Chapter 14 Scam . . . !

Why was the list of items kept getting crazier and crazier?

But that Handsome Perfume only cost 10,000 Evil Points. As of now, I have 2,500 Evil Points . . .

I shook my head and concentrated on the conversation we were having.

"How many gil have you guys got?" Luke asked.

"I only have 98 left," said Jane.

"122." Sighed Soarsie.

"Uh . . . 74," I muttered.

Everyone looked at me.

I know, right. Where did my previous gil go? Probably in that 2oz glass that I didn't even consume.

"I have 312 left," Luke said, and we gazed at him with a gaping mouth.

Well, it was expected since he was killing the most beast, maybe even before we set up a party.

"If we combined our gil, we could probably order a meal here," Luke added.

I vehemently shook my head. "This place is a scam. The foods here aren't that good, and it's very expensive."

Jane gave me a pointed look. "Then what do you suggest we do? Hunt for rabbits again?"

I nodded. "It's a practical idea." And I didn't have any complaints about the lack of taste as long as I was sated.

Jane frowned and held a smirk. "And what about Soarsie? You should really treat your girlfriend way better than that. Aren't you a man?"

I blinked. Right. Soarsie!

I looked at her, and she immediately raised her hands. "I-I'm fine with either way."

Though she said that, I saw in her eyes that she wanted food made here. The rabbit meat probably was either burnt to crisp or too bland to the taste for our lack of cooking proficiency.

That famillar sadness and self-pity hit me, and I hate myself for it. Why can't I provide for her even in this world?

"It's fine, Cross." Luke saved the day and threw a wink my way. "I think we could indulge ourselves for just this night. We deserve it after everything that happened.

"And we could always grind gil again by tomorrow."

I remained quiet. That was right. Money could be earned again. I just got used to how hard it was to earn that I became scared of using it.

I even walked kilometers from my apartment to my job every single day to save on commute fair, so I could finally start a family with Soarsie one day.

Soarsie squeezed my hand. "Don't worry. I'll cover for you for now. But make sure to treat me in the future, okay?"

She winked.

Ah . . . My heart felt big.

She's such an angel.

<She's a tool that Host needs in his conquest for world domination.>

Shut up.

Eventually, we ordered a meal enough to fit our budget. It wasn't much, but it did half-fill our empty stomach.

Now I have zero gil, and I lamented the fact that I had spent all my money on the food that tasted slightly better than the roasted rabbit we had before.

The others' faces also held discontent. The regret in their eyes was apparent. I guess it was better for them to know that the foods here weren't good like they were expecting so they wouldn't make the same mistake again in the future.

I told you. This place is a scam. I scolded them in my mind.

I kept my mouth shut because I knew that they were in a bad mood after the meal that caused us another 500 or so gil but tasted like grass cooked in oil.

Agh . . . living in this world was really hard.

<Host should just destroy this village and rebuild it a new. Accumulate enough blueprints, and you can have your own restaurant that produces mouth-watering, poisonous food.>

". . ."

<Or bring your cooking level to grandmaster, and you can make meals that are so delicious you can practically enslave anyone!>

. . . Not interested.

It was already dark outside after we finished our meal. The clock on the ceiling told the time of eight. By this hour, I was still working overtime.

However, we decided to retire in our room in this world since not much could be done for now. Luke decided to go around the village and check if there were quests available or see if he might trigger an event.

Jane came with him. Probably to have an alone time with Luke.

As for Soarsie and me, we didn't care about that stuff and decided to sleep early instead. It was such a rare occasion that we were given rest at this time of the night. Our shift in our world sometimes finishes at two in the morning and starts as early as six.

We'd rather sleep if given a chance.

I wonder if Luke can trigger an event or stumble upon a side quest.

<It's possible he might if he successfully meets all the requirements.>

Requirements?

<Usually, if he carries certain items or talks to specific inhabitants before or if his ATP is high enough, or the combination of these things.>

In short, his chances to trigger an event was less than ten percent.

<Lower than that.>

I was being nice.

I sighed. That's close to impossible.

<Host only need the Evil eyes, and everything will be laid before you! Not only the screen of your foes but all side quests, hidden quests, requirements for triggering events, and even hidden bosses and world quests!>

That . . . sounded so tempting . . .

But to actually destroy a village for that . . .

*sigh . . .

Why was everything so complicated? I wish that skill would just be handed to me like the other isekai'd I watched and read.

"You okay?" Soarsie asked and faced me. She looked beautiful as she lay sideways on the bed while I sat on the floor. Her pink hair raffled on the sheets, and her soft blue eyes melted even the hardest of hearts.

"Sorry. Did I wake you?" She probably heard my constant sighs.

She shook her head. "I can't sleep. I'm worried about my family . . ."

"There's a chance that they might not be here." I tried to console her, but I was not made for consoling since the worry in her face didn't lessen.

"I hope so."

". . ."

". . ."

"Cross?"

"Hmm?"

Soarsie reached for my hand and interlaced our fingers. ". . . I'm glad that we have each other at least."

I smiled. "Me too."

This world might be brutal to live in, like in our real world, but I was glad that I still have you.

< . . . >