"So where do we go?"
"Where else? To the inn, of course." Sophia raised a brow.
Jan let out a dry chuckle—that was a question of habit. "And who's going to cook for us?"
"That would be me... Hey, why are you looking at me like that?!"
"Do you even know how to cook?" Jan shot Sophia a suspicious look.
"Oh please, you just throw the ingredients in the—what's it called again?"
"...Okay, so you don't. I'll do it."
"Wait—you can cook?!"
"I can make a few dishes."
"That's a surprise! I figured you maxed out at reading."
"Haha, very funny."
"Hehehe." Sophia snickered gleefully.
"Look at you two giggling while I'm starving! You know, you would've been executed twice already if we were in Sylvalis."
"Well, I'm glad we're not in Sylvalis then." Jan smiled.
"Hah! You wish. It's not like we accept your kind there."
"My kind? You mean Heroes?"
"Even worse—you're a human Hero. That's as low as Dwarves, Ogres, and Goblins."
"Okay, I get why you hate those green bastards… but what's wrong with Dwarves and Ogres?"
Sophia chuckled. "Ogres are just the big version of those goblins you hate so much."
"Oh no..." Jan shivered. "They come in bigger sizes?!"
"Dwarves are even worse! They're—"
"Hey. Watch it," Sophia cut in sharply, her expression suddenly cold.
"Ah, right... I almost forgot. Your father..."
"Yeah. My father."
"Mister Marcus? What does that have to do with him?" Jan was puzzled.
"Well," Sophia said, crossing her arms, "Dad's half elf, half dwarf."
"Wait... So that makes you..."
"Quarter human, quarter Hero, quarter dwarf, quarter elf," Sophia chuckled, shooting Aeris a sideways look. "Pretty much the worst combo imaginable to an elf."
"You're a special case. I must apologize—we do respect Sir Marcus," Aeris sighed. "But I'm sure you understand why we hate dwarves."
Seeing that Jan was lost, Sophia explained. "They were the first to use elves' ears to craft items."
"Oh my god. I still can't believe they did that."
"It's not just elves," Sophia said. "Take dragons for example—dwarves used every part of them to craft weapons and gear."
"You're only defending them because of your dwarf blood."
"How's that defending them? I'm just saying it wasn't only elves who suffered. That's how the world was."
"D-D-Dragons? There are dragons in this world?!" Jan exclaimed, still catching up.
Sophia rolled her eyes. "Why are you so surprised? You know about the Five Guardians, right? One of them was a dragon. They were one of the dominant races before the Tower."
"Yeah, I read about that. Didn't see anything about dragons, though. Maybe I haven't gotten to that part yet."
"Or maybe it's because most people think they're extinct. Though Mom once told me she fought one." Her eyes lit up as she clenched her fist. "I can't wait to meet one myself!"
"Meet one? Yeah, good luck doing that in Valkeries. " Aeris said flatly.
"And who said I'm staying here forever? I'm leaving as soon as I can."
"You're a princess. Why would you want to leave?"
"Please. You sound just like Maria. Don't you want to see the world?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she asked.
"I-I..." Aeris stammered. "I want to eat."
Sophia sighed. "I can't say I'm not disappointed in you."
"Disappointed? You don't even know me, Crispy."
Sensing the tension, Jan stepped in. "Everyone has their own path. Let's not argue about it."
"Whatever. I never asked for a life lesson—I just want to eat." Aeris looked away.
"That I can help with," Jan said, then looked at Sophia. "But first, ingredients. Is there anything left in the inn?"
"I don't think so. Mom usually buys fresh stuff from the market every day."
"Alright. But we can't all go—Maria said we shouldn't expose Aeris's identity. Can you grab the ingredients while we head back to the inn?"
"With what money?" Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Thanks to a certain someone, I'm broke."
Jan smiled nervously. "I-I can lend you some. It would be my treat."
Sophia sighed. "Relax. I'm not angry. It was a fair bet."
"You won a bet against her?" Aeris asked curiously.
"Yeah. I beat her."
"Hey! You didn't beat me—you tricked me!" Sophia snapped.
"But you just said it was a fair bet!"
"I didn't say it was a fair battle!"
"Hahahaha! You actually lost to him?" Aeris burst out laughing. "And you act so tough!"
"That's it!" Sophia growled. "I'm redeeming myself today. Forget eating—we're fighting right now!"
"I refuse."
"There you go again! Always running!"
"I'm just hungry!"
"Then after we eat!"
"Fine… I'll think about it." Jan struggled to hold back from smirking.
"No! Promise me!"
"..."
"Promise me!"
"Alright, alright! I promise!"
Only then did Sophia's face brighten. "Okay, give me a list. I'll be back in no time."
Jan sighed and grabbed a pen and paper from behind the counter.
The list was simple: cauliflower, spinach, potatoes, onions, meat, and butter.
Sophia took the paper, scanned it, and raised a brow. "Wait… what's cauliflower?"
***
"I can't believe we all ended up going to the market," Jan muttered.
"Hahaha, relax!" Sophia laughed. "Maria's just being too careful. There's nothing to worry about in Valkeries, anyway!"
"Are you sure?" Jan asked, glancing left and right.
Aeris elbowed him. "Stop that! You're making me nervous!"
"Ow—! I'm just worried about you!"
"Well… thanks," she said flatly. "But I'm fine. Besides, I'm wearing a cloak, I've got the hoodie on, and these earrings? Totally human ears. Nothing to see here."
She tilted her head slightly, showing off the illusion earrings Sophia had given her.
"True… but still. Let's move quickly, just in case."
"Relax, Jan. Acting paranoid will just draw more attention. Besides, the inn's really close to the market."
"Right…"
"Anyway, we're here. It's just around the corner."
As they turned the corner, the plaza came into view.
A massive open space stretched out before them, bustling with life.
This wasn't the first time Jan had seen it—and probably wouldn't be the last, considering he respawned right next to the large statue overlooking the plaza every time he died. Yet no matter how many times he saw it, this place never failed to strike him with one thought:
'This is real.'
Yes, it was bizarre. Yes, people fought mythical monsters every day. Yes, dragons existed—or at least had. But right here, right now, there were women walking with babies in their arms, stopping to buy ingredients. Kids ran laughing through the alleys. Vendors shouted prices over baskets of vegetables.
The tower, the monsters, the magic, the System, the Endlesscape—it all made this world feel like a fantasy. Especially for someone like Jan.
'But that's just the surface. Look a little deeper... and you'll see it. This isn't a fantasy or a game—this is real.'
But he wasn't the only one taken aback.
"You look surprised," Sophia said, grinning at Aeris.
"W-Well, it's only natural. It's the first time I've seen a place like this."
"Hahaha!" Sophia laughed. "See! That's what I'm talking about! Come on—I'll show you more."
She grabbed Aeris by the hand and took off running.
Jan blinked.
'I thought we were just here to buy ingredients…'
He sighed and followed.
Deep down, he wanted to see more, as well.
The three wandered through the market, stopping at stalls every now and then. Sophia kept them entertained while casually hunting for the ingredients on Jan's list.
However… what first seemed like a simple errand quickly turned into a mess.
As it turned out, Sophia really didn't know much about cooking. She barely recognized half the ingredients in her own world.
Aeris wasn't much better. She just kept repeating, "I'm hungry," like a child shopping with his parents.
As for Jan—most of the ingredients looked familiar, but just... off. Slightly wrong. Alien versions of things he thought he knew. And he had no idea how to tell which ones were fresh.
After looping the same section of the market twice, he gave up on his original plan and decided to keep dinner simple: a salad and some roasted meat.
Standing in front of a vegetable stall, Jan picked up a head of lettuce and studied it closely.
"That's a lettuce!" Sophia raised her finger in the air proudly.
"I know," Jan said, nearly breaking.
"But it's not fresh."
"How do you know?!"
"Hahaha!" She puffed her chest. "See? Now you need me."
She picked up another one and tossed it to him. "This one's fresh."
Jan held them side by side, sniffed both, squinted. "No seriously, how can you tell? They look exactly the same."
"Identify."
Jan tilted his head, then his eyes widened. "Oh!"
Realizing what she meant, he quickly activated his skill.
[Identify!]
[Type: Vegetable – Lettuce]
He tried both… same result.
"It's just like last night. Guess my skill is still too low to pick up those details."
"It'll come. Identifying the freshness of vegetables doesn't require a high level. Just keep using it. Until then, I'll help you pick the good stuff."
"Alright. Let's start with this one, then." Jan turned to the vendor. "How much for this, sir?"
"That'll be 40 copper, Hero."
Jan reached for his pouch, but Sophia cut in sharply, "Are you seriously trying to overcharge him while I'm standing right here?"
"I would never do that to our Guardian, Princess!" the man said quickly. "But after the wave attack, our farms were hit hard. We won't get any fresh shipments for at least a week. Naturally, prices are up!"
"Still overpriced! Give us a better deal!"
The vendor groaned. "Fine. Thirty-five copper. Final offer."
"Fine. Jan, pay the man."
Jan handed over the coins, and then the cycle repeated again and again with every vendor until they finished shopping.
[Congratulations! Your skill has improved: "Identify Lv.2"]
During that time, Jan kept using [Identify] on everything—vegetables, spices, even random rocks on the street. It really was the trick to leveling it up quickly, just like Sophia had said.
"Prices were crazy today, but we managed to get everything in the end," Sophia said, satisfied.
"Good work out there," Jan replied with a grin.
"Alright!" she said suddenly, turning to Aeris. "Now I'll show you the other side of the market!"
"Let's go!" Aeris said, bouncing excitedly.
"Wait, guys! What about dinner?!" Jan called out—he was really starving at this point.
"We'll eat later—we got the ingredients already!" Sophia said. "Besides, don't you think it's about time you bought some gear?"
"Gear?"
She looked him up and down. "You're not planning to fight Saveth in those clothes, are you?"