Stella began eating immediately, but Candy paused and stared at the food she had been given.

  ‘Is this food? Real food? Not the tasteless stuff I’m forced to eat?’

  In front of her was a bowl of stew that was giving off a deliciously meaty savory smell. The silky broth had perfectly cooked carrots and potatoes and the meat was practically falling apart with how tender it was.

  She gulped.

  Swallowing her saliva, she quickly scooped a bite onto her spoon.

  When she finally tasted the stew, she felt as if she had gone to heaven. The meat melted in her mouth and filled it with a rich fragrance that complimented the vegetables perfectly.

  “Wha, what is this?”

  “Hm? Oh, you got the beef stew. It’s good isn’t it.”

  “I’ve never had anything like it in my life. I love it!”

  Candy was now completely engrossed in eating. As she savored every bite she took, she thought about her reality.

  In the era where technology had bloomed to the point of creating virtual worlds, real food was hard to find. Things like plants and animals had all but disappeared and those that were left were either protected or on the edge of extinction. It was essentially impossible to get any food that wasn’t synthesized from other materials. The facility where she lived rarely sourced high quality food, so practically everything was like the mush she ate earlier. Even if the facility did have such food, she couldn’t eat it.

  But now, she could eat whatever she wanted.

  ‘Alright! My first goal is to eat as many delicious things as possible while I’m here!’

  As she finished her thoughts, she realized that she had eaten all her food.

  ‘Ah, there’s no more.’

  She thought about asking for another bowl, but seeing as how Stella was paying, she decided not to.

  Once they left the tavern, Stella turned to Candy.

  “Today was really fun. Thank you for helping me find my skills as an adventurer.”

  “It’s no problem at all! I also had a lot of fun.”

  Turning to look up at the sky, Stella spoke.

  “To be honest, I haven’t made much in the way of friends even though I’ve lived here for a long time. I’ve been so focused on achieving my dream that I never really stopped to look at what’s around me. Training and then having dinner with you reminded me of how much I’ve missed having a friend.”

  “Hm? Am I not your friend?”

  “Huh? Haha, I guess you’re right. You are my friend Candy, and I have really enjoyed every moment I spent with you.”

  “It’s only been 1 day, silly.”

  “Still. I’m really glad I met you.”

  Turning back to Candy, Stella smiled.

  “Sorry about that, I guess I got a little emotional. Well, I guess we should go home right?”

  Stella waved goodbye and began walking away. Before she could get far, Candy spoke.

  “Hey Stella, want to know a secret?”

  “Hm?”

  “You’re my first friend too.”

  …

  ‘Okay, now what should I do?’

  Candy began walking through the city. There were many people still out on the streets, and children chased the sparkling light given off by the pearl trees. As she continued walking, she realized that at some point, she had entered the residential district.

  Houses of all shapes and sizes surrounded her, unified by the soft glow of the pearl wood used to build them. The path below her branched off in various directions. Following the widest path, she arrived at the park that represented the center of the residential district. The stone path wove through the soft grass and disappeared amidst the greenery. A river flowed through the park and plants and flowers bloomed amidst comfortable benches and tables. At the center of the park was a massive pearl tree. Its leaves and branches formed a soft canopy that shaded visitors from the sun.

  Despite it being late, there were many people in the park. Some walked around admiring the wildlife, while others spoke happily to their partners. Children played in the grass and around the tree, or snuggled next to their parents on the benches.

  Looking at the scenery in front of her, she was reminded once again of how beautiful this world was.

  Candy sat down by the river and watched as fish swam around in the water. Hearing laughter nearby, she saw the children from before chasing each other over the nearby bridge. She smiled as she watched them before turning to look around her. The soft grass provided cushion as she sat and the sound of the water nearby healed her spirit. As she breathed in, the scent of mud and flowers filled her nose.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  She had just closed her eyes when she heard a scream.

  “Max! Be careful!”

  Looking over, she saw that one of the children had gotten too close to the edge of the water and has slipped. The river was deep and the current would quickly swallow anyone who fell in. Watching as his parents ran to catch him, Candy knew they wouldn’t make it in time.

  Quickly acting, she jumped at full speed towards the child on the opposite bank. Arriving in the blink of an eye, she grabbed the child and threw him higher onto the bank. Due to her haste, she was unable to catch herself and ended up falling in the water.

  “Oh my Goddess! Are you alright! Honey, quickly help her!”

  She heard a woman shout as her head slipped under the water. Luckily, her body was exceptionally strong and she soon surfaced before easily swimming towards the riverbank. As she stood up, a man reached his hand out to her. She gratefully took it and they made their way up the sloping ground.

  When they reached the top, a woman was standing with a crying child in her arms. Another child was tightly hugging clinging to her with tears in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry Mommy, I thought everything would be okay.”

  “Yeah, we really were trying to be careful!”

  “How many times have we told you not to play by the river? This almost turned into a terrible accident! You had better thank the young lady who saved you, okay?”

  “Yes, Mommy.”

  “Sorry, Mommy.”

  “Please don’t make me worry so much.”

  While comforting the children, the woman looked up and saw Candy and the man walking towards them. She quickly walked over to meet them. The man went and picked up the other child.

  ‘Ah! Thank you so much for saving my child! I don’t know what would’ve happened had you not been there. Truly, thank you so much.”

  “Don’t worry about it! I’m just glad I got there in time.”

  “My wife and I are forever indebted to you. Thank you so much!”

  ‘I’m happy to help.”

  Noticing the children staring at her, Candy lowered her heard to look at them.

  “Now you both understand why you need to listen to your parents, right? Even if you don’t like it, they say these things to keep you safe, so make sure to always remember what they say in the future, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.”

  The little girl focused her eyes on Candy’s shoulder.

  “Wow, Big Sis, are you an adventurer?”

  “Hm? Yeah I am. Pretty cool right.”

  Candy flashed a smile as she flexed her arm.

  “This big sis is super strong.”

  “Woah, do you fight monsters?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Wow! That’s so cool!”

  “Amazing! I want to be an adventurer like you someday!”

  “Hehe, I’m sure you’ll be an even greater adventurer than me!”

  “Yeah!”

  Their parents watched as the children’s tears quickly turned to smiles. Looking at Candy, the woman suddenly exclaimed.

  “My, what are we doing? You’re completely soaked! We can’t leave you like this, especially not after all you’ve done. Why don’t you come home with us? We’ll get you warm and dry in no time.”

  “Oh, it’s okay. It’s still pretty warm at night and my clothes will dry quickly.”

  “Even so, we cannot have you walking around in wet clothes, what if you catch a cold?”

  At the parent’s insistence, Candy eventually decided to go with them.

  The group left the park and began walking towards the house.

  The children, exhausted after the ordeal they just experienced quickly nodded off in their parents’ arms.

  Smiling gently, the woman spoke.

  “Oh, I’ve forgotten to tell you my name! I’m Iris, this is my husband Ray. Thank you again for saving our Max.”

  “You really don’t have to keep thanking me, I’m happy nothing bad happened.”

  Glancing at the children’s peaceful faces, Candy pondered.

  “But, the children went through quite a scare just now. Are you sure they’ll be okay?”

  “Don’t worry, they’ll be fine. Young children are surprisingly resilient. Plus, I bet you they’ve already forgotten about their fears. Looking at how they lit up upon hearing you’re an adventurer, I bet that’s all they’ll be thinking about when they wake up.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “By the way, what’s your name?”

  “Oh, I’m Candy. I just recently entered the city.”

  “Ah, you came from outside?”

  “Yep.”

  “When we were younger, my husband and I thought about leaving to travel, but we never did. Once the children were born, there was nowhere else we wanted to be.”

  “Silva is a beautiful place to live.”

  “Tell me, what’s it like outside? Since we’re on the frontlines, regular citizens don’t often leave, so most of us don’t know much about the rest of the continent.”

  “The rest of the continent?”

  Candy was stumped. Although her identity was that of someone who came from outside the city, she had stayed in and around Silva. She was clueless about what the rest of the game was like.

  “It’s alive.”

  Her words caught her off guard, but she didn’t take them back. Although she didn’t know much about Achievements of Heroes 2, she knew practically everything about the original game. The adventurer Candy might not have seen much of the world, but she knew it all. She began speaking.

  “Far away from the frontlines, there’s a city buried in sand. Usually, it looks like there’s nothing there, just desert as far as you can see. But on certain nights, when both moons are full, a city appears. The sand shines like gold in the moonlight and the city sits like a gem upon a throne.”

  “Wow.”

  “To the west, there’s a city that was built under the sea. Despite being surrounded by water, the city itself remains dry and its residents live peaceful lives.”

  “An underwater city? I didn’t know that was possible.”

  “On the opposite side of the continent, there are many villages scattered among forests and plains. The people there live simple lives, but they live happily.”

  ‘And in one of those villages lives the game’s main hero.’

  Thinking about the main story of the game, she realized that she would probably never get to see the heroes she dreamed of meeting.

  ‘That’s okay. Just spending the rest of my time in this city is enough.’

  “You are truly amazing, Candy.”

  This remark brought her out of her thoughts.

  “You’re so young yet you’ve seen so much. It makes me wonder what else is hidden out there.”

  “I’m sure there are tons of things waiting to be uncovered.”

  At this point, they had reached the house.

  Walking in, Ray took both children to bed while Iris helped Candy change into dry clothes. Looking outside, Iris spoke.

  “It’s gotten very late hasn’t it. I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting you leave this late, how about you stay the night. We can have breakfast in the morning and then you can leave. I’m sure the children would love to spend more time with you too.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “I’ll go set up the spare bedroom for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  As Iris disappeared into another room, Candy looked around.

  The house was comfortably sized and tidy. Books filled the bookshelf and children’s toys were scattered near a corner of the wall. The kitchen held cooking utensils and a basket on the table held fruit and bread. A furnace/stove stood in one corner, and a magic container that served as this world’s refrigerator hummed softly.

  Soon, Iris came back and led Candy into a small bedroom. The furnishings were plain but warm, and the bed was made with soft sheets and pillows.

  “Goodnight Candy, sleep well.”

  Iris gently hugged Candy before leaving.

  Startled by the sudden contact, Candy stood stiffly for a moment.

  ‘Iris…I wonder if that’s what my mother was like? I hope so.’

  Gazing out the window onto the illuminated streets, she flashed a self-mocking smile.

  ‘I thought I’d just play this game for fun with the time I had left, but what am I going to do? I’m suddenly very reluctant to leave.’