was still writing talismans with her usual serene focus. When she saw them arrive, she only lifted her eyes for a moment… then went back to her work.
"Are there upgrades available now too?" Sig asked with interest, eyeing the inscriptions on the sign.
"We can handle that later. For now, let's focus on gathering what's missing," Bert replied quickly, keeping things practical.
"You're right. Edward, buy a 4x4 storage bag and an upgrade for your spear. I don't think you need a chestplate yet if the monsters aren't dealing physical damage. Remember, all the stones you get today"I'll buy them from you at double the price," Sig said seriously.
"Understood," Edward nodded calmly. Deep down, he was more than satisfied. Getting mana flasks in real life was basically like having food placed directly on the table… and he had already run out of funds. Hopefully, this would allow him to eat over the next few days"assuming he managed to obtain a demon beast core like they'd mentioned.
Even though he had said the normal price was enough, Sig insisted on teaching him the basic concept of supply and demand. "Today it's worth double," he had said, "because we need it fast. It won't be much anyway, and I want to move forward with the invitations for Joe and Dean as soon as possible."
Once Edward made the necessary purchases, he declined the option to form a party. The truth was, his clones already took up too much space on the battlefield, and he preferred to operate solo. So they split into two groups.
This time, Alfred didn't log in. He had to coordinate the move for Joe and Dean, who had arrived unexpectedly… along with his own move, apparently. The old man had also logged out, saying he had something to test in real life"though no one asked for details.
With everything clear, they all left the village, leaving Lua behind, still calmly writing talismans at her table.
…
Meanwhile, outside of Drunai...
Ganfall sat in his room with a serious expression as he slowly drew on a sheet of paper. Around him, dozens of crumpled papers revealed his many failed attempts at whatever it was he was trying to accomplish.
When he finally finished drawing the figure, he studied the rune with a faint smile. It closely resembled one of the first ones Lua had ever shown him.
Next to him sat a low-quality mana flask with some of its blue liquid still inside. He carefully uncapped it and let a single drop fall onto the paper.
The liquid was thick and glossy, with a deep blue hue. As it touched the surface, the drop spread along the lines, guided as if obeying the rune's shape… until it changed color, turning into a deep red. A thin wisp of smoke rose from the paper, followed by a small flame that consumed everything in the blink of an eye.
Ganfall smiled with excitement. Then he looked at the flask still in his hand. He dipped the tip of his finger into the liquid mana. It didn't hurt"mana was something every human carried within"but he did feel a cold tingling, like a living icy current.
With his mana-coated finger, he focused and began slowly tracing the same rune in the air. The mana was absorbed with each stroke, floating and taking form as the symbol neared completion.
When he finished, all the mana left his fingertip, remaining suspended for a few seconds… before bursting in a quick red spark.
"I knew it," Ganfall murmured, overflowing with satisfaction. With a full smile, he turned his wheelchair toward the bed, where a computer connected to the system was waiting.
He was ready to return to Drunai.