A terrible sound that can only be described as one derived from the deepest floor of a dragon's lair ripped through the room, startling the owner awake in an instant. Awwi furrowed her brows and looked for the source, only to remember something regarding a certain system.
She rubbed her eyes sleepily after noticing the screen before her. Naturally, she tapped on the [Off] option displayed, her ears finally free.
"Is this the alarm?" Awwi questioned no one in particular but herself.
Looking out of the window from the room, the sky was still pitch black. "Going to bed early means being able to wake up before the sun rises," which was what Awwi heard a mother telling her child the day before.
Awwi extended her arms towards the ceiling and stretched her body that was nearly numb from last night's poor sleeping position. She went for the door and pushed it open to see if Gravius had woken up, only to be greeted by darkness.
To her surprise, the lights outside were just turned off not long ago and Gravius was just about to enter his room when he noticed her presence.
"What's wrong? Can't sleep?" Gravius turned his head to question.
"Ah- No, that's not it," Awwi shook her head and waved her hand in front of her face. "It's nothing."
Gravius hummed, not entirely convinced but he just shrugged it off.
"Is that so? Head back to bed then. Goodnight."
Gravius reached for the doorknob to shut the door and Awwi did the same. She returned to the couch and turned on her system, continuing from where she left off yesterday.
Looking around, Awwi tapped on the [Rewards] tab. There, a list of items that she could exchange with her points was listed. Speaking of points, how much does she have now?
"Hmm… Where do I check?" She thought for a while and remembered seeing something of the sorts in [Stats]. Without further ado, her finger hovered over it and the screen changed the moment her finger met the screen.
***
<100 pts>
***
"Oh, it's different from before."
According to the list, nothing can be bought with a mere 100 points except for a 'simple one-piece dress' as displayed on the screen.
***
[Complete daily quests to earn points and exchange interesting items:]
[100 pts: Simple one-piece dress]
[500 pts: A set of clothes of your choice]
[700 pts: A pair of matching shoes]
[1, 000 pts: Accessories of your choice]
[5, 000 pts: Magic according to individual's capability]
***
Awwi had all the necessities for the time being, so aiming for higher rewards would be wiser if she were to use her points.
However, earning them wouldn't be a piece of cake.
Her main source of points would be from completing daily quests at the moment. Assuming the second task gives out the same amount of points as a reward, Awwi should have 200 pts after breakfast.
***
[Daily Quests: Eat breakfast.]
[Reward: 100 pts]
***
"I knew it."
Looking at the time, it was only 2 a.m. Nowhere near breakfast time. Awwi minimized her system screen and laid herself on the couch before dozing off.
"Maybe I should sleep a little more."
...
"Mama, I want that orange one!" A young boy that looked like Gravius said to his mother.
"Eh? But you've got tons of them at home."
"This is different! I want this!" The boy pouted as he pulled his mother's sleeve, desperate to get his desired item.
The mother sighed in defeat. She ended up buying the orange-colored carbonated drink from the convenience store for her son. It's his birthday, after all. How could she refuse his request, especially when he had that puppy-dog eyes?
However, as soon as they got back home, the young Gravius dumped the bottle into the depth of his shelf after noticing the brand of the drink.
"Awwi? What kind of company names such a lame name for their product?"
…
Gasp!
Awwi shot her eyes open, shocked by what she had just witnessed. It felt like a memory of her past life, the time when she first met Gravius and got abandoned.
"A... dream…?"
She placed a hand on her forehead, breathing rapidly as she attempted to calm herself. Once she brought herself together, Awwi swiped her finger in mid-air, a screen once again materialized before her eyes.
"0600?" She muttered as she glanced at the time. It was currently 6 in the morning, which means her nap took 4 hours, which was longer than Awwi thought.
"Time sure flies fast, huh."
As she stood on her feet, Awwi suddenly had some kind of uncomfortable feeling in her body. Her sixth sense was telling her what to do, so she quickly left the room and looked for a lavatory.
But she couldn't find it.
Creak!
Just then, Gravius had just woken up too. He met Awwi the moment he slammed his door open. The male squinted his eyes at the unfamiliar figure as he summoned a ball of fire in his hand, ready to attack the moment danger approached.
"State your business here."
Awwi was taken aback. Her eyes shifted around the room to see if there was an intruder in the house.
"I'm talking to you, you ba-" Just when Gravius was about to continue his sentence, his vision cleared, and only now could he see the face of the person he was about to attack a second ago.
"I-" No words could come out of his mouth. "I forgot there was someone other than myself here. Pardon my rudeness."
Gravius flushed in an embarrassment of his actions, ears turning crimson. He released the magic and hid his flustered face in his hands.
"A-Anyways," Gravius spoke, "How was your night?"
Awwi tilted her head in confusion. It took quite a while before she understood his question.
"Oh, it was great."
Gravius hummed in response. A grumbling sound came from his empty stomach soon after and a sigh escaped his lips. He would usually have some bread for breakfast, but that won't do if there's a guest in his home.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. Gravius reached for the desk nearby and opened a box.
"Here," he took a fair sum of it and signaled Awwi to take it.
"What for?"
"I don't cook, since I'm usually by myself," Gravius scratched the nape of his neck and continued, "You might not be hungry now but you will later. Go get something from the bakery down the street."
Bakery.
The term rang a bell for Awwi. The bread she had yesterday was delish, but will that be considered as a 'proper meal'? After all, every decision she makes from now on will be related to the system. It's best if she could complete her quests flawlessly.
Just then, Awwi remembered something she saw this morning: a video about culinary. It was just a simple 1-minute video teaching you how to cook a meal, so she had everything noted in her head.
"I can cook."
Awwi blurted out before heading to the kitchen swiftly, leaving Gravius' jaw wide open.
"No, no. You can't just- never mind," Gravius gave in when he noticed how Awwi started to roll her sleeves, face full of excitement as she got her hands on the cooking utensils.
"Do you have anything specific you want to eat?"
"Not really. I'm not too picky so almost anything goes for me."
Awwi gave no response but she heard him loud and clear. She headed for the fridge and that was when Gravius realized, "I don't stock up on ingredients." That sentence of his earned an 'o' expression from the female.
"This leaves us no choice, then," Awwi took the money Gravius had given to her moments ago. "I'll buy us food."
"I've said that since the beginning," Gravius mumbled under his breath but inaudible to Awwi.
"Um, how do I use this?"
Awwi questioned right before she opened the door to head out. Gravius was frozen in place, eyes wide like it would fall off anytime soon.
"Can you repeat your question so I know if I heard correctly?"
"I asked how am I supposed to use these," she pointed at the bag of money in her hand.
No words could express what Grvaius was thinking at this moment. He dragged his palm across his face, "Where are you from? Do you not know what 'currency' is?"
The female flinched at his question.
"I… do not know."
Gravius sighed and walked towards Awwi, opening the bag in her hand, "Listen closely," and he started teaching her about money and the currency people of Dewtown use.
"We call this 'Odir'," Gravius took a coin in his hand, showing the currency to Awwi. "Without having a single Odir on you, you will not be able to do anything. Unless you happen to meet some nice people out there, that'll be a different case."
Gravius proceeded to take a few more coins and continued his explanation.
"One of these coins represents one Odir. Though, you seldom meet items that cost so cheap. Even the cheapest bowl of noodles in the city costs 5 Odirs."
Awwi has no knowledge of Mathematics, but she pretended to understand them and simply nodded her head.
"Do you understand now?" Gravius lifted his head to see Awwi's response.
"Yes."
"Good," Gravius placed the money back into the bag and zipped it tight. "There are around 30 Odirs in this bag. The bakery down this street doesn't sell expensive stuff so these should be enough."
Awwi nodded her head and opened the door, preparing to leave.
"Don't roam around for too long. It's getting dangerous outside these days." With a quick nod, Awwi shut the door behind her, leaving the area and stepped onto the main street once again.