Chapter 39
It looked just like an upgrade screen from an RPG game.
[Upgrade in progress …89%]
The spinning gear quickly reached 100% and then—
[Upgrade complete …100%]
—came to a halt…!
“Upgrade?”
I stared in bewilderment at the screen, glittering with colorful confetti.
“Such a function existed?”
They could have upgraded it much sooner.
While I stood there stunned, staring into space, another notification popped up above the screen.
[By reaching a total of 300 Favor points, the Magic Cart has evolved from ‘Beginner’ to ‘Novice’.]
So, this cart was for beginners… not even novices?
No wonder all the potions were low or very low grade!
As I frowned at the screen, the upgraded cart confidently displayed its familiar interface in the air.
<Intermediate Random Box> (Favor: 50)
ㄴ Obtain a higher-level skill with random probability.
<Intermediate First Aid Kit> (Favor: 40)
ㄴ Contains antidotes for status effects and salves for stopping bleeding from wounds.
<Fairly Decent Dagger> (Favor: 15)
ㄴ It’s fairly decent. Useful for combat as well as for cooking.
…
The random boxes and basic items hadn’t changed much.
At most, they had gone from low-grade to intermediate-grade.
However, there was one particularly notable difference:
!>
<Basic Stamina Training Kit> (Favor: 100)
ㄴ Increases the user’s stamina by 10. Can be purchased once a week.
<Basic Mana Training Kit> (Favor: 100)
ㄴ Increases the user’s mana by 10. Can be purchased once a week.
<Basic Comprehensive Growth Kit> (Favor: 300)
ㄴ Increases all of the user’s stats by 20. Can be purchased once a month.
I finally found it.
A way to become stronger!
No matter how much I trained with Xenon and took beatings to learn skills…
‘Skills are always limited by the user’s capabilities.’
So, there was a cap to how much I could grow.
But now, I finally had a stepping stone to surpass those limits.
“Yesss~!”
Without realizing it, I raised my arms high and cheered.
Finally, I could escape being a fragile paper doll!
My mind filled with visions of endless stamina, immense strength, and mana as vast as the sea!
The grand adventure of Wendy, the ultimate cheat character…
“First, you were mumbling to yourself, then suddenly cheering, and now you’re grinning weirdly.”
Xenon squinted at me suspiciously, taking a step away.
“Wendy, are you sure there wasn’t anything harmful in your dinner? Something that might cause abrupt mood swings…”
Yeriel rummaged through his first aid kit, looking like he was about to perform a check-up.
‘Oh, no.’
I was so excited about being able to increase my stats instantly that I forgot I wasn’t alone.
—kkingkkang(kimxxx): Someone find me a hole to hide in…
ㄴMagicTowerJanitor(jiaxxx): Can I join you?
—Juhui(juuxxx): Hahahahahaha
—Jelly(jelxxx): How long is she going to keep up this clumsy act? Someone should tell the truth.
ㄴYep!Yep!(0x1xxx): Why, she’s just adorable.
Even my constellations were laughing at me.
And while there are some who dislike me—
[You have received Favor from 8 observers.]
[Total Favor: 60]
‘It’s more profitable than I thought?’
Maybe being a fool isn’t so bad after all?
…No, that’s not the point.
I quickly waved my hands to recover from the situation.
“It’s not that! It’s just that, all of a sudden…”
“All of a sudden?”
“Well… I just thought of something. You know how sometimes a great idea just pops into your head?”
Unfortunately, neither of them looked convinced.
“Well, that’s not what’s important here.”
Xenon looked at me strangely, while Yeriel watched with concern.
I subtly backed away from their gazes, checking their stats while I was at it.
‘Let’s see…’
[Xenon]
<Stamina: 60 / Strength: 45 / Agility: 70 / Mana: 35>
[Yeriel]
<Stamina: 35 / Strength: 25 / Agility: 40 / Mana: 75>
This is still the early part of the story, but it seems like I chose good companions.
The problem is…
[Wendy Porcelain]
<Stamina: 9 / Strength: 8 / Agility: 8 / Mana: 5>
‘Even a stray dog would be stronger than this!’
Seeing these pathetic stats made it clear that it would take a long time to catch up to those two.
“Ugh…”
“There she goes making strange noises again.”
“I’m certain now, she must have eaten something weird…”
I lowered my gaze under their scrutinizing stares and cleared my throat.
“Ahem, ahem! Anyway, that’s not the point!”
It seemed like I needed something to shift the focus of the situation…
“…!”
Oh, right, I had just the thing for that.
“I have something prepared for you.”
Nothing smooths over a situation like a gift.
[Would you like to purchase ‘Fairly Decent Dagger’? Selected quantity: 1]
[Purchase completed!]
[Total Favor: 45]
[Would you like to purchase ‘Decorative Vase’? Selected quantity: 1]
[Purchase completed!]
[Total Favor: 30]
‘Heh heh heh.’
I’ll show them the dignity of the only person in this world who can use real-money transactions.
I handed the purchased items to Xenon and Yeriel.
“This is for you, Yeriel.”
For Yeriel, I gave a small, light yellow, and quaint flowerpot.
“And this is for you, Xenon.”
To Xenon, I handed over a fairly decent dagger, a step up from the useless one I gave him last time.
“Thank you, Wendy. But why the sudden flowerpot…?”
Even with a puzzled look, Yeriel expressed his gratitude first.
As expected, he’s the type who makes the giver feel appreciated.
Meanwhile, that guy Xenon was just staring at the dagger he received, as if analyzing it.
“Yeriel, when you use a lot of your powers, you turn into a sapling, right? Think of this as a temporary home for when you’re turning back into a human.”
Yeriel gave a warm smile at my explanation.
He really is like a ray of sunshine, no matter how many times I see him.
“Thank you, Wendy. You’re always so considerate and kind.”
Hearing that put me in a good mood too.
“Hehe, it’s nothing, really.”
Honestly, he has a way of brightening up everyone around him.
“And me, I got a dagger again.”
In contrast, this guy over here.
This deadpan, unemotional guy who turns everything around him to grayscale.
“I picked out something better than last time. Why? You don’t like it?”
This one was sharper and lighter than the useless dagger I gave him before—definitely more practical.
But his normally stoic face seemed even sulkier for some reason.
“No, it’s not that I don’t like it. It seems quite practical. Thank you. …But.”
“But?”
Xenon averted his gaze, muttering softly as he looked at me.
“It’s just that it’s a gift based on utility.”
Huh? What does he mean by that?
Of course, I mean…
“I can’t exactly give a useless gift, can I?”
He fell silent for a moment, then spoke with an unusually serious expression.
“If it’s a gift from you, I wouldn’t mind if it were a bit useless.”
“What?”
“Even if it’s impractical, I’d like it to hold meaning and come from the heart.”
With those words, Xenon looked at me with a gaze as deep as an endless abyss and continued slowly.
“You called me a companion, so I want to connect beyond practicality, through feelings.”
It was hard to believe such words came from Xenon.
What was he suddenly talking about?
“It’s not a complaint. Just saying. Thanks for the gift.”
With that, he coldly expressed his gratitude and turned to head back to his resting spot.
As I watched Xenon’s retreating figure, Yeriel smiled gently.
“It seems that Xenon wants to get closer to you emotionally, Wendy.”
“What?”
That can’t be right.
He’s always so cold and unapproachable, there’s no way he’d have such thoughts about me.
Yeriel, noticing my confusion, smiled softly and said, “He might be awkward at expressing himself, but he’s actually quite affectionate. Especially toward you, Wendy.”
“Xenon?”
He nodded slightly at my response.
“From what I see, the two of you are more than just friends… how should I put it….”
He paused, looking up at the stars as if contemplating something.
“Maybe a bit more special?”
“Special…”
For some reason, those words made my throat tickle slightly.
“Well, Wendy, you did great today. Get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
His words snapped me back to reality, and I hurriedly responded.
“You too, Yeriel. Have sweet dreams. And try not to dream about turning into a tree.”
“A tree?”
He looked at me with wide eyes, clearly puzzled.
Oops, maybe Yeriel didn’t realize.
I guess people who talk in their sleep rarely know what they’re saying.
“It’s nothing.”
It clearly wasn’t “nothing,” but he didn’t question me further and gave a polite nod.
“Goodnight.”
After Yeriel went off to rest, I slipped into my tent and buried my head into my pillow, thinking.
“Special…”
It was strange.
I thought it wouldn’t mean much, but…
With that thought, my heart pounded all night, making it impossible to fall asleep.
***
***
The end of a long day, and I lay in bed.
Honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Yeriel had said, keeping me from falling asleep.
But whether I had rested well or not, morning still came.
[New quest has arrived!]
[New quest has arrived!]
[New quest has arrived!]
“Oh, shut up.”
And the brutal story that had paused for a while—
[Stage 2: Black and White War begins.]
—continued once more.
—
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