There was something wrong with this kids gaze towards my ice cream. It wasn't the look someone who wanted to have a food gave.
No, his gaze was filled with greed, not gluttony. Greed for something that can be only gained from eating my ice cream.
It was as if the boy knew there was more to be gained from eating my ice cream.
How did this brat know that my ice cream was special and different?
There was no way anyone normal person could recognise me here. So, this kid shouldn't be aware of who I am along with, what this ice cream is capable of doing to a magi.
"You want this?" I asked the kid staring at my ice cream.
The kid nodded eagerly, without even bothering to look at me.
"I will give it to you if you manage to entertain me." I said. This finally managed to put his attention back to me.
"What do I need to do?" The kid tried appearing cute before me. It might work on others but not on me.
I am going to make you work to the bone for this ice cream punk.
"Give me 10 push-ups, as your first task." I ordered.
-----------------------------
{2 hours later- Dean PoV}
"199...200" Damn it you stupid system. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be doing this.
A few hours ago, I saw a strange guy eating ice cream in relish.
I had meant to use my skill [Observe] on him as my natural instinct and a way to farm exp for that skill but accidentally looked at the ice cream at the wrong time.
[Ice Cream- Level 4]
There was nothing conspicuous about the information the observe skill brought up, other than it being a level 4 and the colour highlighting the words ice cream was in violet. I suddenly remembered the grading of items and skills the system assigned for everything was as follows: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet and Rainbow.
This piece of ice cream that this weird and creepy person so casually eating was one of the highest-grade items I had ever seen in real life other than orange.
The flip, since when did food started having grades, I questioned myself?
However, that soon became irrelevant as a window popped up in front of me.
[Quest Started]
[Desert after a tedious journey]
[Description- Acquire the legendary food that only Gods have the luxury of eating, from the mysterious person and consume it.]
[Reward- Unlock the stat spiritual. Spiritual stats increase by 5]
[Bonus Quest]
[Description- Find out the origin of the food fit for gods]
[Reward- Spiritual stats increase by 5]
Holy crap!?
What the hell was with these rewards?
This stupid system had never given me stat points above 0.5 as a reward. This was the first time I am getting so much stat point, and that to a total of 10 stat points as well as unlocking the spiritual stat, which I have been trying to unlock for the past 9 years of my life.
Now I definitely wanted that ice cream, and with this conviction, I went towards the creepy dude.
After meeting that man my life has been truly hell for the past 2 hours. He made me do all sorts of heavy and strenuous exercise, in the name of entertainment.
I swear if he doesn't give me the ice cream at the end of this, then I am going to make his life a living hell when I get the chance, no matter what.
But on the bright side, my agility and physical stats seemed to have increased by a bit from the past 2 hours from doing his rubbish tasks, giving me some kind of relief.
[Physical stat increases by 0.5 over the past 2 hours]
[Agility stat increases by 0.3 over the past 2 hours]
Finally, after doing the last task of 200 push up in 10 minutes, I looked up pleadingly at the merciless person to show some kind of mercy.
"Fine, you can have it." The man departed with his ice cream unwillingly.
I soon started gorging on the ice cream ignoring the pinging I heard from mission completion.
Suddenly I stood still, as my brain and taste buds finally realised what it was tasting.
"This... how... can it be so good?" I asked. I could feel that I was crying, but why? I could almost feel the gentle breeze of spring, the same thing I felt when I was with mum and dad, back in the village.
I was in a trance for a while as I ate the ice cream. When I realised that the ice cream had finished I was devastated.
I looked back at the person wearing the hood to see his right hand supporting his chin, while he watched me in amusement.
"You sure can go to any lengths for an ice cream boy." The man stated.
"If it is not any trouble, can I ask from where did you get that ice cream?" I asked back wanting to know where I can buy such amazing and delicious food from.
"Why would you want to know? It is not like you can afford it even if you knew." The man replied back.
This kind of pissed me off, how dare he underestimate the great me. Well, he was actually right; I couldn't really afford it now. But I could in the future.
"Please?" I begged.
"Well fine. Just ask around for the shop of the 3rd prince." The man replied in annoyance.
"3rd Prince? As in Prince John Emberson?" I asked in surprise while ignoring the alert suggesting I completed the bonus mission.
"Yeah, he runs the shop. Literally from cooking to cleaning is done by him. It is open for anyone, even criminals. However, to eat one snack from there, it will not be enough even if you sell yourself as a slave." The man replied.
I blinked in surprise. The flip? I have heard the 3rd prince was a great cook, I never knew he had his own restaurant, in which he cooked food for everyone.
"Surely you are joking. Why would a prince cook for people, especially a commoner? He must surely have servants doing the job." I replied back. I knew nobles. They would never do anything for us commoners without expecting anything back in return. There must be something he gains from doing all this.
The man shrugged his shoulders. "Believing it or not is your choice. As for why he does it? Maybe he wants to seem like a very busy prince."
Yeah as if I am going to believe such lame reason.
"Well, time for me to leave kid." The man said as he stood up stretching his hand for a handshake.
"Well, it was nice meeting you." I lied through my teeth. It was horrible meeting you
As I usually did, I casually cast [Observe] on the mysterious person.
[Unknown Level 1] That was I what I received if I ignored the whole thing written in violet and the description that came under it.
[Description- If as much as his hair is harmed, you and everyone related to you will definitely die painfully, while wishing you hadn't ever met him.]
[Threat description- Seriously don't piss him off or annoy him if you want to everyone you love to live.]
I froze in fear.
This was the first time I had ever seen a person's name in violet. That description was absolutely terrifying. System why the hell did you have to show me something like that? I asked in despair.
"Dean! Where are you?" I was awoken from a rather familiar voice.
"There you are. Who is this person? Why are you holding his hands?" My sister started bombarding me with questions.
I suddenly realised I was still holding onto the man's hand.
I let go of his hands suddenly and stood there motionless, as my sister started talking towards the mysterious man.
"I am sorry about him. Who are you by the way?" I wanted to scream stop but remembered the threat description.
"Oh, just a passer-by who was having a casual talk with your ..." The man paused as he looked at me for a moment before looking back at my sister.
"...brother, I presume?" He asked.
"Yeah." My sister nodded.
"We were just about to leave and were saying our goodbyes. Anyway, it seems like you guys aren't from here." My mind screamed to run away, but I did not dare.
--------------------------
{Ez PoV}
Ok great, a system user. I had to jinx myself last time, didn't I.
It was obvious the kid was a system user.
His rapid improvement on his physique as he exercised, along with the sudden surge of magi which both Ellis and Luke had discerned for a magi attack, which happened twice.
Not to mention it happened at 2 key timings: one when I gave him the ice cream, two when I revealed to him the location of where the ice cream was made. It seemed as if he was being rewarded for completing some kind of mission.
I could have ignored the first surge of magi particle, accounting it as his first time advancing as a magi apprentice from eating my food. However, the strange thing was he never took notice of it. Even when it happened a second time, while he was casually talking to me. This I couldn't ignore.
The boy seemed like he was a person coming from a far away village. Guess he came with the travelling merchants.
To confirm something I stretched my hand casually, only for the boy to grab it and shake it, as if he were all too used to that act.
Hmm, most likely a transmigrator from earth or other modern civilisation. There was no way a country bumpkin/ village boy knowing about the way royalty and high nobles of the same rank, of this world, occasionally used to greet each other.
Then there was the nail that sealed the coffin.
He looked at me for a second. I could see his eyes move around slightly as if reading something before he froze in fear and panic.
Yep, that brat just read my status with his gamer ability or system ability or whatever it was. However, it was a good thing I managed to set a layer of defence in my soul and brain against this kind of measly infiltration attempt from the invasion of a parasite.
The poor man(he definitely is older than he looks) must be scared shitless after reading my profile.
Soon his sister arrived and started questioning me in concern.
"We were just about to leave and were saying our goodbyes. Anyway, it seems like you guys aren't from here?" I asked truly curious what a system users family was up to.