16 Silence

*Are you sure you want to proceed?

Bob was met with a prompt upon trying to press the cook button. Basic cooking was available for every player and it just needed the ingredients. However, the taste and effects greatly differ from those with the correction from the cooking level.

"Of course I want to proceed. What else would I do?"

Bob said to the prompt.

And after he said that, all of the ingredients he put on the countertop vanished and a dish showed itself to replace the missing ingredients.

*You do not have a cooking class or skill.

*Dish is rated 'Worthless' by the system.

-It is a dish made by a person with no cooking experience. Instead of trying to make it by hand, the person used the system to make it.

-Taste Coefficient: It could sate your hunger but I suggest you don't eat it.

Bob saw the prompt. He was speechless, he could not believe it at all.

"Hurray! Finally, something that doesn't belong in the trash."

He celebrated. Considering the trial cooking he made from months ago was something the System rated as no better than rotten socks left to rot in a hamper.

"Hey, Mom! I made some food!" Bob excitedly said as he looked at his mom.

And unlike the excruciating days when the replies he gets were monotonous and repeats of the same line, he now gets a genuine reply from his mother.

"Good job, Bob!" Melissa said as she approached the countertop.

She looked at the food her son made and smiled her brightest.

"Son. Leave the cooking to me next time." Her eyes squinted as she said.

"Why? It's better than the ones I made from months ago." Bob replied.

"Just, don't do it."

And with the remaining ingredients, Melissa began cooking her own portion of food to eat. She did not use the system like Bob, she used her hands to cut, clean, and prepare the dish.

*You do not have a cooking class or skill.

*You have a status effect of Mother.

*Dish is rated "Fine" by the system.

-It is a dish made by a mother for her son. The dish is filled with love and should be praiseworthy but love isn't enough to do that. You need skill.

The system was harsh.

"Here, son. Eat up." Melissa offered the food she made to Bob.

"Huhu. This is the first time I could eat your cooking, Mom."

Melissa smiled at Bob's statement. She was confused about it as from her memory, Bob loved her cooking since childhood.

"What do you mean? You always loved my cooking."

Melissa's memories of the past were programmed, just like Bob. However, she did not gain awareness because of an unknown reason like Bob, she was an NPC that suddenly moved based on her flavor text.

"Ah. Yes. I just missed your cooking, that's all." Bob changed his words. He knows. He understands that his mother has memories that never happened. Just like he had memories of interacting with Rodrik and Rose from Bagel Village.

'I wonder how they're doing.'

Bob thought, he thinks that they also gained a personality just like every other NPC in the game. What he forgot was that there was another Bob that had his looks and personality. That's a bit of foreshadowing right there.

Bob and Melissa approached the dining table with dishes in hand. They sat down and began eating. Bob was eating Melissa's cooking while Melissa ate Bob's cooking.

"This is utter garbage." She complained.

Bob's lowered his head in shame. He did not want his mother to look down on the food he tried so hard to make.

"Hey. Don't get so down. I mean it." She continued.

"Son, what you made is bad food. Even though I'm your mother, I will say it's bad because it's bad. There's no need to sugarcoat details when we are parent and child."

Melissa explained just like a mother. She wanted to teach her son that things could change with a bit of effort.

"You need to work. You made this using magic, right? I saw the entire things happen."

Unlike players, NPCs were not made aware of the system. The System was a convenience that was exclusive only to the players. Telling the NPCs to understand player terms would also prove to be difficult as the system prevents an NPC's understanding.

It was a setting so that the game would continue to have an element of another world and not just a game.

"Okay. I'll do my best."

Bob felt better. Her words were right, Bob did not move to cook for himself but relied on the convenience of the system.

"Good." Melissa said as she scooped some of the food Bob made.

"Mom, that is not edible, don't eat it."

Bob warned his mother to not eat the worthless dish he made. However-

Chonk~

Melissa ate a piece. She had a delighted smile on her face while she held her cheeks with her hands.

"I thought it isn't good? Why'd you eat it?" Bob asked worryingly. He did not want his mother to throw up.

Melissa did not answer instantly. She finished chewing the bite she bit and swallowed. She thought for a while before opening her mouth.

"It is because it's the first edible dish my son ever made." Melissa said as she was scraping her teeth with her tongue.

"Of course I'd eat it." She continued.

Bob looked at her and began eating the food she made from him. It was delicious.

"It's delicious." He exclaimed with a cracked voice.

"Yes, I know. So don't cry." Melissa retorted.

Bob's was wet. His eyes were overflowing with tears as he ate the food. He whined as he chewed.

"I'm, nom, so gulag. nom, that you're beer. nom, nom" (I'm so glad that you're here, mom.)

Bob continued eating despite the waterfall of tears. All of the tension that built up over the months of waiting for her to gain awareness. All of that burst like a dam.

"Hick."

Bob sobbed like a little beach. But who wouldn't?

Sob~

He cried audibly, while his mother, Melissa, watched him cry.

"Ugggg, Mom. I love your cooking."

Melissa did not say anything. Because she could remember what happened in the past months. She saw in her memories that Bob took care of her.

'I'm so sorry, son.'

Melissa did not say anything. She felt horrible knowing that she did nothing as his son waited for her to say anything sensible.

'But I'm here now.'

Melissa did not say anything. She stood up from her seat and approached the still crying Bob from behind. She held his head in an embrace.

'I'm here now.'

Melissa did not say anything.

But Bob could feel her sentiments.

'Thanks, Mom.'

So, some crybaby continued eating while his mother caressed his head while holding his head. It was a time of peace. Mostly because the players were not around to break the mood.

A day past in the real world.

"It's here! It's here! I can't wait!"

The players waited for the clocks to strike at the hour.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

[Logging in.]

Every excited player logged in the game. Or at least tried to.

*The maintenance has been extended for an hour. There were problems with the delivery of patches on all of our servers in each country. The problem will be resolved shortly. Thank you for your patience.

"#### you. Piece of ####."

Cries of anger were said in unison throughout Asia.

The devs looked at the number of concurrent players, they expected that someone, in some way, could enter the game due to the influx of logins at that moment.

"Hmm. 1 of the players was able to log in?"

The screen showed that there was indeed a player currently online.

"Hey. We just got ourselves a hacker. This guy accessed our server without our permission."

A moderator said as he walked over to the game director.

"Hmm. Check his IP address and anything that could be of use to us. If he successfully logged in, that means he found out a weak spot in our security." The director said.

"You mean we should ask this guy?" The moderator asked.

"Yes. Just do as I say."

The team checked the player's detail and all they could know was the IP address.

"Sir. Something is not right."

"Yea. I can tell."

"Yes. This is our IP address."

The developers were troubled upon knowing this fact. That means that one of them was good enough to hack through their security.

"What if he's just testing some things?"

"Yea, that's reasonable."

They thought that the breach was only a security testing. They did not think much of it since the person was one of them anyway.

The devs soon fixed the delivery problem and turned the game back online.

All the excited players logged in at once and they all rejoiced. It was time for a whole new world.

"Time to test the updates."

A player unsheathed his dagger as he said.