Julien POV
We ended up sitting on a fallen log a little away from the picnic site.
Joshua was busy showing my mom how he bravely "fought" the bear with a stick. Dad was helping clean up. Grandpa Helior stood under a tree, pretending not to keep an eye on Daniel like a hawk sizing up a suspicious rabbit.
And Daniel… Daniel was staring at the ground like it had personally offended him.
It was quiet.
The awkward kind.
I swung my legs lightly. "So."
He flinched a little. "So?"
I smiled. "You came all the way to this forest for your master, right?"
He looked at me sideways. "How did you—"
I raised a hand. "Lucky guess. Plus, you give off strong 'I walked into a death forest for one specific old man' vibes."
"…That's disturbingly accurate."
I leaned back on my hands. Inside, my brain was screaming.
'Yep. This is the arc. This is literally that arc.'
In the original novel, Daniel came to the dungeon, begged his master to come with him, got rejected, then never returned because, you know… wars, trauma, apocalypse schedule, Demon Lord errands.
Readers roasted the author for years over it.
'Wow, you just forgot a transcendent spear god chilling in a dungeon? Peak writing, bro.'
I cleared my throat. "Did he… refuse to leave?"
Daniel's shoulders sagged. "Yeah."
Of course he did.
"I told him I needed him to come with me,"
He stopped.
"He just smiled and told me he was comfortable there. Said he had no reason to leave."
I nodded slowly. "Sounds like my old geyser."
He stared at me. "You've never met him."
"…Yeah. Still sounds like him."
Daniel exhaled through his nose. "I don't get it. He has no attachments. No obligations. He could live like a king outside."
I tilted my head. "Cats don't leave warm boxes even if you offer them steak."
"…What."
"He's a like a cat, Daniel. You tried to drag him out of his cardboard box."
Daniel rubbed his face. "I hate how that makes sense."
I smiled faintly.
Then I snapped my fingers.
"But! Good news. I have a solution."
He looked up, suspicious. "That tone scares me."
"We bait him."
"…With what."
I grinned. "Food."
He blinked. "…Food."
"Extremely delicious food."
Daniel stared. "…You're serious."
"Dead serious. You said it yourself—he doesn't hate the outside world. He just doesn't care enough to move. So we give him a reason to move."
Daniel crossed his arms. "And what reason is that."
"Dopamine. Gluttony. Emotional damage to his taste buds."
"…You're insane."
"Thank you."
He went quiet.
Then, slowly…
"…He does like sweets."
My grin widened. "Of course he does."
He sighed. "He could almost kill a demon over honey pastries."
I punched the air. "Victory."
Daniel actually laughed.
A real one.
"…Fine," he said. "When I return, I'll bring food. A lot of it."
I looked at the sky.
In the original story, he never came back.
Because his master died alone in that dungeon.
Because you carried that regret into your second life too.
"Because dragging stubborn old men into happiness is my hobby."
"…You're lying."
"Half-lying."
He snorted.
Then he glanced at me. "So. Your turn."
"My turn?"
"You saved my life earlier. Almost killed a monster for fun. Your grandpa is terrifying. Your little brother is insane."
I hummed. "Fair."
He leaned back. "What's your class."
I hesitated.
"…Jester."
He choked. "Your what."
"Jester."
"…Like. Funny hat. Circus. Honk honk."
"Don't disrespect the honk honk path."
He stared. "You shredded a mutant bear with cards."
"Yes."
"You radiate pressure like a demon."
Also yes.
"And your class is Jester."
"…Yes."
He rubbed his eyes. "I hate this world."
I laughed. "Wait till you hear the rest."
"Potential rank?"
"SS."
He blinked. "Not SSS?"
"Nope."
"…I don't believe that."
"Neither do I."
He squinted. "Unique trait?"
I leaned forward. "Cursed."
"…Define cursed."
"When I'm emotionally unstable or fatigued, my brain calms down and my face turns into a horror movie mascot."
He remembered the bear scene.
"…Oh."
"Yeah. Happy Face."
"That's the name?"
"Yes."
"That's terrible."
"Also my skills get stronger while I look like a lunatic."
"…That's worse."
"Thank you."
He stared at the ground.
Then at me.
"…You're broken too, aren't you."
I smiled. Not the weird one. The normal one.
"Noop."
We sat in silence again.
This time it was awkward.
After a while, Daniel muttered, "Have you awakened your current rank yet?"
I blinked. "…No."
"…Me neither."
We looked at each other.
Then both of us smiled.
The same stupid idea forming at the same time.
"…Friendly spar?" he asked.
I stood up. "Friendly spar."
"If one of us dies, it doesn't count."
"Agreed."
We shook hands.
Somewhere behind us, Grandpa Helior slowly opened one eye.
And sighed.
'Why do I feel like my peaceful picnic just ended.'
I didn't know it yet.
But this dumb little spar…
Was about to unlock something neither of us was ready for.