Seol was more than just shocked. He was utterly astonished.
My piece was still alive?
All of the pieces Seol had encountered so far were dead when he t them.
While he could usually sowhat contain the intense surge of emotions upon eting them, this ti was different.
"There's nothing better than dragon fruit when you're on an empty stomach like that. You're free to skip it if you're too suspicious, but are you sure you'll be okay? You look like you're on the verge of death."
......
Tsk, tsk Whats with your face? Ah, are you experiencing pain ntally?
Toki was referring to the labyrinths ntal Contamination. Seol shook his head and answered back.
Thank you for your kindness, Toki. I My na is Snowman.
I see. Well, its nice to et you.
So how in here
Toki completely ignored Seol and simply watched the horizon.
The sun will set soon. Since this isnt an appropriate place to talk, lets go.
Go where
Where else? My house.
Seol realized that Toki had arrived here using so form of transportation.
Oink Oink
A large desert boar was nearby with luggage dangling off of its back.
...Did he ta it?
Desert boars were monsters that appeared in the Penance of Patience. With a violent disposition and incredible strength, desert boars were prone to stabbing anyone who dared to provoke them with their tusks.
Its two people today, Chubs. Think you can handle it?
Oink oink
Alright, hop on.
Seol looked confused as he got on the back of the desert boar nad, Chubs.
...Its more comfortable than I thought?
- Its so comfortable, Snowman thought it was a sedan.
- Did you see how confused he got? LMFAOOO
- Who would ride sothing like this (falls asleep)
Lets go.
Oink oink
Rumble
Chubs wasn't lightning quick, but its speed was still comndable, especially considering the challenging desert terrain that would catch your feet.
Fwooosh
The hot desert winds breezed past Seols skin.
It was sothing that wouldve originally annoyed Seol if he was still walking through the desert.
However, now that he was riding on the boar's back, it even felt sowhat pleasant to him.
Why is Toki still here?
There were more than just a couple of questions in Seols head.
How was Toki still alive? How had he managed to survive?
I need to ask him
However, Seol found himself on the verge, both ntally and physically.
Simply traversing the boundless desert on Chubs's back brought forth all his accumulated exhaustion at once.
Even though Seol would typically never do sothing like this, eting his own piece had instilled in him a sense of security.
Im a bit sleepy
Nod
And like that, he lost consciousness.
* * *
May God watch over our wandering hearts.
Seol heard a voice amidst the sound of a crackling fire.
Crackle Crackle
It was a familiar voice.
The warm heat enveloping him made Seol quickly realize he was lying by a fire.
Hm? Youre already up?
Haah Haah My body is
I know, heavy, right?
Toki's response sent a shiver down Seol's spine.
Had Toki done sothing to him while he was asleep?
Dont worry, thats natural. Its normal to be like that for a while when you first enter the desert. It was like that for as well
My body isnt
Alarms were blaring in Seols head.
My body isnt moving.
[You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Dehydration.]
[You are exposed to Abnormal Status: Malnutrition.]
[Your ntal Contamination has reached 50.]
[You are exposed to Abnormal Status: ntal Fatigue.]
Theres a saying, When it rains, it pours.
Despite being inside the Labyrinth of Penance, Seol found himself currently helpless.
Clatter
And it seed like Toki was making sothing.
Alright. It should be edible with this.
The pleasant sll of a savory, sweet aroma slowly spread from the fire and into Seols nose.
Fuu Fuuu
Toki blew gently onto the hot food on his spoon, a gesture clearly showing concern about its temperature.
Alright, eat this.
Seol avoided eating anything offered by others. His distrustful nature, akin to a disease, often led to him declining the goodwill extended by others.
And like always, Seol refused the food given to him by a stranger.
However
I havent eaten anything for days
Agony from starvation consud Seol, and due to his empty stomach, his guard was much lower than usual.
According to Seols mories, Toki was a monk faithfully devoted to a god, and he was extrely good-natured.
If Seol had t Toki elsewhere, he would have eaten the food Toki offered him without much worry.
However, right now, were
In the labyrinth.
Not to ntion, Toki had survived here for quite a long ti.
The Labyrinth of Penance ate away at the minds of the people who entered it.
Seol had no idea if Toki had experienced a change of heart and beco extrely twisted.
However, as Seol was busy thinking, Toki stuck his spoon into Seols mouth.
Urgh
You havent eaten sothing like this before, have you?
Haah Haah What
It was a taste that made you feel better. Moreover, it was warm, just enough to provide comfort.
Seol realized sothing as Toki flashed a big smile once more.
What did I just
Seol doubted Toki even though he was the one who forced him into the labyrinth.
The familiarity he felt from Toki slowly changed into comfort, then trust.
You havent changed at all, Toki
And like that, Toki began looking after Seol for a few days.
Seol couldnt understand Tokis behavior at all.
Why was he going so far to help a stranger in this empty desert?
Your stomach must be shocked. You should sleep a bit more.
...Why?
Hm?
Why are you being so kind to ?
Ah, I see. So you were curious about that, werent you, kid?
Toki laughed and flashed his missing teeth once more.
Its because all this ti Ive been lonely
Seol fell asleep once more after hearing his response.
Seol felt much better the following day.
However, his body felt bloated, like a cotton ball that had absorbed way too much water. The most he could manage was to lie down, as even moving was difficult.
Despite this, Toki continued taking care of Seol.
A day had passed, and then another.
- Is this the new nursing simulator?
- Is the Penance of Patience supposed to be a battle against sickness?
- So Tokis the MC, right?
And like that, Seol eventually fully recovered.
Youre up.
I feel a bit better now.
Haha, thats a relief. I would have left you if you couldnt get up today.
......
It was just a joke. Dont take it too seriously.
Seol pulled himself out of bed. Still, that didn't an it was morning. It was night, and darkness had enveloped Seol and Toki completely. As Seol was getting up, Toki was cooking sothing by the campfire.
Is it at?
Its been days since Seol last had at.
Yeah, theres nothing better than at when youre recovering.
Even though Seol was drooling, he had a bigger question. Where did Toki find the at?
Well, Im sure it isnt that big of a problem.
Seol, in a short period of ti, had co to trust Toki.
After all, if Toki had bad intentions toward Seol, he would have acted when Seol was unconscious and couldnt move.
Considering Toki had been the one caring for him during his struggles, it wouldn't make sense for Seol not to trust him.
Toki, I have a question.
Haha a question when you just got up? You really keep yourself busy, dont you. Alright, what is it?
- How did he know?
- He does keep himself busy, though LOL
Seol asked Toki while accepting the at Toki had cut for him.
How did you end up here?
Ah, it was sothing like that?
I was curious.
In truth, Seol already knew about Tokis circumstances.
After all, every piece in The World of Eternity included a detailed backstory when the player created them.
It offered players all the necessary information about the character's life so far and the reason why they got into this line of work.
While I dont particularly enjoy talking about the past I guess theres no reason to hide it when its been a long, long while since Ive t soone. Its not like you can spread rumors about either, dont you agree?
...Well, this is the labyrinth.
Haha exactly.
Toki took a bite of the at and began talking about himself.
I was an orphan, abandoned at a remote town when so epidemic was going around. The townspeople, taking pity on a baby who still needed breastmilk, took in and raised . It was a miracle when you considered how eating children was common then due to the lack of food.
Seol nodded.
Tokis backstory was exactly as Seol rembered it.
"I always made an effort to express my gratitude. Repaying the people and the god who bestowed life upon seed only fair, didn't it? I had faith that this hope would one day save ."
However, Tokis faith did not last.
As Seol expected, Tokis eyes showed a deep sorrow.
One day, my wife, my daughter and most of the townspeople died.
- Hold on, I have to go. I cant watch this.
- You cannot escape. This is the labyrinth.
Toki looked extrely calm for soone who shared such a shocking story.
"It happened while I was outside the house for a bit. Due to our village's remoteness, we often faced bandits who pillaged for food around that ti of the year. I thought we had safely passed over such threats this year, but... that beca the source of our troubles."
Did the bandits do it?
Yeah, it was them.
......
"I devoted my entire life to the god I worshiped. Creating a happy family wasn't just about personal fulfillnt. It was also a ans to draw closer to him and to protect my beliefs."
There was a reason Toki went on about this.
Seol simply nodded, a gesture for him to continue.
I chased after them.
And then?
I attacked their base. When I regained my senses, everyone was dead except one person, and I was grabbing that terrified bandit by his collar. Can you guess what he said, quivering in fear?
......
The entire situation would have been new for Toki.
"God, please rescue from this despair."
...The bandit looked to god.
At that mont, I could feel everything inside twisting and turning. It felt as if my intestines were being pulled apart and tied into knots, while my bones broke with each word he said. Everything that I believe in and I did was refuted.
The bandit who laid waste to the town had looked to god.
Toki must have felt his faith was being tarnished by the bandit.
I'm sure they were also facing hardships during the winter because of the scarcity of food. And Im also sure they couldnt overco their own laziness and chose the easier option than farming. Everything, even the smallest of things, has a reason behind it. Just like how they had a reason to attack my town.
Toki
The martial arts I polished because of my faith in god were used to break their skulls and tear off their legs. Despite my efforts to draw closer to him, I only encountered more difficulties in understanding his will, and... I drifted further away from him.
The last bandit
I lost him. In that mont, my desire to kill him completely disappeared. Did the god I worship save him? Then why
Toki continued with a heavy expression.
Why Why did he leave in despair? Why Why didnt he save ?
.......
After that day, I left the town and wandered the world, hoping to understand why my god had responded to the bandit and ignored .
Toki smiled.
And like that, I ended up here.
...How long have you been in here?
I dont know how long has it been? Its been so long since Ive counted the days that I dont rember it at all now.
It would have been roughly 10 years.
No, since he had forgotten his ti in the labyrinth, it might have been even more.
Still, thats impossible He managed to survive in the Penance of Patience for over ten years? Theres no way his mind should still be fine
Toki asked Seol after seeing the look in his eyes.
Whats wrong?
...Its nothing.
Feel free to ask if youre ever curious about sothing. Haha... I've co to realize the significance of conversation in life only now, after spending a considerable amount of ti alone.
Because of Tokis response, Seol asked another question.
Do you perhaps know anything about the Penance of Pain?
Hm Youre referring to the gate where you have to fight a bunch of statues, right?
I am. I dont know why. It just felt a little different from the other penances.
This was a question even the Blood Saint couldnt answer. Seol hoped that Toki might have the answers to it.
You dont need to know about that for now.
What?
Youll learn it naturally once you reach the end of the labyrinth. Nothing good will happen from learning about it right now. Rather, youll just break down.
Break down?
Any other questions?
- (Didnt answer the question and just rambled about sothing else) Any other questions?
- Any other questions (that I could actually answer)?
Seol had only one question.
He slowly opened his mouth to ask Toki.
How have you been able to survive in here?
Haha... You were just unlucky. The only reason you hadn't encountered anything was because you were dropped into a place where there was practically nothing. In fact, this desert is filled with things you can eat if you just look around. It was only the specific spot where you were that had no food.
Filled with things you can eat? What do you
Even the Blood Saint had to simply endure his hunger with his exceptional spirit. The only edible things he found from ti to ti were dragon fruits and lizards.
The Penance of Patience was a survival test with no known end date.
Where do you think I got that at you just ate?
What do you an? Isnt it from the animals in the desert?
"You only co across those when you're really lucky. And even if it were one, it wouldn't be enough at to fully satisfy us both. Now, where do you think I got it?"
Seol thought to himself and arrived at the answer.
Dont tell its Chubs?
- NOOOOOO!!!
- Not Chubs!
- You evil bastards!
...Of course not.
Then that ans Oh my god, its monster at.
Yeah.
But monster at has poison in it which
Seol quickly realized sothing was off.
The at I ate didnt feel like that at all, though?
In fact, the only thing Seol felt was that it was tasty.
Haha You can think of it as a secret skill I was forced to learn to survive in this desert.
A secret skill?
I call it Monster Cooking. What do you think? Interested?
- A secret skill for cooking? Theres no way Id say no!!!
- Its making drool haha
Seol then saw a few options.
[[Toki had awakened Monster Cooking as a ans of surviving in this desert. He has asked you a question, are you interested in learning]]
Before Seol could even see all of the options, he answered Toki.
Of course.
"Alright, it feels like I've gotten my first student. You'll have quite a number of new experiences as you learn from ."
[You have found a suitable master for Talent 'Cooking'.]
[The hidden advancent process for Talent Cooking to Talent Monster Cooking is underway.]
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